recent readings

Considering I only read on my commute, I've been burning through books lately. I've really mastered the art of balancing on the train and instinctively knowing when my stop has arrived so as to maximize head down, reading time. Also, I've recently signed up for Good Reads which helps me keep track of what I've finished and figure out what is up next. 

I recently finished Eleanor & Park, a really sweet story of teenage romance against the odds. Makes me thankful I never have to go back to high school.  // I'm currently working on Rules of Civility and really enjoying the story. It's a juicy look at wealthy society in 1930s NYC. Makes me wish my life was a little more glamorous! 

I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve of books that are being made into movies, so I dutifully read The Fault in Our Stars. I timed the really emotional parts so I could read them at home (instead of a very public subway train) and have a good cry in private. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie soon and will be bringing wads of tissues with me for sure. // It's probably been 15 years since I read The Giver and I hear it is also getting it's moment on the big screen, I decided a refresher was in order. It was more simple than I remember (good to know 28 year old me is a tad more complex thinking than 13 year old me) but still tackles some interesting concepts. 

I really enjoyed reading the Hunger Games books last year but decided I needed a little break from 'post-apocalyptic young adult fiction' before starting on The Divergent Series. I'm glad I finally got around to it just in time to see the first movie. I think I prefer the HG story (although Divergent is really similar) but the books were still very entertaining. I must have gotten emotionally invested in the characters because I was noticeably sad when the books were finished! I will just have to miss my "friends" until the other movies come out.

The Goldfinch was long and exciting and interesting and sometimes unbelieveable. I wish I liked it more but after all that time reading, I needed more resolution and tied up loose ends. I recommend it but I can't say I looooved it as much as other people. // The Circle is about society letting technology going a smidge too far. I could barely look at phone without being creeped out for a few weeks! 

Honestly, I picked up Beautiful Ruins because I liked the cover. The story that spans half a century is kind of sweet and fun. Light beach reading. // The Interestings wasn't my favorite. It's engaging but not really exciting. It moved slow and took me forever to read and in the end I found it kind of depressing. I'm a happy ending kind of girl.

Next on my list is The Vacationers. It might make me very jealous of those with beach plans but I need something to get me in the summer vacation spirit (even if I do sit behind a desk all week). // I'm also looking forward to reading The Opposite of Loneliness. The author was killed in a car crash just days after graduating from Yale, but I hear her writing is excellent and reflective of her generation.

I'm always on the lookout for suggestions! Anything I should be reading?

young house love | book signing

Jenn and I met Sherry and John from Young House Love!

oh joy! book party

Jenn and I hopped over to the Columbus Circle west elm after work yesterday for the much anticipated Blog Inc. book party. I was so excited to meet Joy Deangdeelert Cho of the blog Oh Joy! and have her sign our copies of the new book. She was even more cute and lovely than I had imagined. (I don't know how these authors do it! I would be spent after signing 10 books!) Plus, her adorable husband and baby were running around the store mingling with guests. Too cute!

debbieneedles @ abc home

Last week, Jenn and I went to a talk at ABC Home put on by Apartment Therapy. I've been to this series before and always enjoy it because they serve ample glasses of wine :) This time I was super excited to hear Deborah Needleman speak. She was the founding editor of Domino magazine and is the current editor of the Wall Street Journal Magazine. I've always had this unnatural obsession with magazines and constantly dream of some future involving architecture/design and publishing. Still working on that. 

Anyway, Deborah Needleman was lovely and candid and had some great insight into the world of magazines. I recently bought two of her books: Domino: The Book of Decorating and The Perfectly Imperfect Home. After the talk, Jenn and I stood in line to have them signed and say hello to Ms. Needleman. When it was my turn, she was so sweet and kind and signed my book, but for the life of me, I could not think of anything intelligent to say to her. Luckily, instead of saying something dumb, I said very little. Oh well. When I come to her years later for a publishing job, hopefully she won't remember that mute girl clenching her signed book and smiling awkwardly.

