Reading in Paradise

Ok, so I'm not a mommy but because of work and our collective love for the Mommy-Blog world I've been finding myself perusing and enjoying a few here and there. The mommy-blog community is just so inviting and warm like yummy homemade chocolate chip cookies! (Mmmmm cookies). One of the mommy-blogs I subscribe to is An Island Life starring Kailani, a Hawaiian island mama of two girls, Girlie Girl and Baby Bug, who are cute as buttons!

I was curious to see what Kailani read in paradise and she was super sweet about doing an interview!

(Ahhh I wanna go to Hawaii!)

Right now Kailani is reading All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown. It's about a girl named Margaret who just lost the financial backing on her new magazine venture and is completely broke. Her friends, on the other hand, are very successful in their careers. She just found out that her father left her mother on the day his company's IPO went public and he became an instant millionaire. She still hasn't told anyone about her situation.

Kailani found out about the book while browsing through the Sony ebook site and found it on their best seller list.

The last book she read? Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger

Growing up she was really into the Judy Blume books. (Makes me want to pick up a Judy Blume book again!) Kailani says that she always felt kind of a loner growing up and felt like she could identify with the main characters.

Her favourite book/s as an adult? "Oh my, wear do I start?", she says. "I love everything by Sophie Kinsella, John Grisham, James Patterson, David Baldacci. I also loved Memoirs of a Geisha & The Devil Wears Prada. (She's read TDWP several times!) I'm a total shopper and love books that talk about fashion & couture. And if they're also shopping for these things, all the better!" When asked which author or character in a book she'd love to spend a day with she said that she'd love to hang out with Sophie Kinsella and follow her around while she goes shopping!


She also likes mystery-thriller type books where you're surprised at the way it ends.

When asked what genre of books she leans towards more she answers, "Mostly chick lit because they're easy to read through quickly and don't require much thought." Kailani is a flight attendant and is usually reading during her breaks at work so the easier the read the better. Work is when she usually finds herself reading for for pleasure.

I've been curious to see who's using ebooks and audiobooks. Kailani reviewed the Sony Digital Reader for her blog. Thoughts?
"I recently received a Sony Digital Reader to review and it's one of the best things I've ever gotten. It's compact and easy to carry in my purse or diaper bag. I find that I read a lot more now because of it. As for digital/computer download books, for some reason I don't care too much for them. I like sitting in a comfortable chair with a book or my reader."


As a mother of 2 young daughters Kailani still finds time to read for pleasure and says that if she's totally into a book, it doesn't matter what's going on around her but she's not gonna lie, she prefers more quiet than noise when reading. And of course, aside from reading her own books, Kailani reads with her two gals alot.

Girlie Girl has had a love for books from the time she was an infant and still reads every day. Baby Bug is too active to sit through an entire book but Kailani tries to read to her at least once a day. Books of choice? Picture books because it appeals to both daughters' age groups. The best time to read together is right before bedtime.

As for her daughter's favourites, Girlie Girl doesn't have a particular type of book that she likes. It's pretty much anything that catches her eye.

(Baby Bug reading in the backseat)

If Kailani could write a book of her own it would be something about traveling. Maybe a "How To Travel With Your Kids . . . Without The Stress."

I should tell her about Band On A Diaper Run, Kori of Mates of State's blog on Babble.com about touring with the kiddies. Have I mentioned lately how much i love Kori, Jason, and their Mags and June-bug?

(Thanks again to Kailani for the interview! You should check out her blog, An Island Life. My favourite part of her blog? Aloha Fridays! Stop by then to see what I mean.)

What book did you like to read at bedtime when you were a youngin'?

And parents, what book do your kids insist you read to them over and over at bedtime?

Ayn Rand Con Queso

After The Dark Knight on Saturday @ the Grove we dodged the current of people and passed the American Girl store towards the Fairfax Farmer's Market to gather victuals for movie #2 of the day at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Berries? Check. His (red) & Her (white) bottles of vino? Check/Check. Baguette and random cheeses? Checkity check. Time to bolt eastward! The Saturday movie? A Clockwork Orange. I must confess that I've never read the book nor watched the movie (knew about both, though) so this was definitely an experience! Once we staked out our grassy real estate (tight squeeze because of the popularity of the movie) I bump into Chante (picture an accent over the 'e'). First off let me say that I LOVED her hair. She had such cool blue dreads.

Chante is reading Few The New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Ayn Rand. Chante calls it "a best of" of Ayn Rand's works. "She's the grandmother of libertarian philosophy! She's pro-intellectual!" Chante is attracted to all this and then pointed out her Ron Paul flair on her backpack. (Picture looks weird and cut off because my blackberry froze in mid-process so yeah...)


