The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen. A black sign painted in white letters hangs upon the gates. 'Opens at nightfall Closes at Dawn'"

- Erin Morgenstern

When I don’t have a book to read I feel like there is something missing from my day. Most weeknights I end my day by getting cozy in bed and reading for 20 to 30 minutes. It calms my mind, takes me away from whatever is lingering from work, little annoyances and worries and helps me slip into a restful sleep. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was the perfect book for this and I purposely took my time reading it to really take advantage.

Two young magicians are entered into a competition as young children without knowing the full set of rules or consequences of what they have entered into. The mysterious Circus serves as their playing field and so much more. Morgenstern is not a complicated writer, her writing is simple and clean, but the story has a smooth flow despite jumping chronologically back and forth. Even the circus itself becomes an intriguing character of its own, one that you wish could just magically appear in your own town one day.

For me, the simplest pleasure is getting lost in a good book, this fulfilled that that on every level.

xo J

Furious Love

Long before there was Bennifer, Brangelina or Tomkat there was Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger have pieced together the turbulent romance that all started with Le Scandale on the set of Cleopatra.

Kashner and Schoenberger honestly and respectfully capture the drama, excess, sex, violence and above all glamour that was Burton and Taylor, so compellingly telling the story of two people so deeply passionate for one another yet so destructive to each other. Despite all their troubles there is something truly intoxicating about the raven haired, violet eyed beauty and the tough guy Welshman and their furious love.

I've always had a weakness for stories of old Hollywood, one of my favorite parts of any issue of Vanity Fair, so I was drawn in right away and now eagerly looking forward to getting my hands on some of the movies that are said to be the settings of this truly epic romance.

They just don't make movie start like them anymore!

"I am forever punished by the gods for being given the fire and trying to put it out. The fire, of course, is you" - Richard Burton

"Since I was a little girl, I believed I was a child of destiny, and if that is true, Richard Burton was surely my fate" - Elizabeth Taylor

xo J

The Lonely Polygamist

"...Families are Forever, and [she] wondered if the slogan was meant as a promise or a threat"
- Brady Udall, The Lonely Polygamist

Sometimes I can’t remember where I stumble across books and how they get added to my ever growing “to-read” list. Sometimes it is an eye-catching book cover, sometimes it pops up in the “we suggest” box when I am perusing the Amazon or Chapter’s websites and sometimes it is all in the title, as was the case with The Lonely Polygamist.

A lonely polygamist? That is kind of an oxymoron wouldn’t you say? Well Golden Richards, the title character of Brady Udall’s book, has four wives and 28 children and yeah, he is pretty depressed and lonely. Currently lying to his family about his current work situation (renovating a brothel in Nevada) and still mourning the death of his favorite daughter, Golden is at a loss for where he fits in with his community and family and is struggling with the overwhelming feeling that he is an epic failure in all facets of his life. Trish, his youngest and newest wife, and Rusty, a middle child in a sea of middle children, are also given prominent voices within the narrative.

While I respect that people should be able to choose their lifestyle there are stories of polygamist families that kind of give me the creeps (i.e. TLC’s Sister Wives), but Udall’s tale is humorous, heartbreaking and quirky, a portrait of a group of a family who maybe wouldn’t have chosen each other if not for circumstance and at times a bit of force, and are now at a “make-it or break-it” moment on whether they can or even want to make this family unit work, resting all their hopes and expectations on the hulking shoulders of their Golden boy. Pick it up if you want a new tale of the un-ordinary American family!

xo J

Summer Reads: Killers or Comedy

Hey mes amis,

With Summer on the horizon (supposedly) - it's time to get some laying by the pool reading material together. I just finished 2 books that both fit the bill.

Numero Uno:  "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson

Yes this who-done-it, the first of a series of 3, has been around a while, but if you haven't read it - you just might want to. Be warned: this is one of those books where you have to fight through the first part. But if you can hang in there and keep walking down the dark corridor, then, like a mysterious killer sneak person - this book suddenly grabs you and you just need to give in, and refuse to sleep, eat or shower until you've read it all. (ok you should shower).

