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More on “The Girl” Trilogy…

01/10/2012 in What we're Reading by Lindsay | No comments

As I’ve previously blogged numerous times, I’m a BIG, BIG fan of The Girl… series. 

I breezed through the first two books and the first two Swedish movies.  The characters are so interesting and well-developed.  The plot is addictively, intricately detailed and twisty.  I couldn’t wait to see the American-made movie version of the first book over X-mas…

And, it was more than I could have EVER hoped for!  The movie was totally chilling, pretty true to the book, and the acting was spot on perfect.  I’ll say it – I’m kinda obsessed with Rooney Mara.  What a badass!  (I’ve decided it’s okay to use profanity to describe her.  See the movie and you’ll agree.)

Inspired by the American GWTDT movie, I’ve recently started the third book in the series: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  (I was saving it because I didn’t want the series to end…)  = ADDICTED.  I love that it picks up right where the 2nd book left off.  I. Can’t. Put. It. Down.  I’m not sleeping at night.  I’m not kidding.

Read it.  See the movie.  (Pass on the Swedish ones if you’re not a hardcore fan.)

Stieg Larsson: You were brilliant.  Thank you so much for the hours and hours of addictive entertainment.  R.I.P.

xx, L

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What I’m Watching + Reading + Waiting For…

06/07/2011 in Harry Potter, PSAs, Vampires, What we're Listening To, What we're Reading, What we're Watching by Lindsay | No comments

Have y’all seen The Hangover Part II yet? 

Slick + I caught it with some friends over its opening weekend.  It was fine.  The first one I saw twice in the theater the same weekend (Friday + Sunday – I’m hardcore like that…) and laughed SO hard both times I could hardly breathe.  My abs were pretty stellar afterwards, I must say…  Part II was just okay in my opinion.  Same exact format as before, but more vulgar than funny.  See it, but I don’t think you need to spend $12 to see it in the theater.  Just saying.

I also recently watched (Netflix) Matt Damon-narrated Inside Job, a documentary profiling the 2008 Wall Street financial crisis. 

The subject matter is heavy, but important.  Inside Job was reportedly well received by film critics who praised its pacing, research + explanation of complex financial material.  I thought it was fantastic.  Now, I may still count on my fingers, but I definitely felt like I had a good understanding of what caused the crisis by the time the film ended.  I strongly recommend it if you are in the mood for an interesting docu.  Matt Damon’s voice isn’t too difficult to listen to for a few hours, either…

Please tell me that y’all have seen Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.  PLEASE.

It’s an oldie but a greatie!

It used to be one of my favorite movies (came out in 2006) + I hadn’t seen it in f.o.r.e.v.e.r., BUT it was recently on IFC (Independent Film Channel) and I TiVoed.  I’ve since rewatched it 2 1/2 times over the past week.  Working on the third… Love Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, the music Sophia uses in her movies, all the opulence.  I love!  And, you need to see it.

I promise that I’m not just watching movies…  I also recently started reading Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain.  It’s super cute.  Not a Pulitzer Prize winner or anything, but it did motivate me to stop by the Atlanta Humane Society during lunch last Friday to hold puppies.  True story.

It’s a good, quick read + Enzo is an unbelievably adorable dog.  :)

Really, all this movie watching and reading is just helping me bide time until True Blood (Season 4) returns on Sunday, June 26!

Is it time yet?  Is it time yet?  Is it time yet?  IS IT TIME YET?!  I can’t wait.  I’ve been SO vampire deprived lately…

I’ve also started to make plans for the midnight showing of Harry Potter + The Deathly Hallows Part II on Thursday, July 14.   AHHHH!!!!!

I just may go into shock when it’s finally over. 

Seriously.

xx, L

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Warning: Serious Update OVERLOAD!

05/05/2011 in Baby Chic, Beauty, Buckhead, Cocktails, Deals + Steals, Events, Exercise, Festivals, Guilty Pleasures, Hair, Hotels, Inman Park, Maintenence, Midtown, On the Street, Out of Town, Random Musings, Spa, Trader Joe's, Vacation, Vendors, What we're Doing, What we're Reading, Where we're Eating, Where we're Shopping by Lindsay | 5 comments

Oy.  You might need to sit down for this one.

