Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
From Amazon: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken."
Seriously. I'm not sure why I bothered reading this book. I found it very uninteresting and really confusing. I prefer books where things happen. Enough said.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Lion Cupcakes
For R's birthday at the end of July, I made lion cupcakes. I started with a vanilla bean cupcake and then added vanilla and chocolate icing.
I convinced a friend to help out, and this is what we ended up with:
Seriously delicious. :)
I convinced a friend to help out, and this is what we ended up with:
 |
| Too bad the colour is wonky... |
Friday, August 12, 2011
About a Boy
About a Boy - Nick Hornby
From Amazon: "Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off his father's novelty-song royalties. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy." As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers"
This was a kind of twisted story of Will who has no kids and apparently hates them, and how he ends up befriending and being a sort of father-figure to Markus, who is a really nerdy/out of place sounding kid. Bizarre story, but I read almost 3/4 of it on an hour and a bit long plane ride, so it wasn't that awful!
This is probably best as a summer read - nothing too in depth, or requiring too much thought. Just enough to keep you there, but if you didn't finish it, you probably wouldn't be wondering what happened..
From Amazon: "Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off his father's novelty-song royalties. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy." As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers"
This was a kind of twisted story of Will who has no kids and apparently hates them, and how he ends up befriending and being a sort of father-figure to Markus, who is a really nerdy/out of place sounding kid. Bizarre story, but I read almost 3/4 of it on an hour and a bit long plane ride, so it wasn't that awful!
This is probably best as a summer read - nothing too in depth, or requiring too much thought. Just enough to keep you there, but if you didn't finish it, you probably wouldn't be wondering what happened..
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Farm City
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer - Novella Carpenter
From Amazon: "Highways roared in the distance. Gunshots could be heard a few blocks away. And a homeless man slept in an abandoned car down the street. Among these modern-day urban scenes, author Novella Carpenter put down roots literally turning a vacant lot in Oakland, California, into a working mini-farm, complete with vegetables, herbs, chickens, ducks, and bees. Karen White reads these lively accounts of missteps and delicious victories, including recipes, with the author's intelligence, humor, and devotion to the American ideal of hard work and self-sufficiency. Farming is about food, and food is always about people. Carpenter's encounters with third-world neighbors, block parties, and the boy who came to buy a rabbit are beguiling and inspiring"
I really, really enjoy reading books about farming, food and things like that. Not sure why - I don't think about eating all the time, just most of it! Maybe I'm missing the abundance of fresh fruit and herbs from Mom's garden, but reading this book made me want to do more with the tiny deck that I have, and figure out a way to make things grow.
While I'm not really keen on the idea of growing animals to kill them for food (yes, I realize that this is natural and the way that we've been living for a long time, but I'm not really that into knowing my food), I think that the amount of food that our society wastes is insane, and perhaps a few urban farms with some pigs would do the city some good. We'd certainly reduce the amount of food wasted, and probably have some healthier animals and meat for ourselves.
I really enjoyed this, despite a few gruesome parts (mostly slaughter), and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about food.
From Amazon: "Highways roared in the distance. Gunshots could be heard a few blocks away. And a homeless man slept in an abandoned car down the street. Among these modern-day urban scenes, author Novella Carpenter put down roots literally turning a vacant lot in Oakland, California, into a working mini-farm, complete with vegetables, herbs, chickens, ducks, and bees. Karen White reads these lively accounts of missteps and delicious victories, including recipes, with the author's intelligence, humor, and devotion to the American ideal of hard work and self-sufficiency. Farming is about food, and food is always about people. Carpenter's encounters with third-world neighbors, block parties, and the boy who came to buy a rabbit are beguiling and inspiring"
I really, really enjoy reading books about farming, food and things like that. Not sure why - I don't think about eating all the time, just most of it! Maybe I'm missing the abundance of fresh fruit and herbs from Mom's garden, but reading this book made me want to do more with the tiny deck that I have, and figure out a way to make things grow.
