Getting By, Dreaming Big

This is a blog for me to share my thoughts on my favorite things: books, traveling, food and entertainment!

Tuesday Travels: Medieval Times February 26, 2010

Filed under: NYC Experiences, Tuesday Travels, Uncategorized — readerbean @ 3:30 pm
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Our friends Tiffany & Gary suggested we do something to go out and celebrate my bday (the big 3-1 eek!)  So I of course suggested something that’s been on my list “to-do” since we moved back to the NYC area – Medieval Times!  I know, I know, do adults really go there, YES we do.  I remembered it being so fun from high school and Jon had never been so I wanted him to have the experience.

We found great buy one get one free coupons so we were able to get tickets for $30 per person instead of the regular $60 per person.  We met at the Port Authority for Gary & Tiffany’s first venture on NJ Transit via bus and took the 192 to Lyndhurst.  The bus drops you off just 2-3 blocks from Medieval Times so it’s a nice conveinent way to get there if you don’t have a car.  We were a little early so we got adult beverages and took in the main hall before they let us in to our seats.

It’s stadium style seating with a long wooden table going across.  Your ticket includes 2 hours of rousing medieval entertainment as well as a 3-course meal.  Alcohol is a separate charge.  We specifically requested to be in the Green Knight section, because he’s the “Evil Knight”!  This is hands down the best (and probably rowdiest) section.  We were definitely cheering louder than any other section for our knight.  It was awesome.

The meal includes:  tomato soup with a garlic breadstick, chicken, a spare-rib, half a baked potato, an apple pie, coffee, water & soda.  Not bad for $30.  The food is actually R.E.A.L.L.Y. good.  I know you wouldn’t think that given the venue but what you get is so simple, they can’t really mess it up.  It was delish.  Most importantly you have to eat with your hands.  There was no silverware back in Medieval Times.  The entertainment is slow to start, they set up the story, there is a falcon that flies through the crowd, the horses prance, the knights are introduced, etc.  They try to keep it simple while you’re eating.  The second hour is really when it picks up!  They have tests of skill and jousting and each knight takes on another until one knight is left standing and victorious.  It was definitely cheesy but it was also FUN!  We had a great time cheering for the green knight.

Here is Tiffany and I with the green knight after the show!  Our knight unfortunately did not win the night we were there but he was the 2nd to last one standing, which was fun.  All in all, I wouldn’t pay $60 to go but for $30 it was a fun evening out in NJ. 

Post in Comments:

Have you ever been to Medieval Times?  What did you think?

 

Monday Bookworms: Do You Promise Not to Tell? February 22, 2010

Filed under: Book Reviews, Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 10:49 pm
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Do You Promise Not to Tell?, Mary Jane Clark

I hadn’t read a Mary Jane Clark mystery in a couple of months and I was feeling like I needed a couple of fun mysteries to read.  I went to my local library and requested the next MJC book, Do You Promise Not to Tell? 

Do You Promise Not to Tell? is about Farrell Slater, a producer at KEY News.  She’s lost her excitement for her job and her boss can tell.  However, as she’s on her way out of KEY News, she stumbles across the story of Fauxberge.  The Faberge Moon Egg has recently been auctioned off at Churchill’s auction house for a large sum of money.  However, is it the real Moon Egg or is it a forgery.  Farrell believes its a forgery and as she begins to unravel the case in order to get one last good story, people start to get hurt.  Farrell doesn’t even realize what she’s stumbled on…

I have to say that MJC got me.  I thought I knew who the killer was but I didn’t…dang!  It was a fast paced, page turning mystery, like most of her other books.  I was interested in the subject matter, the characters and the mystery.  A great combination.  MJC’s style is very much like that of her mother-in-law, Mary Higgins Clark.  I’m working my way through all of her books.  Are they the best mysteries I’ve ever read?  No, but they are enjoyable, fun, light reads that are good distractions every now and again.