I didn’t post for an entire week + now I feel like there’s almost too much to update you all on and it’s not exactly stringing together clearly…  So bear with me, folks.  I’m just going to lay it all out there + make of it what you will. 

The weather is getting gorgeous, the hemlines are getting shorter + there are more and more reasons to play outside, try new restaurants + spring into summer!  (I feel like I just wrote an Old Navy commercial.)

Ready or not – here I go!  Wheeeee…..

Ms. Reynolds, Sayako + I recently recruiter summit-ed at Victory Sandwich Bar in Inman Park, which has been all over Urban Spoon, etc., and we really enjoyed it!

Pictured below are our sandwiches, all of which are meant to be eaten in multiples (i.e. you don’t order just one sandwich – they are small-ish) at only $4.00 a piece.

We tried the New Bomb Turkey: turkey, arugula, avocado spread + baconaisse; The Hambo: prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, apple + reduced balsamic; and the Castro: slow-roasted pork, ham, fontina cheese + yellow mustard. 

I love this place for a casual lunch and strongly recommend trying it out!

Victory Sandwich Bar
280 Elizabeth Street
Atlanta, GA  30307
770.676.7287
http://www.vicsandwich.com/
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Victory Sandwich Bar on Urbanspoon

Next up, Bloomingdale’s just started showing some gorgeous turquoise-y blue stone necklaces.  So cute for summer!  Here’s a shot of the one I bought on Monday.  It’s my new favorite accessory.

Moving right along…

On my Palm Springs/ L.A. flights, I started reading John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.”  I will admit that I fall in love with most books I read + can’t put them down until they’re finished, and that remains the case with this Pulitzer Prize winner.  It’s so thoughtfully written and a great (albeit very wordy) read.  The story of how the book came to fruition after JKT’s suicide is super interesting, as well. 

Let’s talk food trucks.

Slick + I got tacos at Tex’s Tacos recently, the new food truck in Buckhead, which urbandaddy.com dubbed the “Antonio Banderas” of food trucks.  Cute.

Tex’s is a fully-equipped kitchen + restaurant on wheels serving up an array of “Nueva Texicana” eats w/ “style + grace.”

While I’ll admit that they weren’t the best tacos I’ve ever eaten, they did the job.  Tex’s will be a goldmine for late night Buckhead frat boys who need to cut through the alcohol a bit before stumbling into bed.  And it’s not just stationed in Buckhead, which is why food truckin’ is so exciting.  Check out Tex’s schedule here: http://www.texstacos.com/

Speaking of food trucks…  When I was in Palm Springs, the Nom Nom truck drove up from L.A. and I got to try it!  Not familiar w/ the famous Nom Nom truck?

It’s a L.A.-based mobile food truck specializing in Vietnamese food, especially banh mi.  Nom Nom was the runner-up in season one of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race.

Their food is RIDIC. 

On Easter Sunday, Slick + I had a date night at Ecco, one of my favorite Midtown restaurants to order up a load of small plates + drinks.  (Also, to potentially spot the Vampire Diaries cast…)

As usual, our meal was predictably delicious.  To accompany it, I ordered a glass of pinot gris.  Slick, however, ordered one of the most interesting cocktails I’ve ever seen.  Here’s the description of it from the menu:

ZAFARAN: Gabriel Boudier Saffron Gin, housemade Shindeldecker tonic + a custom icy hot cube will remind you that, while temptation is a reality, there are repercussions in all things we do.

It was so different and had a very special, unique flavor.  You guys have to try it!

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again.  I’m obsessed with mochi ice cream.  Recently, I’ve been satisfying my sweet tooth with an all natural strawberry flavor found at Trader Joe’s.  Um, yum!

Y’all, today is Thursday which means…

So, back to food trucks + street food.  Can we?  Thanks. 

My favorite Midtown Street Food Thursday vendor is definitely The King of Pops!