While I'm not really keen on the idea of growing animals to kill them for food (yes, I realize that this is natural and the way that we've been living for a long time, but I'm not really that into knowing my food), I think that the amount of food that our society wastes is insane, and perhaps a few urban farms with some pigs would do the city some good. We'd certainly reduce the amount of food wasted, and probably have some healthier animals and meat for ourselves.
I really enjoyed this, despite a few gruesome parts (mostly slaughter), and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about food.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
We are All Made of Glue
We are All Made of Glue - Marina Lewycka
From Amazon: "After Georgie Sinclair's husband walks out on her following an argument about a toothbrush holder, her life seems about to fall apart. Her daughter doesn't call her anymore, preferring instead to send brief texts here and there, her 16-year-old son, Ben, seems intent on surfing born-again websites on the Internet, and both her career and her social life have never seemed more boring. When her eccentric elderly neighbor, Mrs. Shapiro, rummages through Georgie's garbage one night the two strike up an unusual friendship. They bond over Mrs. Shapiro's odd collection of cats and discounted grocery store food, but when Mrs. Shapiro has a fall and ends up in the hospital Georgie is surprised to find out that she has been named as next of kin. Suddenly Georgie's time is occupied with trying to prevent dishonest social workers from putting Mrs. Shapiro into a home, as well as trying to keep her elderly neighbor's house from falling into complete disrepair. Georgie is also occupied with figuring out if she wants to make her marriage work and trying to keep her son out of the clutches of a persistent online cult. In addition, she must unravel the mystery that is Mrs. Shapiro, who is certainly not who she says that she is."
This is the third of Marina Lewycka's books that I've read. They've all been quite strange, but interesting and pretty fast to read. This one was a bit strange - I'm not sure that her referencing to glue all the time really belonged in the book.. it seemed like she thought of the title first and then decided to add more stuff in.
Either way, I'd recommend this to someone wanting a good story. Lewycka is fantastic with accents in her writing, so I was pretty entertained just reading those.
From Amazon: "After Georgie Sinclair's husband walks out on her following an argument about a toothbrush holder, her life seems about to fall apart. Her daughter doesn't call her anymore, preferring instead to send brief texts here and there, her 16-year-old son, Ben, seems intent on surfing born-again websites on the Internet, and both her career and her social life have never seemed more boring. When her eccentric elderly neighbor, Mrs. Shapiro, rummages through Georgie's garbage one night the two strike up an unusual friendship. They bond over Mrs. Shapiro's odd collection of cats and discounted grocery store food, but when Mrs. Shapiro has a fall and ends up in the hospital Georgie is surprised to find out that she has been named as next of kin. Suddenly Georgie's time is occupied with trying to prevent dishonest social workers from putting Mrs. Shapiro into a home, as well as trying to keep her elderly neighbor's house from falling into complete disrepair. Georgie is also occupied with figuring out if she wants to make her marriage work and trying to keep her son out of the clutches of a persistent online cult. In addition, she must unravel the mystery that is Mrs. Shapiro, who is certainly not who she says that she is."
This is the third of Marina Lewycka's books that I've read. They've all been quite strange, but interesting and pretty fast to read. This one was a bit strange - I'm not sure that her referencing to glue all the time really belonged in the book.. it seemed like she thought of the title first and then decided to add more stuff in.
Either way, I'd recommend this to someone wanting a good story. Lewycka is fantastic with accents in her writing, so I was pretty entertained just reading those.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Force of Nature
Force of Nature: The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart's Green Revolution - Edward Humes
From Amazon: "Wal-Mart—long the target of local businesses, labor advocates, and environmentalists who deplore its outsourced, big-box methods—has embraced an unprecedented green makeover, which is now spreading worldwide. The retail giant that rose from Sam Walton's Ozarks dime store is leveraging the power of 200 million weekly customers to drive waste, toxics, and carbon emissions out of its stores and products. Neither an act of charity nor an empty greenwash, Wal-Mart's green move reflects its river guide's simple, compelling philosophy: that the most sustainable, clean, energy-efficient, and waste-free company will beat its competitors every time. Not just in some distant, utopian future but today"
This book really changed my view of Wal-Mart. It's still not my favourite place in the world to shop, but knowing that they actually have taken a huge step towards becoming sustainable, and with that step, have started to change the face of consumerism is really incredible. I'm still not saying that Wal-Mart is the best place in the world to shop - small, independent stores will always be much better, but I think I'll feel much less guilty when I actually end up there.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability and the different ways that it can show up in a business. It was also interesting from an economics perspective - Wal-Mart really does have power over a lot of people, and they hold enough of a market share of things to change. Hopefully more companies will take the challenge set forth by Wal-Mart and try their best to be more sustainable too!
