Books on Film

Just a quick post to relish in a few fun movies that are out (or nearly out) that I am dying to see since I enjoyed the books so much!
First, the advertisements have been out in full force for the film version of Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed--while I can be somewhat of a movie snob--I am admittedly excited to watch this!

Second, Water for Elephants is out and getting terrible reviews; however, that won't stop me from plunking down the exorbitant sum for a trip to a New York City movie theater.

On a separate note...The Tribeca Film Festival is on town and I am crossing my fingers that I can get rush tickets tomorrow to see Black Butterflies. It looks amazing.

Loving Love Even in the Time of Cholera...

After a lovely evening of mild weather, fish tacos, pomegranate hibiscus margaritas, and my favorite Aussie visiting from Oz, I feel inspired to settle in with a little reading that celebrates warm weather locales.  Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez has to be one of those books that is on my favorite all-time-reads list. An engrossing story and engaging characters make this book one that I can read and re-read time and time again.  When the film adaptation was made in 2006, the filming took place in Cartagena, Colombia, which is definitely a place that I hope to visit in the near future...

Looks lovely...

Back to Reality...

The eighty degree weather today in New York City provided the perfect farewell to my break...after a picnic in the park (boy and dog in tow), a morning massage, an almond brioche from this adorable cafe, and the perfect read, I am feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and as ready as I'll ever be to return to the daily grind.

Before I talk about my latest read, I wanted to mention that for anyone planning to head to Newport, Rhode Island in the near future, here are some inspirational photos from my recent trip there to celebrate my mom's birthday. Also, if you are looking for a delicious restaurant, I would definitely recommend The Mooring.  With its yummy cocktails, fresh seafood, and tantalizing bay views, it was tons of fun!

Today as I basked in the sun at one of my favorite NYC parks, I read the novel by Laura Kasischke, The Raising. While, like other reviewers have mentioned it does remind me somewhat of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, it has a style and plot all its own.  I think that the major similarity is merely that both are well-written and ironically more literary than most books published today.  The almost campy plot idea of a sorority sister tragically killed in a car accident who may or may not not really be dead is quickly forgotten about in what is really a beautifully composed novel that is anything but trite. That said, this is not a novel so abstruse that one can't fall into the suspense of the book--something that I always appreciate in sunny-day-in-the-park-picnic reading... 

Happy Reading!

Posts to follow when I return...

Posts to follow when I return...

Friday Footnotes

Things I'm loving on this fabulous Friday:
The Etsy shop Cosas Minimas by Blanca Gomez. Adoring these two prints!

This happy wallpaper that I can just see on the walls of my future dream beach house!

Oh how I adore this vintage typewriter that I can just see on my desk...

This stationary from one of my favorite paper places: Rifle Paper . Seriously...how adorable is this stationery!?

This book that I can't wait to read! A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz.

Lastly... my top secret weekend plans. It's my mom's birthday and my sisters and I have a great weekend planned to celebrate! Happy weekend everyone!

Malaria Pill Induced Excitement

Today, as I called my doctor to ask for a malaria pill prescription, I had a surge of excitement thinking about my forthcoming trip to Africa this summer. I have wanted to go forever and I am thrilled that it is now becoming a reality.  Unfortunately, much of my everyday discourse on Africa is very often linked to countries experiencing tragedies. I think of the United States' inaction in Rwanda and the ensuing genocide.  I think of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the pain of loss.  I think of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the peoples' struggle for independence and freedom from exploitation. I cannot wait to engage with Africa on a different level.  The diversity of the landscape looks awe-inspiring. Cape Town looks amazing. And don't even get me started on safaris...So. Freaking. Pumped. 

For once in my life, I don't even mind looking like a tourist if I get to drive around and see rhinoceros, elephants, lions, giraffes, and zebras. So...hand me binoculars, a t-shirt with the tour company screenprinted on it, and a camera with a lens as big as my head! Okay, well maybe I won't go that far but...

A recent read that I loved that was set in the Democratic Republic of Congo was Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible.  This book, which in a very Heart of Darkness kind of way, begins with characters entering Africa for purposes of educating the "natives," but is instead the story of a much more personal and transformative journey for the characters who enter with a mission and an air of superiority.  An excellent read.  

Required Reading

Today in a Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side, I had an amazing conversation with a woman who is writing about social justice and education and needed to interview teachers who considered themselves to be social justice educators.  While that is a whole other conversation, it did get me thinking a lot about how much of what I am required to teach is relevant and engaging for students.