On a less embarrassing note, while standing in line, I ran into a girl who went to Auburn! AUBURN! This is a big deal. The world is rarely this small. She graduated from architecture school two years ahead of me and has lived in NYC ever since. She is currently also studying for her exams and invited me to her study group. Lucky me!

i'm still here

Why hello there! Sorry for my recent absence, but things have been pretty boooooring around here. I was fighting a cold for a few days and have been trying to introduce studying back into my life. Since procrastination is my forte, I completely organized my apartment this weekend instead of reading up on the ARE. I have a feeling this is going to be a theme for the next several months.....

Regardless, I wanted to update you on some of the semi-interesting things that have been going on the past couple weeks. 

I recently attended a presentation at the Center for Architecture about NYC's upcoming bike share program. The place was packed! It was refreshing to see such support for a great movement. Kurt and I used a bike share program when we visited Montreal and can't wait for the same convenience to grace our dear city. Plus, we got to see NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan speak about the program and the process of bringing it to NYC. Saying that Kurt was star struck is an understatement :) He asked a Jane Jacobs worthy question during the presentation and got to speak with Janette (because they are on a first name basis now) on her way out the door. He usually swoons over economists and football coaches, so I'm actually pretty supportive of his crush on a powerful female figure! (Not that women can't be economists or football coaches. Those just aren't the ones he stalks follows.)

Yep, we finally got some snow! Even me and my seasonal depression were excited to see some winter precipitation. It finally feels like January. Then I had to go outside and remembered why I love summer.

That same snowy day, we treked all the way to Greenpoint to see a FEAST presentation. It's a pretty interesting organization that puts on public dinners to support community projects. Attendees pay $20 for food, beer, and a ballot. Artists present project ideas that could use funding and at the end of the evening, attendees vote for their favorite. The winning artist(s) is awarded the prize money. Last year, Kurt's brother was awarded a FEAST prize for his project Composting Gowanus! Check out past winning projects here.

My friend Will is from Louisiana and makes a mean gumbo. He was nice enough to cook up a huge pot this past weekend and invited a bunch of people over to share it with. He asked for some sides, so I decided to make some cornbread. I usually prefer a really sweet version but decided a cheesy version with chilies would go better with the gumbo. I found my recipe here. It might be a little dry on its own but was delicious with the gumbo. However, an old shoe would taste good with Will's gumbo. It's that good. You should be jealous.

Even though reading for pleasure is suspended for a while, I've added a couple new books to my collection. I'm not exactly sure why, but I've decided to start cooking with more beans. I guess they're cheap, easy, and pretty healthy. This cookbook looks promising with lots of information and interesting recipes. I am a little sad it lacks pictures though :( I'm one of those uninspired cooks that can't get excited about a recipe until I see what it is supposed to look like in the end. Regardless, I will give it a shot. I'll pass along the successes (and maybe even some fails).

I've also added The Perfectly Imperfect Home to my coffee table collection (you know, for when I actually own a coffee table). It has fun illustrations and tips throughout. Plus, the author, Deborah Needleman, former editor of Domino, is going to be giving a presentation at ABC Carpet and Home next week hosted by Apartment Therapy. Yours truly is going to be there and am hoping to get an autograph...like a crazy person. Hey, Kurt has his crushes, and I have mine :) Wish me luck!

design*sponge book launch

{image from DesignSponge.com}

Do you read Design*Sponge? Well, you should. It's a really fun design blog and they just came out with a great book called Design*Sponge at Home. I dont often posess that pre-order kind of zeal, but I really enjoy D*S and wanted to show my support. Plus, I got the book for half off when I ordered months ago!

Remember my Pioneer Woman excitement? The great thing about NYC is that book tours always stop here and we are often the first event. My pre-ordered book barely made it in time for the NYC launch at west elm near Columbus Circle, but I proudly had it in my hands at the party. Jenn got tied up at another event so I  convinced Kurt to accompany me. Free drinks and food, what's not to like?

