Outstanding in the Field

I just found out about this book/organization through a book signing at Anthropologie in Berkeley, CA. The author, Jim Denevan, has been dubbed the inventor of the slow food movement. He and his culinary troop travel around from farm to farm throughout North America and host remarkable meals with all local and sustainable ingredients.

The experience is a little pricy for my budget at $200 a person, but it is definately on my to do list.
I will have to live with his cook book for now.

Outstanding in the Field

photo from website: http://www.outstandinginthefield.com/shop.html

Three Cups of Tea

I just found out about this book today from my supervisor. She went to hear the author, Greg Mortensen, speak and promote his book in San Francisco last night. His story is really inspiring. He has dedicated the most recent years of his life promoting education in Afghanistan and Pakistan while emphasizing the importance of educating women.

The subtitle of the book, One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, sums up his vision and his new life mission. I can't wait to dig into this book.

No reading today

Well I did read a little on the bus to work. I just got home from the Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes show at the Fox in Oakland. It was an awesome show.

I went for Blitzen Trapper but I sort of got into Fleet Foxes. Before tonight I had very little exposure to their music. Their singer has a great voice and I'll always listen to vocal harmonies.

I have to say that BT is still my favorite of the night. Fleet Foxes make beautiful music, but most of their songs are too mellow and slow for me. BT has enough rhythm to keep me interested.

I hope I can get a good sized chunk of reading in tomorrow.

Worn out from the weekend...

Today was quite a busy day! We started out by going to the Jack London Square farmer's market. I came back home to meet my brother and his friends who took my GIANT tv off of my hands. I helped out with the yard work and then started prep work for our grilled chicken fajitas. We just finished eating and I can't wait to change into my pajamas and continue interview with the vampire.

Currently reading...

I recently started reading Interview with the Vampire. my husband saw how much I loved Twilight and wanted me to read the "original." Well, I guess the original is Bram Stoker's Dracula. I am on page 126. It's getting pretty good. I was so caught up in the story I forgot to get ready for tonight and was 30 minutes late! Oops!

I don't know if Stephenie Meyer was influenced by Ann Rice, but I see a lot of similarities. I think the next set of vampire novels will be the True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series. I have heard a lot of good things about them.

Anyone else out there read any good vampire books?

The subject matter is very hard to take. It's quite a sad story and doesn't get any happier at the end, but I still really loved this book. I found myself feeling like I was the only friend to little Bone, the main character, and I wished I could do something to help her.

I read this book in one of my college lit classes that was focused on stories about "the other." Bone is not the only person in this story who feels outcast and alone. I found it very interesting to examine the behavior of each of the characters in response to their feelings of being "the other."

Dorothy Allison wrote this as a semi-autobiographical novel.

It's so sad that people feel it is necessary to abuse and exploit others, especially children.

My Horizontal Life

This is the funniest book ever! Chelsea Handler cracks me up! This was an impulse buy at the airport on my long ride home from a fun vacation on the Jersey Shore. I was bummed to be returning to work and grabbed this to pass the grueling 6 hour ride back to my West-coast reality. I figured Chelsea's show was funny, her book should be able to entertain me for a few hours.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got into this book. From chapter 1 I was in. I laughed out loud on the airplane and had Britt (my husband) reading over my shoulder to see what was so funny.

This is a great casual read. The chapters don't necessarily flow into each other so it is easy to put down and pick up as you please.

Enjoy!