I get so excited when I see the Pops cart!  And you know who else does…

slick: king of the mountain (stone mountain, that is)

He LOVES KoPs!  Our favorite flavors are: Mexican Chocolate, Banana Pudding, Sea Salt Chocolate + Pineapple Ginger.  You must, must try a pop!

It really is perfect popsicle weather, too.  Speaking of perfect weather, I had it in California.  The entire week was truly gorgeous!  Although the main purpose of my trip was to meet Mrs. Wolkove’s adorable new addition to her family, I did have time to enjoy the outdoors when I went on a hike at Fryman Canyon Park located in the Santa Monica Mountains with Mrs. W’s madre.  The views were amazing + the workout was seriously intense.  I work out quite a bit in Atlanta, but I almost never go hiking.  I have to say that my legs were throbbing the morning after our hike.  If anyone knows of good hiking spots in Atlanta, please let me know. 

Even while hiking in the heat, my hair looked pretty perfect.  (OMG, what a bragger!)  But, I have to credit that to Daniel Carter at Mint Salon who does my 2-day keratin treatments.  (LK goes to Mint, too, for hers.)  Daniel is a fantastic stylists who has also started to do my cuts + color.  If you happen to be looking for a new stylist, I highly recommend Daniel!  Tell him you heard about him on the Q+DD!

Mint Salon
Stylist: Daniel Carter
404.724.9669
www.mintsalon.net

Since we’re focusing now on “maintenance,” I’m really looking forward to my spray tan today at RAW Organic Bronzing Studio.  (LK is a fan, too!)  I adore the owner, Tiffany Terranova, and have been very pleased with my tans!  They are made from 100% organic ingredients that are actually beneficial to the skin.  Read more about RAW Organic Bronzing Studio here: LK’s post about RAW.

And, RAW is conveniently located right next door to Victory Sandwich Bar in Inman Park!  Bringing it all together.  :)

Skipping around skipping around…

I’m in the market for a french press.  I drank french pressed coffee several times during my L.A. trip + don’t think I can go back to my Keurig any more.  It’s like two entirely different planets of coffee!  This Bodum one is pretty cute.  (Hint, hint.)

OH!  And isn’t this the most precious picture you’ve ever seen or what?!  Mrs. Wolkove, her one week old (who obv. cannot fit into those yet) + I all rock the glitter TOMS!  Love.

We’ll focus on this much more as it draws closer, but who’s pumped for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival?! 

THIS event is going to be nothing short of incredible.  Can’t wait! 

More info here: Atlanta Food & Wine Festival

And finally (have I worn you out yet?), the Q+DD has some very special news to share!  One of our best readers, Jessica Gorman: Concierge at the Ritz Carlton – Buckhead, was featured in the newest edition of The Atlantan Magazine!

Click here to see the article mentioning Jess on page 36 of the new issue today!  (Reading Instructions for the Online Version: Click on the link mentioned in the previous sentence.  Type in page 36.  Full screen view + click magnifying glass to zoom in.  Silly technology…)  We are very proud of you, Jess!

So…did you get all that?!  It was pretty beastly.  (TWHS? Sorry, mom…)

There WILL be a quiz later.  It’s great to be back! 

xx, L

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ADDICTED to “The Girl” Series…

12/16/2010 in Harry Potter, Vampires, What we're Reading by Lindsay | No comments

Over the summer, I breezed through Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  (Well, I did at least after the first 100 pages or so.  The securities information kinda held me up a bit at the beginning.)  The story was pretty unbelievable, and I loved that I couldn’t predict where it was going or how Larsson was going to tie all of the story lines together.

I wanted to read the following books, but felt like I needed a bit of lighter reading before I completely delved into the series.  (I was just coming up for air from the Harry Potter + Twilight series – and then reading anything + everything vampire-related.  I’m pretty much a 16 year old w/ regard to my literary taste.)  So, I read some fluff + about a month ago I found myself at Slick’s parent’s house holding a copy of The Girl Who Played With Fire.  It was time to commit.

I brought the book back to Atlanta with me + have been reading it every night before bed.  Maybe not the best material for sweet dreams, but it is SO good – I can’t put it down!  It’s a beast, too, with over 700 pages.  Played With Fire sucked me in from the very first page.  I think that this story is much more interesting (+ much easier to follow) than Tattoo, although you really need the background from the first book to set up the second. 

