June 2015 – Out & About

Books read in June 2015

When it’s kind of a grumpy time because a very exhausting school year is ending, why not disappear into a few books?

Recommended this month:
Picture–Pool
Middle Reader: Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, The Way Home Looks Now
YA–Prairie Fire, All the Rage, the Geography of You and Me
Nonfiction: The Boys Who Challenged Hitler

Picture Books:
Pool
Jihyeon Lee
Read for librarian book group.
Picture-only book perfect for those who love swimming pools.

The Night World
Mordicai Gerstein
Read for librarian book group.
Picture book about how things look different in the middle of the night.

Middle Readers:
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
Kelly Jones
Read for librarian book group.
Very fun middle reader about the new girl town, if “town” is her deceased great uncle’s farm. There, she comes across a catalog “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer” and strange things begin to happen. Told in letters written to the company, her dead grandmother and dead great Uncle, this is a fun and funny story.

The Way Home Looks Now
Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Read for librarian book group.
Written with a cinematic flair that had me thinking “this should be a movie!” It’s quietly funny and also a good exploration of the ramifications of grief and families. I also loved the ending, which was perfect and had me thinking this book shouldn’t be a movie, because they would muck up the ending.

Young Adult:
Prairie Fire
E.K. Johnston
The second in the Story of Owen, Dragon Slayer of Trondheim. (Which is actually the story of Siobahn, bard to Owen, Dragon Slayer of Trondheim.) Once again, Johnston has her finger on the zeitgeist of this generation. Once again, she does amazing things, describing things via musical terms. This book appeared soon after the first one and I wonder if she rushed to write it? The ending seemed to come from nowhere and wrap up very quickly, which was a disappointment. Still, this was a grand contemporary fantasy set in Canada and well worth the read.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Stephanie Oaks
I read an ARC passed on from a friend.
Points for contrasting settings (The past: a cult commune tucked away in the woods. The present: juvenile detention/jail.) Points for interesting main character and strong supporting cast. There were more than few major plot points I didn’t really go for, which made this only a so-so read.

Hold Tight, Don’t Let Go
Laura Rose Wagner
Read for librarian book group.
I can heartily recommend this book if you are looking for a first-person narrative of Haiti after the earthquake. Or possibly you are interested in a story of two sisters (actually cousins) and how their lives change after the earthquake. This book was very strong in those areas.

For me, this was a book to slog though. I found that I was interested in the characters lives and what happens, but not in a way that I really wanted to keep reading. I think I was rooting for them, but didn’t really care for them. Is this a writing flaw or a personality flaw? If you are interested in the setting or topic, feel free to read for yourself and report back your experience.

Recovery Road
Blake Nelson
Madeline is 16 and in rehab. She meets Stewart there and the book follows their relationship through the next few years of their sobriety. I liked the portrayal of addiction and how so many things can influence a persons dedication to their clean-and-sober path. By the end of the book, it felt like the main character was just reporting, “and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened” which grew tiresome. However, few books feature the city in which I currently live and the college from which I graduated, so that was fun.

The Duff
Kody Keplinger
I was charmed by the actors in the movie adaptation of this book. I was not at all charmed by the book itself. The writing is poor (although fine for a teenager, which the author was at the time) the plot is repetitive and the book needed a lot better editing. On page 160 there is a great example where the writing suggests a character got out of a two-door car, shut the door, then opened that same door and got into the front seat.

Carney’s House Party
Maud Hart Lovelace
The book I should have read before Betsy’s and the Great World (grumble grumble, numbering system, grumble grumble) it primarily concerns Carney, a secondary character in the high school books, and her “house party” which apparently once upon a time had a definition meaning people coming to visit you for an extended time. All sorts of things happen during the house party, which are quite enjoyable to read about. There’s the usual singing, going on drives, chattering, hosting parties of every stripe. Betsy shows up midway through and also we get to nicely tie up the Carney/Larry plot that simmered in the back of the high school books all those years.

The Ghosts of Heaven
Marcus Sedgewick
Read for librarian book group.
Four stories you can read in any order. Or so I was told. I chose the order of 3, 4, 1, 2 and came away underwhelmed.

Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli
Read for librarian book group.
There are a lot of characters in this novel and I was confused as to who everyone was for about the first fifty pages. Once that sorted itself out, I was fine and enjoyed this novel. I loved the family scenes, which felt very true, and the coming out process also felt very authentic (at least to this heterosexual). The title flummoxes me, but does not detract from this enjoyable read.

All the Rage
Courtney Summers
Read for librarian book group.
I find the title to be unfortunate as I keep forgetting what this book is and have to remind myself by looking at the cover. However, once I remind myself, I get very excited, because this is a great book. Why is our main character on the outside of the cool kids she used to be friends with? Why is she so obsessed with nail polish and makeup? What is going on? I’ll leave you to find out yourselves.

The Geography of You and Me
Jennifer E. Smith
Two teenagers trapped in an elevator during a power outage. Things go from there. I really liked the obstacles the teenagers faced in this book and found it a nice breezy way to avoid packing for my upcoming vacation.

Also, Sara Zarr interviewed Jennifer E. Smith for her podcast. You can listen to it here: http://www.sarazarr.com/archives/4593

Nonfiction:
The Boys who Challenged Hitler
Phillip Hoose
Read for librarian book group.
Engrossing book about Danish teenagers who decided to not just roll over when the Nazis came to town. Aside from being chock-full of interesting details, I appreciated how the author discussed the aftermath of the consequences.

In Focus: Carleton Watkins
J. Paul Getty Museum
Watkins was the big Yosemite photographer back in the nineteenth century. Check out this book for high quality reproductions of his work, which is then put in context. There’s also a great picture of the Columbia River. I’m really enjoying this In Focus series.

Top movies of June 2015

June
13 movies watched

A New Leaf
Elaine May’s dark romantic comedy lives up to my youthful remembrances.

A Place in the Sun
Great mid-20th century class commentary and a good argument for why abortion should be legal. (I say this only partially tongue-in-cheek.)

Now You See Me
It’s a heist movie with magicians and is populated with fabulous actors.

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
Join the Casey Affleck Aficionado Club. Enjoy Rooney Mara too.

The Sessions
Ignore Helen Hunt’s accent and marvel at John Hawkes performance.

Love & Mercy
Get inside the mind of Brian Wilson in this not-traditional biopic.

Dope
Enjoy the best movie about being a teenage boy since Kings of Summer was released.

The Lifeguard
Cringe at Kristen Bell’s inappropriate choices while enjoying everyone’s acting. Contemplate how ugly those lifeguard suits are.

Top Movies of January-May 2015

New Feature!

Because I watch so many movies, I thought it would be handy to have a summary at the end of the month of my top movies of that month. These are movies I watched during the month that I feel are worth watching, for a variety of reasons. Just like my viewing patterns, movies will be both first-run and from the back catalog. I will include a total of movies* watched in the month and a sentence or two explaining why I’m recommending this movie to you. After this catch-up post, this will be a monthly feature.

*For our purposes “movies” will include both films and the DVDs of TV show seasons.

January:
(6 total movies watched)

Dear White People
Come for the peek into college campus life via Black characters, stay for Lionel, the nerd.

Skeleton Twins
Hollywood is littered with the broken careers of post-Saturday Night Live actors. Watch this for two alumni, attempting/succeeding at serious drama.

Zero Motivation
You will probably have to work to find this comedy, an Israeli Army female version of Office Space, but it will be worth it.

February:
(2 total movies watched)

Treme Season 1
Travel back to just after Katrina and watch a multi-racial cast attempt to put their lives back together.

March:
(11 total movies watched)

Cinderella (2015)
Marvel at how well Disney translates an animated classic into a live-action movie. Become verklempt during the ballroom scene and gasp just how well the dress works.

April:
(9 total movies watched)

12 Years a Slave
Watch it because the acting is first rate and the subject matter is important.

Short Term 12
Recommended for its heart (it’s so much better than those movies designed to inspire you) and for its female-centered plot.

Furious 7
Only watch this after you have enjoyed numbers 1, 4, 5, & 6 of the series and marvel at how well they sent off Paul Walker

May:
(12 total movies watched)

Ex Machina
A great movie for post-viewing conversation and spellbinding to watch.

