Oh Mondays...

Friday read... Never read this classic before. I watched the BBC 1984 version with Timothy Dalton this past week and I fell in love with the story. I tried watching the 2011 movie version but it hasnt grown on me. I just finished Ender's Game (book group pick) so I put forth to twitter to pick my next read: Jane Eyre or the Handmaid's Tale. Jane Eyre won by a landslide :)

A New Look!

A new look will soon be coming to Confessions of a Librarian in Training...

STAY TUNED!

The Accidental Feminist

The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice by M.G. Lord

4 out of 5 stars

214 pages

Pub. Date:  January 31, 2012 – Walker & Company

   I have always been a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor. I love her movies, her jewelry, her life, and her passion. When I was in high school I wrote a paper on her life and loves. I own several biographies of hers. So when I was recently checking the bookdrop, I stumbled upon a new biography of Ms. Taylor by M.G. Lord. The title, The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice, intrigued me so I checked it out and moved it up to the top of my TBR pile.

   After reading the Accidental Feminist, I realized that basically Lord had written, what felt like in my opinion, a thesis on the movie portrayals of Elizabeth Taylor and how those characters possessed feminist characteristics. She would sprinkle in tidbits of Taylor’s infamous life, but mostly the book was a critique of her movie roles. The book caters to those who are already familiar with Taylor’s life. 

   I wish Lord would have included more of Taylor’s later philanthropic works with AIDS foundations. She does include some information about this period in Taylor’s life but the book drops off for the most part after Taylor’s movie roles slow down. I would recommend this book to other fans of Taylor’s who aren’t looking for a new biography, but more of a feminist critique of her work during specific time periods.

A duck? Thats clearly a sea horse

Are the pages suppose to be falling out.... ?

Just a little binding problem...

Friends find of the day :)

Charge

HAHAHA, I love the notes I get over the weekend. It makes Monday's quite entertaining

Book Giveaway!

 So I totally forgot about this book. I had been meaning to use it for a Giveaway but it just got pushed under some things on my desk. Well no more! I am giving away an ARC of Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Pie by Beth M. Howard. Check out her awesome blog.
Here is a little bit more about the book from Goodreads,

"You will find my story is a lot like pie, a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It's bitter. It's messy. It's got some sweetness, too. Sometimes the ingredients get added in the wrong order, but it has substance, it will warm your insides, and even though it isn't perfect, it still turns out okay in the end."

When journalist Beth M. Howard's young husband dies suddenly, she packs up the RV he left behind and hits the American highways. At every stop along the way—whether filming a documentary or handing out free slices on the streets of Los Angeles—Beth uses pie as a way to find purpose. Howard eventually returns to her Iowa roots and creates the perfect synergy between two of America's greatest icons—pie and the American Gothic House, the little farmhouse immortalized in Grant Wood's famous painting, where she now lives and runs the Pitchfork Pie Stand.

Making Piece powerfully shows how one courageous woman triumphs over tragedy. This beautifully written memoir is, ultimately, about hope. It's about the journey of healing and recovery, of facing fears, finding meaning in life again, and moving forward with purpose and, eventually, joy. It's about the nourishment of the heart and soul that comes from the simple act of giving to others, like baking a homemade pie and sharing it with someone whose pain is even greater than your own. And it tells of the role of fate, second chances and the strength found in community"

Remember this is an Advanced Reader Copy. 

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor (can't help it!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Little Dog Lost

4.5 out of 5 stars
Little Dog Lost by Mônica Carnesi

Pub. Date - January 5, 2012

32 pages -  Nancy Paulsen Books

In January 2010, the world watched as a lone dog was rescued from a piece of ice floating on the Vistula River near Grudziadz, Poland. This poor mutt had been stranded for days and no one could figure out how he got there. It took several days to rescue him. Firefighters tried, but they could not get close enough to save him. The dog fell into the water several times and ended up drifting 15 miles off shore into the Baltic Sea. Finally he was saved by the crew of the scientific research vessel R/V Baltica, who adopted the brave dog and named him Baltic.

This little dog’s brave story captured the hearts of millions. Mônica Carnesi,
 who is an artist and a librarian, was fascinated with the story. She immediately set to work on her very first picture book so she could keep Baltic’s amazing rescue story alive. Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic teaches children the endearing story of a dog that no one would give up on. Through sparse text and sweet illustrations, children not learn of Baltic’s daring rescue but the care he needed to recover after such an ordeal. It is always nice to see a picture book about a true story that has a happy ending. Children will love reading about Baltic’s amazing journey from floating on a piece of ice to capturing the hearts of the world.

Why I picked it up: I am a sucker for animal stories with happy endings.
Why I think kids will love it: Because kids are suckers for animal stories with happy endings.

Seriously, what's not to love about this book? You heart has to be made of ice if you don't feel for this little lost dog. 

Some people wanna know...

Why? Why? Why?

This was on my desk when I got to work today. So true :)

The Way

    Every once in a while you stumble upon a good movie that you just have to share. The Way is one of those movies. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an aging doctor who is comfortable in his structured and steady life. Suddenly Tom’s world is shattered with the death of his estranged son, Daniel. Daniel was embarking on the pilgrimage journey of El Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James, which crosses through Spain. Tom travels oversees to collect his son’s body, but in a moment decides to walk the El Camino for Daniel.

     Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, who also portrays Daniel, The Way focuses on the different reasons that many travelers make the trek each year.  Estevez does a great job portraying the locals who are famous for their generosity to the pilgrims. The entire movie is filmed in Spain and France and the actual scene of the walk were filmed on the Camino. Instead of focusing on the physical hardships, Estevez places his focus on the personal growth of the characters. On his trek, Tom meets an array of characters, all walking the Camino for extremely different reasons. Together, these travelers must learn not only to get along, but accept each other as they are…flaws and all.  As Tom spreads Daniel’s ashes along the Camino, he learns that it is not about the life you choose, but the life you live. This inspirational story will have you wishing that you were walking the Camino, but you might want to do a little more research before you jump in as quickly as Tom did. 

    Why I picked this movie up? I had a dear friend, Hope, walk the Camino last year and through her stories I imagined that I was there myself. So how could I not watch this movie? My only complaint is that Estevez did not focus on the physical hardships of making this trek. The characters did not seem tired at all. I really only heard the character of Tom complain once of sore feet. This is not realistic. Give me the blisters, the sores, and the exhaustion! 

    Other than that, this is a wonderful movie that reminds us to get out of the daily rut and do something wonderful. Maybe not walk the Camino, but do something to live your life.