Now, I can’t wait to get through it + move on to The Hornet’s Nest!

WHAT an addicting series!  I’m seriously lovin’ it!

xx, L

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The Rest Is History.

11/17/2010 in For Men, Guilty Pleasures, What we're Reading, What we're Watching by Lindsay | 3 comments

Since my senior year of high school, I’ve been subscribing to Aaron Karo’s weekly “Ruminations” e-mails.  Although much about my life has changed over the past ten years, my interest in reading what Karo is complaining, observing or ruminating about has remained constant.

Karo

Never heard of him?  Well…

Here’s the Q+DD on Aaron Karo:
Aaron Karo’s insights into the mind of the twentysomething male have secured his place as the irreverent voice of a generation.  Karo is best known as the creator of “Ruminations” – a humorous e-mail column he began in his freshman dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania that is now read by tens of thousands of subscribers around the world.  Simon & Schuster published compilations of the column in two bestselling books, Ruminations on College Life and Ruminations on Twentysomething Life.  After a brief detour on Wall Street, Karo began performing stand-up in 2002.  He now headlines sold out shows across the country. 

These are the two books of his that I’ve read + thoroughly enjoyed:

(Don’t judge.  Not everything I read has to be Atlas Shrugged.)  And, this is his latest which I haven’t read quite yet…

So…why am I writing about him?  Simply because this week’s rumination, “The Rest Is History,” was h.y.s.t.e.r.i.c.a.l.  One of my favorites ever.  Also, because he has a one-hour Comedy Central special on this Friday, November 19th @ 11:00 p.m. 

I’ve never seen his stand-up before or been to one of his live shows, so I’m really looking forward to this – and I have very high expectations.

Join the “Ruminations” Mailing List Here: http://www.aaronkaro.com/

And, don’t forget to set your TiVos!

xx, L

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So Close, But Still So Far Away…

10/26/2010 in Harry Potter, PSAs, What we're Reading, What we're Watching by Lindsay | No comments

Is it November yet?!

I feel like I’ve been waiting 1/2 of a lifetime for part 1 of the last Harry Potter book!  I can’t wait to see HP + The Deathly Hallows, and I’m thrilled to report that we are officially under one month in the countdown to its November 19 release date!  (FYI – Part 2 comes out July 15, 2011.)

Of all of the books I’ve read that have been turned into movies, I’ve been most pleased with the HP series.  It will be so exciting to see how it all ends on the screen – or at least the first part of it!  And, I’m actually happy that it isn’t going to be in 3D.  I know it’s the way of the future, but honestly 3D glasses tend to throw a bit of a wrench in my captive-movie-watching-popcorn-and-soda-drinking routine.

It’s hard to believe how long we’ve been watching these movies.  I mean, we’ve seen the HP posse grow up before our eyes. 

From budding thespians…

2001

2001

 … to full-grown Burberry models, Broadway actors + (well, I’m not quite sure what the ginger’s been up to – but you know what I mean…)

2010

Anyway, can’t wait!  November 19 – I have a date w/ you. 

xx, L

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More from Sloane (+ Sarah)

06/18/2010 in Random Musings, What we're Reading by Lindsay | 5 comments

Attention!  I have two more books to add to your summer reading list…

Sloane Crosley (pictured below) is one of my favorite young authors/ girl crush.  I just adore her.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Sloane wrote a book I’m obsessed with: I Was Told There’d Be Cake.  If you haven’t read this book, you absolutely must!  She’s hysterical – in a very David Sedaris-manner.  It’s a excellent poolside book, too, because the essays are incredibly engaging and easy to get through so you can read-dip in the water-read-talk on the phone-read-dip again-read-check out lifeguards-read-drink a cocktail-read-FINISH w/o feeling like you are having trouble keeping track of what you’re reading.

