For ten minutes of every day, the world becomes quiet, still, and perfect. Before I go to bed, I creep into Marco’s room and stare at my darling boy as he sleeps. Sometimes, his mouth curls up into a smile, when I whisper “I love you”, but usually, he is unaware of my presence. I have to force myself to back out of the room and actually go to bed! He’s so beautiful.
In literary news, I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and I admit it: I cried a bit. I think it was lovely. This afternoon, during my lunch hour, I started reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I love Atwood’s writing style, and her stories always keep me riveted.
What are you reading? How’s your week going? Anyone else SO FREAKING EXCITED THAT TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!?
I finished An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin last week. I really enjoyed the art history lessons; as someone who is not very well-versed in modern art, I appreciated the beginner’s course (with accompanying photographs). Lacey, the protaganist, is manipulative, selfish, and sexually uninhibited; luckily for the story, she rarely crossed over into completely unlikeable. I think that the big ‘reveal’ could have been a little more…surprising? The story hints at a big, bad undercurrent that doesn’t really appear.
Now, I’m reading: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
I usually try to avoid any book Oprah has recommended, but she occasionally picks one that’s interesting. An update of the story of Hamlet isn’t the most terribly original idea, but I think that Wroblewski has hit upon a good formula for making it work in middle America.
What are YOU reading?
…considering it was last week!
The first part of Christmas Eve, I baked cookies (ginger snaps and pumpkin cookies!) and cuddled Marco. We spent the afternoon with the Gomers. Marco had fun opening presents and playing with Belle.
Belle opening her present from us
My Pal Violet laptop!!
Marco’s presents!
He loves ribbon
Such a ham 
Marco got some very cute outfits, and Tim received two Blu-Ray movies he wanted. I was very excited to open my present and find The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller! I used to work at Bouchon Bakery, and was lucky enough to have a beautiful anniversary luncheon with Tim at The French Laundry. OMG, AMAZING! Most of the recipes are a little too difficult for my culinary skill set, but there are a couple of things I want to try.
After presents, we had lunch from Picante (mmm!) and let the babies take a nap. We headed to San Jose around 4 to my aunt and uncle’s house for my family’s celebration. Marco was kissed, cuddled, and entertained by my mom and sister, as well as my cousins, aunts and uncles. A few of my uncles were…tipsy, to say the least (LOL) and became quite talkative. Very funny. 
Tim, Marco, and I drove home later that night, so we could enjoy Christmas morning alone.
Here’s the cookies and milk, complete with bites taken out of them…
Santa’s been here…
Tomorrow I’ll post the Christmas Day pics!
I’m so glad the week has ended. It’s been so hectic and occasionally unpleasant – but some weeks are just like that, I guess!
Roux went missing earlier this week, and it was awful!! Stabler cried all over the house (seriously – for HOURS), and Chloe wandered in confusion. Luckily, though, she is home safe and I’ve kissed her little nose a million times.
I think I may have strained something in my shoulder, and, as I can’t think of any other reason (no work outs lately) I’m blaming Marco’s increasing weight. I have the hardest time trying to carry him in his car seat!
In happier news… my other hubby has been nominated for a Golden Globe AND a SAG award. I hope he wins!!
I’m finishing up Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky, and I LOVE IT! It is so beautifully written, and thoroughly examines man’s morality and madness. The names get confusing (lots of ‘k’s and ‘y’s) but once you get them straight, the English translation is perfect. I may read The Brothers Karamazov next.
This weekend we’ll be visiting with the Gomers, and I’m hoping to get in some ‘me’ time on Sunday. Need to do a bit of Christmas shopping! I can’t believe that Christmas is next week. I haven’t even started wrapping gifts; my tree looks almost naked.
Off to give Roux another smooch.
XOXOXO
I know, 2 posts in one day, but there’s big news about Baz Luhrmann’s movie version of ‘The Great Gatsby’!!
Okay so ”Gatsby’ is one of my favorite books. I fell in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald, and after I read it, I obsessively read everything else he ever wrote.
I can see Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby – but I want to state that I would’ve REALLY liked to see him as Nick Carroway. I think he would’ve been perfect for that role. But I can get on board with that much more easily than I can as the rumoured decision of Baz Luhrmann to give the role of Nick to Tobey Maguire. JUST WRONG. I can’t stand Tobey Maguire, and even with all of the many (MANY) flaws of the 1974 film version of this book, Sam Waterston was perfect as Nick. A&E made a television version years ago, and they cast Paul Rudd in the role – and he actually was quite a good fit. Tobey Maguire will have to pull out something magical in order for this role to suit him.
I was hearing rumours of another Leo DiCaprio-Joseph Gordon Levitt matchup, and given Leo as Gatsby, I would’ve liked to see JGL as Nick!
Speaking of another ‘Inception’ buddy, Tom Hardy would be a perfect Tom – and not just because of the name. I think he fits the word ‘hulking’, as Daisy says.
I wasn’t so sure about Carey Mulligan as Daisy, but I like her as an actress, and after seeing this promotional artwork I can envision it:
I have a feeling she’ll play her much better than Mia Farrow, who turned Daisy into a flighty little delicate thing. I want them to bring out her manipulations, her calculating brains. Carey is a little young to play Daisy but I think that there’s potential for awesomeness here.
Although, just want to throw this out there: wouldn’t she have made a PERFECT Rosemary Hoyt in a theatrical version of ’Tender is the Night’? OMG I’m drooling just thinking about it.
