Long time, no post

I've been neglecting my blog for a long time. I have no excuse, except for the fact that I've really gotten into Twitter and spend all my free time on that. Plus my online book club goodreads.com takes time and I always enjoy my friends there as well. Anyway, just wanted to say hello, in case anyone still looks for blogposts from me! Please check out my Twitter feed Joy@joyfulng if you want daily comments and photos from me.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question!

I have been neglecting this blog because I spend a lot of time on Twitter. Please follow me there if you'd like. It's Joy@joyfulng if you want to check it out. Twitter is a lot of fun!

Mr. Mercedes

One of my favorite books so far this year is Mr. Mercedes by mystery/horror author extraordinaire Stephen King.  There are many great reviews of this book on www.goodreads.com. I'm not sure what I can add that's not already out there. I thought it was a brilliant, page turning thriller and recommend it highly, even if you're not a Stephen King fan.




I hope they make a movie out of this book someday! I hear there will be a sequel released next year called Finders Keepers.

Wisdom

"What I know for sure...
is that what you give comes back to you."


- Oprah Winfrey

Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty

I just finished reading Diane Keaton's new book called Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty.  I've been a big fan of Diane Keaton for as long as I can remember. I loved her early Woody Allen films (especially "Love and Death", "Manhattan" and "Annie Hall" which I own on DVD) and she continues to make movies I want to see. I haven't read her first memoir yet called Then Again but I really enjoyed this one.


The thing that is great about Diane is she is so true to herself, doesn't follow trends and is unique and funny. She writes well and I highly recommend this book.


Here are some of my favorite quotes -


She is a fan of Cary Grant and this is a quote of his that she likes - "I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be, and I finally became that person."


"And every day for the last few years I have a little chat with myself. 'Okay, Diane... your hands still wash your face. You can still feel hot water. See's Candies peanut brittle is still your favorite dessert. The wild parrots on the telephone wire outside your bathroom still sing to you every morning, and just like them, you're still a live animal. Be grateful for what you have, you big jerk.'"


"Maybe my smile could help me make it through the day. Maybe I could stop being so aggravated if I wore a smile."  Later she quotes Charlie Chaplin and his "You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile."


I enjoyed reading Diane's thoughts about some of the men in her life such as Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson. She's had quite an interesting life.

Quotes For Today

Max out the time with the people you love. - Tony Soprano




Depression is rage turned inward. - Dr. Melfi to Tony Soprano

Mastering the Art of French Eating

I recently read a wonderful book called Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris by Ann Mah. I loved this book! It really made me want to return to Paris someday. I enjoyed the way Ann described the various dishes that she learned to make and that she included the recipes at the end of each chapter. If you plan to travel to France or even just in your dreams, this book is for you!

Also, Ann has a great website - check out www.annmah.net.

Sterling's Gold

I recently read a fun book for Mad Men fans called Sterling's Gold: Wit and Wisdom of an Ad Man. This is a very quick read since there are only a few lines (Roger's quips from Mad Men) on each page. Some of his lines are quite memorable and I enjoyed reading them especially since the show isn't on the air right now.

Here are some of my favorite lines -

"I told him to be himself. That was pretty mean I guess."

"Like the song says, "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think."

"Not to get too deep before the cocktail hour, but do I need to remind you of the finite nature of life?"

This book will probably only appeal to fans of the show. You have to imagine the way the actor delivers these lines.

John Slattery as Roger Sterling

 

Another great book - Defending Jacob

I read a very compelling book in about four days called Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's been quite awhile since I read a legal thriller and this one is an excellent return to the genre for me. I hesitate to use the phrase page turner again but that is truly apt here. There are quite a few twists and turns to the story and it kept me guessing until the end. William Landay belongs in the pantheon of powerful lawyer turned authors such as Scott Turow and John Grisham. You will not be disappointed by this book.

 

 

Mad River

I recently read a very good book called Mad River by John Sandford. This is the sixth book in the Virgil Flowers series. It was the first Virgil Flowers book I've read (I don't have a problem reading a series out of order) and I now plan to read more in the series. This was a real page turner. I couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. I think they should turn this series into a TV show. I know I'd watch it!           

