Author: caitlinemccann

Read in the Sun, Read in the Shade

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One thing I always associate with summertime is the leisure to read what you please. During the school year, I try to read for myself a bit, but my time is dominated by what I need to read rather than what I want to read. This week’s Broke and the Bookish meme is dedicated to the books we aim to read this summer. This summer feels like it’s going by faster than ever, so I’d better get started.

*All links from here on lead to Goodreads.com*

Ready Player One

  1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: This has been an intriguing item on my TBR list for many months. It’s set in a dystopian future where people plug into a virtual reality to live a better life. Inside this virtual utopia are puzzles made by its 1980’s obsessed creator; puzzles that could lead to a vast fortune if solved. So it’s a pop-culture themed mystery. I’m already excited.     shadow-of-night
  2. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness: I can hardly wait to crack this one open. Harkness’ first novel, The Discovery of Witches, was one I happily devoured this spring in my limited free time. The story thrives in both past and present with a paranormal bent, as lead character Diana Bishop is both a historian and a witch. There’s also a decent romantic sub-plot. I patiently waited for Shadow to come out in paperback and even pre-ordered it on Amazon. This novel should pick up where the last left off, and I cannot wait.AFeastForCrows
  3. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin: If you’ve been following this blog, then you’ve been able to track my obsession with this series. It’s been about a year, and I’ve gone through the first three books. I’m really drawn to Martin’s characters–even the ones that are deplorable–and am always ready for a return journey to Westeros.

    (borrowed from Ms. Rowell's site)

    (borrowed from Ms. Rowell’s site)

  4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: This next book seems like the epitome of summer fluff. Two female coworkers know better than to share personal emails through their work account, but just can’t seem to help themselves. Security officer, Lincoln, discovers the ladies’ interactions and knows he should report them, but he’s unaccountably charmed by their banter and starts to fall for one of them. See? Fluff! I love it. And it seems like the perfect book to take to the beach.Three Musketeers
  5. The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas: Oi. I realize I’m reaching high with this one. It’s another hefty book, but I’ve always wanted to read Dumas unabridged. As a kid, I was familiar with the basic story and it always captured my imagination. As an adult, it continues to hold a special place in my heart. So if I’m feeling brave, I’ll tackle Dumas’ first in the series this summer.FilmClub
  6. The Film Club by David Gilmour: A wonderful nonfiction piece about a father making a bargain with his fifteen-year-old son. Gilmour had no idea how to reach his son, who was failing out of school. The only thing he knows is film, so that becomes the author’s solution. His son can drop out of school if he agrees to watch and discuss three films a week with his father. Gilmour’s memoirs cover the three-year span of their agreement. I picked it up at a bookstore and haven’t had the time to dedicate to it since.Y the Last Man
  7. Y: The Last Man, Vol.1 by Brian K Vaughan: Recently, I got back into comic books, and the clerk at my local store suggested I check out this series. It chronicles the adventures of Yorrick, who is apparently the last man on Earth after a disease wiped out all those with Y chromosomes. If it’s good, then I’ll have an awesome new series to get into.World_War_Z_book_cover
  8. World War Z by Max Brooks: Several of my guy-friends have been after me to read this one for a good long while. Plus the film comes out soon. Most of what I’ve heard about the film is that it is nothing like book. With that in mind, I’m not sure if I want to read the book before or after I see the movie. Either way, the idea of the zombie apocalypse will probably terrify me.The_Notebook_Cover
  9. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks: This is another one of those books I just feel compelled to read. I loved the movie, and now feel like I ought to read the book. I tried reading it many years ago–high school, maybe–and it didn’t grab me at the time. But my taste as a reader has grown since then, so I thought I’d give it another try.SpoonRiver
  10. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters: Every character in this story is dead. And, no, it’s not related to zombies. This is a poetry collection where those buried in Spoon River have the chance to tell their stories. Originally published serially in 1914, this collection still holds its own. I want to get back into reading poetry more frequently, and this will be my start.

There is my TBR list for the summer. I’ll likely diverge from it as the mood strikes, but I hope to get a few of them crossed off. When I created a fall TBR back in September, I ended up reading four of the ten I named. The other six are still books I’d love to turn the pages of however. I’ll get around to it all eventually; at least, that’s every reader’s favorite little lie. We’ll see how many books from this list I can get through this summer.