From Amazon: "Wal-Mart—long the target of local businesses, labor advocates, and environmentalists who deplore its outsourced, big-box methods—has embraced an unprecedented green makeover, which is now spreading worldwide. The retail giant that rose from Sam Walton's Ozarks dime store is leveraging the power of 200 million weekly customers to drive waste, toxics, and carbon emissions out of its stores and products. Neither an act of charity nor an empty greenwash, Wal-Mart's green move reflects its river guide's simple, compelling philosophy: that the most sustainable, clean, energy-efficient, and waste-free company will beat its competitors every time. Not just in some distant, utopian future but today"
This book really changed my view of Wal-Mart. It's still not my favourite place in the world to shop, but knowing that they actually have taken a huge step towards becoming sustainable, and with that step, have started to change the face of consumerism is really incredible. I'm still not saying that Wal-Mart is the best place in the world to shop - small, independent stores will always be much better, but I think I'll feel much less guilty when I actually end up there.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability and the different ways that it can show up in a business. It was also interesting from an economics perspective - Wal-Mart really does have power over a lot of people, and they hold enough of a market share of things to change. Hopefully more companies will take the challenge set forth by Wal-Mart and try their best to be more sustainable too!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Backwards in High Heels
Backwards in High Heels: The Impossible Art of Being Female - Tania Kindersley & Sarah Vine
From Amazon: "This smart and frank collection distills the trials and triumphs of being a woman, all in a gifty volume filled with whimsical fullcolor illustrations. In 15 subject-driven chapters relevant to women of all ages, authors Tania Kindersley and Sarah Vine’s essays cover topics ranging from feminism to face cream, motherhood to money, and politics to perfection. Titles like “The Danger of Romantic Love,” “Why There is No Such Thing as a Guilt-Free Working Mother,” “How Not to Go Mad,” parts 1 and 2, and “Why There is No Excuse for Bad Sex” develop into a tuned and sophisticated voice that is at once a mother, best friend, and shrink, revising expectations, bashing stereotypes, and illuminating the experience of life."
I thought this book would be more along the lines of Camilla Morton's How to Walk in High Heels - which was pretty funny. This book had it's moments too, but it wasn't really that interesting to me. Some of the things were things that I wouldn't have thought about, like having a chapter on grief.. but really, the whole point of that chapter was to say that everyone deals with it differently.. which I already knew.
Overall, not my favourite book, and it took me a really long time to read. By the way, it's not impossible to be female. We're all doing it without the "help" of books like this.
From Amazon: "This smart and frank collection distills the trials and triumphs of being a woman, all in a gifty volume filled with whimsical fullcolor illustrations. In 15 subject-driven chapters relevant to women of all ages, authors Tania Kindersley and Sarah Vine’s essays cover topics ranging from feminism to face cream, motherhood to money, and politics to perfection. Titles like “The Danger of Romantic Love,” “Why There is No Such Thing as a Guilt-Free Working Mother,” “How Not to Go Mad,” parts 1 and 2, and “Why There is No Excuse for Bad Sex” develop into a tuned and sophisticated voice that is at once a mother, best friend, and shrink, revising expectations, bashing stereotypes, and illuminating the experience of life."
I thought this book would be more along the lines of Camilla Morton's How to Walk in High Heels - which was pretty funny. This book had it's moments too, but it wasn't really that interesting to me. Some of the things were things that I wouldn't have thought about, like having a chapter on grief.. but really, the whole point of that chapter was to say that everyone deals with it differently.. which I already knew.
Overall, not my favourite book, and it took me a really long time to read. By the way, it's not impossible to be female. We're all doing it without the "help" of books like this.
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