Stephens collected inspirational, wise, and humorous quotes from a wide variety of women; here are my favorites...
"The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become." May Sarton
"Nobody's interested in sweetness and light." Hedda Hopper
"I don't have the time every day to put on makeup. I need that time to clean my rifle." Henriette Mantel
"I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond." Mae West
"I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body." Elayne Boosler
"Kiss my shapely big fat ass." K.T. Oslin
I'm no lady: I'm a member of Congress, and I'll proceed on that basis." Mary Norton
"I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both." Patricia Schroeder
"As a woman, I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else." Jeanette Rankin
"I think extreme heterosexuality is a perversion." Margaret Mead
"I learned that women were smart and capable, could live in community together without men, and in fact did not need men much." Anna Quindlen
"A girl can wait for the right man to come along but in the meantime that still doesn't mean she can't have a wonderful time with all the wrong ones." Cher
"The only jobs for which no man is qualified are human incubators and wet nurse. Likewise, the only job for which no woman is or can be qualified is sperm donor." Wilma Scott Heide
"In twenty years, I've never had a day when I didn't have to think about someone else's needs. And this means the writing has to be fitted around it." Alice Munro
"But oh, what a woman I should be if an able young man would consecrate his life to me as secretaries and technicians do to their men employers." Mable Ulrich
"I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn't last long." Shelley Winters
"No day is so bad it can't be fixed by a nap." Carrie Snow
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Fahrenheit 451, March read for Canon Book Group
Due to childcare issues, I wasn't able to attend the discussion for this book; unfortunately this was a meeting I really didn't want to miss because I wanted some feedback regarding readers' rights and how to combat book-hatred.
I believe I read this in high school well over 20+ years ago (long enough to have neither memory of how I felt nor what I thought of it), so this reading wasn't tainted by past opinion. I managed to get a copy of the 50th anniversary edition, which has 2 introductions and a forward; I always enjoy reading an authors' insights to their work, and I wish more authors currently publishing would include them. Reading bits about how Bradbury "fed on books," about being a passionate versus an intellectual writer, about how we don't have to literally burn books as long as we continue to "fill the world with nonreaders, nonlearners, nonknowers,"; well, these thoughts truly make me cling to my books and to my writing all the more happily, if desperately.
Unfortunately, I failed to create a quote-slip as I read this book. Finding my favorite passages would take another re-read, which I can't afford to do right now (aside from owing the library 2 bucks on the lateness of the book). That will have to wait for my own copy to find its way to me.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to think about their reading material (given that there are many books which don't require that sort of effort... not that I'm knocking their entertainment value--I read plenty of that sort myself), to those who are committed to having personal libraries, an to those who compulsively share and foster a love of books to the next generation.
I believe I read this in high school well over 20+ years ago (long enough to have neither memory of how I felt nor what I thought of it), so this reading wasn't tainted by past opinion. I managed to get a copy of the 50th anniversary edition, which has 2 introductions and a forward; I always enjoy reading an authors' insights to their work, and I wish more authors currently publishing would include them. Reading bits about how Bradbury "fed on books," about being a passionate versus an intellectual writer, about how we don't have to literally burn books as long as we continue to "fill the world with nonreaders, nonlearners, nonknowers,"; well, these thoughts truly make me cling to my books and to my writing all the more happily, if desperately.
Unfortunately, I failed to create a quote-slip as I read this book. Finding my favorite passages would take another re-read, which I can't afford to do right now (aside from owing the library 2 bucks on the lateness of the book). That will have to wait for my own copy to find its way to me.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to think about their reading material (given that there are many books which don't require that sort of effort... not that I'm knocking their entertainment value--I read plenty of that sort myself), to those who are committed to having personal libraries, an to those who compulsively share and foster a love of books to the next generation.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
(141st edition) Thursday Thirteen #8: 13 Songs I Have to Sing Along With
Unfortunately, I'm not doing a book-related one this week, but I really needed to get something up here... so, these are songs that I'm prone to sing along to whether listening to iTunes or to the radio. For now, only my son has to put up with actually listening to me, and I'll likely stop when there's no longer any joy in it for him.
1. West Texas Lullaby--Toni Price
2. Every Rose Has its Thorn--Poison
3. Take it to the Limit--Eagles
4. True Blue--Madonna
5. Grow Old with You--Adam Sandler
6. Blue--Leann Rimes
7. Since I Don’t Have You--Brian Setzer Orchestra
8. Rave On--Buddy Holly
9. It Doesn’t Matter Anymore--Linda Ronstadt
10. Lean On Me--Club Nouveau
11. For Baby (For Bobbie)--John Denver
12. La Bamba--Los Lobos
13. Bitch--Meredith Brooks
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Book Meme: Titles A-Z
The rules:
*Fill in each letter of the alphabet with a title of a book that you've read that begins with that letter (e.g. American Psycho for the letter A).