Maybe Baz can make this work. We’ll see.
I finished reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen last week. While I was never able to like any character, the story was interesting and believable. The outcome was kind of what I expected. I can’t say that I love it, but I did enjoy Franzen’s style. I may check out his more recent novel, Freedom, but probably not until I read a few of the books I’ve added over recent weeks!
Currently reading The Cider House Rules by John Irving. I love Irving, and think he is a fantastic storyteller. His A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books EVER. So far this novel is great. One of the things I love so much about Irving is his sense of the comedic – nothing is left untouched by his dark humor.
I want to mention, however, that this book is not for everyone. One of the main plot points involves abortion, and the moral questions surrounding it. I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book to someone with very strong feelings against this action.
I know that John Irving won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the movie version of this book – but I haven’t seen the film yet. I’m adding it to my Netflix queue after I finish the novel.
OH YEAH – AND ANOTHER THING! Do not ever watch ‘Simon Burch’. It’s the movie loosely based on Owen Meany, and it’s terrible. John Irving wouldn’t even let them use his character names because the screenplay was so bad. Just stick to the book, which will make you laugh and cry.
The library in Calistoga was holding their annual library sale, so earlier this week I was able to jet up there with Marco, and nabbed 11 books for $10.50! I purchased a complete box set of the Lord of the Rings books in brand-new condition for $2.00! It was a set published in the 80′s, but whoever owned it probably never read them. Personally, I liked The Hobbit, but wasn’t able to even finish The Fellowship of the Rings. BUT, I figured that Marco might like to read them one day – it seems to really appeal to boys. And who knows, maybe I’ll actually finish it.
I also snagged a brand-new copy of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and a good condition Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, thus contributing to my Russian authors.
A few recent pictures I’ve taken of Marco:
You can view more at Marco’s website
Also, the lovely and talented Adrian is giving away an awesome package of hair products by Kevin Murphy! Go here to check it out and enter!
I started reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett several days ago, and I’m sorry to say that I had to stop once I reached page 102. It was kind of awful. The book is 927 pages long, and I can understand a slow-start, and taking the time to really develop characters – but this was just ridiculous! 102 pages and NOTHING really happened! The language and manner of the characters even seemed off. Further – it was dull. It sounded like an interesting enough story, but it failed in this respect (in addition to its other drawbacks); I’m afraid I won’t ever finish it.
I decided to move on to The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I’m about halfway through now, and so far I really love the writing style. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it – it’s been given an enormous amount of praise, and ofttimes I find that when a book is so highly-touted, I have a hard time enjoying it. Luckily, this is not the case here.
Timmy ordered the bookcases and shelving for my library!! It’s all due to arrive on Monday, so this Saturday I think we are going to paint. My library is going to be the girliest space in the house; pink, white and black. The bookcases are white, and I think the ceiling is going to be a charcoal color. The 1 1/2 walls that don’t have shelves will be a Behr shade called ‘Fuschia Kiss’. I have to pick out a chandelier and a lounge chair. Eventually, I’ll add a unit for my record player and records, and a small desk.
Now, to decide on the system I’m going to use to organize my lovelies. Can’t make up my mind between the Dewey or my usual( alphabetical by author’s last name). Probably have Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s sections. Marco received so many books as gifts, and I’ve saved all my childhood favorites; he’ll have a whole section to choose from!
I bought some bookplates too. The Mac will be hooked up to our home server, and I’ll have my LibraryThing account pulled up so I can keep track. OMG who wants a Dickson library card?! Might make some for fun. YES, I AM GEEKY. But seriously, I rarely lend books out to people unless I know I’ll get them back; I’ve lost too many books to random people. I STILL don’t know what happened to my copy of The World According to Garp by John Irving. SOMEONE borrowed it. Just can’t remember who. Library cards might help… hee hee
I am so excited! I’ve been waiting my whole life for a library. Tim is amazing, he always manages to make my dreams come true.<3
Adrienne posted her top 5 favorite books yesterday, so today, I’d like to post a few of my absolute favorites. I could never, ever pick just ONE! Most of my spare time is spent reading – though, now that I have a baby, it’s definitely harder to actually find spare time!
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Gorgeous, tragic, classic story.
The Beautiful & The Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald – Interesting and well-written novel of the effects of youth, beauty and greed.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides – Euginedes does not fail to mesmerize me with his writing.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – Like everyone else who read this, I related to Holden in a major way. A classic.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – Beautiful.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – A lovely, classic romance.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – I loved this as a little kid, and still adore Anne (with an ‘E’) Shirley!
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant – So amazing! Diamant does such a fantastic job taking a minor biblical character, Dinah, and turning her into a heroine.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman – Such a fun, hilarious adventure!
Siddartha by Herman Hesse – Fantastic spiritual tale, a must-read.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – A truly lovely, nuanced character study; not heavy on plot, though, so if that’s a problem for you, check out Never Let Me Go, another Ishiguro novel, instead.
Fingersmith by Sara Waters – This definitely kept me guessing! I loved the plot twists and the romantic nature of this Dickensian novel.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield – Borrowed this from Micaela’s mum, who shares a similar taste in novels. This was fantastic! Wonderful story-telling, very interesting characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes.
Okay, I could go on (and on, and on…) but I’ve got to stop. You can check out my LibraryThing, and click ‘Favorites’ to see a more comprehensive list.
