From page to screen

Yet another one of the greatest books is being translated onto the big screen. The Lovely Bones, a story of a young girl who watches over her grieving family after being brutally raped and murdered, was one of my favorites. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the movie will quite do the book justice though, which is a bummer considering it’s being directed by Peter Jackson, the genius behind Lord of the Rings. The trailer isn’t available widely yet so I can’t embed it, but you can watch it here. What do you think? Will it be worth seeing?

Virtual bookshelf

Shelfari is the premier social network for people who love books. I love books and have yet to succumb to the depths of Twitter for fear of never returning, so I figure this is a good way to get my feet wet. And though the old saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” may ring true for some, that is absolutely not my policy. And with Shelfari, I can create a virtual shelf to admire all the covers of all the books I’ve read. The older I get, the more frequent the senior moments get, so if I can have a picture list rather than a text list of read books, I’m all about it!

So over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be building my shelf and eventually converting my list here to there. So if you are a visual person like me, head on over and check it out. Or come back in a couple weeks and check out my virtual shelf!

Going green on a dime.

Lazy and strapped for cash but still want to live a little greener? I know I do but continue to find that living green seems to cater only to the wealthy. Which doesn’t really make any sense if you think about it. But the new book, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget, by Josh Dorfman, shows you how you can easily (and affordably)have your designer jeans and your planet too. Not quite as good as cake, but I’ll take it!

One thing’s for sure, Josh is putting his money where his mouth is because The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and processed chlorine-free. And all energy used to print the book is offset by wind energy credits provided by Renewable Choice Energy.

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.

Named after the title of a Smiths song, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, the book by Andre Jordan, is a graphic memoir. Jordan says the book tells the story of my his painfully shy childhood, awkward teenage years, disastrous love life, depression, and therapy, finally ending with the optimism he now feels about his future. He says, “I would go to a shop. The girl in the shop would look at me in a ‘moody’ manner. She hates me, I would think to myself. I am a complete twat. I would then go home and draw a picture or write a poem that captured my complete humiliation.”

The drawings alone are enough to elicit a good belly laugh, whether out of hysteria at another’s misfortune or familiarity that you, too, once experienced these thing. Definitely a must read (or at least see) for 2009! Here are some sample pages from the book:

Mark the spot.

These quirky Fairytale Bookmarks are kinda like paperclips with feet, arms, and a tail. When you use them to mark your page, they’ll look like you squashed something between the pages. I do a TON of reading but never get around to actually using a bookmark. I think these would make me start.

The set includes five – two with feet, two with arms, and one with a tail. Available at the MoMA Store.

Happy 40th!

To commemorate the 40th birthday of one of the most beloved and longest-running children’s show in history, Street Gang was released earlier this year, which tells the complete history of Sesame Street. With the help of one of the show’s cofounders, Joan Ganz Cooney, Street Gang takes us through 5 decades of teaching  children not only their letters and numbers, but also cooperation and fair play, tolerance and self-respect, conflict resolution, and the importance of listening.

Sesame Street helped bring about social and cultural change and I can remember some of my earliest memories were of Sesame Street. Reading this book as an adult will bring about a whole new perspective and I can’t wait to add this to my library. Sesame Street was, and always will be, one of my favorite shows. Even if Big Bird was high…

Squeaky Green

A new book from the creative minds behind Method cleaning products is the ultimate guide to detoxing your home. Squeaky Green ($12) is filled with facts and helpful tips to keep your house sparkling clean, while removing the nasty toxic chemicals found in many common household cleaning agents. This book is an entertaining and informative room-by-room guide for giving dirty the boot!