What's On Your Nightstand?

This is my first time participating in What's On Your Nightstand, and I'm pretty late (everyone else did theirs in June). But I'm here!

I'm reading 2 historical nonfictions right now, and am loving one and think the other is okay.

The first is The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson. This one is for book club with my neighbors. It's about the World's Fair in Chicago at the end of the 19th century, and about one of America's first serial killers, H.H. Holmes, who was operating in Chicago at the same time. The book is completely fascinating, and it is so well written! I'll be sad when this one is over.

The second book I'm reading right now is The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale. The subject is so engrossing: it's about a murder mystery in mid-Victorian England, and is pretty much what all the subsequent mystery books about country-house murders are based from. The case was covered extensively at the time, so there is loads of historical details, which is great. And like I said, the subject is so interesting, but I'm finding the writing to be a little lackluster. I'll finish it, because I cannot wait to know how it all turns out, but it will be despite the writing, not because of it.

A fabulous book that I just finished, and MUST MUST recommend, is called The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It is by far one of the best fantasy novels that I've read in years. I was spellbound from the first chapter. I am *so sad* that the second book in the series isn't out yet! Also, the author is very, very cool. He's a sci-fi convention loving geek, he used to be an advisor to the feminist club at his local college, and he loves TV. I mean, seriously. How on Earth could I not love this guy??

So, what's on your nightstand??

Keep your gender roles to yourself, thanks.

Since L has been a wee little thing, we've tried very hard to not have "boy" things and "girl" things. It's incredibly hard to escape every bit of that, and we weren't trying super super hard or anything, but you know, the day to day things--bugs and trucks and blue clothes are just as prevalent, if not more so, than ruffles and pink and dolls around here. L loves her fancy huge pink unicorn, but she also loves catching bugs and toy rocketships and her jammies (from the boys' department, or course, god forbid someone make girls jammies that have spaceships on them) that have planes and trucks all over them. Which is exactly what I want for her: I want her to like what she likes, whatever that may be.

Recently, someone made a comment that she should be more "ladylike". (They are lucky the comment was made to my husband, and not me, because.....yeah, it wouldn't have been pretty). I don't even know where to begin with that statement. I honestly am not sure what it even means. Ladylike? She is a preschool aged child, and the last thing she needs to be is "ladylike". I mean, manners and etiquette are incredibly important, and we are making sure that she is well versed in how to behave politely, but to me, ladylike conveys something more....well, sneakily sinister, I guess, when applied to a young child. Because it makes me think, "here it begins; here it begins when she's told that she's too strong or too fast or too proudly smart and doesn't she just want to wear the nice ruffled pink dress instead, or take the ballet class instead of making a beautiful mess with art?" If she wants to wear the froufrou dress or take ballet, I would and will gladly accommodate that, but I don't want her to ever be told (or have it be implied) that she is wrong for wanting something different. And the simple utterance of "ladylike" sends chills down my spine, because that small word encompasses so much more than what it seems to at first glance.

And I mean, seriously. I thought we were well past 20th century notions of what being a "lady" means. Apparently not, and I'm somewhat glad to have this wake-up call, because now I know that attitude is still out there, lurking about, waiting to take my lovely perfect baby and make her feel less than. And god help the next person that makes the mistake of saying she needs to be more ladylike.

The sweet smell of wet hay

That's what my hair smells like today, and I *love* it! Lemme clarify....it's the smell of henna! Yup, I henna'd my hair yesterday, and I'm fairly sure that I am now addicted.

A week or so ago, some friends and I were talking about gray hair (I started sprouting a bunch at 29, ridiculous, right??) and dying hair and all that jazz. One friend mentioned henna and how much she liked using it on her hair, and that got me curious. I started looking into it, and became more and more intrigued the more I learned.

Henna is amazing for your hair--it cures dandruff, it leaves it shiny and beautiful, and best of all, it gives the most beautiful and unique color to your hair! And yep, each head of hair will be unique, because the part of the henna that binds to the keratin in your hair (Lawsone) is a translucent red-orange dye, so it combines with whatever your natural hair color is. Anywho, after reading all about it, I decided to go for it.

