June Reads

Here are the books I read this June:

A Certain Slant of Light by Laurie Whitcomb. I like to delve into YA every once in a while, and this one suited my Gothic state of mind. Helen is a ghost who has the unnerving suspicion that someone is watching her. The book begins auspiciously enough, but overall failed to really hook me. I kept waiting for something more...I don't know, more action, more development of the characters, more plot. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend, and while I can't say I didn't enjoy parts of the story, because I certainly did (the author writes beautifully of memories and the passage of time), I also couldn't say I really liked it or would recommend it, either. In every reader's life, there comes a time when, for whatever reason, a book fails to resonate with that person and this just happend to be one of those times. The trials and tribulations of reading...

The Case for Working With Your Hands (or why office work is bad for us and fixing things feels good) by Matthew Crawford. Anyone who feels tired or burned-out by their office job and who is grappling with complex questions about what they really want to do with their life would do well to read this book. Crawford's ruminations on the modern workplace really resonate and require a fair amount of soul-searching in this reader. As an added bonus, I now have more admiration for electricians and plumbers than I ever thought possible.

Up next: I'm currently in the middle of a few different books that are a little more fast-paced than what I've been reading lately. And thank heavens for that. I'm a sucker for a gripping plot, what can I say?

Viva Portugal

It's a sad day for Portugal, who lost to Spain during today's World Cup match. There's always 2014 (sniff). Meanwhile, I'll keep waving the flag of my ancestors with pride. Viva Portugal!

Meet Mr. Pompey Jr.

Take a look at this six-week-old bundle of joy. Don't you want to put him in your pocket and carry him home with you? Or is that just me? Congrats to my friend Linds who is the proud mama of this little guy. What a handome devil he is, too!

Doesn't he look like so much fun to be around? I can't wait to hang out with him more this summer!

Happy Summer Solstice

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." -Henry James

Leave it to Henry James to perfectly capture the spirit of today. If there is ever a time to indulge in a little sun worship (if only for a little while), now is the time to do it. Wishing you all a very happy and summery solstice day!

{Photo via flickr}

T the Nominee

Congratulations to my boyfriend T whose short film "Mark & Tom" has been accepted into the LA Shorts Fest! Quite frankly, I couldn't be happier or more proud of him. I'm itching to go to the main event next month to finally see it on the big screen. The festival runs from July 22-30 and tickets can be purchased on the website.

{Image via LA Shorts Fest}

Joyful June

Loving this month's desktop wallpaper from Design*Sponge. Gazing at pretty things just makes the day a bit brighter, no? More pretty images from artist Christopher Bettig can be found on his website.

{Photo via Design*Sponge}

Spring Reads: April & May

Below are an array of books I read this spring, each one different from the last.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This behemoth of a novel won a slew of awards last year and received glowing praise from critics, authors, and book bloggers alike, so naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about. The world Mantel carves out is teeming with detail of what life must be like in the 16th century, which to this modern reader looks very bleak indeed. But to a man like Thomas Cromwell, life is only what you make of it, and Cromwell certainly made a lot out of very little. Wolf Hall is the story of one man's ascent into the ruthless inner circle of King Henry VIII's court. From poor, humble beginnings to the prime position as the king's right hand man in a reign seemingly on the dawn of a new age, Cromwell's cunning, intellect and matter-of-fact maneuvering into the King's confidence commands our admiration (the man was a brilliant wordsmith and legal mind), if not also our sympathy. Mantel is busy writing the sequel to Wolf Hall, which apparently chronicles Cromwell's imminent descent from Henry's good graces. Sounds like another engrossing read.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Sometimes one needs some lighter fare to shake off the heaviness of a meatier book. And this one did the trick. That isn't to say that I found this book lacking in intrinsic value or entertainment, because I thoroughly enjoyed it for its real (read: flawed) characters. I found myself identifying with the protagonist Rachel White in a lot of ways: I, too, have had that shallow narcissist of a friend who proves to be more of a foe than an actual friend; I know what it's like to be under-appreciated and over-worked; and lately I've marveled at just how relentlessly time marches on until sooner or later, your 30's are creeping up on you and you wonder where the hell your 20's went (though, admittedly, I do have some time yet before I get to meditate the mysteries of entering my 30's). But where our similarities end is on one major plot point around which the entire novel pivots: Rachel gets caught up in an whirlwind affair with none other than her best friend's fiance. And yet, I don't hate her, even though I hated and felt exasperated by some of her life choices (the affair being the most obvious one). Interestingly, Giffin presents a rather blurred line between right and wrong, that ultimately life is about making choices and facing the consequences of those choices head-on. Lapses in judgment aside, I couldn't help but root for Rachel, anyway. The sequel to this book, Something Blue, is apparently told from the perspective of the best friend/wronged woman. And so the drama continues....

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Ten strangers are summoned to an island off the coast of Devon, England to stay as weekend guests at the private home of an unknown millionaire. What the guests learn soon after their arrival is that what they all share in common is a wicked past that they'd rather not be revealed. But soon one guest dies, and then another, at whose hand nobody knows. Unable to leave or call for help, each guest begins to suspect the other, and as more guests meet their timely end, it appears that not one of them will leave the island alive. Hands down my favorite Agatha Christie yet.

So....what books have you been reading?