Wildwood, Part II

 

I know I recently discussed the book "Wildwood", but I just had to revisit it again. I AM ADDICTED. I knew I would enjoy the series, but I just flew through the second book "Under Wildwood" & I am hooked! I think I'd even say I loved it more than the first & now I'm stuck here twiddling my thumbs until the third book comes out on February 4th. Gah! I didn't expect to fly through the first two so quickly, but I guess the Wildwood Chronicles are just. that. GOOD.

I haven't been this immersed in a book since I discovered Jonathan Safran Foer & Nicole Krauss's lovely writing. I've been searching websites to find out if there are going to be any more books in the series after the next one is released. I've been looking for any information, really, & then I found out that IT'S GOING TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE! A stop-motion movie, to be exact, in the hands of Laika Animation Studio, creators of "Coraline". I couldn't find much information about the movie & its release date though. I guess it will just be another "Wildwood" thing for me to eagerly anticipate :]

Wildwood

I've been a huge fan of the band The Decemberists for over a decade now. The lead singer, Colin Meloy, writes the most beautiful lyrics and storylines into their music. I'm also in awe of Carson Ellis, his wife, who creates all of the band's merchandise and album artwork. So I was psyched when I first heard that my favorite husband/wife duo teamed up to create a book series! I first heard about it a couple years ago, but didn't get around to actually picking it up until a week ago. I'M LOVING IT. It's so imaginative and adventurous & Colin & Carson do such a fantastic job of inventing this fictional forest realm just outside of Portland. There are currently three books total in the series & I can't wait to get my hands on the others. So if you're looking for a good read, here it is :]

PS; Check out this awesome review of the book with many more illustrations!

 

here you go, Cheryl!

Hello, friends! Sorry I've been MIA, but the start to this school year has been a busy one! Our school's theme this year is "Anchored in Excellence" (hence the Sharpie tattoo) but it really should be "Anchored in Busyness". Not only have Burton & I been been teaching full-time, but we've also been working on downsizing & selling a lot of our stuff through craigslist & ebay. Oh yeah, & I've been going to night classes twice a week to become ESOL certified. Aaaaand we've also been working out (biking, crossfit, or yoga) whenever we have a moment & aren't too tired to do so ;] We're busy bumblebees! So I thought I'd give you just a mashup update of our lives lately:

I've never been a musical or coordinated person, but I've always wanted to know how to play "Fur Elise" on the piano. The music teacher at my school agreed to teach me, & I've been making a little bit of progress :]

Burton did the sweetest thing the other day! I tried on this dress at Anthropologie & fell. in. LOVE. It's seriously the most flattering thing I've ever worn. I looked HAWT in it. But then I looked at the price tag. So I didn't buy it, but I vowed to get it one day, when I'd be armed with a coupon or a steeper sale price. Then wouldn't you know it, I came home on Friday & my wonderful, thoughtful husband had it hanging, waiting for me! Husbands don't come any sweeter than him :]

 

I just finished reading "Damned" by Chuck Palahniuk. It's not my favorite book of his, but the concept is fascinating. The story starts with a girl who arrives in Hell & isn't quite sure how she died. It's going to be part of a triology & I'm excited for its sequel "Doomed", which comes out tomorrowww!

 

I mentioned a while back that I went to Israel(!!!) over the summer, but have yet to post an update about that. Man, I've really been slacking. I'll post those pictures next time, but that's me & my friend, Becca, in the Negev Desert as a little preview :] Now I've got to go back to being busy for a little bit. XO.

extremely loud & incredibly close

Please excuse my absence! It's been craaazy here as we prep for our moving day! You should see our place -- it's pretty chaotic. Anyway, I wanted to mention that one of my top four favorite books, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, has been turned into a movie & it's coming out this Friday! I'm obsessed with this book, read it many times, & of course will see the movie. I don't know if I'll like it though.

Yes, I love Tom Hanks & the trailer looks decent, but there is no way it will be able to match the quirkiness & beautiful subtleties the books has. For instance, there's one part when the grandmother is telling her grandson a story about when her grandfather gave her a ruby bracelet that was too big. He had thought that more rubies equals more love, but she couldn't ever wear it. She says, "Here is the point of everything I've been trying to tell you. If I was going to give you a ruby bracelet, I'd measure your wrist twice."

I hope those pretty little moments aren't too overlooked. We'll see!

new books

I've finished reading "Great House" & I'm almost done with "An Object of Beauty" (both are fantastic by the way!), so when I heard that Jonathan Safran Foer, my 2nd favorite author, had two new books out, I ordered them immediately. I'm especially excited to read "Tree of Codes" which is supposedly unlike any other book ever published, but I'm trying not to research too much before I actually start reading/deciphering the book, but you can learn a little bit more about it here. Have you read any good books lately? I've been speeding through mine & I might need some more recommendations soon :]

time to be a bookworm

"The cause of depression is being too self-involved. & the cure is to read." I heard that in a movie once. Recently, I haven't spent as much time reading as I used to & with how bananas my life's been lately, what better time than now to get involved in some new books? So I went to a bookstore last night to see if I could find something I could really delve into & I audibly gasped when I saw a new book by Nicole Krauss sitting on the shelves. Despite only writing two books, she's my favorite author of all time. For years, I would always check her name in the fiction section every time I entered a bookstore just to make sure she didn't churn something out without me knowing. Seeing her new book on the shelf, five years since her last publication, felt like fate. & right next to it was a new book of Steve Martin's that is sure to be fantastic. I feel like I won the lottery :]