Home.

I was wandering around Wal-Mart (Yeah, I know..) and in my quick glance through the book aisle, one of my first stops anywhere, what to my wandering eyes did appear?

but this:



Home: A Memoir of my Early Years by Julie Andrews.

I swear to God, I nearly hyperventilated with the sudden rush of sheer delight that I so abruptly experienced. And then, it dawned on me.... Where in bloody Iamgoingtoshowmyboobies-Areyouheretoseemyboobies?HELL have I been because apparently, it was released LAST YEAR. I'm not with it. I am no longer 'hip', 'happening' or what do you kids call it these days..cool? Or, is that SO 1998?

MUST READ. As in, yesterday.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

A Ring of Truth.

When Jesus healed those crippled beggars, didn't they always get up and dance off stage, jabbing their canes sideways and waggling their top hats? Hooray, all better now, hooray!
If you are whole, you will argue: Why wouldn't they rejoice? Don't the poor miserable buggers want to be like me?
Not necessarily, no. The arrogance of the able-bodied is staggering. Yes, maybe we'd like to be able to get places quickly, and carry things in both hands, but only because we have to keep up with the rest of you, or get The Verse. We would rather be just like us, and have that be all right.
The Poisonwood Bible; pg. 493, by Barbara Kingsolver.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

ANTLER.

I'm really intrigued by Antler Magazine . Its an online publication with a little bit of everything; art, music, fashion, and culture. The first issue is written in interview format but, the creator says that each issue will take shape differently. So far, its free (!!!) so, you have no reason to ignore the above link and enjoy! I did.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Dear President Obama,

I'm certain that you are all aware of the book that has been created using children's letters to Obama entitled Thanks, and Have Fun Running the Country. I've just spent the last ten minutes or so reading a few of the excerpts from it. It has filled my heart with joy from all of the adorable wonderings of the child's mind that it sheds light on.

My favorite:
Dear Barack Obama,

Congrats on becoming the president of the United States and slaughtering John McCain. I think that, unlike W., you should dodge other countries and not shoes. You should not be so quick to go to war and negotiate with terrorists. I like what you said about bringing the troops home from Iraq.

If you like my letter, know that it's from

D'andre "the King" Legrand, age 12
Brooklyn

THAT kid is funny! He must be a real clown.

Anyway, if you like what you see, be sure to buy the book!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Dallas Clayton.

Dallas Clayton is author of an adorable book entitled An Awesome Book ! I suggest grabbing a copy for a special child in your life or, for yourself so that you can leaf through its pages when you find yourself in need of a quick pick-me-up on a less than stellar day.

Not only that but, he maintains a great blog in which he posts little observances in poetic form. That is what I fell in love with today. Specifically, this little gem, titled Surprising:

A friend turned older today.
Many years older than me.
But maybe many years younger than you.
An age where people say things like
“who’s counting, anyways?”
and have stopped giving you
interesting presents
and instead give you gift certificates
for cheese
or take you out for a meal
at a restaurant you’ve already been to
and you don’t really mind.

To help offset this
I got him a remote controlled helicopter
that you can fly inside your house.

It was shaped like a dragonfly
and named something
that sounded like it was shaped like a dragonfly
with a font on the box
that looked like something
that sounded like it was shaped like a dragonfly.

You should have seen his face.

Elation.

Incredibly sweet, right?
I recommend you follow my example and return daily for other little rays of sunshine

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

BTT:Stories.

If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

Actually, that is the MAIN reason why I read. If there are hidden meanings and metaphor sprinkled throughout the story, then its due to my understanding of grammar that I take notice. Simply put, if I'm not taken in by the story that is being told, I end up eventually abandoning the book after a few attempts at becoming interested. Now, admittedly, that is extremely rare. In fact, the only example I am able to come up with would be my experience with The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, which was required summer reading for my 10th or 11th grade year thus, I HAD to finish it, which I did..at the end of September.

So, 98% of my reading choices are accomplished because I cannot wait to find out how the story ends.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

The Sunday Salon: Where the Hell IS Desilu? by Howard Rayfiel.

This memoir was different than anything I've read previously which had anything to do with Lucille Ball in the simple fact that Lucy was just a small part of this book, which is to be expected of course because, this man has accomplished so much besides working for "The Redhead", if I may borrow Mr. Rayfiel's affectionate term for his friend and employer.