If you’ve already read I Was Told and you are looking for some more of Sloane’s brilliance, you are IN LUCK b/c she’s recently released her new book, How Did You Get This Number.  I can’t wait to read it!  (Thanks for the heads up, Mindy, and many, many congrats on graduating from law school last week!  xx)

Here’s the Q+DD on How Did You Get This Number:

Nine thoughtful, unfussy essays by the author of the collection I Was Told There’d Be Cake navigate around illusions of youth in the hope that by young adulthood they’ll all add up to happiness.  The account of Crosley’s footloose adventure to Lisbon on the eve of her 30th birthday starts things off in rollicking fashion in Show Me on the Doll: without proficient language skills, getting hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of Bairro Alto, and panicking in front of the myriad QVC channels offered by her hotel, Crosley recognizes that Lisbon was a place with a painfully disproportionate self-reflection-to-experience ratio.  There is the requisite essay about moving to New York and replacing her anorexic-kleptomaniac roommate with a more acceptable living arrangement: in Crosley’s case, delineated in Take a Stab at It, she is interviewed by the creepily disembodied current occupier of a famous former brothel on the Bowery, McGurk’s Suicide Hall.  As well, Crosley delivers witty, syncopated takes on visiting Alaska and Paris, and finding much consolation from a two-timing heartbreak in New York by buying stolen items from her upholstery guy, Daryl, who found them fallen Off the Back of a Truck, as the delightful last selection is titled.  These essays are fresh, funny, and eager to be loved.  (Publisher’s Weekly)

If Sloane isn’t quite your cup of tea - I have something else for you from another one of my favorite Jewish funny ladies…Ms. Sarah Silverman, herself.

Caveat: I haven’t read it yet, but Amy told me that she absolutely cannot put it down.  Amy is brilliant.  She knows everything.  Trust Amy.

Here’s the Q+DD on The Bedwetter:

Demonstrating that her penchant for swearing began at an early age, comedian Silverman begins her hilarious memoir by describing how, at age three, she gleefully responded to her grandmother’s offer of brownies with shove ‘em up your tush.  Growing up in New Hampshire (where cows are well done and Jews are rare), Silverman naturally gravitated toward performing and moved to New York, where she attended and eventually dropped out of New York University to pursue a standup comedy career.  Mixing show business moments (she wrote for Saturday Night Live for one season, but none of her sketches made it past dress rehearsal) with stories of her childhood and adolescence (punctuated by a persistent bedwetting problem), Silverman never shies away from poking fun at her own expense.  Though she’s best known for sexually explicit jokes, Silverman is able to address more serious subjects in the book without losing her edge, particularly her teenage struggle with depression and that her often abrasive public persona allowed her to say what she didn’t mean, even preach the opposite of what she believed…. It was a funny way of being sincere.  (Publisher’s Weekly)

I can safely say that neither of these books will likely be nominated for a Pulitzer anytime soon, but they will certainly make you think, giggle + they are perfect for the beach/ pool. 

Enjoy!  :)

xx, L

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Summer Reading

05/27/2010 in What we're Reading by Lindsay | 5 comments

As previously mentioned, I just finished reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for book club.  It was incredibly loooooonggggg and detailed, but I really enjoyed it.  I want to see the Swedish movie, but I feel like something might get lost in translation with the English subtitles.  Lucky for me, it looks like they are remaking it in the U.S. with none other than Mr. Brad Pitt:  http://alturl.com/am7t  Now that’s exciting!

For June, book club decided to move on to The Help.  I just got it in the mail today, and it is kind of a beast – but I’m really looking forward to reading it.  I’ve heard it’s a bit like the Million Little Pieces of 2010.  (Not in the storyline, of course, but the fact that everyone is reading it poolside.)

Here’s the Q+DD on The Help:

The Help is a 2009 novel by American author, Kathryn Stockett.  It is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s.  The novel is told from the perspective of three characters: Aibileen, a middle aged African American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny, an African American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family’s struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Skeeter, a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared.  These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around “the help;” yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.  The novel is Stockett’s debut.  It took her five years to complete the book, which was rejected by at least 45 literary agents.  The Help has since been published in 35 countries and in three languages.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Simultaneously, I’m reading Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri’s, latest book, Unaccustomed Earth.  She is my one of my favorite authors, and I’m absolutely tearing through UE!  If you liked Interpreter of Maladies, you will love UE.