Pros: A mis-matched and unlikely crime discovering duo that you have to root for.

Cons: Lots of Swedish words (just glaze over them), and a family tree that's pretty extensive (again, just gloss over)


Numero Dos: "Bossypants" by Tina Fey

As the cover illustrates - this autobiography by ubber funny chica Tina Fey, is 1 part bio and 3 parts hilarity. If you want a serious autobiography go elsewhere, in this book you get to hear about Tina's life, but through her funny girl lens. In other words, Tina's words actually, it's no "sweeps episode of Dateline" full of dark drama and heartfelt revelations.

You will laugh when you're reading, a lot. And sometimes it's those sudden spit-your-drink-out laughs, so maybe don't read this book in a staff meeting or something.

Pros: A fast and funny read, with a good dose of girl power. Tina Fey is relatable, dorky and self-deprecating.

Cons: The funny of the book sometimes feels like a shield, at times I wanted just a little more heart.

So run out and pick out one or both of these books. As one of the reviewers of Tina Fey's books says:
"Totally worth it" ~ Trees

AWESOME!

"High- fiving babies -

because they don't usually leave you hanging. AWESOME!" - Neil Pasricha

If you ever have one of those days that just make you go "ugghhhhh", you know the ones, your cranky, irritable and you just can't shake off that bad mood. Those are the days that you need to pick up your trusty copy of The Book of Awesome, open to a random page and take a moment to smile about the little things in life.

Neil Pasricha started 1000 Awesome Things (http://www.1000awesomethings.com/) back in 2008, a countdown of 1000 things that honour the little joys in life, like getting served breakfast in bed, seeing a cop on the side of the road and realizing you're going the speed limit anyway, wearing underwear just out from the dryer, or a long hug when you really need it. 1000 Awesome Things has now been compiled in to a book, with The Book of (even more) Awesome to be launched in April 2011.

It is full of nostalgic anecdotes that will have you reminscing with every page, it is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and simply sweet and charming at others. A perfect pick-me-up for those rainy days! AWESOME!

xo J

One Day by Dave Nicholls

Some books are just made for curling up on a cold, rainy day in your most comfy and coziest spot and wasting away an afternoon, for me One Day fits perfectly into that category.

One Day follows the twenty year friendship between Emma and Dexter, revisiting them every year on the same day whether they are together or apart or even on speaking terms. Em and Dex, Dex and Em as they like to call themselves are flawed people just trying to figure themselves out. Sometimes they are endearing, charming, witty but sometimes they are self involved, immature and just plain stupid but you are always rooting for them to get it right, you get angry when they hurt each other and relish in their sarcastic banter, it makes you happy to see things go their way and sad when life throws them a curve ball.

"You're gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of confidence. Either that or a scented candle" - Dave Nicholls (One Day)

Oh yes….and of course, One Day will soon be coming to a theatre near you this summer.

xo J

Live! From New York....

...it's Saturday Night! or at least everything you want to know about Saturday Night Live. I realized last night that I haven't given you a peak in to my bookshelfs in awhile and as usual as soon as I finish one book I immediately pick up another, I feel somewhat incomplete when I don't have a book to read. I actually read this book awhile ago but I think it is a good one to share.




Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told by its Stars, Writers and Guests is a great read for anyone who has fond memories of this iconic show. Compiled of testimonials from cast, writers, producers and guest stars this is a treasure trove of backstage gossip, sex, drugs and rock & roll spanning the first 30 years of the shows existence. Ever wonder the back story behind your favorite skit? Well the story is in this book! Would you be surprised to know that the most hated guest host (and former cast member) is Chevy Chase? I was!



While you will definitely find yourself laughing about some of the antics described, you will also be touched and saddened by the memories of John Belushi, Gilda Raydnor and Chris Farley as described by this tight knit group of people. The book some times gets bogged down in the politics of television but if you can get past those drier parts then your in for a fun and easy read, you will want to run to your local video store to rent your favorite seasons now that you know all the secrets behind them!