*Articles (a, an, the) don't count in alphabetizing, so skip to the first letter of the next word (i.e. A Thousand Splendid Suns would count for the letter T, The Great Gatsby would count for the letter G, and so on).
*Titles that start with or are entirely composed of numbers will be alphabetized by how they would be spelled when written out (i.e. 1984 would count as an N for Nineteen Eighty-Four).
*The letter X space will be special. The title will only have to include the letter X to count (i.e. Don Quixote). This isn't necessarily as easy as it sounds.
A - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
B - Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
C - The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
D - Death at Devil's Bridge by Robin Paige
E - Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson
F - Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith
G - Grimm’s Last Fairy Tale by Haydn Middleton
H - House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I - I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
J - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
K - The King is Dead by Sarah Shankman
L - The Last Wolf of Ireland by Elona Malterre
M - Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
N - The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
O - Orlando by Virginia Woolfe
P - Painted Truth by Lise McClendon
Q - Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
R - Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
S - The Strange Files of Fremont Jones
T - 12 Sharp by Janet Evanovich
U - Untamed Tongues by Autumn Stephens
V - The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
W - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
X - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Y - You On a Diet by Roizen/Oz
Z - Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb
If I had the energy at this point, I'd fancy it up with links to my reviews, but I will just have to settle for a simple list.
*Fill in each letter of the alphabet with a title of a book that you've read that begins with that letter (e.g. American Psycho for the letter A).
*Articles (a, an, the) don't count in alphabetizing, so skip to the first letter of the next word (i.e. A Thousand Splendid Suns would count for the letter T, The Great Gatsby would count for the letter G, and so on).
*Titles that start with or are entirely composed of numbers will be alphabetized by how they would be spelled when written out (i.e. 1984 would count as an N for Nineteen Eighty-Four).
*The letter X space will be special. The title will only have to include the letter X to count (i.e. Don Quixote). This isn't necessarily as easy as it sounds.
A - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
B - Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
C - The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
D - Death at Devil's Bridge by Robin Paige
E - Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson
F - Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith
G - Grimm’s Last Fairy Tale by Haydn Middleton
H - House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I - I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
J - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
K - The King is Dead by Sarah Shankman
L - The Last Wolf of Ireland by Elona Malterre
M - Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
N - The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
O - Orlando by Virginia Woolfe
P - Painted Truth by Lise McClendon
Q - Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
R - Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
S - The Strange Files of Fremont Jones
T - 12 Sharp by Janet Evanovich
U - Untamed Tongues by Autumn Stephens
V - The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
W - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
X - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Y - You On a Diet by Roizen/Oz
Z - Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb
If I had the energy at this point, I'd fancy it up with links to my reviews, but I will just have to settle for a simple list.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Once Upon a Time II
Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings has not disappointed his legions of blogging fans, and has challenged us again to explore the fantasy genre and to share our adventures with our readers.
It's been a year since I joined my first reading challenge (this one), and I'm now set up to begin Quest 3 (6 books total, read by the Summer Solstice). Here are the paths I've mapped out for the next 12 weeks:
Fairy Tale-- Grimm's Last Fairy Tale (Haydn Middleton) and
The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Bruno Bettelheim)
Folktale-- Folktales of the North American Indian [originally The Indian Fairy Book, published by Stokes]
Mythology-- Myths to Live By (Joseph Campbell)
Fantasy-- Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman)
and...
A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare)
I'll be using only the Bettelheim book to fulfill another challenge (Awards), and if I find that other books (in the fantasy genre, obviously) I come upon would be of interest to other questers, I'll add those links to the review site.
I'll start reading tomorrow (the official start of the journey), and will try and do a better job (than of late) of staying current with the reviews.
ETA: it's taken me a while to get here, but this is my 100th post! Yay me!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (Canon book group)
I’m sure we didn’t mean to do this, but our book group mananged to choose 2 in a row that dealt with upper-class culture. Not only did we read The Great Gatsby last month, but Catcher actually refers to it. The last time I read this book (mumbledy-something) years ago in high school, I found Holden to be quite the angst-monkey (although I’m sure I used some other term for it), and my opinion didn’t change this time around. At the time, I couldn’t dredge up much sympathy for someone whose family had the means for boarding school, not to mention leather suitcases. Holden’s heavy preoccupation with sex was also less-than-endearing.
Aside from the obvious changes in teenage slang, and the range of sexual behavior that more young people are doing (and at younger ages), and the falling age of when children lose their innocence (on one of many levels), the basic story and themes alienation and self-protection, growing-up pains, phony adults) still hold true for the youth of today.