Good luck on your summer TBRs and enjoy!

Growing Gardener

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Chapter 2–Memorial Mug

            In my brief tenure as a gardener, I have discovered a love for planting in unconventional containers. Vases and Terra-cotta pots have their own beauty, but I lean towards the quirky personalization of planting in something that wasn’t meant for soil or roots. And when that something has special significance to you, it becomes even more satisfying to see a living plant thriving inside it.

This past January, my father passed away. Even though he was a diabetic with failing kidneys, we expected him to be around for many more years. He was on dialysis and his doctors were optimistic. Needless to say, his death shocked our family. After someone dies, you learn more about yourself and the person you lost. Those revelations are for another day. To be honest, I’m not quite done going through that process. But it has been comforting that have things around that remind me of Dad.

My parents have been divorced since I was about four years old, so I was surprised when Mom called me in mid-March to tell me that she had an item that reminded her of Dad. In my last post, I mentioned Mom’s love of antiques. She’s got a special fondness for silver pieces. There’s an ornate tray on top of her commode with a small vase, a jar that hold cotton balls, and a baby cup that she used to hold Q-tips–all antique silver. After years of neither of us paying particular attention to the items beyond their aesthetic appeal, Mom realized that the baby cup had Dad’s initials engraved across the front in plain script. She asked me if I’d like to have it, and when I said yes, she suggested planting some kind of shade plant as a positive reminder.

Mom promised to bring out the baby cup when she visited me in May and even purchased a little fern that fit perfectly. Unfortunately, you can’t bring plants on a plane, so the fern she bought had to remain back in St. Louis. Part of our agenda for her visit became finding a small shade plant at a nursery. En route to a fabulous used bookstore, we stumbled upon M&M nursery, an equally fabulous place to find a variety of plant life.

M&M nursery was a fun little oasis to explore, with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. We quickly found a pink and white petite fern that would be quite happy in the baby cup. Despite Dad’s initials being present on the cup, it’s a girl plant. I’m weird about naming objects both animate and inanimate; I’ll spend quite a long time trying to figure out just the right name. Thus, there is a pink plant in my bathroom named Vanessa. Who actually needs to be watered…

Chapter 3–A Touch of Whimsy

                Something about miniatures increases the cute factor. Witness, toy breeds and tiny bottles of wine. They’re freaking enchanting. And really, really hard to resist. This whole green thumb thing kind of spiraled out of control after finding M&M nursery.

While on the hunt for a plant that would suit the baby cup, I became absorbed with the nursery’s Wonka-like aura of wonder. There were moss capped stumps of bleached wood made to look like toadstools. Teeny tiny trees with white rose buds reminiscent of the Queen of Heart’s garden blooms. Porcelain figures trapped under an errant wine glass in a picnic basket garden. Multiple miniature gardens all with an invitation to play and dream.

M&M specializes in fairy gardens; they even teach classes in how to craft them. The gardens ranged from sprawling miniature cities to fairies perched on a soup ladle. I instantly loved the idea of creating my own, but realized I didn’t have the outdoor space to support a large garden. I’m also renting, which means that what outdoor space I do have isn’t truly mine. Plus, there’s the moving factor. Carting an extensive garden cross country if I have to move in the next year or so just isn’t practical.  I had nearly convinced myself that it was impossible, until I reached the checkout counter. Next to the register was a smaller scale garden in a rounded glass vase–an indoor terrarium complete with winged fairy. Once again, I talked myself into this.

That night, Mom and I journeyed to Michael’s, where she helped me pick out a 160 oz. brandy snifter. The next day we returned to M&M and picked out five small shade loving plants, including a tiny ivy vine. Each of the plants selected should be good indoors, receiving enough diffused sunlight from the kitchen window to keep them happy.

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My five shade loving plants.

Upon the recommendation of one of the chief fairy gardeners I bought a medium sized bag of both peat moss and perlite, along with a small baggie of charcoal. The ratio needed is 2:1 peat moss to perlite, with a few tablespoons of charcoal thrown in to eliminate odor and keep the garden fresh.