"I think he picked the right profession because he gets to lord over people who want to kneel at his feet and he doesn't acknowledge them - which makes them work harder" - Jane Curtin on Lorne Michaels

xo J

A new twist on some old Tales

Having been an English Literature Major in University I read my fair share of classics (even though my mom could not believe I had never read Wuthering Heights, which I have now!). So when these new hybrid of books which are “collaborations” between Jane Austen and contemporary writers came along I was all over checking it out, especially after having read both Sense + Sensibility and Pride + Prejudice during my school days. Much like amusical “mash-up” these expanded texts combine material that at first seem to be complete opposites and somehow make it work.

While in the midst of a heart-to-heart Ms. Dashwood & Ms. Steele are accosted

by the dreaded fang beast

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy find love while slaying zombies

Both classic Jane Austen tales are given a twist with the introduction of additional text that adds to and oddly compliments the original text. Adventures involving Zombies and the butt-kicking Bennett sisters and Sea Monsters and the lovelorn Dashwood girls are seamlessly interwoven with Austen’s original material. Ben H. Winters adds the deadly aggressive sea monsters to Sense + Sensibility, and Seth Grahame Smith litters Pride + Prejudice with man eating zombies.

I recommend giving these a read whether you are familiar with the originals or not!

Never let me go....

“I keep thinking of this river somewhere, with the water moving too fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current is too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever” - Kazuo Ishiguro, Never let me go

“A page turner and a heartbreaker, a tour de force of knotted tension and buried anguish” - Time

I really enjoy comparing books to the movies they inspire, hence I took a really great film & literature class in my SFU days (the fact that they were doing The Virgin Suicides book and movie had me signed up immediately) I am always really interested to see how a film director adapts the story and characters, some people hate this and think that often their image of the book they loved is now ruined, I’ve never had that problem.

When I came across the movie trailer for Never Let Me Go I knew immediately that I HAD to read the book, and so glad I did. Kazuo Ishiguro, a British author of Japanese descent, has created such a subtly dynamic tale, at once a coming-of-age to romance, at once dramatic and tragic to thoughtful and insightful. I loved every page.

Is it sad? Yes, incredibly so, but it is beautiful. Although never explicitly explained, the lives of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, are planned out from the moment they were created. They grow up knowing their purpose yet not fully knowing and as they move from children to young adults the realization and acceptance of this is heartbreaking for them and us the reader. From what I have seen so far of the film adaption director Mark Romanek has captured the essence and feel of the novel perfectly, and the casting is on point.

It is a bit of a tear jerker in the end but sometimes you need a good cry.

(I promise I also read up-beat books with happy endings, despite my tendency towards the meloncholy!)

Hi, my name is Jessica....and I'm a book-o-holic!

When people ask why I took literature in university I always respond “Because I really like to read”, I do, I really do, and I like to re-read. My mom is a good example of someone who does not re-read and I am sure there are many of you out there like her, but me, I can re-read some of my favorite books on an annual basis and not get tired of them.

I love, love, love curling up and getting all comfy and just getting lost in a good story! I hope to have a book review for you this week but as a precursor here are the 5 books that I have probably read the most in my lifetime (in no particular order):

1. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: This just may be my all-time favorite. I think it is so beautifully written, and such a haunting tale. I consider it a wonderful example of New American Gothic.

2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: I enjoy this book for many of the same reasons as the previous. Twisting an unpleasant story and playing with your emotions. You should never feel sympathetic to Humbert Humbert but somehow you do!

3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling : Ok, so this is a bit of a cheat since it is seven books and not one, but really if I read them back to back to back…..(you get the point) it’s like one big book!

4. Little Women by Loiusa May Alcott: This and the next book are from my youth, I would read them every summer without fail. I had a real obsession with this book from the age of 9 probably into my pre-teens.

5. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett: Your own beautiful secret garden..hello?... What little girl would not fantasize about having their own!