I would recommend MJC if you like MHC:)  Overall, I would rate this book 3 stars.

Post in Comments:

Who is your favorite mystery writer?

 

Tuesday Travels: Chelsea Market & Meatpacking District Tour February 19, 2010

Filed under: NYC Experiences, Tuesday Travels — readerbean @ 12:16 am
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So these past weeks I’ve been saying how I hadn’t done anything fun in NYC for awhile…well…I can’t believe that I totally forgot to blog about the Chelsea Market & Meatpacking District Tour I did back in December with my brother, Tim and his wife, Christine!  This is why I need to write myself notes.  So anyway, way back when Jon and I went to the High Line for the first time, we went to Chelsea Market afterwards and I saw all of these people on tours.  I thought it would be fun, so when I booked the pizza tour I also booked a tour of Chelsea Market.  They were back to back (Saturday and Sunday) so I had to make room in my stomach for a lot of good eats.

Our first stop was….

Eleni’s – don’t all those goodies look yummy!  This is my kind of tour, starting with dessert first.  We enjoyed Eleni’s Everything Cookie her take on her mom’s oatmeal raisin cookies.  They had oats, chocolate, craisins, nuts and all sorts of goodies.  It was delicious (and huge!)  I only ate a part of it to start because I wanted to save room for all of our other eats.  Her cookies are so pretty, perfect for special occasions.  I would definitely recommend them.

Next it was on to Ronnybrook Farm Dairy.

 

Here we got to sample some chocolate milk.  It was their Chocolate Creamline Milk.  It’s like whole milk (obviously we’re not on this tour for our health folks).  This milk was like drinking a milkshake just not quite as thick.  It could have been my favorite part of the whole tour.  I recently found a single serving at the Whole Foods in Union Square, what a treat!  I would seriously walk to Chelsea Market just to get this chocolate milk. 

Next stop was The Lobster Place.

We were each allowed to enjoy a cup of soup while our tour guide told us more about Chelsea Market and specifically The Lobster Place.  I had the New England Clam Chowder (which might have been the best I’ve ever had, and I lived in New England…it was so yummy!)  My brother had the Lobster Bisque and I believe Christine had the Cajun Crab & Corn Chowder.  Then we were allowed some time to explore The Lobster Place, hit the restroom, etc, while our tour guide set up the next section.

Next on the tour was Buon Italia.  Here we sat and enjoyed some Italian delicacies.  I made myself a sandwich of all the cheeses and meats.  The bread was from Amy’s Bread and was AMAZING!  Don’t get me wrong I LOVE Italian food but usually I’m not really into Antipasta plates which was what this experience reminded me of.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It’s a great little Italian market with a good variety of items.  I actually went back after the tour for some fusili for a future recipe. 

The food whirlwind tour continued with a cheese & jam sampling at Chelsea Market Baskets, followed by biscuits with fruit spread from Sarabeth, followed by a mini gelato at L’arte del gelato.  All very tasty.  While we were tasting all of these yummy treats we learned more about the vendors in Chelsea Market and the history of the market itself.  It used to be the Nabisco factory until they moved out to the burbs.  It was finished the way it is now in 1997 so it’s been open for about 13 years.  It’s a really eclectic fun place to spend sometime inside in NYC. 

After we explored Chelsea Market to it’s fullest we walked around the Meatpacking District for an hour or so.  Our tourguide took us on the High Line, showed us important historical buildings all around that particular area of NYC.  We ended with a little pasta in a wild boar sauce at Macelleria in the meatpacking district.  It was the perfect end to the tour. 

Overall, this was definitely worth the price, all of the food samples you got easily added up to breakfast and lunch!  It was over 3 hours so it was spread out well.  I thought the most interesting part was Chelsea Market, it’s history, and all of it’s fun and yummy vendors.  I thought the part walking through the Meatpacking district was a little long and there wasn’t that much really to talk about.  It was raining when we went as well, so that didn’t help the fact.  I would have been content finishing the tour after 90-120 minutes at Chelsea Market.  I also thought our tour guide was just eh…he spent a lot of time talking about himself, all the volunteering he does at “society & celebrity” type events in NYC and how that has turned into him getting free tickets to things and meeting celebrities etc.  I didn’t really care abou that to be honest!  I wish he had just focused on the tour at hand.  There are a lot of tour guides, so I’d be interested to see others take on this tour. 