I brought my fresh off the presses (and UPS truck) book with me and got an extra for Jenn to have them signed. I rarely swoon but got really nervous before approaching Grace Bonney, the creator of Design*Sponge and author of the book. She is even sweeter and more petite than I could have imagined.

All I could manage to tell her was how much I loved the book even though I only had 2 minutes to look through it. Luckily I was distracted by deciding how to address Jenn's book: 'Jenn' or 'Jennifer'? We went with 'Jenn' (like she and Grace are old pals) and Kurt was kind enough to document my moment.

Phew. Thanks to Kurt, we got the signing out of the way immediately and were then able to have lots of prosecco and hors d'oeuvres instead of standing in line.

I forget how much I like west elm. If it were just a tad cheaper I would like it even more. I guess I should watch the sale racks :) Plus, the Broadway location is a great space for a party. Kurt and I had a blast. I'm adding book launches to my free events to be on the lookout for now too.

If you need me, I finally have some time to myself and will be pouring through my gorgeous new book (matches my coral wall!). I already have quite a few DIY projects dog eared (without actually harming the book, of course) and am gleaning fun decorating tips from all the gorgeous house tours! Go get a copy today!! And look for a D*S book launch in your city. I hear the team is traveling all over the place!!

book launch

Recently, Kurt's friend sent him a link to a book launch party for Geologic City: A Field Guide to the GeoArchitecture of New York. I had absolutely no idea what it was about but it was free and I was promised wine.

The book was produced by Studio X, a department (?) of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, and the party was held in their studio space.

While I don't think I can even recount what the book is about, it was interesting to see explore another school's studio space. They have a view of the new World Trade Center buildings...

...the Hudson River...

...and the Empire State Building. Not too shabby compared to our sight lines out of Dudley Hall, right?

From what I could gather, the exhibit was all about rocks and minerals and how the city is shaped by them. It also mentioned how within the past 50 years or so, our civilization has begun to make a lasting impression on the earth itself.

Timeline detailing the life of the sun, the earth, dinosaurs, etc. It's a nice reminder of how our time in this world is such a speck in the grand scheme of evolution. Perspective, anyone?

Jenn and Kurt having a deep discussion about geology...or was it skiing? (Not such different topics, I guess) Either way, I tuned out and focused on my wine. It was a nice warm up for Fashion's Night Out. Stay tuned for that post!

the help: the movie

I saw The Help with some girlfriends earlier this week. It was really good! I cry all the time at movies. Of course I was a blubbering idiot at this one but could sense I wasn't alone. I could hear quite a bit of sniffling through the mainly female audience. There were so many touching parts! Plus, I read the book and felt that much more connected to the characters and their stories. I know. I'm weird. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would suggest seeing it (bring your tissues!).

BUT......

I'm not much of a book reader, so please excuse my lengthy rant. I am new to the disappointment that comes from a movie falling short of my literary expectations. I really enjoyed the movie, but it just wasn't as good as I had hoped (i.e. the book). I hyped it up too much in my head and was a little let down by the final product. I know it must be difficult to boil down hundreds of pages into a couple hours on the screen but I would have liked to see it better organized and complete. I know why they omitted many parts of the story but I feel like some were critical to the plot and some of the ones they left in were silly and disjointed. For example, I wish they had included more of the love story with the main character--not just because I happen to enjoy romances but I think it really highlighted how she grew and changed.

I was also a little disappointed with Emma Stone's performance. I made the mistake of seeing a preview for the movie a couple months ago, finding out that she was playing the lead character, then reading the book. Instead of creating a character in my head based on the author's description, I just inserted Emma Stone in the story as it went along. In my mind she was excellent. Of course the actress's onscreen version was going to fall short of the role she played in my head. Regardless, I thought she did a pretty good job and I look forward to seeing her in more movies. While I think she was a good choice for the main role, I think some of the other casting choices were a bit off, particularly the main character's mother.

But don't listen to my negativity. The book is excellent. The movie is good. Experience both.