Here’s the Q+DD on Unaccustomed Earth:

After Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Unaccustomed Earth is her second collection of short stories.  Much like her other books, Unaccustomed Earth is also a reflection of life with two separate cultures, and how people cope with one and the other.  It made number one on the New York Times Book Review list of “10 Best Books of 2008″ as chosen by the paper’s editors. (www.wikipedia.com)

She’s so pretty, too…

you are brilliant.

AND, without further adieu, here’s a picture of our adorable book club:

nerds

Happy reading!  :)

xx, L

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Driving w/ Dead People

04/21/2010 in What we're Reading by Lindsay | 16 comments

I would definitely consider myself to be an avid reader, but since the beginning of Twenty Ten I’ve been absolutely devouring books.  I love how it feels to read the very last page of a book, and I’m a little bit of a book hoarder, I must admit, as I consider each one that I finish to be an important mini-accomplishment.  Like little trophies overflowing my bookshelf… 

Lately, I’ve been reading memoirs - all of which have focused on childhood trauma, dysfunctional families and serious personal struggles.  I think these stories are of particular interest to me as I had the good fortune of growing up in a relatively uneventful, suburban North Dallas neighborhood with a pretty functional family.  By comparison, my childhood was boring, but these books make me realize how truly lucky I am. 

A girl in my book club caught wind of my memoir kick and recommended that I read Driving with Dead People.  I finished it in three days flat – which is very fast for me.  If you are into memoirs or enjoy books that aren’t rainbows, butterflies and sunshine, I suggest you check out this one.

Here’s the Q+DD on Driving with Dead People:

Small wonder that, at nine years old, Monica Holloway develops a fascination with the local funeral home.  With a father who drives his Ford pickup with a Kodak movie camera sitting shotgun just in case he sees an accident, and whose home movies feature more footage of disasters than of his children, Monica is primed to become a morbid child.

Yet in spite of her father’s bouts of violence and abuse, her mother’s selfishness and prim denial, and her siblings’ personal battles and betrayals, Monica never succumbs to despair.  Instead, she forges her own way, thriving at school and becoming fast friends with Julie Kilner, whose father is the town mortician.

She and Julie preferred the casket showroom to the parks and grassy backyards in her hometown of Elk Grove, Ohio, where they would take turns lying in their favorite coffins.  In time, Monica and Julie get a job driving the company hearse to pick up bodies at the airport, yet even Monica’s growing independence can’t protect her from her parents’ irresponsibility, and from the feeling that she simply does not deserve to be safe.  Little does she know, as she finally strikes out on her own, that her parents’ biggest betrayal has yet to be revealed.

Throughout this remarkable memoir of her dysfunctional, eccentric, and wholly unforgettable family, Monica Holloway’s prose shines with humor, clear-eyed grace, and an uncommon sense of resilience.  Driving with Dead People is an extraordinary tale with a wonderfully observant and resourceful heroine – a story all the more astonishing for being true.

It was very heavy, but it’s a pretty incredible story – and a fast read. 

Lauren + I are starting this one now… 

It’s over 500 pages, so hopefully that will keep me busy through my trip to Puerto Rico next week!

xx, L

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In Defense of Puffy Eyes

02/24/2010 in What we're Reading by Lindsay | 7 comments

I have puffy eyes today and I’d like to address them.  There is no need to assume the worst (the demise of  Big Red) or that I’m sick.  You do not need to ask if I am tired or if I forgot to wear make-up.  I am and I happen to be wearing it – thank you very much.

After dinner club@ Cari’s last night, which was predictably delicious, I stayed up really, really late to finish my book club’s book of the month, The Glass Castle.

