52 Lists: Week 5

I read. Alot.  So asking me to choose my favorite books requires quite a bit of thought.  Because, honestly, this stack could have been about 3x the size and it still wouldn't have encompassed all of my favorites.  But I suppose, this list has either the best of the best, or the best of a certain style or author that I'm particularly fond of, so let's just say it's a representative sample (How's that for election year speak?) and call it a day.

~ "Stillwatch" by Mary Higgins Clark: Not her best seller, but my all time favorite - considering I've read every one she's ever written, that's saying something.
~ "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare: His first I actually read and understood.  Since then, I've grown partial to Hamlet as well, but fairies always win out.
~ "Bookends" by Jane Green: My first sample of "Chick-Lit" and it's my absolute favorite of the genre. So good!
~ "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime" by Mark Haddon: I never expected to like this book as much as I did.  I really wanted to read it because I REALLY wanted to see the show.  Both were outstanding!
~ "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien: My favorite of the series, but the rest are equally amazing.
~ "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" by Neil Simon: Technically it's a play but it's in book form so it totally fits the list.  It's much better to see it performed live but the jokes are still hilarious when you read them.
~ "Winnie the Pooh" by AA Milne: Pooh and Eeyore have been my favorite since I was little.  I can't wait to read the stories to my little ones some day!
~ "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling: The book that launched the series is always going to be the best.  What I love most is that I literally happened upon it in the bookstore one summer, and thought it might be fun to read - long before it became the best loved book in the world.  Nothing can compare to the first time diving in to such a fully-drawn out, brand new world.
~ "A Cook's Tour" by Anthony Bourdain: I read a lot of food and travel books, and this one fits both bills perfectly.  This was the first book that ever introduced the idea of "eating dangerously" and I love him for that concept alone.  
~ "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown: Unlike Harry Potter, I didn't pick this one up until the hype was at its peak.  However, it's one of only a few books that I've finished in 24 hours - one very cold snow day.
~ "Yes, Please" by Amy Poehler: From beginning to end, this book is un-put-downable.  It's laugh out loud hilarious and you spend the entire book wanting to be Amy or at least be friends with her.
~ "Amy the Dancing Bear" by Carly Simon: This has been on my list of favorites since I received it as a gift when I was little.  The story itself is adorable, but my favorite part about it is the illustrations.  They're gorgeous!
~ "A Midsummer Night's Fairy Tale" by Brian and Wendy Froud: Like I said, fairies always win out and it's written by the creature creators that designed Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.  How can I not love it?
~ "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss: I adore everything Dr. Seuss wrote, so I can't pick a favorite.  This is just the first one I grabbed of the many I have. 

Writer Love

The first thing I always notice when watching movies, television or reading is the style of writing.  I'm far from a connoisseur and I've never taken a writing class, so I don't know tricks or styles.  But I'm fairly certain everyone knows good writing when they hear it.  Because of this there are certain writers that are in the upper echelons of writing in my book.  I would give my right arm to turn a phrase or make snide comments like they do.  My list currently includes:

- Anthony Bourdain: I wish I was brave enough to be as open with my thoughts as he is. "A Cook's Tour" will always be to me, one of the best books ever written.

-Stephen Fry: Probably one of the smartest men on earth while never lording that fact over your head and a race-car quick wit.

-Bill Bryson: He sets a stage like no other.  Whatever country or place he's visiting, you feel as if you're standing next to him about to fall into the same ludicrous situation he is. 

-Mark Gatiss/Steven Moffat: Both are unbelievable screenwriters individually but when writing as a team, their work just leaps off the screen.  I'm positive that, aside from the dreamboat status Benedict Cumberbatch has, the reason there's so much Sherlock on Pinterest is the beautiful words these men write. There are too many scenes to choose from, but this one never ceases to make me laugh out loud.

 

Are you sensing a pattern here?  If you can't tell or you've never read any of these guys, I tend to lean toward sarcasm and wit.  If you're able to write a great pun or deliver a one-liner, you're pretty much guaranteed to make it onto my list. As someone who reads quite a bit, there are of course others: Shakespeare, Tolkien, John Rogers,  Jeff Eastin, and J.K. Rowling, etc. but I won't bore you with all the why's. If you've read or watched anything, I'm sure you have your own lists and my reasons will most likely differ from yours.

