Book Drive

Seems only two people have taken me up on the "triple your donation" matching program. If you are still interested, I will be matching your donation by doubling mine in honor of Mother's Day. The program ends Sunday May, 20th. So get to it people. Send one measly book from the wish list and the shelter will get three. You can't beat that.

Random Television Stuff

Tuesday night was the final episode of the Gilmore Girls. I loved the show. I mainly loved all of the constant food mentions. Here's how I decided to say goodbye.

Book Related

I just finished reading How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life by Mameve Medwed. I devoured it in a day and a half. The writing style was clunky in places, but the book itself was so enjoyable that those parts could be overlooked. Who would have thought that a book that focuses on a chamber pot could be so engaging? I spent the entire read alternating between truly feeling for the main character, Abigail, and wanting to shake her for being so dense.

A while back I read Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel. I wasn't as impressed with it as I was with Shop Girl. I think it goes back to my impatience with nonsense. The lead character, Daniel Pecan Cambridge, lived in a self created world of neurosis. Now, I like neurosis as much as the next person- I adore Silvia Plath's work. But there was something about Daniel's love of these completely fabricated quirks and eccentricities that really began to grate the more I read. The difference really is in the characters. I could relate to Mirabelle. Daniel Pecan Cambridge, not so much. And maybe that's the point. I definitely found myself voicing my frustration with the character of Daniel out loud. I definitely had to put it down because it seemed impossible that any character could be so intelligent and so obtuse at the same time. So, if Martin's goal was to thoroughly frustrate the reader before finally making his character move forward, he accomplished it with this reader.

I just started reading The House of Mirth. It seems I've read it before, but I don't remember it. So, I find myself falling in love with Edith Wharton all over again. Its been more than 10 years since I last read anything by her. Her style is even more beautiful than I remember. I am going to try to enjoy every second of it.

Self Promotion

My food web site, The Southern Epicure, has been nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award - Best Food Blog. Amazing. If you participate in things like this, I would love a vote. But, honestly, there are so many better candidates out there that I am simply surprised I was nominated at all.

That's it for now

Seriously. That's all I got right now.