I just couldn’t put it down; I absolutely had to finish it – regardless of how astonishingly late I had to stay up to do it…

Here’s the Q+DD on The Glass Castle:

Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation.  Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children.  In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains.  Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly.  Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn’t stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an “excitement addict.”  Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town — and the family — Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape.  He drank.  He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days.  As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents’ betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so amazing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity.  Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots.  Now she tells her own story.  A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.  (www.barnesandnoble.com)

The Glass Castle stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for 100 weeks and is now under development as a film by Paramount.   By late 2007, The Glass Castle had sold over 1.5 million copies, had been translated into 16 languages, and received the Christopher Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award (2006) and the Books for Better Living Award.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Water for Elephants still holds down my 2010 #1 spot, but TGC is a very close runner-up.  (WfE really had me pondering what the zebra running around downtown Atlanta last week must have been thinking…)

The Glass Castle is under 300 pages,a selling point for some, and it’s a story that is definitely worth reading.  In fact, it’s really hard to believe that it’s someone’s memoir.  I encourage you all to put it on your book list ASAP!

Good luck finishing it soon, LK!  Book club will be here before you know it…  :)

xx, L

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Hooked.

01/09/2010 in What we're Reading by Lindsay | 5 comments

I can’t put down this book.

water

I won’t lie – I fall in love with almost every book I read, but I’m really, really in love with Water for Elephants. 

Here’s a brief synopsis:

Set during the Great Depression, Water for Elephants tells the story of a young man who leaves his life as a Cornell University veterinary student after losing both his parents in a car accident, and jumps onto a train that happens to house the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  After a short confrontation with Blackie, a bouncer that stops stowaways, and Camel (a limp old worker) promising him a job and an audience with Uncle Al (The Ringmaster) Jacob decides to stay aboard the train.  Since his parents have died in an automobile accident, and he has not a home to call his own, he decides to remain with the circus.  Jacob is employed as the show’s veterinarian and he faces a number of challenges in dealing with the head trainer, August, while also learning how to function in the hierarchy of the circus and falling in love with August’s wife, Marlena.  The story is told as a series of memories by Jacob Jankowski, either a ninety or ninety-three year-old man who lives in a nursing home.  (www.wikipedia.com)

After spending the past year reading mostly about vampires, Water for Elephants has been refreshing and has me completely hooked.  Check it out.

xx, L

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Are You There, Chelsea? It’s Me, Lindsay…

10/20/2009 in Chelsea Handler, Florida, What we're Reading, What we're Watching by Lindsay | 10 comments

Over the weekend, Slick and I went to Jacksonville for a friend’s wedding at Sawgrass TPC and we had so much fun!  On Sunday, we went to the Jaguars game, and although the team won, I was the big loser because I picked up a pretty bad virus.  (Sexy, I know…)  So, aside from a morning run to the doc’s office yesterday to get tested for the flu (negative), I’ve been keeping myself busy with Facebook stalking and watching TV.  Since everyone else was at work and I was home all day long, I felt like I needed to watch something comforting.  I needed a familiar face.  A friend, if you will.  So, I watched approximately five hours of TiVo-ed episodes of Chelsea Lately.

Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler

We all know that I have a girl crush on Sloane Crosley.  While I don’t necessarily have a crush on Chelsea, I definitely want her to be my best friend.  I think she’d get me.  We both grew up raising eyebrows at our parent’s interesting choice of motor vehicles, we have a special place in our hearts for vodka cocktails and little people, we’ve both been particularly entrepreneurial from a very young age and we are 1/2 Jews.  Further, we both love cake and appreciate the importance of a trusty sidekick.  She has one – I am accepting applications…  I am convinced that our friendship is meant to be.

Chelsea + Chuy

Chelsea + Chuy

I’ve read exactly 155 pages of her newest New York Times Bestseller, Are You There, Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea, and I have been inducing coughing fits from laughing so hard.  She. Is. Hysterical.  This book, a collection of her personal short stories, is perfect for anyone who needs a good laugh.  “Chelsea in Charge” is my favorite chapter so far.  Slick and I read it together on the plane to JAX (he read it over my shoulder – refusing to hold the book because the cover has a little pink on it…) and we were in stitches. 

chelsea_reivse1

She also wrote this one:

myhorizontallife

I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, but it’s definitely on my list.

Anyway, Chelsea is absolute riot and totally worthy of your time if it is watching her on TV or reading one of her hysterical books.  I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!

xx, L

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