Any book recommendations?

After seeing Argo last week, I was inspired to reread the fantastic graphic novel Persepolis, which tells the story of the author's childhood in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Her neighbors' homes are bombed, and her relatives are imprisoned. Her father considers fleeing to America, but then asks his wife, "I can become a taxi driver and you a cleaning lady?" As she grows up, the girl's rebellious streak endangers her life. Her personal story is gripping, heartbreaking and surprisingly funny. I devoured it in three days, and now I'm really looking forward to reading the authors' other two books, Persepolis 2 (the sequel) and Embroideries (about her female relatives' sex lives!).

Have you read any good books recently? I'd love to get your recommendations...

P.S. Four other great graphic novels.

A little love note

So I've been sick as a dog this week—and am finally feeling better today, thank goodness. Alex was so sweet to come home early, put Toby to sleep, bring me Gatorade, make me a bland dinner (toast with said Gatorade) and lie in bed and read to me. The last time I was this sick (almost five years ago), he read me "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which was creepy and wonderful, but this year I couldn't find any short stories so he read from Bird by Bird. Thank you, Alex; I love you.

(The experience also taught me that it's really nice to read stories in bed. Do you have any favorite books of short stories? I'd LOVE to hear...)

P.S. Toby's reaction.

(Photo of our bedroom by Oh Darling Photography)

Motherhood Mondays: An ode to rituals

My friend Jenny Rosenstrach wrote the cookbook/memoir Dinner: A Love Story, and as I was reading it for the hundredth time in bed this weekend...Read More >

Have you ever fallen for someone's...bookcase?

Years ago, my sister invited her friend Paul over to her apartment. While she was in the kitchen making some snacks, he took a look at her bookcase. At that moment, he says, he knew he would fall in love with her. Her bookcase revealed all her passions—from Roald Dahl short stories and funny plays to mountain biking guides and How We Die. She had even tucked The Baby-Sitters Club next to a book on Linear Algebra.

Three years later, they were married.

It's funny how much your bookshelf can reveal about you. So I was PSYCHED to hear about the new book My Ideal Bookshelf, in which one hundred creative thinkers share their absolute favorite books. The book interviews writers (Michael Chabon, Mary Karr, Jonathan Lethem) and chefs (Alice Waters, David Chang) and Hollywood personalities (Judd Apatow, James Franco) and big thinkers (Malcolm Gladwell, Atul Gawande) and musicians (Patti Smith, Thurston Moore) about the particular books that made them who they are. My only small quibble is that I wish the people explained why they chose each book, but overall the collection is fantastic and makes you want to curl up under a blanket and read all day.
So now, of course, the big question is: What's on YOUR ideal bookshelf? Mine would include: The History of Love, Epilogue, Ghost World, Peter Pan, Private Lives, Operating Instructions, Sense and Sensibility, The BFG, Middlesex, the list goes on...

(Top photo of my sister and her husband by Max Wanger)

Better book titles

This hilarious website chooses more fitting titles for famous books. Made me laugh.

(Thanks, Colby)

Smitten Kitchen cookbook

Smitten Kitchen, the warm and wonderful food blog, just came out with a cookbook! Deb Perelman cooks fearlessly in her tiny kitchen in New York City and creates delicious and approachable recipes. (She's a firm believer that "there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes.") The book has 105 recipes (almost all are brand new), funny personal stories and a lay-flat binding so the cookbook will stay open on your kitchen counter.

Bravo, Deb! Cannot wait to get my hands on it. I have a feeling that it'll be one of those beloved cookbooks we'll not only use in the kitchen but also read in bed before falling asleep:)

P.S. Her lazy egg sandwich...

(Photos by Smitten Kitchen)

Fall Challenge #2: Memorize a poem (how'd you do?)

Last week, I suggested memorizing a poem, and you guys were so into it! I was thrilled. How did you do? Here's my recap....
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Fall Challenge #1: No TV for a week (how'd you do?)