There were several good previews at the beginning of the movie too, namely a couple featuring the [insert desirable adjective here] Ryan Gosling. I've loved him since The Notebook and am thoroughly looking forward to ogling seeing him on the big screen more often. Drive and The Ides of March (hello! George Clooney too!) will be on my movie list come cooler fall weather.

must read

I should have listened to Laura when she wrote about The Help. I just read it in preparation for the movie that is coming out in a few weeks. So good! I really enjoyed it and tore through it quickly. I would highly recommend it. 

Civic Responsibility

Is it weird that serving jury duty was the most glorious day I've experienced in a while? Being a complete cake walk probably had a lot to do with it...and having a vacation from work...and being finished at 3:30 in the afternoon on a beautiful day. I'm sad it's over!

I don't know how Brooklyn ever conducts a trial. From what I can tell, the juror selection process mainly consists of shuffling large groups of cranky people from one waiting room (like the one above) to the next. I was corralled between four of these rooms which never amounted to anything. Thank goodness for free wifi. I had some great bonding time with my iPhone and made a huge dent in my book. I made a new friend and we spent our two hour lunch break getting yummy sandwiches in Brooklyn Heights and strolling along the Promenade. It was seriously like a day off from work. 

After lunch, my group was escorted into a court room. There was actually a judge and lawyers and a defendant in there! (I have a Legally Blonde reference to insert here but will spare you) They explained the trial and how the whole jury selection process would work. All of a sudden, I got really excited about the prospect of being on the jury. While everyone around me was grumbling about being there and missing work etc, I really wanted to be involved. Maybe it is my gossipy nature, but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without hearing the evidence and knowing the outcome. Plus, everyone around me was so uninterested, I wanted to be the best jury person that court room had ever seen! Renew their faith in the democratic system! 

The judge and lawyers had a meeting in another room while we waited anxiously (or was that just me?) in the courtroom. After about fifteen minutes they returned and broke the news to us that our services would no longer be needed. This elicited some cheers from my jury peers but I was crushed. Not only were we not going to serve on this trial but we were excused for the rest of the day...and for the next eight years! Sadly, I won't be able to fulfill my jury potential anytime soon AND I won't be taking full advantage of the three paid days I could have had off of work. Alas, I realize everything can't go my way.

On the bright side, it was a lovely day and I had a huge chunk of the afternoon which would normally be spent at work. I took a nice stroll home and decided to go for a long run outside--my first since NYC was transformed into a bitter tundra back in 2010. I ran by my favorite street in Cobble Hill. I would give my right arm to live in these houses.

I checked out progress at Brooklyn Bridge Park and the nice late afternoon light on the buildings of lower Manhattan.

I was on such a running high and didn't want to waste an ounce of daylight that I also decided to do a lap around the park near my house. I might have gone a smidgen overboard. I don't think I will be able to walk tomorrow but it was very worth it. I am excited about the impending months of outdoor fun.

In the theme of overdoing things, I came home and devoured the rest of my Pioneer Woman book. I must have read 3/4 of it today alone. It was so good. I laughed out loud at parts ("lol" to you kids) and cried at others (more than I'd like to admit). It's such an easy read, I would highly recommend it. Maybe work it in over a few days though. One lucky reader might even find a copy waiting in her mailbox real soon...

The Pioneer Woman

Tonight I went to the Barnes and Noble in Union Square to see Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman. She writes one of my favorite blogs and just published a memoir about her whirlwind romance with her husband. The book was released today, and NYC was the first stop on her book tour. She was cute and funny and much more soft spoken than I expected. She even confessed she is not much of a public speaker and loves blogging because it is practically the antithesis of that. I agree.