A big T.H.A.N.K.S. to Tim and Christine for joining me for a foodie/NYC adventure!  We had so much fun and I am looking forward to enjoying other foodie adventures in NYC!

Post in Comments:

Which vendor in Chelsea Market is your favorite?

 

Monday Bookworms: One False Move February 15, 2010

Filed under: Book Reviews, Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 10:22 pm
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One False Move, by Harlan Coben

383 pages, @1998

Ahhh…comfort reading!  I really needed to head back to my “reading roots” and pick up a fun novel.  I’m a mystery lover since I was a wee little girl and I was craving a good fun mystery.  I started Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series a couple of years ago so I decided to pick up One False Move, the 5th novel in the series.  I was not disappointed.

One False Move is essentially the story of the Slaughter Family.  Brenda Slaughter is 25 and the star player in the new WNBA league (although they call ist something else in the book).  Her mother disappeared when she was just 5 years old and her father has recently disappeared.  Norm Zuckerman, the head of a clothing company that Brenda endorses, brings in Myron Bolitar to be her sports agent and hopes that in the meantime he’ll use his investigative skills to solve the mysteries in Brenda’s family.  Enter Myron and his sidekick Win to the rescue.

I have to say that while I figured out one part of the mystery I did not figure out the “who-done-it” portion of the mystery.  This was definitely the best book in the Myron Bolitar series.  I really enjoyed it and devoured it in a day.  I have already requested the 6th book from the library but I’m 9th on the list of holds, so I guess it’ll be awhile before Mr. Bolitar and I are reunited.  If you are looking for a “classic” mystery novel I would definitely recommend Harlan Coben.  I enjoy his books, they make me want to turn the page and turn the page until I’m done. 

4 Stars

Post in Comments:

What are your “reading roots” or your ”comfort genre”?

 

Monday Bookworms: Graceland February 10, 2010

Filed under: Book Reviews, Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 2:39 pm
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Graceland, Chris Abani

321 pages, @2005

Graceland, was my friend Shion’s, book group pick for the month of February.  We had actually seen Mr. Abani speak at the event we attended a couple of years back honoring the 50th Anniversary of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.  Of course, it is always exciting when you get to read a book by someone who you’ve seen speak.

Graceland follows the story of Elvis Oke in a coming-of-age tail that takes place in Lagos, Nigeria.  Elvis, likes to dance and imitate his namesake, Elvis Presley (although that doesn’t play as centrally into the book as you might be lead to believe by the back cover and other reviews).  The book goes back and froth between two different time periods, Elvis’ life as an child, innocent to what was going on around him, and Elvis’ life as a teenager in the Lagos ghetto where he lives with his disapproving father.  The book does a good job of showing how an innocent child with so much potential put in all the wrong circumstances with the wrong parenting can end up making decisions that take him down a road no one should be traveling on.

Overall, I was fascinated by the story of Elvis Oke.  Africa is not a region of the world that I read much about in the fiction or non-fiction reading that I do.  This is one of the reasons I love book group, because it forces me sometimes to leave my “reading comfort zone” and tackle a subject I’m less familiar or comfortable with.  This book certainly accomplished that. 