The last book Chante read was called Lucid Dreaming (didn't catch the author...). It's an instructional self-help book of sorts, a "mental adventure", she tells me. Usually she reads alot of new-age books, books on UFO's, and the like.

Growing up Roald Dahl was her man! She also enjoyed reading books on the supernatural and still does.

Her favourite author is Jim Goad. Shit Magnet: One Man's Miraculous Ability to Absorb the World's Guilt is her absolute favourite book of his! (He also happens to be the same author who wrote Jim Goad's Gigantic Book of Sex.) "Jim Goad is really underground. He's just so fucked up and brilliant and honest." Her ex-boyfriend in Philly had introduced her to the book. May I say that I enjoyed the eye-rolling and "ugh" session that the mention of her ex-boyfriend warranted.



If she were to write a book it would be an autobiography. She wasn't sure what she would call it but she knows that one chapter will be entitled "Mushitee Cheese Job". If I remembered correctly she did spell it out for me just like that...play on "My Shitty Cheese Job", mayhaps? As it turns out Chante cuts cheese for a living. And yes, I giggled a bit everytime we said, "cutting cheese". She works at the Whole Foods in West Hollywood - the Whole Foods where I sometimes go just to watch people. If you are from LA and have been to this Whole Foods you know what I mean. I had to ask what her favourite cheese is -- 5 year Gouda.




What would one chapter in your autobiography be titled?

The Darkness

I had gotten a call at around 1-ish on Saturday to meet up at the Grove for a 3:20pm showing of The Dark Knight. I didn't think it was possible but by the power vested in online movie ticket purchasing I was able to score one! Being the conscious traveler that I am (and because we would be heading over to the Cemetery Screenings right afterwards - and who needs 2 cars) I opted to bus it. I gave myself an hour cushion so that I could arrive a bit early. But the mis-adventures-in-public-transportation-when-I'm-trying-to-make-it-on-time-to-a-movie just had to rear it's ugly head in...naturally. Despite faulty wheelchair ramps, buses ending their routes early, traffic, and missing the trailers and first scene, le mec's ol' blackberry-glow-turned-lighthouse-beacon led me to my saved seat.

Waiting and hoping that bus #3 wouldn't let me down like the first 2 I spot Pamela to my left on the bus bench. She's reading a book called Los Angeles Noir. (The picture on the cover is amazing - Griffith Observatory view = yumz). It's an anthology of noir short stories that take place in Los Angeles, edited by Denise Hamilton. I need to recommend this to my buddy, Daniel, since he's been dying to read more of it! Pamela loves the noir genre. She actually came across this book in the library and the title piqued her interest.




Pamela usually reads classic literature. Her favourite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I totally gave her the biggest smile at this moment because it is one of my favourites, too. Another fave of hers is the The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. She loves books that are dark and romantic, with a good touch of harsh reality.

The last book she read was Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma by Brad Warner (and exhale). Pamela describes it as a punk rock zen book and she loved it! A friend had recommended it to her.

Growing up Pamela read alot of Dickens and Poe. She was the 3rd grader who read at an adult level. Once she got ahold of an anthology of Poe's writings she was hooked! We were talking about book tastes as children and she says that she did try to explore other genres as she got older but she always seemed to come back home to her beloved Poe. And her tastes in books have still carried over and stayed fairly consistent since her early reading days.


Pamela writes her own stuff, as well, and was involved in music journalism once upon a time. When asked what kind of book she'd write she wasn't really sure. We talked a bit more once we got on the bus and got into this conversation about graphic novels. I think it stemmed from me admiring her tattoos and someone spiraled into graphic novels, mayhaps? She recommended a graphic novel based on Kafka's stories which I'm actually really interested in checking out now. All this talk about graphic novels got her to tell me that it is something she'd like to do one day. She's thought of storylines and written a bit here and there but is looking for an artist to collaborate with and bring the graphic novel to life. Maybe her tattoo artist could do it! Turns out that Pamela draws a bit and I encouraged her to take it up again - maybe the artist she is looking for is actually herself.


What is your favourite graphic novel (series)?

Has anyone heard of/read the collection of Kafka stories in graphic novel form? If so, who's it by? I gotta get my hands on it!

green LA girl reading

My seeester, Z, turned me on to the green LA girl blog a while back and it has become one of the top green blogs I peruse in my spare time. I have yet to run into her at green mixer events but a friend of mine did divulge that he met her at a green drinks event in Culver City last year. Jealous!

