Updated Books Reviews

I am making EXCELLENT progress on my BBC books list. Yesterday I finished book #60 which means I have a year to read 20 more. Unfortunately, I'm getting to the longer and more labor intensive books but I still feel like that's plenty of time. So here are a few of the recent BBC Books I've read recently.  

A God of Small Things- Arundhati Roy

I read this in two parts- I started while my students were taking their midterms and then didn't want to take a half-finished hardback on my trip with me. So I ended up reading about a third of it on Thursday and then the remaining 2/3s about two weeks later. There was a bit of recapping I had to do but because the story is told in such a non-linear fashion, I was able to continue to follow along. While I didn't love the non-linear way the story was told, the descriptions and language that helped create the story was fantastic.

 

The Secret History- Donna Tartt

This book was long. Maybe too long. The story was compelling but the characters were absolutely insufferable. There was not a single likeable character among the five main characters (possibly six main characters) and the story just draggggggged on. I mean, how many times can you read about people sleeping, being tired, drinking, worrying, drinking some more, thinking, taking taxis, etc. I wanted to find out how it ended but in general, a good third could be cut out and the book would be better off for it.

Prayer for Owen Meany- John Irving

Apparently the movie "Simon Birch" was based upon this book and while I don't remember a ton about the movie, I enjoyed the book so much. Again, it was a bit long and at times it tended to drag on a little bit but much as I didn't like the non-linear plot within "A God of Small Things", I really enjoyed it in "A Prayer for Owen Meany." I thought the characters were real and believable and the story was compelling, joyful, tragic, and also very real. I knew the the ending would be tragic but the best part was watching and following along as the story unfolded. I highly recommend this one. 

My Promise Land- Ari Shavit

This is obviously not on the BBC list since it just came out a few months ago. But It was wonderful. I felt like it was a unique look at Israel/Paestine's history. I learned so many new things about different parts of Israel and I also felt like Shavit didn't try to justify the mistakes Israel has made, especially in the sphere of Israeli/Palestinian affairs. He looks at the pull of Zionism but also the complications of Israeli and Palestinian relationships. He scans over all areas of culture, not just at politics but also nuclear issues, international relations, music and dance, cities versus living in the country or in kibbutzes, Orthodoxy and secularism. I loved how he took these different aspects of Israeli life and weaved them together so seamlessly. He sometimes waxes poetical and starts to ruminate a bit too much and I kind of skimmed those parts but overall, I really enjoyed it.

30B430 #14

With my birthday coming up, could there really be a better time to complete #14 on my list? I invited some friends over to the Godwins for a dinner party celebrating my birthday, with the stipulation that I had to prepare at least three courses. Seven people RSVP-ed and I made 8, which was perfect. The week before the dinner, I started to search some recipes and think about specifically what I wanted to prepare. The morning of the dinner, I went first to the market, and then to Trader Joe's and then to Winco to pick up everything I needed for that night.
Back at the Godwin's, I started to get everything ready. I first made the cheesecake and once that was in the oven, started prepping everything else.  This meant bringing shrimp, cutting strawberries, setting the table, getting the table furnishings, etc. The menu was as follows:

Appetizers: ciabatta and French bread, olive oil and balsamic and salt for dipping, brie, antipasto plate with panchetta and salami, bruschetta, and veggies.

Entree: Linguine and shrimp in a white wine and lemon sauce with garlic and parsley. Arugula salad with homemade dressing, pears, blue cheese and glazed walnuts.

 

Dessert: Homemade cheesecake with a strawberry glaze.

By 6:30, almost everyone had shown up and I got everybody drinks. The nice thing about the people that were invited were that they were all affiliated with C of I in some way so there was always something common we could talk about. There was a lot of other side conversations and so much laughing, which was great. It seemed like everybody was having a great time. I had some help in prepping the pasta, which I did while people were snacking on appetizers and everything went really well in making the actual entree.

Because I didn't have an official birthday cake, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me before we started to eat and I blew out one of the candles that I had on the table. Which I then made them re-light because it added to the ambiance. We were at the table for a long time, eating, chatting, laughing, telling stories, and enjoying our time together. 

After we had finished, everyone was really helpful in cleaning up and doing dishes, straightening the place up so I wouldn't have to do it afterwards. Juliette was our evening's photographer and she went around getting pictures of everyone and pictures of me with people, including me with my new apron from Bailie and Brooke.

At the end of the night, we all ended up gathered around the island to eat cheesecake. It was a bit soggier than I had anticipated because I think some of the water I use to bake it got into the pan and so presentationally, the Chopped judges would have docked points but taste wise, it was delicious. I only had a few bites because I was so full but everyone else seemed to really enjoy it. I would have to say that for my first dinner party, it was a roaring success and I think everyone else really had a great time. Not only am I glad to have completed another item on my list but am extra lucky that I had some great friends to celebrate with. Thanks, everyone, for coming!

Spring Break- NYC

It's been almost four years since I've been to New York but I had been there many, many times in the past so the rain that fell nearly the entire time didn't necessarily damper my spirits. My foot was really hurting after two and a half days of trekking all over Philadelphia so that, plus the weather combined forced me to rest up and actually relax and enjoy the family that I had in New York City. 

Megabus dropped me off right next to the subway and I took the 1 right up to Judith's apartment. It was so lovely to see her and Sasha and we went to dinner at a little Italian place around the corner. This was only the first of many hours of eating. But if you can't do that in New York City, where else can you eat some of the simplest but yummiest food. I also watched my first episode of "Scandal" that night. And, let's be real, probably my last...