I picked up some Karishma Henna at an Indian grocery store, and had my mom apply it. It's quite a process--the henna has to soak overnight before application, and once applied you need to wrap your head in plastic wrap and leave on for 2-4 hours. But oh my god, it's so worth it. Like I said, my hair feels and looks amazing, and it's completely naturally done. Plus, there really is something very cool about recreating a process that women have being doing for thousands of years, unity and sisterhood and all that.

In conclusion, my hair smells like hay and I love it!

Of Tennis and Fire

I'm loving my French Open coverage...each year, TV tennis coverage gets better and better. And the Tennis HD channel? So good! Anyone that knows me knows how crazy I am about tennis. Poor Justin doesn't get get any TV time when tennis is on. Last year, Lila already knew what the red French clay is called (terre battue). I watch it obsessively, I tells ya! Right now the Roddick/Jouan match is on. I really like Andy Roddick; some people think he's kind of a dick, but I like that about him. I think he's funny. He got a new coach recently and went hardcore crazy about his fitness, and he's looking and playing better than ever. (As an aside: Justin Gimelstob is a total total douche and he sucks. He's a washed up player who never did that well in his pro career, and now he's a commentator for the Tennis Channel. He's a well documented sexist jerk. Anyway, the commentators were talking about how Andy just got married, like seriously newlywed status, and Gimelstob was all "79% of pro player marriages end in divorce!" Nice one, douche. Why does he have that little factoid stored in his brain, anyway?) Where was I going with all of this? Who knows! Um, yay tennis! Can't wait for Wimbledon!

Second random thing: Fire! Specifically, A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. This is, like, the best fantasy fiction series ever. It's so so so good. And HBO is making a series out of it! I cannot convey how excited and happy this makes me...it's going to be EPIC. Peter Dinklage has already been cast as Tyrion, which is such superb casting. If you are at all a fan of fantasy, do youself a favor and read this series before the HBO show comes out--you will not be disappointed!

Book Giveaway!

****Contest is closed, winner announced below****

My poor impulse control is resulting in a giveaway! We went to a used bookstore today, which is one of my all time greatest pleasures. I looooove bookstores in general; the smell, the look of all those beautiful books lined up together, the sound of rustled pages turning.....and used bookstores have the added bonus of a sense of discovery and treasure-hunting.....you never know what you'll turn up in a used bookstore. Oh, on a side note, if you are ever in Denver, do yourself a favor and visit the Tattered Cover bookstore. There are several locations but I like the one downtown, across from the train station, the best. It's truly a reader's delight.

I find it hard to not buy books, especially when they're such a bargain (used book store!!!), but Justin is becoming a little frantic about our book situation. We desperately need more bookshelves, as the ones we have are stuffed full and overflowing. It's driving him nuts. I knew if I came home with an armload of new (used) books he'd wince. So I kept myself to one cookbook and one Colorado "off the beaten path" guidebook, and the others I bought with the purpose of giving them away to one of you! I win, because I got to buy books and feed my addiction, and you win, because someone is gonna get three new (used) books!

Here's what you win:

One person will win used (but in very good condition), hardcover copies of

Jacques Pepin's Table

"Low on drudgery, high on joie de vivre, Jacques Pepin's Table showcases Pepin's inimitable cooking and teaching style, presenting more than three hundred recipes from all three seasons of the popular Today's Gourmet series, along with complete menu and wine suggestions, and more than a hundred instructional tips and techniques on everything from butterflying chicken breasts or peeling asparagus to freezing and then baking a souffle. A nutritional analysis is provided for each dish, as are comments on the nutritional value of various ingredients. Gorgeous food photography and hundreds of Pepin's own delightful drawings are interspersed."

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

"Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of — a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known — and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad The Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself — to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive.