Last Thursday, I wrote about doing weekly fall challenges (think: write a handwritten letter, go see a movie alone) and was psyched that you guys were up for it. So, the first challenge was to NOT watch TV for one week. How did you do? Here's our recap...
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Motherhood Mondays: Dinner table manners

Did you have dinner-table rules growing up? My parents had one super strict rule...
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Roald Dahl mugs

For all you superfans out there.

P.S. Stamps, and a letter from Roald Dahl.

(Thanks, Emily)

The Royal Tenenbaums

Criterion recently put together a slideshow of all the books and magazines in The Royal Tenenbaums. Just wish they made prints of these!

(Via Miss Moss)

Funny memoir

We chatted last week about books we love, and I forgot one of my favorites! Garlic and Sapphires is an incredibly entertaining memoir about Ruth Reichl's stint as the New York Times food critic. She would dress up in crazy costumes so restaurateurs wouldn't recognize her. Her costumes transformed her into an old lady, an English teacher from Michigan, a blonde divorcee from the South, a red-haired hippie...the list goes on. Her memoir is hilarious and compelling, and also has beautiful insights about food and relationships. Have you ever read it?

Flashback: I had the book on tape (which Ruth reads herself!)...and actually listened to it on a DISCMAN!

(Cartoon by Roz Chast, via NYCTaughtMe)

Motherhood Mondays: Flying Henry

Photographer Rachel Hulin saw her husband lifting up their baby Henry one day and wondered what it would look like if her husband were cropped out. The result? Henry appeared to be flying!

Hulin created a series of these adorable images, and now she's publishing a 40-page book, Flying Henry, in April 2013. How cute is that? (Wouldn't it be cool to write a story to go along with the photos?)

(Thanks, Scott)

Bill Murray coloring book

For cool kids (and grown-ups), this Bill Murray coloring book hit bookstores today. There are 24 different illustrations by artists that you get to color in. Ha, love that dude!

P.S. Remember this?

Any book recommendations?

Have you read any good books lately? I just finished mine, and I'm looking for something fun to read. Any ideas?! The other day I saw a little girl reading a Roald Dahl book in a cafe, and it made me nostalgic; maybe reading the BFG would be fun. I also loved The Glass Castle and Cooking for Mr. Latte, if you want a rec!

P.S. Another great book...

(Illustration by Peter Steiner for the New Yorker)

Subway reading

On her brilliant blog, photographer Ourit Ben-Haim takes photos of New Yorkers reading on the subway—everything from the Bible to Lolita to Star Wars. There's something vulnerable and intimate about these shots, don't you think? It feels like witnessing a private moment.

What are you reading this summer? I'd love to hear your recommendations... (I just started this book.)

P.S. This woman has a six-and-a-half-hour commute!

(Photos by Ourit Ben-Haim for her blog Underground New York Public Library. Via Shoko)

How to break a habit

In his new book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains that just by recognizing them, you can change your habits.

Personally, I have a nightly habit of a glass (or two) of wine. At first I was like, it's cool, it's European! But I've realized that as soon as Toby goes to bed—ding, that's my cue—I immediately expect that crisp glass of wine. Duhigg shows how to snap out of your routine (and this week, I've just had water).

Do you have a habit you want to break? Doesn't everyone?

(Via Swissmiss)

Motherhood Mondays: French Kids Eat Everything

When we were on on vacation last month, I read an eye-opening book that completely changed the way we feed Toby...
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The Best Chicken Cutlets You'll Ever Have (with Corn Flakes!)

Jenny Rosenstrach writes the fantastic food blog Dinner: A Love Story and has a brilliant cookbook memoir of the same name coming out next week (yay!). She and her husband Andy are passionate about nightly family dinners with their two daughters--and swear it's possible, if you keep things simple and fun. (Fun fact: Jenny has a diary listing every single dinner she's made since 1998!) Here, she reveals her secret family recipe for the best chicken cutlets ever...
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Mindy Kaling's new sitcom

Have you guys heard that Mindy Kaling will star in a new sitcom this fall? "The Mindy Project" is all about a quirky OB/GYN who's trying to figure out her messy dating life. As Salon points out, the premise sounds pretty typical, but Kaling is so awesome and funny (and Emmy-nominated) that the show sounds promising. Here's the trailer. Will you be watching the show?