Wondrous Words Wednesday! 7.28.10

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun (please do!) Be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion's Weblog!

All of these words come from The Heart Is Not A Size by Beth Kephart.

Some days we'd walk in and there'd be paired terms on the board: Insidious/Invidious, Ominous/Onerous, Nom de plume/Nom de guerre, Tortuous/Torturous.

1. Invidious -adj.
1. calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense; hateful: invidious remarks
2. offensively or unfairly discriminating; injurious: invidious comparisons
3. causing or tending to cause animosity, resentment, or envy: an invidious honor
4. obsolete

2. Tortuous -adj.
1. full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked: a tortuous path.
2. not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; intricate; circuitous:
tortuous negotiations lasting for months.
3. deceitfully indirect or morally crooked, as proceedings, methods, or policy
4. devious or cunning: a tortuous mind.


My first veridical panic attack had come the day before the marking period had ended, when an Objects at Rest essay was due.

3. Veridical -adj.
1. truthful; veracious
2. corresponding to facts; not illusory; real; actual; genuine

Teaser Tuesdays 7.27.10

Teaser Tuesdays is a very interesting, fun, book-related meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Be prepared to add several new books to your TBR list! I do every week!

My Teaser:

"I love it when people think you can talk yourself out of pain. You can't. You can only defend yourself against it; and to defend yourself, you have to muscle up."

from The Heart Is Not A Size by Beth Kephart (p.31)


Anyone can play along! If you'd like to participate, Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their
TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

*And, finally, don't forget to link your post to MizB's at Should Be Reading. If you don't have a blog, simply share your "teasers" in a comment.

Monday Movies - Animation!

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Molly's back with us for today's Monday Movie feature! And the theme is Animation! We love animated movies in my home! I admit I was a bit skeptical about them at first, but my husband opened my eyes to the wonder and fun of them! Molly, since Andy doesn't really care for these terrific movies (Andy!) next time you're in the NYC area, we'll do an animated marathon! What movies with drawn, digitized or old-school clay figures enchant you?!! If you can think of any animated movies you enjoy and would like to share with fellow bloggers, jot them down in your blog and then head on over to The Bumbles Blog and post a link there!

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (1995) Wallace, an inventor whose house is filled with gizmos of all kinds & Gromit, his faithful canine companion, have a new business, "Anti-Pesto". There's only a few days left before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition and business is booming! But Wallace & Gromit are discovering that the problem they're finding with a humane pest-control biz is their home is quickly filling to the brim with captive bunnies! To make matters worse, a giant veggie ravaging "beast" is attacking vegetable plots at night. The competition hostess, Lady Tottington, hires "Anti-Pesto" to save that day. And the fun ensues, especially when Wallace falls for Lady Tottington while trying to catch the "beast"!

Wallace & Gromit have several short films also and a new one out "A Matter of Loaf and Death"! Check out their website: http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/.

The Simpsons Movie (2007) An animated comedy movie based on the TV series, The Simpsons. Starring Homer (Dan Castellaneta), his wife, Marge (Julie Kavner), and their kids, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) and Bart (Nancy Cartwright). Homer is his usual irresponsible self and has polluted Springfield's lake to the point that the evil head of the EPA, Russ Cargill, voiced by Albert Brooks, intends to obliterate Springfield and its citizens. Homes is exiled from Springfield by the townspeople. His family goes with him but eventually they've had enough of Homer, too!

Monsters, Inc. (2001) A feature-length, computer-animated film from Pixar Animation Studios. Monstropolis is a monster-populated city & Monsters Inc. serves as the main power utility. Company employees scare children whose screams then provide the power for the city. The company's scarefloor has special doors that link to the children's closets . But the children are becoming less scared. James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) is the top scarer. One day he finds a child loose on the scare floor. He recruits his best friend, Michael "Mike" Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal), to help him return her. While trying to do so without being caught, Sulley and Mike discover that Randall Boggs (voiced by Steve Buscemi) is up to no good and threatening the lives of the children. Sulley and Mike set out to fix everything! This is a terrific movie!.

Persepolis ( 2007) A French animated film based on the graphic autobiographical novel by Marjane Satrapi. A young girl grows up during the Iranian Revolution, leaving Iran at her family's behest for her safety but returning again and finally leaving for good at 24-years old. This is a wonderful movie that touches on many important themes.