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            To fill my 160 oz brandy snifter, I ended up using 3 cups of peat moss and 2 cups of perlite, mixing in the soil that came with the plants to re-balance the ratio. I added two spoonfuls of charcoal to complete the mixture.

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                     The hardest part of shopping at M&M nursery was the limited space I had to work with. There were so many cool things it was hard to limit my purchases. They had hobbit-esque houses, miniature tea sets, unicorns, hedgehogs, margaritas…how am I supposed to make these kinds of choices??? On a side note, I’m convinced I’ll have to seasonally redecorate. There was a set of mini skeleton mariachis for goodness sake!

But I digress. After prowling around the nursery, I settled on a trellis for the ivy to grow on, three white rabbits, a porcelain piglet (Mom and I had a huge debate over barnyard vs. forest creatures, but I couldn’t let the little piglet go. His name, if you were interested, is Winston), and a curtsying little chalk fairy.

First I put a baseline of the soil mixture in the snifter and got the trellis situated. The ivy went in first so I could wind its vines through the slats. The other plants were staged to create a diverse look of colors and textures.

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                    The finishing touch was placing the fairy, bunnies, and Winston, the wee pouting piglet.

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The final product

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Aerial view

I love having my little fairy garden in the kitchen, but I fear it may only be a gateway fairy garden. I could see these turning into Christmas presents for friends, or a larger scale garden for myself when the outdoor space is available. Strangely, I haven’t yet landed on a name for the pink fey.  Any suggestions?

Paranoid Plant Parent

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Chapter 1–I Talked Myself Into This

            Ever since I moved out to California, I have been obsessed with having something living in my care. Usually this involves an emotional spiral wherein I:

1. Get lonesome.

2. Decide that a dog would be a great idea.

3. Spend several hours on adoptapet.com seeing what kind of small dogs are locally adoptable.

4. Examine the adoption requirements and ponder renaming the dachshund/chihuahua/bulldog in question.

5. Think about it.

6. Think about it.

7. Conclude that I can neither afford to give the pup the time it deserves, nor can I afford the potential expense (particularly the hike in rent).

8. Get sad.

9. Feel that I have made the morally right decision and congratulate myself.

10. Return to step one.

Clearly, I have made a series of logical decisions. On repeat. For ten months. Writing this has nearly put me on the threshold of step one, so I probably need to cool it. A dog seems like a great idea, but ultimately I realize it wouldn’t be fair to the little fella in question.

After a lot of deliberation, I landed upon my answer–plants. They’re alive. At least if you do it right. They’re not expensive. They don’t need to be walked. And they don’t require a large amount of time. Plus, I figure keeping a plant alive is a baby step towards a pet. So I wanted to start small. Enter the succulent known as Gus.

Side story time. My Mom’s favorite little store back in St. Louis, is called The White Rabbit. We go in there whenever I’m home, and the store is full of antique inspiration. One of the things that I saw repeatedly in The White Rabbit was adorable little succulents in tea cups or other unlikely vessels. I’m eternally convinced that I can be as crafty as a storefront or someone’s pins on Pinterest. And there are antique stores aplenty in Orange County for more convenient vintage hunting grounds.

Several months ago, I dragged my friend, Dara, to one of the various antique stores in downtown Orange, CA  in search of the perfectly unique container for my small, rose-shaped succulent. After scouring several of the booths in the lovely antique mall, we came upon a porcelain shaving pot with pastel flowers painted on the base. Hurrah for girly masculinity! The shaving pot had five holes in the uppermost portion that I thought would make a perfect method to drain excess water. Never mind the fact that succulents do not require a ton of H20. So shaving pot purchased and Gus had a new home. Gus, it should be noted, was picked out at a random nursery after I stared at their succulent selection for fifteen minutes.

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            Except I think I over watered Gus. Next I worried he wasn’t getting enough sun in my kitchen, so I took him on field trips outside. He seemed happier out there–his trips became longer and longer. Then he looked a little fried. And then I got concerned Gus didn’t have enough room to grow in the shaving pot. I trimmed his roots. I put more soil in the pot. I may have accidentally broken off a few of his leaves at some point. One plant and suddenly I’m a paranoid (and terrible) parent. This is may be why I shouldn’t get a dog.