Parenthetically, the author John Sandford was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa which is near my hometown. He and his late wife, Susan, attended the University of Iowa which is my alma mater. Sadly, Susan died of breast cancer in 2007. 

If you enjoy detective stories, I highly recommend Mad River.

I am currently reading another great book called Defending Jacob by William Landay. It's a legal thriller and I can't wait to see how it ends!

 

 

Read!

A friend of mine posted this  -


Here's hoping we can improve those statistics!

The Cuckoo's Calling

I recently read a wonderful book by Robert Galbraith called The Cuckoo's Calling. In a word, I thought this book was brilliant! I liked it even better than The Casual Vacancy which was also written by J.K. Rowling (Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym). This is a detective story about the death of British supermodel Lula Landry, nicknamed Cuckoo, which may or may not have been a suicide. Her brother John has hired down on his luck detective Cormoran Strike to prove that Lula did not commit suicide. I loved Cormoran and his temporary secretary Robin and am thrilled that this is the first in a series. I can also see it as a movie - Hollywood take note!  Since I enjoy crime fiction and also love novels that are set in London, this book was right up my street! It's a very well written and compelling book and I highly recommend it.

Check out www.robert-galbraith.com for answers to frequently asked questions such as:

1) Why the author chose to write a crime novel and why she used a pseudonym:

"I’ve always loved reading detective fiction. Most of the Harry Potter stories are whodunits at heart (‘Order of the Phoenix’ is more of a why-did-he), but I’ve wanted to try the real thing for a long time.
As for the pseudonym, I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer."

2) Where the title comes from:

"The title is taken from the mournful poem by Christina Rossetti called, simply, A Dirge, which is a lament for one who died too young. The title also contains a subtle reference to another aspect of the plot, but as I can’t explain what it is without ruining the story, I’ll let readers work that one out."

3) Why the novel was set in London:

"Both my parents were Londoners and I spent a lot of time there during my childhood and teens, visiting relatives. I lived there in my twenties and still love the place. You could write about London all your life and not exhaust the plots, settings or history."

Twitter Update

In a previous post, I talked about how much I enjoy Twitter. At the time, my account was protected and you had to ask to follow me. I have since changed that and now anyone can follow me without having to ask. If you are interested, you can find me at Joy@joyfulng when you log on to www.twitter.com. Hope to see you there!

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter off of the Dog

I read Jen Lancaster's book The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Why I'm Never Getting All that Glitter off of the Dog recently and really enjoyed it. I've read several of her books and she is very funny. This one is also touching (I won't give away the reason why).

In this book she decided to devote a year of her life to living like Martha Stewart. The most important lesson she learned (or as she puts it - the Tao of Martha) is "the only way to fail is not to try." Words to live by!  Whenever I read Jen Lancaster's books, I come away feeling like she would be a fun friend. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining read, you can't go wrong with this one.

I'm currently in the middle of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym for J.K. Rowling). It's really excellent and I'm sure I'll have more to say about it when I've finished reading it. Stay tuned!

         

  

Difficult Men: Behind the Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad

I just finished reading Difficult Men: Behind the Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad by Brett Martin. I am a huge fan of The Sopranos and Mad Men so naturally I was happy to see another book that covers both shows (I had recently read The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever by Alan Sepinwall). This book covers The Sopranos in more detail since Brett Martin wrote a companion book for the series and had interviewed David Chase quite a bit. The Sopranos was the start of a new type of TV drama with anti-hero's like Tony Soprano and later Don Draper, and the men who created them.

This book also covers The Wire in great detail as well as The Shield and Sex Feet Under. It's interesting to me that all the creators and showrunners of these shows are men and they are full of neuroses that contributed to their success. He paints an especially unflattering picture of Matt Weiner. And David Chase doesn't fare much better. But he does point out how "ridiculously good-looking" Jon Hamm is!

It saddened me to read how tortured James Gandolfini was, in light of his recent passing. It's also interesting that no female actress has been given the lead in a one hour show (see Weeds, Nurse Jackie and Girls which are all 30 minutes). In the early days of AMC, it was described as the place "where mediocrity came to die." Of course, the incredible success of Mad Men lead to Breaking Bad which is the last show covered in this book.