Watership Down (1978) An animated film based on the book by Richard Adams.
The movie features the voices of John Hurt, Harry Andres, Nigel Hawthorne and Zero Mostel, among others. This movie is about politics, power-struggle, survival, religion, over-coming fear, it's about life and learning that it isn't always a happy ending. All of this occurs within the world of rabbits in the English country-side. At one point, the rabbits become the targets of the other animals and must learn to prey on these other animals. A group of rabbits, sensing impending doom, try to save their entire warren but are rebuffed. Eight of the rabbits leave to establish their own community and experience the joys and perils of life together. This is a terrific movie, but despite how cute the bunnies and other animals may look, it's not for children.

Up (2009) A comedy-adventure film that is computer-animated by Pixar Animation Studios featuring the voices of voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson and Jordan Nagai.
An elderly widow, Carl Fredricksen is being pushed out of his home and the area he has lived for years by new construction. A young wilderness explorer, Russel, chooses Carl as the elderly person he is going to help thereby earning some patches for his uniform. Carl rigs his home to lift off the ground and fly away using many, many balloons. What he doesn't know is that Russell is on his front porch and so becomes Carl's pal in adventure. And what an adventure they have!
This is a sweet, funny, very enjoyable movie!

Thrity Thursdays (on Friday today!) "The Space Between Us"

This book continues to amaze me, it's fantastic. I apologize for posting this today, Friday, instead of yesterday. I lost track of time and the day yesterday and spent the afternoon and evening tending to some of the cats. They are all doing well now and enjoying the cooler weather. Next week Thrity Thursdays will be back on its proper day!

Lisa at Lit and Life
Ti at Book Chatter
Staci at Life In The Thumb
Kathy at Mommy's Reading
Booksync at Books In The City
Bailey at The Window Seat Reader
Mari at Bookworm With A View


Chapters 16-20

Bhima and Maya have been spending their evenings walking along Chowpatty Beach enjoying the sea air and the waves lapping at their feet. The setting reminds Bhima of the early days of her marriage to Gopal and she reminisces to herself of that happy, carefree time. Maya questions Bhima about the Afghani balloon seller Bhima has talked about other times and for whom she has fond memories. Bhima prefers to think of the balloon seller where she met him, at the more sedate Marine Drive where the artistry of his creations were appreciated rather than at chaotic, crowded Chowpatty. Maya, being younger and somewhat educated, speaks aloud her belief the balloon seller would have gone where the business was better. This upsets Bhima who lashes out at Maya. They walk quietly for a short time, Bhima reminiscing further about the balloon man and a time in her marriage when she and Gopal brought their young children to the beach.

Maya interrupts Bhima’s thoughts again, asking her what happened to the balloon seller. Bhima tells Maya she doesn't know because the family stopped visiting the seaside after Gopal's accident . Bhima precedes to tell Maya about that time in her life when Gopal was injured at work and became a different man. It's a troubling story Maya has never heard. Bhima relays the story hoping it will help Maya understand the importance of an education.

Bhima returns home from work one evening anticipating her evening trip to the sea with Maya, but finds her in the corner reading a blue document clutched in her hand. Maya tells Bhima she found the letter while looking for her birth certificate. Gopal left this letter for Bhima to find the day he left his family never to return. Bhima has only heard the contents of the letter one time. Bhima tells Maya to read the letter to her. Maya protests but Bhima insists she hear, for only the second time, the letter that turned her life upside down. Maya is crying by the time she finishes the letter. She has many questions for Maya about Bhima's life after the letter. It's painful for Bhima to relive that time but she answers some of Maya's questions and then declares that it is too late for her to cook dinner. Bhima and Maya decide to go to Chowpatty Beach and have snacks for dinner.

Dinaz, Viraf and Sera are on their way to Chowpatty Beach too, unbeknownst to Bhima and Maya. Dinaz has a craving for bhelpuri. Feroz insisted the best bhelpuri was at Chowpatty Beach. In the car on the way they think and talk about Feroz. And Sera remembers the day Feroz died. At Chowpatty they find the right spot for bhelpuri, choose a booth and order. While they are eating, Dinaz spots Bhima and Maya at another booth and before Viraf or Sera can stop her, Dinaz calls to them, gets Bhima's attention and waves them over.


My Thoughts:

These chapters fill in a lot of Bhima's life before she was alone and living in the slum with Maya. It's difficult to read about some of the experiences she's been through without feeling some sharp pains for her. She is a very strong, resilient and remarkable woman. I am also better able to understand Bhima's short-tempered behavior towards Maya and her subsequent guilt over her actions. I think there is a lot of fear and worry about Maya's life behind Bhima's behavior. There is anger and frustration at life, at how people treat each other and how they’ve treated Bhima over the years, not to mention her inability to exert control over much of what happens in her life.