Now, Voyager
Female centered 1950s drama (not the sci-fi film I thought it was) about a woman of a certain age finding her path

Me and Orson Welles
A very good backstage drama of Wells’s 1937 production of Julius Caesar.

Like Crazy
Quietly acted and improvised realistic love story.

While We’re Young
Smart and funny and a good time capsule of current life for 20- and 40-somethings.

Mikey & Nicky
Look to Elaine May for a different kind of gangster film.

Oddly specific fundraising mailer

I worked in the library at both colleges I attended for undergraduate work. UMass is pretty persistent in the fundraising, despite the fact that I only made one donation once, to the history department. It was weird to see the tagline “Happiness is…a job at the library.”

Yes it is, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give you any money.

Friday Project and how to stay cool in the heat.

The Friday Project this week was hemming two pair of new pants I bought. I found great tutorials here and here. I also took up the shoulders in a shirt I purchased.

It’s hot, especially for Portland. If I can keep the heat out, our house is pretty okay. Here’s how I attempted to keep it at bay.

This is the only south-facing window in our house. If I close the curtains, it helps a lot. Antares doesn’t mind the heat, though. He will happily sleep on the sunny side of the curtain.

Why heat up the big oven to cook your pie crust, when you can instead use your toaster oven?

Laundry! Dried outside. In about 10 minutes. I washed ALL of my bedding.

Three sentence movie reviews: The Lifeguard

While the movie shelves are loaded with whiny male protagonists whose lives fall apart and they retreat to somewhere/something to recover, there are fewer of these stories about women. So it was that I enjoyed watching Kristen Bell return home to her parents to be again the lifeguard she was as a teenager. I found the story resonant and the acting was great too, especially by Bell, Mamie Gummer and Alex Shaffer.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, while avoiding prepping for vacation.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/lifeguard.html

Three sentence movie reviews: 22 Jump Street

While not as funny as the first time I watched it, (the surprise factor was gone) I still enjoyed this sequel making fun of sequels. This time I greatly anticipated the Mr. & Mrs. Smith scene and cackled at Jillian Bell’s weirdness. This would also make a good movie for a discussion of male attitudes toward women sleeping around depending on if the women in question is the male’s daughter or not.

Cost: free from library. (It was just sitting there. I couldn’t not bring it home.)
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/twenty_two_jump_street.html

42nd Street Station

“What is this place?” I wondered as I wandered by. Not having to be anywhere at any time, I checked it out.

Ah, it’s one of those places that takes a big space and then makes smaller spaces available to small businesses. These seem to be a very 80s concept to me.

I enjoyed looking at the different businesses and stopped in the restaurant to have a sandwich before heading home.

There was a deli counter and also a bar. I was offered a free Keno play, which I took. It was not a winner. (Surprise!)

My egg salad sandwich and water.

I stopped in the bathroom on the way out and was interested to see this random room of antiques in the hallway near the bathrooms. There wasn’t a sign telling me what it was and there wasn’t a person to ask.

Three sentence movie reviews: Dope

Possibly the best movie about being a teenage boy since Kings of Summer. It’s funny, it’s moving, it’s set in present day and has a 90s hip hop soundtrack. Eventually, they will start making movies about girls coming of age, but in the meantime, sit down and enjoy this fabulous piece of movie.

Cost: $5.00
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with Matt*

*Sweetheart, what are you doing Sunday at 6? I have a movie I think we will both enjoy.
And we did.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/dope_ver2.html

Which is the better value the large avocado or the small one?

For some time now I’ve wanted to crunch the numbers on this equation. The avocado on the left costs $1.25. The one on the right costs $0.99. Let’s break this down.

Here we can see that the pits are similarly sized.

The large is 2.75 ounces bigger than the small.

Overall, the large avocado gives us 6.5 ounces for $1.25, while the small gives us 4 ounces for $0.99.

Crunching the numbers: Large is $0.19/oz

Small is: $0.25/oz.

Large is the better deal.

However, I also conducted a taste test, and I liked the taste of the smaller avocado better. Someday I should do a blind taste test.