"

The Mapmaker's Wife by Robert Whitaker

"A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon

The year is 1735. A decade-long expedition to South America is launched by a team of French scientists racing to measure the circumference of the earth and to reveal the mysteries of a little-known continent to a world hungry for discovery and knowledge. From this extraordinary journey arose an unlikely love between one scientist and a beautiful Peruvian noblewoman. Victims of a tangled web of international politics, Jean Godin and Isabel Gramesón’s destiny would ultimately unfold in the Amazon’s unforgiving jungles, and it would be Isabel’s quest to reunite with Jean after a calamitous twenty-year separation that would capture the imagination of all of eighteenth-century Europe. A remarkable testament to human endurance, female resourcefulness, and enduring love, Isabel Gramesón’s survival remains unprecedented in the annals of Amazon exploration."

How can you get your mitts on these books? Easy peasy! Just leave a comment on this post telling me what you are currently reading, or the book you last read. I'll close comments at noon mountain time on May 26th and I'll have random.org pick a winner. I'll email the winner (so leave your email in your comment!!) and they will have 48 hours to get back to me, if they don't, random.org will draw a new winner. One comment per person, and entry is limited to those with US shipping addresses. Good luck and happy reading!

******Thank you so much to everyone who participate! I had a blast, and loved finding out about what you all are reading. And now, the winner is........entry #59, Angela!

Summer TV, eee!

Remember when summer TV used to be all reruns? I love that the television model is evolving and changing...among other things, it means I get quality programming all year round. For a TV addict like me, that's good stuff. *grin* This summer, I am most excited for two shows: True Blood (HBO) and So You Think You Can Dance (Fox).

True Blood is a vampire drama on HBO, and Justin and I are hooked. It's set in bayou land Louisiana in the present day, and it's gothic and intense and funny....there are so many great and memorable characters, the acting is terrific, the storylines are interesting. Plus, if you ever watched Deadwood, then you know how that show made shots of whiskey look so delicious (or did it just do that for me??); well, True Blood does that with ice cold bottles of beer. The characters are always hot and sweaty, and they crack open longnecks several times an episode...I swear it will make you crave a beer. Season starts June 12!

SYTYCD (for short) is such a joy to watch, and if you are a fan of dance or of American Idol, you MUST watch. It's a dance competition in the American Idol model, but so much better. I've been so moved by the choreography and performances, sometimes to shivers and tears--it can be that good. Of course, in the beginning, you have to get through the audition episodes, but the later part of the season is good good good. One of last year's top 10 finalists, Kherington Payne, is starring in the remake of Fame (coming to theaters I don't know when and am too lazy to look up). The winner of last season, Josh Allen, had no formal training! The judges were consistently amazed with his beauty, grace, and ability to pick up seemingly any dance style that was thrown at him. Seriously, he was incredible. I am so looking forward to the new crop! This season starts May 21 (Thursday!!) so set your DVRs.

What about you? What TV shows are you looking forward to this summer?

And so it begins.

We had a great picnic this weekend out on a ranch out in Larkspur. One of Lila's preschool classmates lives with his mom and his grandparents on a beautiful horse ranch, and they were so kind and invited all the preschool kids out for a picnic lunch and horseback riding.

Lila had been looking forward to it all last week, talking about it practically nonstop, and we woke up on Saturday morning excited and ready to get 'er done! Unfortunately, the weather was nasty; cloudy and cold and very windy. We phoned the hosts to see if the picnic was still on, and they said they had decided to cancel because of the weather--it was quite chilly and horses get nervous in very high winds. Lila was SO disappointed---she actually started crying. It was heartbreaking, because she's never cried over something like that before....she's gotten pissy and grumpy when disappointed, but never shed tears. Justin and I felt awful. :( Luckily, we live in Colorado; if you've lived in Colorado for any amount of time, you've heard (and mostly likely said yourself) the adage "If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes". Very true for Saturday, thank goodness, as the clouds broke and the sun came out, and we got the call that the picnic was back on! We were just about out the door when the phone rang (to get Lila a new movie as a balm) and thankfully didn't miss it.

Their ranch is just beautiful, and Lila adored riding Sugar, the 19 year old sweetheart Arabian mare. Many of the kids only wanted one or two turns around the ring, but Lila was going to stay on as long as they'd let her, and upon dismounting, immediately asked me when it was her turn again. A horse lover is born! I used to ride when I was younger, so I completely get it. The love affair begins. :)

After riding, we had a picnic of hot dogs, chips, juice, etc. It was a lovely, lovely day.