I found that some of the vehicles Abani used to put the story together didn’t achieve in my mind what they were meant to.  At the end of every chapter there was one page dedicated to a recipe from Elvis’ mother’s journal, mostly featuring yams, or the description of a root, where to find it, what it looked like, and what it’s healing powers were.  I found these pages ultimately distracting.  I’m not going to cook any of the recipes and I am certainly not going to go root hunting.  I found that when I wanted to continue on with Elvis’ story I was forced to stop and read a page that I felt added nothing to the book.  This grew frustrating as I delved deeper and deeper into the novel.  In addition, at the start of each chapter there was a little history of the kola nut ceremony, a coming of age ceremony for men in certain African tribes.  I wish rather than including a sentence or two at the top of each chapter that the entire ceremony had been cited and explained all at once.  Reading about it in bits and pieces made it less powerful in my opinion because I couldn’t put it all together.  I’m sure there was a purpose to this but I couldn’t see it.

The story itself is powerful and I’m glad I read it.  Overall I would give this novel 3 stars.

Post in Comments:

What is your favorite novel that takes place in Africa?

 

Entertainment Thursday: Up in the Air February 5, 2010

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized — readerbean @ 4:56 pm
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That’s right, you guessed it, Oscar cramming continues!  Last weekend, we went to go see Up in the Air, one of the Oscar nominated pictures.  I had very low expectations for this, I wasn’t particularly interested in it by the previews, and I don’t know too many people who have seen it who were pumping it up for me.  I have to say I was kind of blown away.  Don’t you love that, when you walk in to a theater, not sure of what to expect, and you leave pleasantly surprised with your experience.

George Clooney, plays Ryan Bingham, a high level executive at a firm that is brought in to struggling companies to lay off their employees.  He travels 300+ days out of the year, and prides himself on his travel efficiency.  Early on in the film two things happen, he begins a flirty relationship with Alex, a woman who travels almost as much as he does.  They connect as they compare their “travel cards”.  In addition, Natalie Keener, an upcoming 20-something just out of college, has joined Ryan’s firm and she has big ideas as to how they can save money on overhead by conducting their business via video conferencing.  Ryan’s life is simultaneously turned upside down as he finds himself in a relationship (with Alex) that he enjoys so much he considers possibly giving up his non-commital bachelor ways and at the same time his lifestyle (which defines him) is being threatened.

To be honest, I thought this was George Clooney’s most poignant film yet.  It touched on a lot of issues:

1) – Being laid off and how helpless that feels in many instances.  You watch these testimonials of people who are upset, depressed, not-understanding, of what is going on as they get laid off.  Thinking of all of the American’s who have gone through this in the past year, made it sometimes hard to watch.

2) – Technological Connections vs. Personal Connections.  I felt this movie really delved into a lot of the generational issues that are arising as technology moves at such a fast pace changing the way that people forge or maintain relationships.  Ryan is so non-commital, constantly on the move, doesn’t really have a home, has no real relationshp with his family, and is not in a committed relationship with a woman; yet the thing that he fights for most in his job is this need to be there for these people as he fires them.  He feels that the connection they make with the employees as they let them go is really important and isn’t something that can be done via video conferencing.  It kind of goes against everything he is to his core.  In his personal life he doesn’t have a lot of personal connections, yet in his job, he feels that that the personal connections he forges are what make him so good at what he does.

I found this particular thread really interesting, as it really stood out to me how my generation and even those after me use technology (twitter, blogs, facebook, email, text messaging, instant messaging) to keep in touch and forge personal connections.  Are we losing those personal connections that the generations before us had?  If so, how then is community defined?  Are we all moving communities to an online, virtual world instead of sitting out on stoops and swapping stories in person or are we balancing those two worlds and combinging them in a positive way?  This is something I find very interesting.  Anyway, this is feeling like a tangent….back to the movie now.

3 – Generational Aspects.  This kind of ties into what I was getting at with my 2nd point, but taking it even further, I thought it was really interesting in this one particular scene where 20-something Natalie is talking to 30 or 40-something Alex & Ryan about love and relationships and just how different the perspective is at 23 vs. say 42. 