 

After rambling for the last few minutes, I should most likely get to my original point.  All of this was actually to say, I've discovered a new writer to add to my list: Neil Gaiman.  I know, he's been around forever and he's always kind of floating out there in the universe to read but I'd never really gotten around to it.  Mostly, I was a being a bit of a wimp. The covers of his books always say something along the lines of "master of horror" and I like my fantasy mundane, not terrifying.  But, I had heard the BBC was doing a radio recording of "Neverwhere" and the cover of the book has Big Ben on it, so I dove in.  How horrifying could it be if the BBC was recording it.  Thank goodness my assumptions were correct.  He's completely brilliant and I'm not sure why I waited so long.  The story was fantastic but the writing was magic.  He's sarcastic and funny and uses big, beautiful words (yes, I'm a English nerd...)  And I will most certainly be jumping into another sooner rather than later, that is when the stack that's staring at me now gets a little smaller.

Now, I'm waiting with baited breath for the premiere of the radio version.  I'm not sure it will live up to the book (do most things ever live up to the book?) but seeing the cast list, I'm sure it will come very, very close.

Happy Birthday Tony!

Today is apparently (so says the radio) Anthony Bourdain's birthday.  If you've read any of my other posts, you'll have realized that Tony is one of my foodie heroes.  He's pretty much been everywhere and eaten everything.  He has a job that I can only fantasize about.  He's also an accomplished chef and author.  If his job and lifestyle, weren't reason enough to envy him, his writing will most definitely sell you.  He's fearless in a way I only wish I could be (without eating the entrails of any previously furry animals...) and will speak up about any subject that interests him or he feels strongly about.  He's also eloquent and and can weave stories better than anyone I've ever read.  He's written quite a few non-fiction books about his life as a chef and chef culture, but my favorite is of course "A Cook's Tour - In Search of the Perfect Meal".   What's not to love, food and travel, my 2 favorite things! I read it years ago and never truly appreciated it until I re-read it last month.  It's hillarious and heartbreaking at the same time.  He starts off recounting an all-night drinking binge, but by the end he's logically explaining his philosophy on food and life. 

"The whole concept of the 'perfect meal' is ludicrous.

'Perfect" like 'happy', tends to sneak up on you.  Once you find it - like Thomas Keller (another foodie hero of mine - One of these days I will see the Franch Laundry, by goodness!) says - it's gone.  It's a fleeting thing, 'perfect', and, if you're anything like me, it's often better in retrospect.  When you're shivering under four blankets in a Moroccan hotel room, the perfect meal can be something no more exotic than breakfast at Barney Greengrass back in New York - the one you had four months ago.  Your last Papaya King hot dog takes on golden, even mythic proportions when remembered from a distance."

-Anthony Bourdain "A Cook's Tour" (2001)

So, Happy Birthday Tony!  You wouldn't be looking for a sidekick, would you?

Friday Five

1. Neapolitan Bundt Cake: O-M-G! I should have taken a picture of this amazing dessert.  It was almost too pretty to eat...almost.  The cake was unbelievably delicious and made by my personal chef...my dad.  Absolutely To Die For!

2. Nicole's Classes: I've been dying to learn how to use Photoshop and InDesign and this looks like the perfect way to do so.  I can't wait to take the class!  It seems so much easier and much more comfortable than having to actually get to a classroom.

3. Re-reading a great book.  I read "A Cook's Tour" by Anthony Bourdain when it first came out and LOVED it, just like I've loved everything he's written since.  But I'd forgotten just how good it is.  He's said that for his first book, he sold his soul to the devil, the devil being the Food Network.  Which may be so, but I still find it entertaining as heck.  He's since gotten a little more hard-core in his writing, which doesn't bother me but it's fairly refreshing to read without having to gloss over the F-bombs.

4. A newly organized room and closet.  This is such an OCD thing to get excited about I know, but it's so nice to see that my tiny extra room isn't so tiny when not filled with crap.  Thanks to my wonderfully clean-freak mom, I can actually sleep in the bed now that I can reach it.

5. This article.  I admittedly knew nothing of this child and her mother until last week.  In the age of childood obesity, this little girl's mother should be locked up for child endangerment in the least, abuse at the most.  I agree wholeheartedly with what this reporter said and wish more people thought like that!  If they did, these shows may not ever make it to air.