Howard Rayfiel comes from a long line of honest, hard working judges. He was raised on a moral code built on honesty, justice, and compassion for our fellow human beings; and that shines through as he regales us with stories of the corruption of the behind-the-scenes business side of Hollywood and the way he chose to conduct himself while working with men who would do anything, stoop to new lows, etc. all in the name of the almighty dollar. Mr. Rayfiel began his multi-faceted entertainment career as a theatrical lawyer in NYC, he later moved to LA where, through a chain of events, he was appointed resident counsel to Desilu Productions, Inc. As he was, in his own words, the lawyer who wanted to be a writer, he went on to the top of the ladder as Vice President of Lucille Ball Productions, Inc., Production Executive on Here's Lucy, a member of the Writer's Guild of America, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

This work is filled with anecdotes on many of Howard's celebrity friends which included but was not limited to, Lucy and Walter Matthau. This book is very good if, like me, you enjoy becoming acquainted with the private persona of some of your favorite personalities or if the script and story writing prospect is something that interests you a great deal.

All in all, I'd give Mr. Rayfiel's memoir 4 out of 5 stars.

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

The Sunday Salon: Summer Reading List.

I know..I missed last week. Sorry.
I'll most likely miss next week as well, what with my trip to Georgia.

Anyway, I thought that this week, I would just compile a short list of what I am reading for the summer of 2008.

I've just finished The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, which I liked -well enough..until the ending but, that's another post for another day.

Other books in my summer line-up include:
-Where the Hell Is Desilu? by former Desilu Studios attorney and Vice President of Lucille Ball Productions, Howard Rayfiel . Obviously, I'm excited for this one!
-Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe.
-The Cider House Rules by John Irving.

I am currently embarked upon A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, which I only cracked open last night.

So, what are a few books which you plan on enjoying by the pool with a nice, tall glass of lemonade? Tell me!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista.

The Sunday Salon: Krista & the Classics.

I have many quirks, as I'm certain all of us do but, one of those which I possess which irks me most is the fact that when it comes to classic literature, it takes me a very long time to finish reading books.

...and I mean a veryyyy long time. Word or page count does not matter, whether said piece of literature is 400 pages or 1,000; it takes me, and I'm sort of embarassed to admit it, sometimes a month and a half from the time I crack the first chapter until I come to the conclusion and heavy heartedly take leave of a group of characters.

Oh, and by the way, another thing I have is that I absolutely cannot begin another book until I'm through with my current selection. Yeah. I read maybe 6 books a year but, I'm always in the midst of one.

A perfect example? Take a look at the newest addition to my homepage, my book meter. 356 pages out of 606 pages of The Portrait of a Lady done. Not bad, you say? That's after reading a page here, a chapter there for oh.. I don't know, almost two whole months?

The thing is, I've been this way since I began delving into chapter books back in first grade. Wanna know how long I stayed with Heidi and her grandfather back in fourth grade? Six months.. SIX. FREAKING. MONTHS. So, obviously, it isn't that I secretly despise classic lit. On the contrary, I adore it. I guess, perhaps, I overanalyze the situations and topics brought up in these novels?

On the bright side, it proves I do, indeed, have great perserverance. I have never been able to justify just giving up on a story after a few chapters or halfway through. I mean, the author poured all they had, every aspect of his or her life was consumed by the creation of the piece of art which I hold in my hands for, months, years even and, I always feel that I owe it to that person to carry on, enjoy the ride for what it's worth, and only once I've finished do I have the right to judge whether or not I loved or loathed their tale. I've realized that 95% of the time, even if the book as a whole was not to my liking, I am able to pick out a few aspects that made me think or a character that I was drawn to.

I don't know, maybe the way to look at this drawback in my person is; slow and steady wins the race because, by concluding a great piece of the written word, I always feel like I've won. I've won more knowledge, I've been taught a lesson, I've been forced to see the world from a completely opposite point of view from my own and, though I may not agree, I've gained more understanding and respect for a certain group or individual and in that sense, I've won more than any kind of competition could have offered me.


So, what about you guys?
Do any of you identify with me here?

If you've participated in The Sunday Salon this week, please leave me the link to yours in my comments!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista

Booking Through Thursday..on FRIDAY.

...because, I'm wild like that!




This week's question is:

Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?

I've always been open to almost everything in way of books [and just about every other art form too] except for Romance and I'm also not particularly drawn to fantasy, sans The Chronicles of Narnia and Wicked.
From a very young age, say third grade, I've particularly enjoyed auto/biographies immensely. I yearn to learn as much as I possibly can about any one individual, I read up for months rather obsessively, and once I've dug up everything available, short of their bra or underwear size, obsession begins to dwindle but, I always retain a love for and enough information on said individual to be in the running to becoming an official biographer.
So, in short, no, nothing has really changed at all.

So, what about you guys?
What kind of reading do YOU enjoy most and have your reading habits shifted or evolved in any way over the past years or months?

If you've participated in this week's BTT, please leave linkage in comments!

Sunny Side Up!,
Krista