It's uplifting to see how much Maya and Bhima love and are coming to understand each other. Sera's love for Dinaz and Viraf is beautiful, too and doesn't regret much of what she went through during her marriage because of Dinaz

I think these chapters highlight how difficult it is to really know a person or to trust someone. We aren’t always able to see how selfish and unpredictable someone can be or may become, particularly when it suits them. This story also shows us that, although education is desired, it doesn’t make a person good and trustworthy. We see a conflict particularly through Maya’s eyes: education is something to be strived for, but at the same time it is the educated who present the least desirable traits. I wonder about Sera and her family because Maya doesn’t seem to like Sera at all. She doesn’t fawn all over Sera and her family as Bhima does and I wonder what’s going on there. Education may be necessary to improve your status in life and to identify manipulators and corruption, but it does not make you a more honest, kinder person. I wonder if this has anything to do with Maya’s hesitation to continue with her education ? I feel tension building in these chapters as if something unpleasant and shocking is coming. It makes it difficult for me to put the book down!

Wondrous Words Wednesday!

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun (please do!) Be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion's Weblog!

This word comes from The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw. It's one of those words I've heard before but forgot!

" I do", she had said. "I do need it." But her mother's face had not changed. That implacability.

1. Implacable {im-plak-uh-buh-l} -adj.
- not to be appeased, mollified or pacified; inexorable.

Inexorable (in-ek-ser-uh-buhl) -adj.
1. unyielding; unalterable
2. not to be persuaded, moved or affected by prayers or entreaties.


The next two words come from The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

"It was so humiliating for me to have to cook such loathsome dishes that when Monsieur de Broglie- the State Councilor on the first floor- intervened (an intervention he described to his wife as being "courteous but firm" whose only intention was to rid our communal habitat of such plebian effluvia), it came as an immense relief, one I concealed as best I could beneath an expression of reluctant compliance."

2. Effluvia {ih-floo-vee-uhm} - n. plural -vi-a (vee-uh)
1. A usually invisible emanation or exhalation, as of vapor or gas.
2. a) a byproduct or residue; waste
b)The odorous fumes given off by waste or decaying matter.
3. An impalpable emanation; an aura.
- adj. :
a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is noxious or disagreeable.


"It is an incunabulum," he says and toward my eyes, which I try to render as glassy as possible he directs the smug gaze of the propertied classes."

3. Incunabulum {in-kyoo-nab-yuh-luh-m} -noun
1. A book printed before 1501; an incunable.
2. An artifact of an early period.

Incunabula -plural
1. extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.
2. the earliest stages or first traces of anything.

Movie Monday - Antidote to Boredom!

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

July is Anti-Boredom Month! Therefore today's movie topic is the movies you turn to when you are bored! You know, the movies that keep your attention focused and distract you from the boredom that plagues you! This week, although Molly will be missed again, we have another great Guest Director, Forgetfulone! She's a movie buff whom we have to thank for this cool topic! Thank you! What movies prevent you from being bored, particularly during these dog-days of summer?! If you can think of any great movies you'd like to share with fellow bloggers jot them down in your blog and then head on over to The Bumbles Blog and post a link there!

The Usual Suspects (1995) This is a fantastic movie starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chaz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Benicio del Toro, Stephen Baldwin... This movie is about a group of criminals, a massacre and massive fire aboard a ship docked in the Port of Los Angeles and a mysterious mob boss who has everyone running scared, "Keyser Soze". The movie opens with the interrogation of criminal Roger "Verbal" Kint (Spacey) who is telling a U.S. Customs Agent (Palminteri) a convoluted story about how the ship came to be destroyed. This movie has terrific twists and turns, is entertaining, suspenseful, a little scary, humorous and full of adventure. If you haven't seen it, be sure to as soon as possible!

The Untouchables (1987) Directed by Briam De Palma and adapted by David Mamet from a television series in the '50s, it stars Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness, Sean Connery as Irish-American beat cop, Jim Malone and Robert De Niro as Al Capone. This is the autobiographical story of Eliot Ness's attempts to bring the gangster Al Capone to justice during Prohibition.

The Sting (1973) Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. Newman & Redford play two professional grifters who attempt to con a mob boss. This is a fun entertaining movie with a great musical score!


Monsters, Inc. (2001) A feature-length, computer-animated film from Pixar Animation Studios. Monstropolis is a monster-populated city & Monsters Inc. serves as the main power utility. Company employees scare children whose screams then provide the power for the city. The company's scare floor has special doors that link to the children's closets . But the children are becoming less scared. James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) is the top scarer. One day he finds a child loose on the scare floor. He recruits his best friend, Michael "Mike" Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal), to help him return her. While trying to do so without being caught, Sulley and Mike discover that Randall Boggs (voiced by Steve Buscemi) is up to no good and threatening the lives of the children. Sulley and Mike set out to fix everything! This is a terrific movie!

