Don’t let the titles fool you, most of these books deal with some heavy topics such as drug addiction, weight, death etc… Just because they are labeled “chic lit” does not mean that they are full of fluff and hearts. Sure their endings tend to be more of a feel good nature but the journey the characters take (not to mention the character development) are what makes these books so compelling. The authors are doing their job when the characters and their stories stick with you years after having read the books.

Woman’s Fiction

Marian Keyes – Rachel’s Holiday

Marian Keyes – Anybody Out There

Jennifer Weiner – Good in Bed

Jane Green – Jemima J

Emily Griffin – Something Blue

Judy Blume – Summer Sisters

Kate Jacobs – The Friday Night Knitting Cub

Jacqueline Susann – Valley of the Dolls

VC Andrews – Petals on the Wind

Ariella Papa – Up & Out

Favourite Series

Charlaine Harris - Sookie Stackhouse Series

Fiction – Other

JD Salinger – Catcher in the Rye (Cliche? Yeah sure, but there’s a reason for that, it’s a great book!)

Shakespeare – King Lear

Jean- Paul Sartre – No Exit (Huis Clos) (read both the French and English of this)

Non-Fiction

Anthony Bourdain – Kitchen Confidential (Picture this: Home at 3am from being out with friends and I see Evan Solomon  interviewing this surly guy about his food book on CBC Newsworld. Somehow I managed to remember the name and bought the book. It has opened doors to a whole new world for me. That doesn’t happen very often)

Phoebe Damrosch – Service Included

Michael Ruhlman – The Making of a Chef

Daphne Bramham – The Secret Lives of Saints

Naomi Wolf -  The Beauty Myth

]]> http://popoffculture.com/book-lists/feed/ 0 http://popoffculture.com/my-love-of-books/ http://popoffculture.com/my-love-of-books/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:19:13 +0000 admin http://popoffculture.com/?p=706 I’ve been meaning to write about this for about a week and just never got around to it. So let’s see if my thoughts are coherent and well formed!

There’s been some press lately about The Baby-sitter’s Club because Ann M. Martin wrote a prequel to it. I have to say I’m tempted to get my hands on it, even if the intended audience is tween girls. I grew up with The Baby-sitter’s Club (TBC from now on). I may not have finished reading the series but I read a lot of those books. Same goes for all of the Sweet Valley Series, which has been getting press lately too because finally!! Francine Pascal’s book about where they are now is coming out this year.

Francine Pascal’s new adult novel, Sweet Valley Confidential, which follows the later-in-life travails of the twin protagonists from the author’s bestselling 1980 YA series, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield

I am ecstatic over this news as I have heard about this book for at least a year or two now.

Those books were my childhood, pre-teen and early teen years. They mean a lot to me. Hearing about them took me back. It’s like when I detect a certain amount of spring in the air, it takes me back to a certain time in my life. Anyways, back to the books….

Hearing about them took me back to those pre-teen years. I look on them with fondness because at that time I didn’t have any real responsibilities, I didn’t think and worry about my loved ones’ health and our eventual demise (dark stuff eh? Welcome to my brain circa 2010). I had to go to school, deal with 12yr old girls acting like bitches and I would read and do other things. It’s strange that I look at those times fondly because at the time, I hated them. I had trouble sleeping because I worried about things so much (ok this hasn’t really changed about me, it’s a wonder that I don’t have health issues related to the amount of worrying I do, oh wait, actually I do). I didn’t really like life that much back then because I hated dealing with the girls in school. Bitchy, catty, gossipy etc.. and I was one of them too. There was all this pressure about who is friends with whom and who said what about whom. blah blah blah. Psycho drama you know?

But Sweet Valley and TBC? They took that all away. It was like being in paradise in my mind. My mind had a break from its daily life and my on-going growing list of worries. It was like taking a vacation because I was now in someone else’s mind and as a result my mind got a break. It was glorious.

I still seek refuge in books, lately I’ve been doing this a lot more than in recent years. When I was in University and grad school I didn’t get to read as a form of escaping very much but at the same time I didn’t need it. Life was pretty good then, in terms of not having many responsibilities or thinking about “grown up” issues.

People like to laugh at me and be shocked over my choice of books, since I’m so politically-minded and have a love of academia. See, I tread mainly in the chic lit areas with a tendency to read some biographies and sociological or food related books. I tell them it’s because in University it took my mind off of things but that’s not the complete truth. The complete truth is that not only do I seriously enjoy these books but it allows me to escape. I can get to know some other characters, and deal with their life and its associated problems. It takes me away from my own problems and responsibilities. It helps my mind and body to relax and trust me that is not an easy thing for me to do (it’s entirely possible that if I were to take a meditation course, that my brain would fight it).

I actually have a pile of new books to read and haven’t really touched them because I go to the library constantly. Having a new book to read is an obsession of mine, I always have to have a few in the wings ready to go. I read on average 2 books a week and would probably read more if I a) didn’t watch television at night and b)would allow myself to relax during the day.

So while I may wish to go back to Sweet Valley High or go hang out in Claudia’s bedroom, I have new books to read and new places to escape to. With that in mind, yes I will be buying that TBC book and the new Sweet Valley one and will be relishing every moment, every page and every word in them!