This book is very well written and researched but should probably be read by those who have already watched the shows it covers since it contains many spoilers. I really enjoyed it but I'm a sucker for inside TV books like this! 

Books, you can never have just one!

         

This is sweet -

 

 

A Disappointing Book

I recently read Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales by Ali Wentworth.  As an avid Seinfeld fan, I knew Ali Wentworth as Schmoopie in the well known "Soup Nazi" episode. Parenthetically, I might add that following foot surgery in 2004, I felt compelled to tell the nurses and my podiatrist the plot of the episode since I had seen it the night before. Who knows what kind of anesthesia they used but it was a doozy! Ali also appears in the hilarious, classic cult film, "Office Space." So I was expecting her book to be very funny, especially since Jerry Seinfeld himself is quoted as saying, "Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth's mouth is funny!" on the book jacket.

Sadly, I found her book to be mildly amusing at best. I don't think I've ever been so mislead by the comments on a book jacket, which includes raves by Gwyneth Paltrow and Chelsea Handler. I didn't laugh out loud once and basically just kept reading with the hope that it would suddenly become funny, not because I was enjoying it. I'm glad I got it from the library and didn't shell out any money for it.

Double Take

I just finished a good book called Double Take by Catherine Coulter. I bought this paperback at the library for 50 cents! Somebody donated it but it looks like new. :-)

I really enjoyed this thriller. First of all, parts of it take place in San Francisco (one of my favorite places to visit) and it was fast paced and full of interesting characters. Catherine Coulter has written a series of books with FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock as the main characters and this is number 11. Having read and enjoyed Double Take, I now want to go back and read more in the series. I wonder if any of them have been made into movies as they are full of action and would be exciting to a viewer as well.

Here is the description of the book from www.goodreads.com -

"It's been more than six months since her husband's brutal death, and Julia Ransom is just beginning to breathe again. She loved her husband, renowned psychic August Ransom, but the media frenzy that followed his murder sapped what little strength she had left. Now, after dinner with friends, strolling along San Francisco's Pier 39, she realizes that she's happy. Standing at the railing, she savors the sounds around her-tourists, seals on a barge-and for a moment enjoys the sheer normalcy of it all. And then it comes to an end.

Out of nowhere she's approached by a respectable-looking man who distracts her with conversation before violently attacking her and throwing her the railing. If it hadn't been for Special Agent Cheney Stone, out to stretch his legs between courses at a local restaurant, Julia would have vanished into the bay's murky depths. Not only does he save her from a watery grave, but he senses a connection between her assault and her husband's death, and sets out to serve as her protector while reopening August Ransom's murder investigation.

Meanwhile, in Maestro, Virginia, Sheriff Dixon Noble-last seen in Point Blank-still mourns his wife, Christie, who vanished three years earlier. His life, too, is just getting back to normal when he learns of a San Francisco woman named Charlotte Pallack, whose shocking resemblance to Christie sends Dix across the country. Though he knows in his heart that she can't possibly be his wife, Dix is compelled to see her with his own eyes. Once in San Francisco, Dix and Cheney's paths inevitably cross. With the help of agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, whose San Francisco connections prove essential in unlocking the mystery behind Charlotte Pallack's identity as well as the forces behind Julia Ransom's attempted murder, Sheriff Noble and Agent Stone push deep into a complex world of psychics and poseurs. As the stakes and the body count rise, Savich, Sherlock, Dix, and Cheney fight for answers-and their lives."

If this sounds like your kind of book, I highly recommend it. I have set a goal for myself to read 54 books this year and so far I've only read 20. I'd better get busy!

Book love

 

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone enjoys our nation's birthday today. It also happens to be my sweet husband's birthday as well. He is lucky enough to be born on a holiday so he always has the day off from work.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Fun on Twitter

I've been having a good time on Twitter since I joined awhile ago. I've actually learned a lot about current events there. I first read about the death of the late, great James Gandolfini on Twitter. At first I thought it had to be a hoax but unfortunately it was true.

I think Twitter is a great place for people with similar interests to connect. I have made quite a few connections with other Mad Men addicts or "Maddicts" as true fans have come to be known.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter, I am Joy@joyfulng on www.twitter.com. Currently, my account is in protected status so you have to request to follow me. You can participate as little or as much as you would like. Hope to see you there!