There was one passage toward the end of the novel that I found noteworthy: “...educated and scholarly men, if they’re brilliant and creative to begin with--which, unfortunately is rarely the case--tend to leave infinitely more valuable records behind them than men do who are merely brilliant and creative. They tend to express themselves more clearly, and they usually have a passion for following their thoughts trough to the end.” [Holden’s former English teacher is trying to motivate Holden through the rest of his educational years]
This reminded me of the many self-help books (and some other non-fiction subjects) that are being published today--and they have readership--by people who are not necessarily experts in their field. Not to say that “home-grown” advice isn’t helpful, but I think that some authors put far too much credence in their claims.
[finished 2/17/08]
Aside from the obvious changes in teenage slang, and the range of sexual behavior that more young people are doing (and at younger ages), and the falling age of when children lose their innocence (on one of many levels), the basic story and themes alienation and self-protection, growing-up pains, phony adults) still hold true for the youth of today.
There was one passage toward the end of the novel that I found noteworthy: “...educated and scholarly men, if they’re brilliant and creative to begin with--which, unfortunately is rarely the case--tend to leave infinitely more valuable records behind them than men do who are merely brilliant and creative. They tend to express themselves more clearly, and they usually have a passion for following their thoughts trough to the end.” [Holden’s former English teacher is trying to motivate Holden through the rest of his educational years]
This reminded me of the many self-help books (and some other non-fiction subjects) that are being published today--and they have readership--by people who are not necessarily experts in their field. Not to say that “home-grown” advice isn’t helpful, but I think that some authors put far too much credence in their claims.
[finished 2/17/08]
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle (Canon book group)
I first read this book back in 1978 or9, when I’d received it for Christmas. When our Canon book group chose this for our December read (because who wants to read something too complicated during such a busy month?), I came to find that my original copy could not be found. There’s a slim chance that there’s a box of unpacked books hiding somewhere, but I knew I couldn’t count on that. So, I picked up a copy from my local library and took a few hours to read it.
I know that most people treat this as a purely science fiction work, but I found many elements of fantasy throughout: the 3 entities who come across very witch-like, Meg’s coming-of-age choice at the end, the “waking” of Meg’s father, and so on. Of course, the scientific and religious elements were very important, but it was the “fairy tale” that stood out for me (and don’t forget the romance between Meg and Calvin).
I’m pretty certain I didn’t pick up on this when I first read Wrinkle, but L’Engle certainly referenced quite a few notable authors within the story; I can’t help but wonder if she was purposefully introducing these to young readers before the current education system ruined Einstein, Shakespeare and Euclid for them. I do wish that the slang weren’t so outdated.
Noteworthy quotes:
“There hasn’t been anybody, anybody, in the world I could talk to. Sure, I could function on the same level as everybody else, I can hold myself down, but it isn’t me.”
“The only way to cope with something deadly serious is to try to treat it a little lightly.”
“... we can’t take credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.”
“There will no longer be so many pleasant things to look at if responsible people do not do something about the unpleasant ones.”
“You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.”
[finished 12/16/07]
I know that most people treat this as a purely science fiction work, but I found many elements of fantasy throughout: the 3 entities who come across very witch-like, Meg’s coming-of-age choice at the end, the “waking” of Meg’s father, and so on. Of course, the scientific and religious elements were very important, but it was the “fairy tale” that stood out for me (and don’t forget the romance between Meg and Calvin).
I’m pretty certain I didn’t pick up on this when I first read Wrinkle, but L’Engle certainly referenced quite a few notable authors within the story; I can’t help but wonder if she was purposefully introducing these to young readers before the current education system ruined Einstein, Shakespeare and Euclid for them. I do wish that the slang weren’t so outdated.
Noteworthy quotes:
“There hasn’t been anybody, anybody, in the world I could talk to. Sure, I could function on the same level as everybody else, I can hold myself down, but it isn’t me.”
“The only way to cope with something deadly serious is to try to treat it a little lightly.”
“... we can’t take credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.”
“There will no longer be so many pleasant things to look at if responsible people do not do something about the unpleasant ones.”
“You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you.”
[finished 12/16/07]
I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron (audio)
Ephron touches on several topics in this collection of essays: physical and mental aging, housing in New York, death, gourmet cooking, and JFK are a few. Her brand of humor is of the depressive sort, and some of the topics probably don’t garner much empathy from less-privleged[sp?] For example, she has to have her roots and highlights dome every 4 weeks? Oy, cry me a river, says I, who hasn’t had scissors nor hair color touch my locks for over 2 years now. These essays show a descriptive slice of life of the moderately rich-and-famous, so it’s perfect for those who like their celebrities intellectual.
As this was an audio “read,” I wasn’t able to jot down any worthy or especially funny quotes. Maybe when I’m old enough to better appreciate her angst, I’ll find a hard copy and give it a re-read. I suppose this book would also be good for those who can read it and feel grateful for not being in Ephron’s stage of life.