Last June Siel (green LA girl) set a goal for herself to read 30 Books in 30 Days, a goal that piqued my interest. This happened before I really got into her blog but I got in touch with her to ask her a bit about how it all went down along with asking her a bit about her reading habits. How awesome to set a goal like that but I feel like I already have so many books on my plate as it is. I am already in a book club (currently trying to finish Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, among other books, and over the weekend I helped birth the brain-child of a new book club that two chaps and myself would like to get started -- it will revolve around short stories and it will be nothing less than fabulouso! More deets to come...)

By the by...the green LA girl blog turned 3 on Saturday. Happy Anniversary!


- Last year you had the goal to read 30 books in 30 days! Could you explain a little bit on how you did this (pacing, tactics, etc.)

That goal was set and achieved without planning or methodology.... I like to set monthly goals, and that month, I decided to read 30 books -- and just did it. One tactic that helped: Reading short books. Another tactic: Not working a day job.


- If you could pick one book from the 30, which would you say was your favourite? Why?
Probably Barry Yourgrau's Wearing Dad's Head -- for its surreal humor and energy.


- As Green LA Girl, do you utilise e-book devices? If so, do you prefer reading books electronically or would rather opt for actual physical books?
I actually recently (long after this book a day challenge was over) got a Sony Reader -- but I have to say I don't use it very often. It has, however, become a useful way to read books in the public domain for free, thanks to Project Gutenberg and other sites.


- What are a few tips for being a green reader? Do you frequent libraries, buy used books more, borrow from friends?
I have many many tips, handily compiled in this green reading roundup post.


- As a green blogger do you find yourself reading more books related to green living?

Yes -- especially because many get sent to me for review.

- What book are you reading now? What is it about?

I'm reading John Wieners' Selected Poems 1958-1984 -- a book I picked up at Brand, a used bookstore in Glendale, just based on the fact that I like the press that published it (Black Sparrow).


I'm also in the middle of Seymour Garte's Where We Stand: A Surprising Look at the Real State of Our Planet -- a book that was sent to me for review that has sadly languished on my shelves for about a year....


- Do you have a favourite author?

I used to fixate on specific authors back when I was a teenager, sort of the same way I'd develop intense crushes on boys, but in general I just don't develop obsessions as I used to, on boys or authors. The authors whose oeuvres I'm most familiar with are Vladimir Nabakov and Rikki Ducornet, the former because when I was living in Brooklyn Heights this used bookstore had like all his books for a few bucks each, the latter because I wrote my dissertation on her work.


- What book do you often recommend to people?

Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You by William R. Miller and Ricardo F. Munoz, for somewhat obvious reasons. I found the book helpful -- and suddenly all my drinking buddies are seeking moderation in their lives.


- Name a great book you've read lately.

My Life in CIA by Harry Mathews


- What do you plan on reading next?

Not sure. Do you have a recommendation?


- Do you read multiple books at once?

Always.


- If you were to write a book, what would it be about and why?

I'm currently trying to revise my Nanowrimo novel. I think it'll end up being about the cleanliness of media (as in methods of communications, not necessarily broadcast news or the like) and the messiness of words.

Keepin' it real...magically real!

I don't usually do my laundry on a weeknight. Normally this chore occurs on weekends, preferably in the mornings before the laundromat becomes packed. But I've barely been home this weekend and when I was home all I wanted to do was "fraust" in my velour chairs. (**Note: "fraust" is a term that one of my Cocoa 4 besties and I made up in HS for when we were...being blobs...lounging blobs.)

Who woulda thunk that Lucy's Laudromat would be filled to the brim on a Monday night! After loading my clothes into the washer I crawl on top of one of the counters to get a lay of the land. Over the hedge, so to speak, I see Ben passing the time between spin cycles with his book The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz. It's a magical realism book about a Polish family during WWII and the strange occurences that go on in their neighbourhood. Ben has known about this book for about 20 years and is now finally reading it. He tells me that when one thinks of The Street of Crocodiles one will always associate it with Kafka.


It's a very strange book but he says he's big into "strange books". That and he prefers reading fiction. He doesn't like reading non-fiction at all! When asked why he tells me that it's simple because he forgets easily. Non-fiction is nothing but facts so why bother reading it if he is going to forget it all anyway. That is a pretty damn good reason and I ain't gonna argue with that.

The last book he read was The Poet Assassinated by Guillaume Apollinaire however he didn't like it because it didn't make sense to him.

Ben's favourite author is Philip K. Dick, a science fiction writer. The film Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford, was based on Dick's work Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Growing up he enjoyed the Roald Dahl books like James and the Giant Peach (one of my personal faves growing up, too), Danny the Champion of the World, and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.


