Limbo for a Prize

TK Richardson is having a party to celebrate the upcoming release of her book, Return the Heart! And everyone is invited! I know, and it’s happy hour AND it’s Friday. AND for Americans it is a long weekend. AND there are prizes. AND I am doing the limbo over there! I know! You didn’t know I could limbo, did you? So go on, go check it out! You could win some writerly yummies. And if you aren’t a writer, they are still yummy.

See you there!

Why I Drink Water

While reading over my husband’s shoulder as he surfed the net this evening, I got a little freaked out.

And no, he wasn’t watching various versions of ‘Peanut Butter Jelly Time‘ or those crazy Finlanders singing YMCA in Finnish (and wearing really short shorts) or even laughing at photo bombers.

He was reading Men’s Health Magazine’s 20 Worst Drinks in America.

That’s right. 20 of the worst drinks in America. As in, more calories in one drink than the average person should consume in the WHOLE day. And more sugar than, well, I don’t know, but it’s enough to rot your teeth! And more fat than found in a DOZEN filled donuts. My stomach is turning just thinking of this stuff–and I’m not some whack job health nut. Yes, I prefer healthy food, but I can also (easily) find it within myself to enjoy a nice (small) ice cap from Tim Horton’s on a hot, hot day.

But can I just pause for a second and say, holy crap? And–What the heck are we doing to ourselves?

Worst Juice Impostor–sugar equivalent–7 bowls of Fruit Loops

Just. Completely. Horrifying.

Tell me what you think.

P.S. More drinks here.

Book Review: Push

Book Review: Push
By Sapphire

Written like an ongoing journal (without date entries), a girl from Harlem tells the story of her life. She is sixteen, expecting her second baby (by her father) and is barely literate. She’s in grade nine and has the mouth of a sailor. Her story starts out like it is being written by someone who has troubles with spelling and grammar (however, it isn’t difficult for the reader to decipher) and as the story progresses, so too, do the writing skills.

While this book deals with difficult topics (incest, poverty, racism, abuse–physical, sexual and emotional) there is something inspiring and freshly real about the main character that makes it not just an important story that may open your eyes, but also a compelling and entertaining story as well. Will she get to keep this baby? Will she graduate high school? Will she be able to get her own house? Will she be able to break the cycle of abuse? Will she get off Welfare? Will she ‘get away’ from her abusers? Will she be a good mother? So many questions and so many possible answers.

P.S. This book has also been made into a movie called ‘Precious.’

Shop Indie Bookstores

Book Review: Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved

Book Review: Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved
By Chris O’Dell with Katherine Ketcham

I’ve often wondered when reading memoirs… what do you leave in? What do you leave out? What might not be exciting to you, might be exciting to others. But how do you know? Where do you begin? Where do you end? How deep do you go? And how on earth do you choose?

Now, say you are someone like Chris O’Dell who worked with three of the major bands of the ’70s. You are touring with the big names and every day is something out of a movie for the average person. How on earth do you decide what to focus on?

O’Dell focuses on plenty in her memoir but keeps the action going and generally flows from one thing to the next with few holes left for the reader to leap over (or knowledge gaps to fall into). O’Dell begins with her first touch with fame–The Beatles and how she landed a job working in their company. From there, the whirlwind picks up speed as she meets more and more famous musicians, the drugs and alcohol get more serious, and the names just keep on getting bigger. (And maybe a few big names write you a few songs along the way as well.) Before long, O’Dell is best friends with several of the Beatles and their wives, is sleeping with Mick Jagger, on first name basis with Bob Dylan, and borrowing a place to crash from Eric Clapton. Yeah, a little bit like something out of a movie for someone like me! (I shook hands with Prince Charles–is that worth anything? Okay, not in this context, but I just wanted to bring it up.)

An interesting look into the lives of musicians (being on tour is a lot like I imagined! Okay, a little more hectic and crazy!), their wives, lives, and those that keep them all together. (In some cases, that would be Miss O’Dell, thank you very much.)

Shop Indie Bookstores

Favourite Week: The Smell of Rain

Smells. Some are great–like the smell of rain (and right after rain)–and some, not so much (I’m thinking feedlot and buckwheat honey (actually smells a lot like feedlot).

I think one of the reasons I like spring so much is that I get to experience that fresh rain smell fairly often. Plus, that new-grass green is pretty spectacular.

(I have to say, chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven also smell pretty darn divine.)

What’s your favourite smell?

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to the moms out there!