[finished 12/11/07]
As this was an audio “read,” I wasn’t able to jot down any worthy or especially funny quotes. Maybe when I’m old enough to better appreciate her angst, I’ll find a hard copy and give it a re-read. I suppose this book would also be good for those who can read it and feel grateful for not being in Ephron’s stage of life.
[finished 12/11/07]
February reading
Amazingly enough, I managed to finish 8 books, even though I slacked off terribly the last two weeks. I'm not going the thank the flu that waylaid me for several days (I'm not that forgiving), but all that reading was the best I could manage, productivity-wise. Of course, I haven't posted any reviews for any of these, I suppose I'll backdate them and try to get current somehow. If I think about it, I can edit this post, and link the reviews later. Here's the list:
9. Death at Devil's Bridge (Robin Paige) *counts toward Victorian series
10. Downsizing Your Home With Style () *Harper Collins review book
11. Gods of Fire and Thunder (Fred Saberhagen) *finishes Masks of the Gods series
12. 12 Sharp (Janet Evanovich) *counts toward Plum series
13. The Last Wolf of Ireland () audio
14. The Strange Files of Fremont Jones () *starts series and counts toward Award Winners Challenge
15. S is for Silence (Sue Grafton) *counts toward Millhone series
16. Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) Canon book group
I had been hoping to finish at least 2 other audiobooks, but they aren't crucial to any challenge or specific goal, so I don't feel badly about pushing those forward. In fact, one would have started a new series, which I really shouldn't be doing.
9. Death at Devil's Bridge (Robin Paige) *counts toward Victorian series
10. Downsizing Your Home With Style () *Harper Collins review book
11. Gods of Fire and Thunder (Fred Saberhagen) *finishes Masks of the Gods series
12. 12 Sharp (Janet Evanovich) *counts toward Plum series
13. The Last Wolf of Ireland () audio
14. The Strange Files of Fremont Jones () *starts series and counts toward Award Winners Challenge
15. S is for Silence (Sue Grafton) *counts toward Millhone series
16. Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) Canon book group
I had been hoping to finish at least 2 other audiobooks, but they aren't crucial to any challenge or specific goal, so I don't feel badly about pushing those forward. In fact, one would have started a new series, which I really shouldn't be doing.
Monday, February 4, 2008
January reading
In approximate order of date finished:
Murder on a Bad Hair Day (Anne George) *counts toward Southern Sisters series
Edge of the Sea (Rachel Carson)
You On a Diet *will not count toward 2008 total, as was started in '07 (Roizen/Oz)
Distant Blood (Jeff Abbott) *finishes the Jordan Poteet series
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Alexander McCall Smith) *goes toward Isabel Dalhousie series
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) *for Canon book group
A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley) *for Award Winners Challenge
Sweet Revenge (Diane Mott Davidson) *finishes Goldy/culinary series
The Mother Dance (Harriet Lerner)
I need to write reviews for all of these, plus do a lot of catching up on December's reviews (and months previous). This pregnancy has thus far been harder on me (I've been sicker and more tired), thus the break from creative output. Well, we could debate the "creative" descriptor... but I'm not up for it.
I'm currently working on the plan for this month, which includes getting a handle on what other books from past months (and in some cases, years) still need reviewing. I keep finding stacks and stashes of books I'd forgotten about, and the total of "catch-up reviews" is becoming overwhelming. I certainly never thought that I'd appreciate having less TV taken away from me (I am, of course, referring to the writer's strike), but I'm sure that it will make a big difference in adding more time (in theory, anyway) to chipping away at this huge project, and in culling those titles that I don't need to keep around here.
Murder on a Bad Hair Day (Anne George) *counts toward Southern Sisters series
Edge of the Sea (Rachel Carson)
You On a Diet *will not count toward 2008 total, as was started in '07 (Roizen/Oz)
Distant Blood (Jeff Abbott) *finishes the Jordan Poteet series
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Alexander McCall Smith) *goes toward Isabel Dalhousie series
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) *for Canon book group
A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley) *for Award Winners Challenge
Sweet Revenge (Diane Mott Davidson) *finishes Goldy/culinary series
The Mother Dance (Harriet Lerner)
I need to write reviews for all of these, plus do a lot of catching up on December's reviews (and months previous). This pregnancy has thus far been harder on me (I've been sicker and more tired), thus the break from creative output. Well, we could debate the "creative" descriptor... but I'm not up for it.
I'm currently working on the plan for this month, which includes getting a handle on what other books from past months (and in some cases, years) still need reviewing. I keep finding stacks and stashes of books I'd forgotten about, and the total of "catch-up reviews" is becoming overwhelming. I certainly never thought that I'd appreciate having less TV taken away from me (I am, of course, referring to the writer's strike), but I'm sure that it will make a big difference in adding more time (in theory, anyway) to chipping away at this huge project, and in culling those titles that I don't need to keep around here.
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