What is your favourite Roald Dahl book?

Literature and butterflies are the two sweetest passions known to man

I often joke around with one of my good friends, Jason, that we are like star-crossed lovers. We've been friends since college then he moved to Palo Alto to attend Stanford Business school, and now we barely get to see each other! I rarely get to see him when he's home visiting the parentals, and when he's on "summer vacation" he usually travels to some random city or foreign country to work at some company or another. This summer we find Jason in Houston, Texas where he's working for...Chevron (I think?). Funny that one of my enviro buddies is working for an oil company!

G-Chat and Blackberry Messenger keep our friendship flame alive. And thank goodness for technology because now we get to share everything lickity split! Jason shaved his beard off? Snap a photo and voila - I see his mug! I want to show off my new haircut or cute dress? Snap a photo and voila - he mocks me for my shorter hair (he's one of those guys who's into long hair on girls).

One of the more recent photos he's sent me was of him reading a book in bed. Naturally I was compelled to corner him with questions. So I shot over a few questions for the blog via email and he was happy to oblige.

+++++++++++++++++++
- You're finally on "summer vacation" from school. Do you find that you make more time to read for pleasure now?

It depends what kind of summer vacation I'm on. I am able to read more on holidays (spring break, winter break, summer) as long as there is nothing else to consume my time.. for example, this summer I'm working so I have arguably less time to read than when I am at school. That being said, I'm in a new city with not many friends yet, so I have been reading a lot so far this summer. Once I build a larger friend base, I see my reading declining.

- What are you currently reading?

I'm currently in between books. The book I just finished this week was "Pale Fire" by Nabakov. It has two parts: a 1000 line poem, and a whole bunch of commentary to the poem, written by the poet's friend. The commentary is essentially the narrative of the book, sprinkled with a lot of colorful scattered tidbits throughout, through which the personality of both characters is elegantly portrayed. It touches on issues of death to butterflies, and is very darkly humorous.


- Was it a recommendation? How do you usually choose the book you are going to read?

The book I read before "Pale Fire" was "Lolita," written by Nabakov as well. I was heading on a trip to Costa Rica and wanted a lighter, fiction read that wouldn't be too confusing to read in bits, and I had wanted to read "Lolita" for a while. I almost bought "A Thousand Years of Solitude" but from what I hear it is incredibly dense and confusing, and would be difficult to read on vacation. One of my best friends Ryan kept telling me that "Pale Fire" is a great read, and I really liked "Lolita", so I thought I'd give it a shot.

- Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? What genre are you usually drawn to?
Definitely fiction. I like the prose and worlds that many of these authors are able to create. I tend to stick to the "classics", or what I consider the classics to be, sprinkled with a bunch of contemporary fiction.

- Do you have a favourite author? If so, who and why them?

I've probably read the most number of books by Vonnegut. They're easy reads and usually funny, but great political commentary as well. I know it's cheesy but I really like that his characters show up in most of his books... for some reason, that's intriguing to me.

- Do you have a favourite book/s?
In no particular order: Great Gatsby, Brave New World, Everything is Illuminated, Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, The Princess Bride

-What was your favourite book growing up?
I read the abridged version of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" growing up, and loved it immediately. It's just a great tale of adventure that allowed me to really immerse myself in his world.

-What book have you read multiple times?
A few: Robinson Crusoe, Great Gatsby, Fight Club, Brave New World

- What will you read next?
Not sure yet.. maybe another book by Nabakov, or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Chabon.



What is your favourite Nabakov book?

Let's trace it back

Biking home from work yesterday down Beverly Blvd, close to the Grove. Cruising by the Erowhon Natural Foods Market I see one of its employees on break. I back-pedal and find out that George is reading The Origins of the Modern World by Robert B. Marks. Looks very text-booky but he's reading it for fun. The book goes through the history between the 1500s to the 1990s but from a non-American point of view of history as a whole.


He was reading a novel yesterday but he left it at home and happened to have The Origins of the Modern World in his bag. The novel? Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. According to Wikipedia it is a "story of loss and sexuality". He loves Murakami!

George mostly reads novels. One of his favourite books is 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He's read it twice - once in English and another time in Spanish. Growing up he enjoyed reading Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

If he were to write a book it would be about the D-Day parachuters, namely the one who got lost/seperated from the troops, became AWOL, went to Paris, and fell in love with a girl. He'd love to write about their love story.


What are you reading on your work breaks?

What is your favourite era in history?