You know you’re reading too much True Blood when…:

1) You are out in public and smell other people’s perfumes, scents etc… and call it tracking
2) It’s a dark, dreary day and you say to your dog “ooh the vampires would be out early today”
3) You know you’re a true blood fan when you are “doing it” with your bf and you call him ERIC!
4) You now think that shifters are normal
5) Your hatred for Debbie Pelt feels real
6) You think you see actual bottles of True Blood at the grocery store
7) You expect Vin Diesel to turn into a tiger
8) You will sit in a cold bath because you just can’t stop reading
9) You googled Bon Temps, Louisiana to see if it was a real place
10) You get excited over casting news for the TV show

For instance, on the wall for an upcoming event someone put this: “Snip surgery on the 9th of September so party will definitely be after that.” I’m sorry but are you for real? I barely know you, nor do I need to know the status of your swimmers.

Or the girls who constantly post about their pregnancy; example “4 weeks to go!” or “here’s my latest sonogram picture”. Honestly I do.not.care. I’m glad that you’re happy but I do not need 24/7 updates about it.  What’s worse is that this will just continue with updates after they have the baby. Gag me with a rattle. Please.

I understand keeping people informed about your life, I get that and there’s nothing wrong with that. What confuses me is that people no longer understand the concept of privacy, or too much information, or over sharing.

If you don’t believe me that people are crazy on facebook, and treat it like their own magazine or as though it’s their own 15minutes of self-absorbed fame:

• http://stfumarrieds.tumblr.com/

• facebook wedding drama/

At some point people will begin to understand the concept of privacy, right? At some point they’ll realize that I don’t care that they are 4cms dilated, or getting ’snipped’? At some point, people will become less vacuous and self absorbed?

I mean, get a blog if you really want to be self-absorbed and vacuous!

I did have 2 complaints though, 1) she didn’t play anything off of my favourite album of hers and 2) she played one song called Police Me and to be honest, I’m not sure she should play that live, ever. Her vocals were just all over the place. I mean the whole place was full of energy and everything, then she plays this song, which is faster and should have kept the energy up but it just didn’t. It was quite sad. Plus if you see her up close, she’s had some work done and it just ruins her, she looks like a puffy Hollywood loser. But I digress… the show was just awesome, maybe one of my favourites.

I can’t say enough about how awesome the audience was at this show; they were totally into it and she was definitely feeding off of that energy. This may have been the happiest I’ve ever seen her; she wasn’t as intense but instead just in the moment. I cannot wait for her to come back and I hope she keeps playing these smaller theatres because it creates a much better atmosphere and a much better show.

Security was pretty tight so taking pictures and filming anything was a big challenge. I found this one video on youtube from astrodaks; it’s pretty good and this song was really good live.

Setlist:
Give
Siren
Cornflake Girl
Little Amsterdam
Space Dog
Flavor
Glory Of The 80s
Honey
Virginia
Welcome To England
Lizard Lounge
Beulah Land
Ophelia
(band returns)
China
Marys Of The Sea
Talula
Precious Things
Strong Black Vine
Encore
Police Me
Caught A Lite Sneeze
Big Wheel

this is quite possibly the most disturbing and funny website. NSFW

Lurid Digs

too funny.

TORONTO — An organization representing Canadian restaurants, bars and clubs says piped-in background music could be silenced if royalty fees go up as proposed.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association says a proposal to increase the fee to play music for customers would force many business owners to reconsider whether it’s worth the cost.

The association estimates many of its members would face a $6,000 annual increase for playing background music, which would give some businesses a $30,000 bill.

The Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada wants the royalty fee to increase by more than 3.5 times over the current rate, to properly compensate performers and engineers.

Businesses already pay a fee to the Society of Composers Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.

SOCAN estimates the tariff generates about $1.4 million in royalties every year.

even burqas are less oppressive

this is not performance art… this is someone desperately trying to extend her 15 minutes of fame which is clearly working as i’m talking about her.

do people do this because they want the attention? they want people to praise them, ‘ooh you’re 5cms dilated congrats’? because let me tell you when i read stuff like that that’s not what i’m thinking.

i’m thinking things along the lines of:

wow you’re self absorbed

wow you’re a loser for posting something so personal on facebook

wow why are your posting this to your 500+ ‘friends’ on facebook?

wow, if you’re in labour why are you on freaking facebook?

wow please don’t tell me you’re posting this while at the hospital pushing that child out… get off of facebook!

wow, intervention should do a show about people addicted to facebook/twitter

you know, things of that nature.

my theory is that people are doing it for attention.  facebook statuses are like a mini-version of the whole “15 min of fame” concept.  it’ll give them some instant attention and perhaps make them feel special. not to be rude, but the personal stuff they post about is stuff that the majority of people go through and therefore doesn’t make one that special.  sure to your immediate friends and family it’s important but that doesn’t mean it is to someone who barely knew your name in high school. speaking of, why would you want someone who barely knows you to know about your vage and what it’s currently doing? That’s just weird. which leads into my next theory.

Exhibitionism/Narcissism – you know thinking that you should be airing your personal laundry to get attention because you crave that attention. only in this case the attention you get will either be someone clicking the “i like” button or posting a stupid comment to your status like “oh that’s so sad :( call me for drinks” or some trivial post like that. whatever floats your boat i suppose but why not just talk to people in person about these private matters?

seriously if you need that kind of attention, make a porn and sell it or something of that nature. either way stop telling me about your vagina and other personal things on facebook. JUST.STOP.IT. (see… capital letters are effective when used sparingly!)

Those are the only theories i currently have on this, i welcome more because i really don’t understand this phenomenon of posting about things of that nature.