All in all I thought this was a very subtle, deftly crafted movie that tackles some very large issues in very subtle ways.  They built the story with just the right momentum that it never felt forced or cheesy but rather just right.  It was also very real, no nice tied up ending leaving everyone feeling happy, it was tough to swallow.  I’m one of those people who wants things to be tied up nicely in movies usually, maybe it’s because we know that in real life, that’s unrealistic and we all just want a little hope.  However, it was refreshing to see these characters, that became real people, have to deal with the realistic ways of the world just like everyone else. 

George Clooney was stellar as Ryan Bingham, but Anna Kendrick really stole the show.  In my opinion, it was a breakout performance for her.

I don’t think it’s a movie you need to rush out and see in the theaters, but rent it one day, with no expectations (and no need for a pick me up, becuase this movie certainly won’t provide you that) you might find that you too are pleasantly surprised.

4 1/2 stars

Post in Comments:

What were your thoughts on Up in the Air?  What is your favorite George Clooney movie?

 

Entertainment Thursday: UP February 5, 2010

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays, Movie Reviews — readerbean @ 4:18 pm
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As you all know, the Oscars are coming up on Sunday, March 7th.  This is what I call “cram” time.  It’s a chance to cram in all of the movies you haven’t already seen that are up for any kind of Oscar nomination (best picture, best actor, best director, you get the drift).  While I can’t obviously see them all, I can certainly try!

This past weekend we rented UP from Netflix.  This movie didn’t really appeal to me when I saw previews for it originally (I didn’t really understand what it was about).  However, after hearing numerous people rave about it and then watching it receive accolades at the Golden Globe and an Oscar nod in the best picture category, it became a must see.

Up is the story of Carl Fredericksen.  It starts out with him as a shy child, his adoration for the explorer Charles F. Muntz and how he in turn befriends Ellie, another neighborhood child and admirer of Charles F. Muntz.  Ellie shows Carl her “Adventure Book” and tells him that eventually she’s going to go to South America where Charles F. Muntz has explored and she’s going to have all kinds of adventures while there.  The first 30 minutes of this film had me smiling, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, my heart broke and I cried.  Thank god I was watching this in the comfort of my own living room.  I don’t want to give it all away through.

Eventually as an elderly gentleman Carl is approached by a Wilderness boy Russell who needs his last Wilderness Boy Badge in assisting the elderly.  His home sits on a plot of land that developers desparately want and so Carl transforms his house into a hot air balloon with the intention of going to South America, where Charles F. Muntz explored.  Russell accidentally ends up on board for the journey and when they get to South America Carl is torn between doing what he knows is right and finishing the “mission” he had originally set out for.  Russell and Carl form an unlikely friendship.

Like all Pixar/Disney movies, this animated film, has an underlying “moral to the story” for kids to take away.  However, I really felt this animated movie was more geared towards adults, in the sense that there was more for an adult to take away from this film than a child.  For example, love is a powerful thing, and life isn’t about accomplishing all of your dreams and checking things off your list, it’s OK if somethings go undone.  What’s more important is that if you are fortunate enough to have a partner to share your life with you enjoy the time you have together and instead of regreting or thinking what you could have done you realize that all the little things (holding hands, laughing together, date nights, etc) really are pretty beautiful and special so make time for them.  

In addition, getting caught up in what was, to the point where you cannot live in the present isn’t healthy.  Sometimes you have to let go of what you want the most in order to do the right thing for others, even if it means that you have to sacrifice what you wanted.  This is a hard lesson for adults to learn just as much as kids.

I thought this movie was precious and sweet and I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  I didn’t think the middle was nearly as good as the beginning or the end for that matter, but overall the first 30 minutes really sold the story for me, so it didn’t matter after that.  I would definitely recommend this as a short, sweet movie, that most will probably enjoy!

4 Stars

Post in Comments:

What did you think of UP?  What’s your favorite animated movie?