Multiple Google searches later, I felt that despite the mishap with the leaves, Gus could still have a happy life in my home. Instead of jumping around trying to fix any conceivable problem, I needed to provide more consistent care rather than repeatedly shock the plant with outdoor/indoor changes. I rationalized that Gus just needed better living quarters. And maybe some company. So I trucked on down to a store called Dragonfly in the circle to purchase a slightly larger pot, and a smaller succulent to move into the shaving pot. The new pot isn’t fancy. It’s just blue with room to grow. The new succulent looks like a tower of mini Lima beans. His name is Harold. Gus and Harold are now ensconced in my kitchen receiving modest sunlight and even more minimal water. They both appear to be content. Though I still helicopter parent them on a daily basis. I ask them how they’re doing, and they have yet to respond (Yes, I talk to my plants on a regular basis). The key here is that they haven’t died and this makes me happy.

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            Chapters two and three of this saga detail my belief that I now have a green thumb. Get ready.

Miscellaneous, Movie Related Updates

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Things have been incredibly busy of late, but instead of making flimsy excuses I’ll just rattle off a highlight reel of movie themed news.

5. A couple of weeks ago I worked a day on a friend’s film set for his cycle project called The Stunt (with luck, one day you all might see it when he’s become an incredibly famous director and they throw the short film in the special features section of a DVD). For the most part, I just sat back and watched. But for a hot second I was actually on-screen as a body double. That’s right people, the back of my head is in a movie for two seconds…maybe…we’ll have to see when it’s all finished. In any event, I had a blast  and got to see movie making from the other side.

4. I got a job reviewing independent films for CinemaBeach. Go forth and explore the website–they’ve got a lot of great reviews from people who just love to watch movies. And don’t be intimidated by the idea of “indie films”, I promise they’re not that scary (except for the one I’m reviewing this week, which is, in fact, a horror movie).

3. My first review for CinemaBeach is here for a movie called Jack and Diane. Enjoy. I’m working on a second one for the film In Their Skin, which promises to give me nightmares for many a  night to come. Hurrah for horror.

2. Go see Argo. Seriously, I think it’s Ben Affleck’s best film to date; he’s growing as a director, his acting is solid, and the film as a whole displays an attention to detail that is flat-out commendable. If this film doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, I will be in a supreme state of shock.

1. I’m taking a class at Chapman that will allow my happy little self to got to the Sundance Film Festival. I turned in my paperwork yesterday and put down a deposit, so it is definitely happening.

Bam! Yeah, I know that last one is kind of big deal, at least for me it is. I promise to take lots of pictures (where permitted…and where not permitted when I can get away with it) and to drag my laptop along with me so I can share the experience.

OK, that’s all for now, but I’m working on a book related post, so stay tuned!

Swallowing A Book Whole

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I’ve been soaking up some cinema classics of late, each more thought provoking than the last. Today was Fahrenheit 451 (1966). It’s another of those guilty moments where I saw the movie before reading the book. Still, the movie made me want to read the Ray Bradbury classic all the more.

Imagine a future where books have been banned completely. Firefighters now ignite flames rather than saving people from the blaze, and the kindling are the classics of the past. Guy Montag is one such firefighter with a promising career and a beautiful wife with a variety of addictions. Montag has never questioned his duty until he meets Clarissa, a curious and spritely woman who questions the anti-book laws. It isn’t long until Montag begins to question things as well.

*Spoilers Ahead*

The part of the movie I can’t seem to escape is the last scene. Montag and Clarissa escape the city to live among the book people. The book people live in the woods on old railway cars and tents–each having memorized one classic work that becomes their identity. Each person can recite a single book verbatim in the hopes that some day they’ll be called upon to return the works to print. The film ends with all the book people walking through the forest in the snow, each reciting their own book, the languages overlapping , words blending as they pace back and forth. It’s an ending that doesn’t wrap the plot up in a tidy little bow, but it’s a beautiful and profound way to finish.

