Just Take a Look, It's in a Book... [A Reading Rainbow]

The ever vibrant Queen Gilda tagged me in a rare meme, and who am I to say no to such a lovely gal? It helps that I'm in the middle of several great books, so it's another chance to share those as well!

1. pick up nearest book
2. open to page 123
3. find the 5th sentence
4. post the next 3 sentences
5. tag 5 people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Ian McEwan's Atonement:
Briefly, he closed his eyes. A two-pint jug of custard was placed beside him, and he wondered if he had the strength to lift it.
"I'm sorry, Emily. But she has been quite over the top all day long."
(Admittedly, it's taken me a while to get in to Atonement, mostly because I was so disappointed with the film. However, the book takes care of my main problem with the film, which was I felt that I was missing out on a story. The film is so very pretty and very well shot, but I couldn't help feeling like I had been missing something. There was this feeling that there was a story I wasn't a part of, that I was missing out of it, and my suspicions were right! There is so much more depth to this novel than the film would make you believe.)



Molly Haskell's From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies:
(The offending passages are omitted from his collected reviews.) Actually, that John Ford film was one of her more appealling and forthright vehicles, her Lolita-ish. Generally, her fliratiousness with her daddy figures was outdone, in precociousness, only by the patronizing way in which she treated contemporaries.
(This particular chapter in on women in the 1930s, and this passage talks about Shirley Temple, who is "one of the great vessels of virgin worship in this period." While I am not far in this book, I recommend it if you have an interest in women's studies, film theory, or film history.)




Mineko Iwasaki's Geisha: A Life:
"My what?"
"Your period. You are menstruating. It's perfectly normal. Didn't you learn about this at school?"
"They told us something. But that was a long time ago."
(I picked this up when I spotted it at the bookstore; for a few years I have been interested in the art of geisha, and thought this would be a nice, more autobiographical rendition of the beauty of Memoirs of a Geisha. It has exceeded my expectations; I love the casual, unimposing writing style, her candor for details, and the sense of interest the book creates. While I'm only a quarter in to it, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about geisha.)



Tag Time! (I don't doubt you ladies have great books by your bedside)
♥ Miss Meg
♥ Chic & Charming
♥ (Into) The Fray
♥ Miss Kori
♥ & you! Please leave me comments with your books, their passages & prose.

Mischief-Managed Media Presents: "Sew U: Home Stretch" + Giveaway!

Long time readers may recall that I am an avid fan of Wendy Mullin's Sew U guide to sewing & patterns. In her first guide, Mullin created an exciting, engaging, and easy to understand guide to the basic principles of sewing. In a pinch, it's the first resource I turn to (even before my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing!).

Courtesy of the fantastic Hachette Book Group, I was notified of Mullin's newest publication: Sew U Home Stretch: The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics.

Like Mullin's earlier book, "Home Stretch" treats its readers as beginner seamsters/seamstresses, and once again breaks down sewing to its fundamental level, but this time with an emphasis on sewing knits. In her typical fashion, Mullin demystifies the process, reassuring the reader that the myths of sewing knit fabrics are irrelevant.


Happy Bits
<♥>No Presumptions Necessary: Mullin creates a piece that goes beyond being a guide for the most inexperienced seamstress. "Home Stretch" features a great guide in early chapters, which breaks down necessities based on your experience level, financial resources, and interest ("Getting By/Recommended/Pro"). Despite her recommendations, she caters the books to all levels as best she can.

<♥>Humor + Tips = A Fashionable Touch: More often than in "Sew U," Mullin interjects her personal sense of humor with fashionable anecdotes and words of wisdom. Quips like, "Using an interlock knit for a tank dress or miniskirt is a good idea, because the fabric will be a bit more forgiving and less clingy than a jersey, which tends to reveal every detail of the posterior region." are featured in every chapter. It's hard not to take away the wisdom while laughing about the honesty of it.

<♥>Basics for Beginners: Not only does Mullin go through the beginnings of how to shop for, select, and use knit fabrics, she covers the basics of more advanced sewing techniques like using and shopping for a Serger, pattern drafting, and more.

<♥>Let's Get Pattern Happy! Like in "Sew U," "Home Stretch" features three complimentary patterns in the back. But in the last half of the book, Mullin spends a substantially larger amount of time discussing those patterns, how to use them, and how to adapt them. She provides a large jumping off point and encourages the readers to get creative.

<♥>Increased Focus on Sustainability & Recycling: In addition to the chapter on recycling, early on Mullin says:

I want you to take the pile of old T-shirts you were planning to send to Goodwill and think, "Wait-- I can cut the neckline off this and sew it to another shirt and make an entirely new shirt!" I want you to look at your brother's old gym-class hoodie and envision a cute, cozy winter dress. I want you to turn sweaters in to scarves and legwarmers in to sleeves. This book is more than an instruction manual-- consider it a launching pad for your own creativity.

Now, the exciting bits...
I completely devoured this book in one evening, and now it's your turn to do the same...

Hachette Books was very gracious, and gave me two copies of "Home Stretch" to give away to readers of Dramatis Personae. I'm going to extend this offer over to readers of Miss Malaprop as well.

Just leave a comment on this post by Friday May 30th, indicating that you'd be interested in winning a copy. It's that easy. On June 1st, I'll announce the winners (nothing fancy this giveaway go around!) on my blog.

Mischief-Managed Media Presents: Martina Topley Bird

Recently I was contacted by Independiente regarding their artist, Martina Topley Bird and her single, "Poison."

I agreed to review the track, because my research in to Bird provided me with a new artist whose music I enjoyed and whose style I found fresh and vibrant.

Martina Topley Bird has a surprising track record of working with some of the music industry's most innovative mavericks: Tricky, the Gorillaz, Primus, and John Spencer Blues Explosion. She embarks on her most recent musical voyage with long-time friend, Danger Mouse. Her first release came out in 2003, and her upcoming album, "The Blue God," [May 2008) is a testament to the "contradictions of her past."

"Poison" is a catchy pop song combining surf rock and electronica to create a delightful and dance worthy song about the way that betrayal and love creates a poisonous after-effect. In "Poison," Bird's voice is sensual and raw, sticky sweet and gritty with the memories and burdens of the past. Like any good dance tracks, the song is filled with highs and lows, but each beat is guaranteed to keep you on your feet. What I love most about this song is it's versatility; I can say in all honesty that it's on several playlists on my iPod, that I've listened to it in the car, and while dancing around the house. The more I listen to it, the more I've come to really enjoy it.



Martina Topley Bird: "Poison [original track]"



Martina Topley Bird: "Poison" [Van She Remix]"