Love and Death ( 1975 ) A Woody Allen comedy starring Allen and Diane Keaton this movie satirizes the Russian Epic novels. It is filled with humor and lots of laughs as well as many philosophical debates. Definitely worth seeing!


Jagged Edge (1985) A courtroom thriller starring Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia.
The movie begins with a horrific murder of a woman at her home set off by itself near the beach. The woman's husband is soon arrested. He tries to hire the most high-profile attorney around and the twists and turns start here and keep coming. This is a suspenseful, exciting, riveting movie that grabs your attention and keeps it to the very end!


Memento (2000) A psychological thriller starring Guy Pierce portrays Leonard Shelby a man with anterograde amnesia who is unable to store new memories. He is searching for the man who raped and killed his wife in the bathroom of their home. Leonard has to cope with how to figure out how to remember what he discovers each day during his search. This is a really interesting, unique movie that requires major focus.

Thrity Thursdays or "The Space Between Us" Readalong!

I am a latecomer to this readalong and so happy I am participating. Not only am I in the company of some wonderful bloggers but this is an amazing book. I have to gush for a moment. Thrity Umrigar is a fantastic writer and this book blows me away. I have such trouble putting it down. Thank you Lisa and everyone else who encouraged this readalong. And thank you for having me!

Lisa at Lit and Life

Ti at Book Chatter

Staci at Life In The Thumb

Kathy at Mommy's Reading
Booksync at Book In The City

Bailey at The Window Seat Reader

Mari at Bookworm With A View

Chapters 12 - 15

Maya's abortion occurred two months ago. Since then she has been moping about the house and Bhima is very worried about her. Maya became quite angry when she suggested Maya either return to her education or start working again. Bhima blames herself for not knowing how to help Maya.

Bhima tells Maya one night that they are going to walk along the sea. And for the first time in a long time, Bhima sees a sparkle in Maya's eyes. At the beach Maya is happy and talkative. She asks Bhima many questions about the past. Bhima tells Maya about coming to the beach with her husband and children and about a balloon seller who made an impact on Bhima, but many of Maya's other questions bring up troubling memories for Bhima.

Maya wants to hear what it was like in Delhi where she lived with her mother and father when she was little and tells Bhima that she knows her parents died of AIDS. Bhima doesn't talk with Maya about this time. But a little later in the story, she remembers the time she went to Delhi when her daughter and son-in-law were sick and how Maya returned with Bhima to live in Bombay.

Sera attends a party given by long-time friends Aban and Pervez who are celebrating their daughters engagement. Viraf and Dinaz also attend the party. Aban tells her she considers Sera her closest friend which surprises and pleases Sera. Feroz's name comes up a few times because Aban believes Sera misses him dearly, not being aware of what Sera went through with Feroz. Sera realizes at one point during the party that Dinaz knows all about her parents' marriage.

The memory of first time Feroz hit Sera pops into her head when Aban reminds her of a vacation the two couples took together years ago. Sera also recalls the morning years ago when she and Dinaz left Feroz' childhood home and went to stay with Sera's parents, never to live with her mother-in-law, Banu, again.

My Thoughts:
It's sad to read about all of the troubles and difficulties Bhima has experienced in her life. I thought I would be less understanding of how impatient and angry she gets with Maya, but I'm not. I understand why she is like that. She's felt so much pain, sadness and disappointment in her life and she cannot take much more. Bhima has little or no empathy, understanding or patience left She's had to steel herself against feeling badly or she will simply collapse. But I also feel for Maya. She's young and trying to cope with a life that, in it's own way, has been pretty difficult. It's uplifting when Bhima and Maya get along, talk and tease each other.

I understand Sera better now. Her life may be easier than Bhima's in some ways, but she has many troubles too. She had to give up so much of herself when she married and had children. She sometimes seems even less certain of herself than Bhima is of herself.

Bhima and Sera have burdened themselves with a lot of guilt, but Bihma feels personally responsible for almost everything that's gone wrong in her life. I found this not only astounding, but very disheartening. Maya is her last hope. I think that if Maya's life doesn't turn out really well, Bhima will shrivel up and die on the spot. She's a very strong, resourceful woman but a person can only handle so much.

It's fascinating, as well as troubling, to read about the culture and how different their beliefs are from ours about how and where adults are supposed to live and they way people should be treated. As Sera's mother points out, "What's the point of everyone living together if all it does is cause kit-pit at home? Better to go your own separate ways than always fighting-fighting."