The next day, Judith and Ben were at work and Sasha was at school and since I hadn't used my running shoes at all yet, I decided to run down to some free museums in Midtown. I started at 110th street, heading first for the Trader Joe's on 72nd Street and was about fifteen blocks down when the rain started. Wonderful. On the plus side, the salad and banana at Trader Joe's was super cheap and I stopped by a Starbucks to get a cup of hot water, since I refuse to pay $2.25 for a tea bag. The first museum I went to was the Museum of Biblical Arts (MOBIA). I needed to dry off first and luckily, there was an atrium lobby with a cafe and a bunch of comfy seats with connected i-pads. MOBIA was connected to the American Biblical Society and so I think it was a way to get people to come in or a place for those to wait for meetings but I appreciated being able to play some Bible trivia games and eat my salad while warming up a bit. 

MOBIA had an exhibit on loan from the Victoria and Albert museum in London. On display were about 50 different alabaster sculptures from between the 1300s and 1500s. They were really beautiful and some of them still had a lot of the paint on them. The audio guide was really helpful altough sometimes the description were a bit long. The exhibit space was really beautiful though and the dark room complemented the white sculptures. 

Next I headed to the Museum of American Folk Art and wandered through an exhibit that was a melding of Folk Art and Fashion. It reminded me of the exhibit I saw the year before at the Tel Aviv Art Museum where artists created clothing that were based off works of art. I really liked the creativity of the different pieces of clothing. And one of the artists was from Boise!

I waffled for a few minutes between running back up to the apartment or taking the subway and, in the end, since it was at least not raining, I decided to run. This time I went up Riverside Drive and the park and ran past where Liz Lemon from 30 Rock lives, as well as some of the monuments and memorials next to the river before stopping at Chipotle for a burritos, since I had just run over 80 blocks there and back. After a shower and while I ate my burrito, Sasha and I watched too many episodes of Law and Order SVU. 

Friday night was when I used my trip splurge. I try to be really good about spending money when I travel so that when that one special thing comes around, I can splurge on it and not feel bad. This trip's splurge was tickets to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart perform in "No Man's Land", a play by Harold Pinter. The play itself was kind of strange but the majesty of these two amazing thespians and their compatriots on stage made up for it. And then I was able to get an autograph from Ian McKellen afterwards! That's what waiting on the side of the street for 20 minutes gets. Patience always works. I got picture of Patrick Stewart and Billy Crudup, waved to Josh Charles (from Sports Night!) but the autograph was the best. Totally worth the wait!

Saturday, the rain was really coming down. Judith had to work in the morning but we met up in the early afternoon at the Jewish Museum on the East Side. I didn't quite get the bus system and a really nice woman let me use her metro card and refused to take my cash. Pay it forward, folks. The Jewish Museum was wonderful- and because it was the Sabbath, it was free! I really enjoyed looking at all of their beautiful relics and reading the stories about Jewish diaspora through the ages and our visit was only cut short because we were starving. We did a few errands for that night's dinner and then got some authentic New York City bagels for a late lunch and then watched a lot more SVU while eating bagels and curling up on the couch until it was time to get ready for dinner.

Judith and the kids have some Israel friends name Sigal and Asaf, who have a sweet little five-month old, and they all came over for dinner. We had chops and salmon with brussel sprouts and potatoes and Sasha had made, under my advisement, "slutty brownies" which are a layer of brownies on top of oreos ontop of a layer of cookie. Divine. We also played Texas Hold-'em, which was my first time. I didn't do too well until Ben bowed up and then I'm pretty sure that I got all of his luck because I did so well. Vegas, here I come? Maybe not yet....

Judith and the kids literally live around the corner from St. John the Divine, where Madeleine L'Engle spent many years and although I had been to their gardens, I had never been inside before. I went for the Choral Eucharist and honestly, I just love how all the senses are triggered during the Anglican ceremony. The incense, the sounds of the choir and the organ, the ceremony of taking communion or getting a blessing, the slights and reflections from the stained glass windows. It was a gorgeous ceremony and I really enjoyed it. St. John is a gorgeously wonderful cathedral and I had the chance to wander the side rooms after the service, which included seeing Madeleine's memorial. 

After church, I popped home for about an hour and then went to a Hungarian Bakery around the corner to meet up with Jen Haynes, who I don't think I had seen since we had graduated high school. It was wonderful to catch up with her and hear how she's doing and how her family's doing. I was back at the apartment in time to head downtown with Judith to see a performance by a small, Latino company called Intar perform a play called 'Adoration of the Old Woman." Like "No Man's Land", it had a small cast- five this time- and kind of a bizarre story about an old Puerto Rican woman who was being haunted by the former lover of her husband, and her interactions with her two nephews who were fighting for different sides of PR independence and her great-granddaughter from Patterson NJ. I loved the small space and the intimacy between the actors and the audience and the play- as well as the quality of the acting- got better as it went on. I'm really glad I got to see something so unique.

The rest of the night was relaxing, eating some left-overs, hanging out on the couch and watching some more bad TV. The following morning the sun was out but instead of venturing too far, I went to a few local bookstores on the Upper West Side and then made sure everything was ready for my flight home. I took the subway to the train to Newark Airport and other than a slight delay and a bit of running with my backpack (I'm sure I looked like Quasimodo!) through the SLC airport, I was back in my own bed after 11 days before midnight. Thank you, Spring break, for an amazing experience!