Fairness is a'brewin'

I received a few calls (and mobile photos) from my sister, Z, last night, whilst waiting for her flight at the Oakland airport. She is en route to Nicaragua to visit a few fair trade coffee co-ops. See, she works for the non-profit store Global Exchange in San Francisco. Yeah, that's her mug plastered on the store's home page.

To pass the time before her 1AM flight Z reads Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival by Daniel Jaffee. It's a book about fair trade coffee and the challenges that the movement is currently facing. The book specifically highlights fair trade coffee co-ops in Oaxaca, Mexico. Jaffee's book investigates the social economic and environmental benefits of fair trade coffee.


How fitting for her to read this book before and during her trip! Z was telling me about a certain chapter that piqued her interest. The chapter highlights "fair washing", a term similar to "green washing". It's a topic that my seester and I discuss every so often every time we come across articles. She brought up a point from the chapter about Starbucks and their involvement with the fair trade movement. Yes, they are a large corporation wanting to participate in fair trade practices but the text touches on how it's watered-down and done purely for profit and street cred.

Z got the book from the infamous Green Apple Bookstore in San Francisco. A co-worker of hers recommended this book because it just so happens that this same person had been to Nicaragua before for the same mission and read the book beforehand, as well.

"It's an exciting feeling to read about this topic and then get off a plane in a few hours to experience it all first hand!"

(this is Z sporting her new straw hat)

This is the first time my sister's read any fair trade books. She usually sticks to articles and they are mainly about fair trade crafts, her specialty. This book and trip will give her a nice change of pace and help her understand the fair trade coffee industry better.

What social/environmental/political issues have you been reading about lately?

Happy Cosmic Birthday!

Yellow. That's all I noticed as Matthew walked by my desk at work this morning. He had on this bright yellow shirt. I giggled and called him my sun. Then I find out that he's wearing in celebration of his cosmic birthday today! Cosmic birthday!? I'm intrigued because now I want my own cosmic birthday! Matthew explains that it's all mapped out in the Mayan calendar. He wasn't kidding when he told me a few weeks ago that he is passionate about it!

A week or so ago after lunch, I walk towards the kitchen to get my umpteenth glass of water of the day and notice Matthew in our game room at work. I lean in and say hello. No answer. I say it a little louder. Still no answer. Finally I flail my arms around to get his attention. He was so deep into his book that he didn't notice me. Matthew was reading The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology by Jose Arguelles. (Here Matthew asks me if I had ever thought about a post-technology world - because it is coming...)

It's his second time reading it. Matthew is rather excited, like his cup of knowledge and passion for the subject runneth over. I have him backtrack a bit and find out that he's really interested in astrology and stars. He really got into the study of the Mayan calendar about 7 years ago.


Jose Arguelles, author of the book, studies the Mayan calendar and from it he created his own calendar, using similar symbols and seals, called the "dream spell". The calendar's equation is "energy factored by time = art". Matthew explains that everything we do, all our actions, being in the NOW...all this creates art. That conversation we had...ART.

He brought it back to Jazz. See, Matthew is a trained musician (aside from being a social media buff) and studied Jazz and musical theater. "It's all about being in the moment especially with Jazz. You create music in that moment. You're in the now! You're creating as you go along! Nothing is structured." Hence his connection to the "dream spell" calendar and the Mayan calendar. There's harmony everywhere! The main idea of the "dream spell" is creating your destiny.

And then there's numbers and ratios and beats just like in music. Matthew points out how the different numbers in the Mayan calendar are so perfect, how everything is a variable of each other, and so on. Perfect fits. And same with our calendars and our measurement of time. 12 months. 24 hours. 60 minutes in an hour. 365 days. 360 days in the Mayan, I believe. 360 degrees. Menstrual cycles. Everything!

Then Matthew goes on to say how calendars are so important in life but how they trap us in consumption. Time should be a creative force, not a trap. We worry about bills and bills create waste and worry. All can be tied to, oh yes, Eckhart Tolle with the "living in the now" concept.

Matthew is also currently reading Time and the Technosphere: The Law of Time in Human Affairs by Jose Arguelles.


And yes, Matthew really does know how to sing. He totally "Beyonce'd" me in the car on our way back from lunch the other day.

Oh, and apparently MY cosmic birthday is in 20 days. Or is it on the 27th? One of those. I also checked out my "seals and symbols" and they look dirty! I loved how Matthew was showing them to me today and asking me what I thought they looked like.
"Um...that one looks like a basketball court. And that one looks...well...I'm not going to say it because I'm a lady but it looks inappropriate."

What have you "created" today?