Review: A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

Title: A Soft Place to Land
Author: Susan Rebecca White
ISBN: 978-1-4165-5869-9
Publisher: Touchstone Publishing, May 2010
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Summary: For more than ten years, Naomi and Phil Harrison enjoyed a marriage of heady romance, tempered only by the needs of their children. But on a vacation alone, the couple perishes in a flight over the Grand Canyon. After the funeral, their daughters, Ruthie and Julia, are shocked by the provisions in their will.
Spanning nearly two decades, the sisters’ journeys take them from their familiar home in Atlanta to sophisticated bohemian San Francisco, a mountain town in Virginia, the campus of Berkeley, and lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As they heal from loss, search for love, and begin careers, their sisterhood, once an oasis, becomes complicated by resentment, anger, and jealousy. It seems as though the echoes of their parents’ deaths will never stop reverberating—until another shocking accident changes everything once again


My Thoughts: Susan Rebecca White has written an endearing and poignant story about two sisters growing up after the tragic death of their parents, Phil and Naomi. Ruthie and Julia are extremely close as A Soft Place to Land opens. Ruthie, at thirteen, is very dependant on her older sister, Julia, particularly after the death of her parents. Julia is proud to be the big sister, confident in her position as a role-model for Ruthie. But as a 16-year old high school sophomore, Julia thinks about herself and her life most of the time. She doesn't act like the death of her parents caused her much pain. Unfortunately, Susan Rebecca White doesn't focus on the parents' death for more than a chapter or two so it's difficult to be sure.

Ruthie narrates the story and is the sister whose life the book most closely follows. She is more devastated by their parents' death. She already suffers quite a bit from the teenage angst that comes with growing up, and her parents death exacerbates things. Ruthie often compares herself unfavorably to Julia. She thinks Julia is prettier, more popular and dresses better. But intelligent, hard-working and responsible Ruthie is also becoming aware that she and Julia are very different . Ruthie is quiet, observant and there's little she doesn't notice. She's slowly, albeit reluctantly, coming to understand that Julia may not be the "totally awesome" and "cool" person Ruthie believed her to be. Julia is laid-back, concerned with her social life and partying. She enjoys flaunting the rules. Ruthie isn't impressed by this kind of behavior but sometimes wishes she was because doubting her "role model' makes everything more confusing..

Things take a turn for the worse in the sisters' lives shortly after Phil and Naomi's deaths. Ruthie and Julie receive further shocking news that upsets and confuses them. They are too young, inexperienced and immature to realize that this turn of events may be for the best. It is a pivotal occurrence in the sister's lives that revealing here would mean giving away too much of the story. Suffice to say that although initially bewildering and incomprehensible, what the girls learn arguably forces Ruthie and Julia to grow up and become stronger, more focused and successful women who are also aware of the world around them.. The author deserves credit here for letting this part of the story unfold on its own.

Ruthie and Julia have much to learn before adulthood and it won't all be sunshine and roses. They are complex and flawed characters who experience the highs and lows that are part of growing up. I enjoyed following Ruthie's story and rooted for her when things went well and her life was good and I felt for her when she struggled. She was quite likable as a young girl growing up and learning about life. Surprisingly, Ruthie starts exhibiting several unattractive traits as a young woman just when her life looks settled and enjoyable. She becomes exceedingly stubborn, petulant, very opinionated and quick to judge. She is still funny and thoughtful but decidedly unhappy which I found sad, disappointing and confusing.

As with real people, some of the characters in this story we like and some we don't. I wish Susan Rebecca White let us get to know Julia as well as Ruthie. We're limited to seeing Julia as very self-centered and self-absorbed throughout most of the story. I believe that she loves Ruthie but also takes advantage. And when Julia seems to have become more aware of others, more loving and mature, the book ends, so it's too late for us to really get to know her. To her credit, the author paints a very realistic portrait of Ruthie and Julie's relationship.. At times they are very close and share everything but, like sisters everywhere, they don't speak for long periods. When they finally do speak again, their conversations are awkward and stilted because one of them has hurt the other and their trust has eroded. Maturity and experience will teach them, as it teaches most of us, about forgiveness and what is really valuable. We hope that they will find their way back to each other and a solid, good relationship that will help them to have lives they ultimately enjoy and share with each other and others.

I received this ARC from the publisher, Touchstone, after requesting it through the Shelf Awareness Newsletter.

Teaser Tuesdays 7.13.10

Teaser Tuesdays is an interesting, fun, bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:

'As always, the heavy curtains are drawn shut because the Monster likes her lair to be dark at all times. The old apartment smells musty, and Sera feels a moment's claustrophobia, so that she fights the urge to part the faded curtains and fling open the windows to let in much-needed air and sunlight.'