I want to stand in the snow and read a book out loud with my words reverberating into the white. But what would I read? What book would I commit  to and make mine? If I could save one book in the snow, which one would it be? That thought has lingered through the night and has driven me to blog.

I’m eliminating Pride and Prejudice because, at least in the film, there are twins that claim that title. I honestly couldn’t do Sedaris justice since to memorize a book is to take on that identity. Irving’s A Prayer For Owen Meany is a personal favorite as well but it doesn’t seem like a real fit for my waltz in the snow. The more I think about it, the more I believe my book would be a collection of poetry. There’s one particular poem I’ve always connected to, e.e. cummings’ “somewhere i have never traveled, gladly beyond.” The language brings tears to my eyes every time. I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my days reciting this poem or any of his poems for that matter.

There’s my day’s epic question answered. I feel like I can finally sleep. But I’ll leave you with the same question, if you had to memorize one book from start to finish, a book that would tie into your identity, what would it be?

Readjust To Center

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Let me just begin the forthcoming metaphor by saying I am not a strong swimmer, and by not a strong swimmer, I mean I can’t swim. That said, these days I feel like I am barely treading water.

Life in general is great. It’s beautiful out here in California, I have an amazing apartment, and am building some quality friendships. School is going well too, and while the work load is hefty it’s satisfying. But the great expanse of pages are the waves crashing down on me. To be fair, this is my Type-A personality coming out. I am by no means failing or struggling, but succeeding isn’t as easy at it used to be. And I can handle the work load. There’s a strange system to how I get all that reading done, so that’s not really the problem. No, the problem is that in the midst of all this work I’m loosing my sense of inner balance.

I need to get better at taking time to do something small for myself on a day-to-day basis. The schoolwork is important and takes up a lot of time, so that’s why I’m emphasizing the small action, almost like a daily affirmation of the self. Something like snapping a picture of a beautiful flower on the walk to school. Or painting my nails (I did this today and felt more put together). Or baking cookies. Frivolous things to be sure, but sometimes a little frivolity leads to a lot of sanity.

I also miss non-academic writing, so I’m going to try to rededicate myself to this blog. And I want to pick up writing poetry again. I have a notebook where all my first drafts of poetry gets scribbled down, and it has been buried in my desk drawer since the move. Poetry is such a catharsis for me, and in a way, I think I’ve been afraid of that recently. After my relationship recently ended I’ve been scared to delve too deep into emotions that might cripple me while I try to start something new. But I realized this afternoon how much I miss writing poetry. So in the midst of scholastic reading, blogging, scholarship hunting, and daily frivolousness I’m going to try to work in some poetry. Maybe I’ll even get ambitious and submit my writing to journals.

I may not be a strong swimmer but I’m strapping on the goggles, cinching on the life-preserver, and piling on the floaties. Eventually, I’ll learn how to figuratively swim.

Bookish People Are the Best

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Long time no see! But the Broke and the Bookish’s weekly meme is exactly what I need to get back in the groove. Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about what ten “bookish” people you would want to meet. I tried to keep my list to those among the living in the hopes that I will one day be able to cross their names off my list. I get kind of bouncy just thinking about the possibilities.

1. J.K. Rowling: I think I would pass out if I actually met this woman. I’m part of Harry Potter generation and I will force feed these books to my children one day. In my mythical free time I’d also like to read her new book, The Casual Vacancy.

2. George R. R. Martin: If you’ve been following my blog, then you know of my slow-building obsession with this man’s work. I’d love to be able to talk to him or have a tour of his writing space. He has to have some form of organizational system to keep all the complexities of his world in order, and I want to know all about it!

3. Alice Sebold: I read her book, The Lovely Bones, for the first time when I was in the seventh grade. It was one of those books that just stuck with me and is one of my all time favorites. I believe a book has to be something special for me to re-read it multiple times, and The Lovely Bones is one of those books. Since Sebold’s novel came from her own experience, I would just like to hear her speak. This might actually happen (squeal) since she’s speaking at Big Orange Book Festival this weekend, which is held at my school, Chapman University. SO PUMPED.

4. Laurell K. Hamilton: Hamilton is from my home town of St. Louis, and her Anita Blake Vampire Series is set there as well. Above and beyond my pride in her being a local author, I would be beyond excited to meet her.