Now I did something dumb today. Before I left for work this morning I got the bright idea to buy the new book online because Barnes and Noble has one day shipping in Manhattan (and maybe I am cheap and thought I would get a better deal online). I could get it delivered to work and have it in hand for her to sign when the time came. Somehow I failed to consider that I was going to see her speak at a huge book store that just might have a couple extra copies around for all us nerdy blog followers. And it turns out that "one day shipping" means by 7pm which is exactly when the program started. So, in the end, I left the office before the book arrived. I'm pretty sure they had 50% of the published copies of the book at Barnes and Noble. They practically wallpapered the place with them. I was so tempted to buy another copy, get it signed, and give the copy which is hopefully now sitting in my office as a gift. Once again I was cheap and did not. So now I have zero signed copies :( 

I also went by myself, so I didn't have the opportunity to be awkward and ask for a picture with Ree because I didn't have a photographer/wingman. Well, the Pioneer Woman has a children's book and another cookbook coming out soon-ish, so there's always next time!

Traveling

Train to Newark

I'm blogging on location from Ardmore, Alabama these days (with a cat over my shoulder and one at my feet). I flew down yesterday to spend a week in the South for the holidays. It was the first time I had traveled alone in a while and my first experience flying out of Newark Airport. Everything went pretty smoothly except we were delayed for a couple hours. My 6:30pm flight didn't end up leaving until closer to 9. Thankfully I had a direct flight into Nashville, but it was still a long day of travelling. With so much time to kill, I'm over halfway through the book (Christmas present from Kurt) that is supposed to last me all week. I'm sure I will find something else to entertain myself with while on vacation...TV watching and blog catching up are quickly climbing the list.

Off to finish some last minute Christmas shopping with my mom! Happy Holidays!

Inefficient Book Club

Remember waaaaay back when I started reading this book? Well, I've finally finished it. I'm not much of a book reader. I find it hard to go home and curl up with a good story. I'm always bouncing around doing other things and once I sit down, I instantly fall asleep. So the only time I really get to read is on the train to and from work. I used to have a phobia of reading on the train and I am still working through it. When I first moved here, I was terrified of missing my stop, so I couldn't be distracted. Now I am still struggling with balancing a book in one hand and holding on to the bar with the other. Turning pages is a challenge, especially if the train is crowded. It's a rare occurrence I can get a seat on my train, so I am currently perfecting this balancing act. Hopefully my low center of gravity will be a benefit :)

Anyway, after short bits of reading here and there, I eventually made my way through it. That Jane Jacobs really knew what she was talking about--even almost 50 years ago! At times, the chapters were cumbersome to read but she had so many incredible ideas. She lived in Greenwich Village when she wrote it, so she often cites New York City as good and bad examples of urban planning. It was pretty easy to relate to what she was talking about since it is all around me. I don't know if it would have been as impactful if I read it while still in Alabama. It's funny to think that even though NYC has changed so much in the past 50 years, the same ideals that make a good city don't really change.

I highly recommend it if you can get through it. It does get a little heavy at times. I can't wait for Kurt to read it because I think it will really resonate with him. That gets me to our "Inefficient Book Club". I want him to read it so we can discuss and analyze together, but we have such different schedules and reading paces that we could never really read books at the same time. Instead, one of us reads something, then the other. Then we can discuss. Now that I am finished, I am passing Ms. Jacobs on to Kurt. Expect in-depth analysis sometime in 2011!

New Read

I just started reading this book. I've been meaning to read it for years, ever since it was strongly suggested in school, in fact. I finally requested it from the library and started to get into it while waiting for my laundry one evening (one of the only times I can make myself sit still long enough to read and not fall asleep). I only got a few pages in, but it was so interesting! A lot of the things the author talks about are from her experiences in New York City, so it really strikes a chord there.

I had it for a couple weeks and never really took the time to sit down and devote attention to it, so lo and behold, I get an email from the library saying they need it back because someone else has a a hold on it. Ugh. But I wanted to read it!! The library would start fining me if I kept it, so I begrudgingly returned it yesterday. Kurt, being the sweetheart that he is, bought me my own copy to add to my permanent collection (which currently only includes a cookbook, an art book from a flea market, New York tourist books, and many many magazines). Thanks, Kurt!!

Maybe I'll post a review later? Maybe...probably not...but it is possible. Better yet, go read it for yourself!