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar (p.45)


Anyone can play along! If you'd like to participate, Just do the following:

*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (mine's longer this week, sorry!)
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their
TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

*And, finally, don't forget to link your post to MizB's at Should Be Reading. If you don't have a blog, simply share your "teasers" in a comment.

Monday Movies 7.12.10

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Today's movie topic is Movies You Might Have Missed! Terry Kate, book blogger and film maker is a Guest Director of The Bumbles Blog today. She has come up with this wonderful theme about the film gems you have seen which fellow bloggers might not have. I came up with quite a few and could have double or tripled the number of films on the list! Some star well-known actors so many of you may be familiar with these movies. But on the chance you aren’t, I felt they were worth listing. Be forewarned - I may return to add more movies to my list later today! If you can think of any great movies you think fellow bloggers don’t know about jot them down in your blog and then head on over to The Bumbles blog and post a link there!

Beethoven's Nephew (1985) Starring Wolfgang Reichmann, Ditmar Prinz and Jane Birkin. Ludwig Beethoven is extremely concerned with the welfare of his nephew, Carl, and fights a lengthy custody battle against his sister-in-law, after the death of his brother. Beethoven is awarded custody of his nephew and plans to make Carl into a great composer but his nephew doesn't have the talent or ability. This disappoints Beethoven and Carl as well.. Beethoven is portrayed quite realistically as the impatient, tyrannical, slobby and temperamental artist he was.

8 Women (2002) Starring Catherine Deneuve, Virginie Ledoyen and Isabelle Huppert, among others. A snowy morning in the French countryside, 1950; A family is gathered for a holiday celebration until it is discovered that the patriarch of the family has been murdered. The killer is one of the 8 women in the house, all close to the patriarch, all with a motive and a secret: The household erupts in chaos with much squabbling, fretting, exacerbated rivalries, histrionics and periodic musical interludes and much hilarity. Somebody is guilty!

Love Liza (2002) Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates. Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel (Hoffman) turns to gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law ( Bates).

Owning Mahowny (2003) Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Hurt and Minnie Driver. Dan Mahowny, 24, is an assistant bank manager of a major branch in the Toronto financial district. He is hard-working, helpful, intelligent, funny and quiet as far as his colleagues, customers, friends and girlfriend know. But there is a side of him they don't know: he has (a) a gambling problem and (b) access to a multi-million dollar account and he gets into a messy situation. Based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history.

High Art ( 1998 ) Starring Ally Sheedy, Radha Mitchell, Gabriel Mann and Patricia Clarkson along with several others. A young female intern (Mitchell) at a small magazine company becomes involved with a once famous drug-addicted photographer (Sheedy) she discovers lives in her apartment building. They begin falling in love while using each other to help their careers. But not everyone in their lives is happy with the way things are going, including the intern's boyfriend.

The Visitor (2007) Starring Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira and Hiam Abass.
A college professor, Walter, travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple, Tarek and Zainab, living in his apartment. Rather than make them leave, he sympathizes with the plight of these illegal immigrants and asks them to stay, sharing the apartment with them. Walter befriends the couple and learns to play the African drum from Tarek. After a gig in the subway, Tarek is arrested and sent to a detention center for immigrants. Walter hires an attorney for Tarek while unexpectedly, Tarek's mother, Mouna arrives at Walter's apartment in NY concerned about her son. Walter helps her to get Tarek released from the detention center and , as a result, learns much about himself and life.

The Puffy Chair (2005) Written by Mark and Jay Duplass and directed by Jay Duplass (The Duplass Brothers movie, Cyrus, opened in theaters this past weekend)
Starring Mark and Larry Duplass.
Emily (Katie Aselton) and Josh (Mark Duplass) are in a relationship that doesn't always work well. Josh invites Emily to drive with him from NYC to Virginia to pick up a recliner chair he bought on ebay for his father as a birthday gift. The trip doesn't go smoothly and there are several unpleasant "situations". And Emily asks Josh tough questions about their relationship leaving viewers wondering if it's close to the end or if there is more there than meets the eye. At times funny, sad, strange, sweet and uncomfortable. Great movie!

Stardust Memories (1980) Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Tony Roberts, Daniel Stern and many others...
While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker, Sandy Bates (Woody Allen) recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films. A biting satire of celebrity, celebrity culture, fans and the critics from Allen's point of view.

*much of this info comes from imdb.com Thank you!

Sunday Salon 7.11.10

I think I like colder weather better than warmer weather, at least right now! It seems like it's been hot and very humid for weeks now. I think I got a bit of a break for a day or two early this week...it's hard to remember when that cool day was...lolol But the humidity is back. Blech! I like air conditioning, one of the greatest inventions known to man! but I can only stay in it for so long because of my asthma and allergies. What I need is a pool...a pool , a book, a cold drink and an umbrella and then I'll be set! lolol I hope you are all staying cool and enjoying your summer.