5. Tamora Pierce: If I could meet Pierce, I’d probably hug the woman. She’s the author of one of my favorite series from my pre-adolescence, The Song of the Lioness. The series features the feisty, strong-willed Alanna, whose determined to become a knight. Alanna was one of those characters I looked up to as a young girl, so meeting Pierce would be amazing.

6. William Goldman: I came very close to actually pulling this off about three years ago. I attended a panel that Goldman was speaking on, moderated by none other than John Cleese. But Goldman’s handlers whisked him away from the crowd rather quickly. But maybe being in the same room counts?

7. John Irving: First of all, Irving was kind of a fox when he was younger…did not know that. More importantly, A Prayer For Owen Meany is one of my comfort books. The complexity and details of the story are engaging, but also the concept that there are no coincidences has been pivotal in my life. I’d like to sit down with Irving over a cup of coffee and exchange life philosophies.

8. Margaret Atwood: This crazy, brilliant woman is such an inspiration. I heard her speak once at a conference, but I’d love to get the chance to have a genuine conversation with her.

9: David Sedaris: I can’t imagine not having a great conversation with Sedaris. Whenever I read his essays, I feel the emotions he projects from the page: anxiety, love, angst. I’ve also never laughed so hard at any book as I have at Me Talk Pretty One Day. I cried and my abs got a workout, that doesn’t happen every day, people!

10: The Blurb Writer: I know this job title has an official and more prestigious name, but they write the blurbs on the back of books. I want that job. I want to read tons of books and summarize them. The end.

The Tip of the TBR Iceberg

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Oh, this is quite a challenge. Any book lover’s to-be-read list quickly becomes a towering monolith, as breathtaking as it is intimidating. Much like mounting an Aztec temple, I have a feeling I’d pass out before I neared the top of my TBR list, no matter how exciting the thought is. Yet this week’s The Broke and The Bookish weekly meme is centered around the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List, so I’ve got to at least contemplate the summit. Some of these books are pulled from the midst of the stack and I’m finally hoping to read them this fall. Other reads were released in the last few years and are recent additions to my TBR. So without further ado…

10 Books I Desperately Hope To Have Time To Read This Fall

*As usual, all links lead to Goodreads*

1. Crimson Kiss by Trisha Baker: I have been hunting used book stores for this piece for years. I found the third installment, Crimson Shadows, in a bookstore about ten years ago. The third book was a compelling blend of horror and romance. Emphasis on the horror. I had nightmares after reading that book, but I wanted more. So I began a subtle quest for the two predecessors. They’re out of print though. I’ve checked the prices on Amazon now and again for used copies, but they’ve always been a little too rich for my blood. This summer I finally caved when I found a modest price. I’m so pumped for this that I don’t even mind if I can’t sleep afterwards.

2. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith: I mentioned this book in a post a few weeks ago. Two of my guy-friends recommended it to me when it was still in hardback. I have a twitchy rule about not buying books in hardback unless absolutely necessary, so I’ve been tracking this book on its way to paperback. Now it is mine, all mine (insert maniacal laugh here). Abraham is currently sitting on my shelf  waiting patiently for my attention.

3. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell: Assassination Vacation has been on my TBR list for about a year now. I’ve read excerpts for nonfiction and travel writing courses, each time I’ve been increasingly compelled to pick this book up. Vowell’s sense of humor is what makes me want to dive right in. So now it’s waiting next to Abraham on the shelf. Yes, the choice was deliberate.

4. Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: Ever since my friend Chelsey recommended Game of Thrones, I’ve been all but obsessed with The Song of Ice and Fire series. Regrettably, I haven’t had time to pick up book two since this summer. But I want back into the Seven Kingdoms so badly!

5. One Day by David Nicholls: I looked this book up after seeing the trailer for the movie with Anne Hathaway. Whenever I see a movie trailer that is based on a book, I have to look up said book to see if I want to read it first. It’s kind of wonky system where if the book looks good, I read it after–because I will get pissed at the movie if it’s wrong in my picky opinion–but if the movie looks iffy then I read the book first since I have no expectations for the film. As much as I love Ms. Hathaway, I wasn’t wowed by the One Day trailer. The premise seemed to yield itself much better to print, much like The Time Traveler’s Wife. We shall see if my system holds true.