After we spoke, I was left thinking about relevant versus irrelevant curriculum and books that I enjoyed (or at least still remember) reading in high school.  The list is pathetically short, especially considering how much I both read and loved books.  But anyway, at risk of wandering down memory lane, the books I remember reading for school that I enjoyed were:
Elie Wiesel's Night--I still remember tearing when I read the part about the violin music playing as people marched to their deaths...

When I went to Dachau years later; I felt a surge of emotion emerge from the images left by Wiesel's account of his experiences there.
William Shakespeare Hamlet--the whining, sniveling, indecisive Hamlet really spoke to my adolescent angst-ridden self...

Last year, when I went to see the Jude Law production of Hamlet on Broadway, I fell in love with the book again...or wait...maybe that was just Jude Law!

And the final book on my top three of high school reading? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Beyond the fact that I have somewhat of an obsession with the 1920s, there is something that is still refreshing about Fitzgerald's look at the illusion of the "American dream."

And can I just say that I am DYING to see the Baz Luhrmann film?! Though the 1974 film will always have a place in my heart...

What did you read in high school that you actually read, or better yet, actually enjoyed?!

Shameless Plug (She Says Sheepishly)

While working in New York City I have been lucky enough to participate in a wide variety of amazing programs, projects, and organizations.  One organization that I find especially awesome is International Cinema Education.  This program works to teach high school students about global issues by engaging them through the oh-so-loved medium (well, second only to books of course) film! There is an amazing curriculum developed by the founder of the program and also by one of my friends who works for the organization.  In a shameless plug, I might suggest that if you happen to work with students, you check out Roberta Seret's World Affairs in Foreign Films: Getting the Global Picture.

With films like Osama and The Counterfeiters (one of my absolute favorites!), this curriculum is not only engaging, but opens up discursive space for teenagers who might not always have exposure to the worlds reflected in these films. 

Happy reading (and viewing)!

Elephants on Parade

I love elephants.  While I'll admit I have a tendency to anthropomorphize (I'm pretty sure that the recent research that argues that dogs do not feel guilt --and, moreover, do not have a "guilty look"-- was directed at me) there is something about elephants that is so human-like that I can't help but empathize with them.  There is something to be said for an animal that can and will actually die of loneliness and a species that mourns its dead.

During my travels both in Cambodia and in India, there were extensive tours offering tourists the chance to ride an elephant.  Though I love these animals, I have never participated in these as the elephants are often exploited.  Out of the developing world and onto Fifth Avenue, around this time each year, the circus elephants are paraded through the midtown tunnel to Madison Square Garden for their annual participation in the Barnum and Bailey Circus.  Again, while I romanticize the circus from films like Big Fish, I cannot ever seem to bring myself to watch the animal parade because of the immense sorrow I feel for the elephants.

I guess perhaps this love that I have for elephants is why I enjoyed (and teared through) the novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. You'll have to read it soon if you want to get to it before the movie hits (April 22nd).  I promise you won't be disappointed.

I do hope one day to make it to The Elephant Nature Park in Thailand.  I would love to blow into the elephant's trunk to greet him or her in the traditional elephant way and also to partake in the bathing of an elephant! Until then...I'll just fall in love with Rosie (the elephant in the novel) and dream elephant dreams...

Friday Footnotes

Things I'm loving on this chilly Friday afternoon....
This vintage map I just ordered from the adorable Etsy shop Stories Divinations. Not only do I just adore the map itself, but it reminds me of one of the best trips I have ever taken...Ahhh...Me gusta Buenos Aires. Oh to go back and have a glass of malbec at an outdoor cafe in Palermo Soho...

My weekend plans of dim sum and dumplings at Chinatown Brasserie 

The awesome store in the West Village...The Ink Pad

Image courtesy of paperandink.typepad.com

Memories of Little Next Door in LA where I went with the bestie and had the most wonderful drink:

Happy Friday!!!!

Pinkspiration

Today on my walk home from work, I saw the most beautiful pink cherry tree blooming in Central Park just mere steps away from the Conservatory Water where the first tentative motorized sailboats of spring were launching.

The tree was the most lovely pink and not only was it an uplifting sign of spring, but it also made me think of the power of color.  Color exhilarates, it inspires, it soothes, it cheers.  Essentially, it is not to be taken for granted.  Designers know this and truly the addition of color to peoples' living space, work space, and general environs plays an inspiring role in everyday life.  One book that I love both for its decorative purposes and useful hip older sister advice on color is Tricia Guild's Patterns. 

Nothing like a little pinkspiration to brighten your day and your coffee table...