 

Foodie Wednesday: Salmon Baked in Foil & Broccoli and Green Beans February 3, 2010

Filed under: Foodie Wednesday, Giada, Recipes — readerbean @ 11:24 pm
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Hey Bloggies.  Well this week I have not one but two Giada recipes and these I can share with you because they are on line!  After all of the heavy holiday eating (and ahem…drinking), I was thinking I would whip up something really light.  (Sidenote:  I made this dish January 8th).  I obviously turned to Everyday Italian, the cookbook I am working my way through.  I decided to make Salmon Baked in Foil and as a side Broccoli and Green Beans.  This meal was seriously delicious!

Salmon Baked in Foil (from Giada’s Cookbook Everyday Italian)

Ingredients

3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

2 shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 teaspoon dried

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 salmon fillets (about 5 ounces each)

I halved this recipe, making salmon for just 2 instead of 4.  In addition, I cheated all the way and used the can diced tomatoes and the dried herbs, just trying to be economical folks.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

In the center of each of four large sheets of aluminum foil, spoon 1/2 teaspoon of oil.  Place 1 salmon fillet atop each sheet of foil and turn to coat with the oil.  Sprinkle the salmon fillets with the remaining 1 /2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon.  Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely, and seal the packets closed.  Place the foil packets on a large, heavy baking sheet.  (The salmon packets can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead.  Refrigerate until ready to bake.)

Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes.  Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.  (You may want to unwrap and plate the fish in the kitchen before serving.)

Broccoli and Green Beans (from Giada’s cookbook Everyday Italian)

Ingredients

Salt

8 cups of broccoli florets (about 2 pounds including the stems)

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste (I left this out)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the broccoli and cook just until the color brightens, about 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a large bowl of ice water to cool completely.  Drain teh broccoli and set aside. 

Cook the green beans in the same pot of boiling salted water just until the color brightens, about 4 mintues.  Drain, then add the green beans to another large bowl of ice water to cool completely.  (The vegetables can be prepared up to this point 8 hours ahead.  Dry thoroughly and refrigerate in a resealable plastic bag.)

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.  When almost smoking, add the garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes, and saute just until fragrant and the garlic is pale golden, about 45 seconds.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic from the oil and discard (do not overcook the garlic as it will impart a very bitter taste to the dish).  Add the broccoli, green beans, and 1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and black pepper to the oil, and saute until the vegetables are heated through and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Season with more red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper to taste.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve immediately.

My take on the meal

Overall this meal was delicious.  The salmon was especially A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  Tender, flavorful, so tasty.  The vegetables were very good as well, but I felt it was a lot of work for broccoli and green beans.  I have a couple of other recipes that I use that are much simpler and I’ll probably stick to those!  They complimented the salmon well though.

Post in comments:

What’s your favorite salmon recipe?  Or flavor profile?

 

Tuesday Travels: Travel Websites February 3, 2010

Filed under: NYC Experiences, Tuesday Travels — readerbean @ 12:02 pm
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Hi All, so once again Jon and I haven’t really gotten out to do anything fun and new in NYC and I don’t think it’ll happen this weekend as we have a crazy jam packed weekend ahead.  So I thought I would take this post and share with you some of the travel blogs that I follow on a regular basis.

The US/World

Intelligent Travel Blog – This is National Geographic’s travel blog.  There is a good variety of information on here.  Sometimes it’s just tidbits of information for a specific city or region, sometimes it’s an extensive review on a travel destination, sometimes it’s updated blogs following someone during their travel.  I like that it’s in all different mediums.  The mixture keeps me interested and coming back.  I’ve definitely learned about some great travel destinations through this website, if only there were enough time (and more importantly money) to go to all of them!

My Kugelhopf – This site has the most amazing photos!  The author, Kerrin, is a New Yorker who lives in Switzerland.  She writes about her travels, the food from the areas she visits (most specifically the sweets – YUM) and shares recipes of what she sometimes tries to recreate.  I love reading about her trips and her culinary exploits, but seriously I L.O.V.E. her photos!!!  They are so beautiful.

