Feb. Book List (part 3)

Freaky Deaky--Elmore Leonard
I guess when you write as many books as he does, they can't all be great.

The Great Gatsby--F. Scott Fitzgerald
Somehow I managed to be the only person in America who did not read this book in high school, so getting this one out of the library fell under the "filling in the gaps" category. I never felt any emotional attachment to the characters, so that when all the sad things happen, I felt nothing. Perhaps I wasn't supposed to, but that is not what I am looking for in a book. I want to care about what happens.

Here's hoping I my next choice will be more to my liking: Jude the Obscure.

Feb Book List (part 2)

The Quiet Girl--Peter Hoeg
blech! don't waste your time. Interesting idea, about an extremely acoustically sensitive person, who can hear people's keys and can determine where a person is calling from by the sounds through the phone line, but I found the story really frustrating.

Feb. Book List (part 1)

Do picture books count?

The birth of graffiti--Jon Naar
pictures of graffiti from the early 70s in NYC (mostly Harlem and the Bronx, I think). Interesting how boring the graffiti is. Not colorful like the late 70s early 80s subway cars, and not old-fashioned like the chalk graffiti in Helen Levitt photos from the 50s. Just scrawled names.


Persepolis--Marjane Satrapi
Ok, so this one actually had some words, too, but it is still a comic book, excuse me, graphic novel. Not bad. Makes me want to get the rest of the series out of the library so I can see what happens to her in Europe.

Black Bottom Cupcakes--Yum!

Part 1 (the cheesy top):

Combine and beat well (I do this in the Cuisinart):
12 oz cream cheese
4 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup sugar

Then stir in 24 oz chocolate chips.

Part 2 (the chocolatey black bottom):

Sift together:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt

To the dry ingredients add:
2 cups water
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

Mix well (until it looks like cake batter).

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 way with Part 2 and top off with Part 1.

Bake at 350 degrees in the middle rack for 25 minutes.

The last time I made these (2/3/08) the recipe made 32 black bottom cupcakes and 4 plain chocolate cupcakes.

January 2008 Book List

Tepper Isn't Going Out--Calvin Trillin
well, I started this one before Jan, but it was the first book I finished in Jan (I think!). Pretty lightweight and not as funny as the book of essays he wrote about 20 years ago, the one with the essay about Joe Bob Briggs.

Christine Falls--Benjamin Black
Not a bad mystery. Not bad at all (even if mom thought he was highly inaccurate about the smoking nuns).

Atonement--Ian McEwan
I had been saving this for a L'ville visit, but finally decided it couldn't wait when that movie came out. Didn't want to have all that waiting spoiled by movie preview or an overheard conversation. The verdict? Not worth the wait. I know endings are hard, but this one was disappointing, especially when I know what he is capable of in On Chesil Beach (a tiny masterpiece).

Could it be that I only read 3 books? Gotta get crackin!

New Year's Resolution (of sorts)

Youth wants to know why it is so hard to sit down and read a book even though it is a top-five thing to do.
See also:
Youth wants to know why it is so hard to get in bed even when exhausted,
Youth wants to know why it took so long to go out swing dancing,
and Youth wants to know why it is so hard to pack a suitcase.
In an effort to not become totally illiterate, Youth has resolved to try to keep a list of all Not For Work books read in 2008, the thinking being that shame at the tiny size of the list will help keep me away from resorting to the brainless way out. Unplugging the antenna helps too.