I've been making a list of changes and edits I need to make to my blog. It's taking me sometime to get back into blogging. I don't have the time to spend hours on my blog and visiting other blogs every couple of days like I used to. I have so much respect for the bloggers who work full time, take care of children when they get home and still have time, or find the time to blog. You amaze me! Great job!

I started reading The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar so that I can enjoy the reading group hosted by Lisa at Lit and Life! It's a great book, I really like it. I'm also reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog and really enjoying it.
I have a couple of reviews to post this week and hope to review I will Not Be Silent by April J. Maley and The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw.

Have a great week!
Happy Reading!

Wondrous Words Wednesday 7.7.10

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun (please do!) Be sure to leave a link to your post over at Bermudaonion's Weblog.


These words are from The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

"I am so effete from being disarmed, I am numb." (p. 74)

1.Effete [ih - feet] -adj.
1. lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent
2. exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out
3. unable to produce; sterile


"Like a libidinous adolescent, I've been concerned with where and how I am going to lose my virginity, an insensate thing to scheme, in general; I should've been most concerned with the if." (p. 199)

2. Insensate {in-'sen-,sat} -adj.
1.lacking sense or understanding; foolish.
2.lacking animate awareness or sensation
3.lacking human feeling; brutal


"And there is something so alluring, almost amatory, about a guy who buys clothes for a woman." (p.102)

3. Amatory {am-uh-tawr-ee} -adj.
1. of or pertaining to lovers or lovemaking; expressive of love.
2. of, relating to or expressing sexual love.

Teaser Tuesdays 7.6.10

Teaser Tuesdays is an interesting, fun, bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:

'Surely Marsellus wasn't having me brought to his home? Maybe I'd been thinking of life as war for too long, because it seemed all wrong. Home was where you went to ground. You didn't bring your enemies there, even the ones who were no threat to you. Home was supposed to be a refuge.'

Hailey's War by Jodi Compton (p.251-52)


Anyone can play along! If you'd like to participate, Just do the following:

*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (mine's longer this week, sorry!)
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their
TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

*And, finally, don't forget to link your post to MizB's at Should Be Reading. If you don't have a blog, simply share your "teasers" in a comment.

Movie Monday - Special Effects!

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Today's movie topic is special effects! Yesterday was the 4th of July a day which often ends with Fireworks, those awesome light displays that shoot up into the sky and then burst into beautiful colored patters of lights! The movies are filled with amazing special effects - what are your favorites? If you can think of any great special effects movies jot them down in your blog and then head on over to The Bumbles Blog and post a link there!

Molly and Andy came up with some wonderful special effects movies, here are a couple of others:

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) a science fiction film about unidentified flying objects! There are some wonderful scenes in this movie and , although they may not be as "big" as some of the special effects in today's movies, the way the scenes were done and the lights and special effects for the UFOs were great.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) This movie used many new computer-generated effects in the area of visual effects and the first partially computer-generated main character was seen in this film! The T-1000 is a new Terminator sent to kill John and his mother, Sarah, and it is made of a liquid metal that allows it to take the shape of anyone or anything it touches. It can also mimic the voice and appearance of humans and can shape parts of itself into knives and other similar weapons, although not into guns or bombs.

The Fly (1986) a science fiction horror film in which Jeff Goldblum, playing an intelligent but eccentric scientist turns into a fly after being merged with a fly during a teleportation experiment! It's a fantastic movie that will make your skin crawl!

Review: Stressed in Scottsdale by Marcia Fine

Title: Stressed in Scottsdale
Author: Marcia Fine
ISBN: 978-0-385-34124-0
Pages: 337
Release Date: January 1, 2009
Publisher: L'Image Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

Publisher: Multitasking Jean Rubin has too much to do. She races to accomplish endless errands, care for an elderly mother forced to move to assisted living, help with her kid's fertility problems and assist husband, Maury, with a Green Party campaign that includes a snarky opponent, political corruption and environmental issues. With an influx of technology, roof rats invading her yard and a robbery by the Rock Burglar, Jean finds herself STRESSED in SCOTTSDALE. Even her two upscale friends, April and Glee, can't distract her from all the anxiety with a spa intervention


My Thoughts: Delightfully funny and absurd, Stressed in Scottsdale is a smart, witty story, unlike anything you've recently read. Few topics are safe from Marcia Fine's satire as she takes aim at societal issues of relationships, fertility, politics and the environment, showing how carried away people get and how absurd things can become. In the midst of all the wackiness, Marcia Fine does a terrific job of reminding us that, although their are things in life we need to take care of, most of them aren't important enough to cause us to lose our minds.