6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I’ve casually wanted to read this one for a while, but two things peaked my interest within the last year. 1) My friend Erica’s capstone presentation on teaching the novel (she rocked it). And 2) seeing Margaret Atwood’s keynote speech at this year’s AWP (she also rocked it). The universe was telling me to move The Handmaid’s Tale up on my TBR list. Done deal.

7. Don’t Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon: This recommendation came to me through Goodreads.com. The mystery element is what intrigued me the most. I haven’t picked it up at a bookstore as of yet, but this one might be a decent pick from the library.

8. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan: I literally just picked this book up yesterday at Barnes&Noble. Goodreads also recommended this one to me, but I’m a tad hesitant to start turning the pages. It looks amazing  as a book, but I just got out of a relationship and I have a feeling A Lover’s Dictionary will be heart wrenching in a bad way. This one needs to stay put on my shelf for a little while.

9. I’m No Angel: The Blonde in Fiction and Film by Ellen Tremper: As a kid, I got called a dumb blonde a lot, which drove me nuts because I was in the gifted class and was, by all accounts, a teacher’s pet. I later realized these kids were probably repeating something heard from their parents or the media. Keyword, media. I’m No Angel tracks the evolution of the blonde in different forms of media. I’m interested in what Tremper has to say on the subject.

10. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan: Goodreads called When She Woke “a powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter“–a phrase that instantly made me want to read this book. I enjoyed reading The Scarlet Letter in high school, but haven’t picked Hawthorne’s book up since. Jordan appears to have taken on the general plot of the classic but added a modern, technological twist.

Bam! That’s the tippy-tippy-top of my TBR list. Give me about a week and that list will be longer and more gloriously insurmountable. I’m hoping to actually stick to this list, fully acknowledging minor deviations will happen.

Confessions of a Book Addict

/ caitlinemccann / 7 Comments

Everyone has their little quirks, particularly when it comes to something they’re passionate about. And I certainly have a love affair with books. I’d also be willing to call myself quite quirky.  This week’s Broke and the Bookish meme is all about the fessing up to your book related idiosyncrasies. So it’s confession time at the bubblewrappedblog.

Top Ten Bookish Confessions

1. I obsessively organize my bookshelves by theme. Even now in my little guest house I have two small bookshelves that  hold only a fraction of my collection. But there’s a poetry shelf, a fiction shelf (which is then micro organized  by theme as well), a practicalities shelf (guides, manuals, journals, etc), and two film shelves divided into school related and writing. My bookshelves in St. Louis are much more complicated, but I’ll spare you the breakdown.

2. If you borrow a book from me I track it, librarian style. I have a little book with entries for whose checked out what and when. No due dates or fines are involved but it eases my mind.

3. I never finished Rabbit Run because the character reminded me too much of an ex. But I talked about it in class like a champ. Cursed the character out something fierce too.

4. When I start a new book I look to see how many pages total are in it and constantly check the number against my progress. Getting to the finish is a huge part of the fun, or at times a raw necessity. Even with books that I like I check how close I am to the finish. Same thing with chapters. I can’t seem to help myself.

5. I read Twilight. I was Team Jacob. Don’t judge me.

6. My third grade teacher, Mr. Willmering told our class in order to become better readers and better students that we should read everything. Literally, everything. He told us to take every opportunity to read, including billboards as our parents drove us around. I still do this everyday whether I’m walking about or cruising in a car, I read everything possible.

7. When I was younger, about ten or so, I would stick money in my books as a bookmark. I’ve long since stopped hiding cash between the pages of my books, but it was great fun to open an old favorite and find twenty bucks. I still flip through my books before I donate them or loan them out, just in case.

8. My guilty pleasure in the reading world is romance novels. Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter…the list goes on.

9. When I read books, particularly poetry, I have an involved system of arrows, hearts, and stars for lines or passages that I like. My books look like they’re  littered with half of a box of lucky charms. But it all makes sense to me, so I suppose that’s what matters.