Spot Cool Stuff: Travel – This website is exactly what it sounds like, it features the unusual that you might stumble upon in your travels.  Unusual places to travel, stay, eat, etc.  I don’t know that I would necessarily go to any of these places, but it’s always interesting to see what they’re stumbling over.

The Lost Girls - This website started when 4 New Yorkers decided to take a trip around the world.  They have since returned from said trip, but now they have people all over who write blogposts about where they are, what they’re doing, how they’re traveling, etc.  It’s fun to read about all these woman having these amazing traveling experiences with friends or on their own.

New York City

Newyorkology – is that even a word?  This site is the 411 on anything and everything going on in NYC.  From the usual New York happenings, to uncovering some of the hidden gems this city has to explore.  They are especially great to follow on twitter because they keep me up to date on everything and anything going on in NYC.  If you live in the city or are just visiting this is a great place to go for any and all information.

Walking Off the Big Apple –  Jon and I love walking around NYC and have done a couple of walking tours of different neighborhoods that we’ve gotten from one of our guide books.  If you are looking for fun and innovative walking tours (think themed after your favorite novels) Walking Off the Big Apple is the place to be reading.  The author, Teri, puts together such fun tours that range in distance and explore all sorts of fun building, spaces and time periods.  I’m hoping that Jon and I can do a couple of these ourselves this year.

Post in Comments:

What travel blogs do you read?  I’m always looking for good suggestions!

 

Monday Bookworms: Postcards February 1, 2010

Filed under: Book Reviews, Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 10:53 pm
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Postcards, by Annie Proulx

309 pages, @1992

I was interested to read Annie Proulx as she is the author who penned Brokeback Mountain.  Postcards is the story of the Blood Family (that’s right, you read that right, their last name is Blood).  They are farmers in New England and have to confront all the forms of technology that are coming to be in the 20th Century, changing everything about the town they live in, the farm they run, and just life in general.  At the beginning of the book the reader learns that their oldest son Loyal, has killed his girlfriend and buried her on the farm.  He leaves that night for the open road telling his family that he and his girlfriend are going to forge their own success out in the American west.  The rest of the book chronicles the rise and fall of the entire Blood family and their farm.  Each chapter begins with a postcard, sometimes they are from Loyal to his family, other times they are messages pertaining to something coming up in the chapter or not. 

I have to say that I didn’t really like this book.  I felt it was very scattered.  Some authors can pull of that scattered feeling by eventually pulling all the information together in a coherent story, but I didn’t feel that Proulx achieved that.  I also didn’t like the postcards, which essentially provided Proulx with the title of her book, obviously she factors them as a strong vehicle to get her story across.  I found them so annoying.  Some were handwritten, some were typed, some pertained to the chapter that followed the postcard, and some never pertained really to anything in the story at all.  They drove my crazy!  My other big beef with this book was on the back, in the description, it says: “Yearning for love, yet forced by circumstance to be always alone, Loyal comes to symbolize the alienation and frustration behind the American dream.”  I didn’t agree with this statement at all.  Loyal left the farm and lifestyle that he loved (not just loved but lived and breathed for) because he killed his girlfriend and he had to run otherwise that piece of information was going to be found out and his life ruined.  I would not classify him as someone that was out in the world looking to achieve the American dream, he was a murderer, forced into alienation and frustration in a life on the road by the circumstance he put himself in. 

I didn’t find Loyal to be a particularly likeable character, he wasn’t someone that I connected with and was rooting for throughout the novel.  It was more,what random thing is Loyal doing now.  I don’t know maybe I missed the point of the story…but this book just didn’t do it for me, it was utterly depressing, dark and gritty.  I kept wondering what the editor wondered when he/she first read this book.  What did they see in it, that they said, this is going to be great?  I can’t say that I would be interested in picking up Proulx again anytime in the near future. 

Post in Comments:

Have you read Proulx?  Do you like her writing style?  If you’ve read this book, I’d be curious as to what you though made it a stand out novel?