I read this book at a time I was feeling harried, blue and depressed with a lot on my plate. One night I just needed to put my feet up, kick back and get lost in a light, entertaining book. I've never been to Scottsdale, never read a book by Marcia Fine and was a little unsure of this book based on the cover but decided to give it a try and am so glad I did! Much of it is laugh out loud funny and Fine's descriptions of the character's clothes, homes, cars, attitudes and the ensuing scenarios are hilarious. I laughed often. But, I also found myself thinking about my priorities and what's important to me in my life.

My favorite thing about Stressed in Scottsdale is the characters, with Jean Rubin the main character and narrator. We've all known a Jean Rubin, the woman who cannot say no to anyone. So she's over-scheduled and stretched well beyond her limits. Jean can't refuse her husband, Maury, her grown children, her clients, her recently widowed mother, Florence and her best friends, April and Glee. She's a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, carrying her large, overstuffed day planner with her everywhere, (and leaving it everywhere!) and misplacing many other items like her car keys. Jean is harried and anxious, constantly muttering to herself with a never-ending stream of thoughts running through her ends rendering her unable to focus on anything!

Maury loves Jean but, like so many husbands he rarely listens to her, and when he does, he doesn't actually hear her as she tells him repeatedly she has way too much to do. Maury means well when he volunteers Jean to help out the Green Party in a local political race, telling the campaign head what a terrific writer Jean is, but he doesn't bother to ask Jean if she wants to volunteer in the first place! She gets annoyed with him, so Maury tells her not to worry, he'll help, but as with so many other tasks, he never actually does.

Maury also conceals from Jean that the opposing candidate in the race is a woman Jean had a very unpleasant confrontation with in the past named Flora Beaudreaux. Jean is convinced Flora tried to kill her. Jean is livid when she discovers Flora is running in the race and is afraid to see her. But she is unable to say no to working on the campaign so when she discovers that Flora's husband has violated numerous environmental laws and is under investigation, Jean becomes giddy and somewhat obsessed with the idea of beating Flora!

Jean's two best friends, April and Glee, are constantly encouraging Jean to relax in ways they believe are relaxing without considering whether or not those methods will help Jean. April is married to a wealthy man and has two young children who don't seem to figure much in her life. She is very thin, stunningly beautiful and impeccably dressed in the top designers. Jean is more of a modern day hippie who favors long, flowered, elastic-waist skirts and Birkenstocks. April believes a makeover will improve Jean's life. April spends her days taking care of herself and her 4 small, yippy dogs and finds it all exhausting, and is unable to understand why Jean is so stressed and is sure a spa day is all she needs!

Glee is one of those larger than life women who changes her career focus frequently and always has a new interest. Creative, but not at all practical, when we first meet her Glee is an erotic artist, yoga instructor and personal life and intuitive coach. Glee is also searching for her perfect man and takes bio-identical hormone injections to improve her sex drive, as well as many, many vitamins. She is an atheist but throws a big party for the Day of the Dead celebrating souls who have returned from the afterlife and decorates her home with skeletons and an altar to honor her departed parents. Shortly after this she decides to become a stress coach and help people enjoy their lives.

April and Glee periodically take Jean to various events that they think she would enjoy, such as a monthly meeting of the Scottsdale Babe Society where sex , finding a partner and plastic surgery are hot topics that cause Jean to cringe. April and Glee also introduce Jean to a type of exercise called Ratango that, much to Jean's embarrassment and dismay, is meant to enhance sensuality, increase passion and improve intimacy .

There are several other people in Jean's life asking favors of her, demanding her help and crying on her shoulder for whom there's not enough room here to even mention! Jean, although she desperately wants to, as usual, cannot say no to them. The situation comes to a head when Jean takes drastic action to show Maury, her mother, her friends (and the others) that she just cannot take on any more burdens. She is just one woman! Her actions are uniquely Jean, so, apart from being nutty and funny, of course they wind up causing her additional work rather than easing her burdens. But Jean begins to realize that not everything is her problem and that very often things work themselves out, with or without her. Jean slowly begins to figure out her priorities and what she wants her life to be.

Stressed in Scottsdale is a very enjoyable story that amidst all the humor and absurdity reminds us what's important in our lives. That's why I'd recommend this book to any 21st Century American woman who knows what it's like to feel swamped but knows enough to step back once in a while and see the humor in all of it. In other words, if you're one of those woman who's trying to have it all and can still see the craziness that ensues, this book is for you! Hopefully it will make you laugh and remind you about what you love most in your life.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher, L'Image Press LLC through Shelf Awareness.