10. I’m a terrible hypocrite. You just read my number nine confession and in addition to the heart/star/arrow system, I write comments in the margins and underline things. And on the rare occasion that I give up a book I’ve written all over I don’t erase a thing. The truth is that I’m lazy about it, but I justify keeping the scribbles because I think maybe I’m helping people by pointing out those passages. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Now when I buy a used book from Amazon or some other such place and it has writing in it, I grumble and groan and mentally curse whoever left behind their useless scratching. Ergo, hypocrite.

Now you know all my dirty little book secrets. I feel strangely at peace with confessing all my quirks. Hopefully, you’ll read at least one of these and go, “I do that too!”

First Day of Film School: Science Fiction

/ caitlinemccann / 6 Comments

So today is the day. The whole reason I made the trek and relocated my life out to California. The first day of grad school. Eek!

First days are an amalgamation of nervousness and exhilaration. This does not change no matter your age, or at least for me  it hasn’t. That same eagerness that I had on the first day of kindergarten, where I got to finger-paint and nap, feels the same now as I get ready for my first class of my M.A., Global Science Fiction. Although to be fair I don’t imagine any finger-painting will be involved, and any naps taken will be out of sheer need and not after snack time, so there are some key differences. But the excitement is the same.

Even though my first class is in the evening, I’ve spent my morning preparing. Notebooks are labeled, clothes are laid out, and my backpack is at the door ready to go. I just have to wait for it. And in my waiting I have read and in some cases re-read my materials for today’s class. Which is really the whole point of this post.

Whether you’re a casual film fan or an absolute cinephile (which is coincidentally a word that spell check doesn’t want to acknowledge exists but means movie lover) it’s fun to see what others are watching and/or reading about when it comes to film. Movies are such a communal thing in our culture. So this is me bringing you into my educational community. I’ll try to keep this up as best I can through the semester, but once papers and research become a regular thing, I make no guarantees.

So the textbook for this course is Christine Cornea’s Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality. Thus far it’s been a discussion about how science fiction as a genre has been defined, and the differentiation between the intentions of SF literature and film. Sounds heavy, but it’s kind of fun when you start thinking about what makes this genre tick. Is it the “creature features” from the 50s and 60s? The consistent interest in aliens? Today’s focus on expanding technology? That all seems to be up for debate and the blurry lines of the very definition is what makes SF a fascinating genre.

Horror or Science Fiction? You decide.

We’ll also be reading from online articles and blogs, which is great inspiration for this aspiring blogger. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Movies first, otherwise the articles won’t make much sense. And if you haven’t already seen any of these films, you should definitely check them out before reading the articles because spoilers abound.

So movies. This week we’re screening “Le voyage dans la lune” (Georges Melies, France, 1898-1905) and “La Jetee” (Chris Marker, France, 1962). For some, the name Georges Melies might ring a bell if you are a fan of Scorsese’s Hugo (USA, 2011). Melies and his creative process were beautifully rendered by Scorsese, but you should see the original Melies films, if for no other reason than it will give you a better appreciation for Hugo ( but seriously, they’re awesome and ought to be appreciated on their own merit). I’m excited to see “La Jetee” because I have never heard of it. It’s a broadening my horizons moment. I’m woefully ignorant about foreign film but I’m working on fixing that.

Anywho, if you’re still interested after watching the movies (and I’m assuming you behaved yourself and actually tracked down the films instead of just clicking on these links) then here’s what we’re reading from the mighty internet.

“A Trip to the Moon” by Dan North (A fellow WordPress blogger)

http://drnorth.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/a-trip-to-the-moon-le-voyage-dans-la-lune/

“La Jetee: Unchained Melody” by Johnathan Romney

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/485-la-jetee-unchained-melody

“Freeze Frames and Stasis in La Jetee” by Nicola Woodham

http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/features/2010/12/20/freeze-frames-and-stasis-in-la-jetee/

North’s blog has a ton of links throughout though some are inactive. I found it helpful to just read it straight through. I also get distracted easily, so that may be my personal problem.

That in a nutshell, is my first day of film school. Hopefully, I’ll have time to talk about my thoughts on the screenings, but if not, I hope you enjoy the overview.

Has any one seen any of Melies’ films or “La Jetee”? Thoughts?