The Floating Lush

PSA

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Sat, 01 May 2010 16:43:00 +0000

For a variety of reasons, I'm moving the blog over to Wordpress. I know, I know.

You can find it here

For the time being, this version will remain up, but it will eventually go away.

"Rafoo Chakkar"

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Dev and Salim are two poor musicians who have the misfortune to witness a murder and are now on the run. With no other options available and the gangsters hot on their heels, they don drag and join a touring all-girl band as Devi and Salma. Hilarity ensues as Dev falls in love with Ritu and Salim fends off the advances of a rich man...all the while trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. Will Dev(i) tell Ritu who and what (s)he really is? Will Salim escape with his virtue intact? Will I ever understand why the villains dress in matching outfits?

Yes, it'a Bollywood remake of "Some Like it Hot," which is itself a remake of "Fanfaren der Liebe." In other words, it's about as ridiculous and over-the-top as you might think. And I loved it! I may have giggled so hard I wept. It is quite possibly the silliest movie I have ever seen, and I think I need my own copy. I blame this course of events entirely on Beth's review. :D

The merest (alas, unsubtitled) taste:

Source: Netflix

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:22:00 +0000

Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) has just learned that his brother Bertie has died when the novel opens. Unfortunately, this leads him to answer the door while wearing a floral dressing gown, as well as to show an almost unseemly amount of emotion. Luckily his momentary lapse leads to a friendship with Mrs. Ali, who runs the local shop. Since both Major Pettigrew and Mrs. Ali have lost their spouses years ago, there is nothing improper about their deepening affection for each other, despite how their respective family members and the rest of the village of Edgecombe St. Mary react--they merely share a love of literature, nothing more.

A pair of antique rifles the major wants to reunite (his father split them between the major and his brother), a surly nephew of Mrs. Ali's who wants to take over her shop (a middle-aged woman simply can't manage on her own), the major's clueless yuppie son (complete with American girlfriend), and the local golf club's annual dance (which has a theme that can't possibly go wrong) all add unexpected twists and turns to the plot. The novel is charming, witty, and entertaining, and while it's no surprise how the story ends, it's a definite pleasure getting there. There are hints of P.G. Wodehouse, although it's nothing like as silly; there is an underlying social commentary being made as well, but nothing too deep or political. Everyone gets what they deserve in the end, but it never feels too neatly resolved. I only hope that Helen Simonson's second book proves to be as delightful as her first.

Official site

Source: borrowed from library

Dull Boy

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Avery is just your average boy. No super strength or ability to fly, no sir. Nope, he's not a misfit or freak or anything. Just your average, dull boy.

Except, of course, he's not. And it's gotten beyond his ability to control or hide, so people (like, his parents) are starting to notice and wonder. So they pack Avery off to a school for troubled and/or difficult youth, and things just go from bad to worse. This weird girl is stalking him, insisting she knows who and what he is, the rest of the students are all psychopaths, and the teachers don't care.

But once Avery finally gives in to Darla's pleading and agrees to meet with her other friends, things get better. He's not the only freak out there after all! They even manage to do some good with their powers. Except it's not all sunshine and lollipops--Cherchette, a mysterious woman who seems to have powers of her own is trying to lure Avery and some of his new friends to join her mysterious and possibly sinister team.

Yes, it's a teen super hero novel. And while it's not terribly original (but then most super hero novels aren't) it is a fun read, and has the potential to become a solid series.

Sarah Cross' official site and blog

Source: review copy from publisher

Sassy Gay Friend does Shakespeare

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:57:00 +0000

I really love these videos. :D

Hamlet:

"This is Hamlet we're talking about, ok? HAMLET. There is something rotten in Denmark, and it's his piss poor attitude."

Romeo & Juliet:

"I think you're fourteen and you're an idiot. You took a roofie from a priest. Look at you life, look at your choices."

Othello:

"I gave a cough drop to King Lear last week, does that mean I had sex with him? No."

Link Roundup

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:25:00 +0000

Our Public Library Lifeline Is Fraying. We'll Be Sorry When it Snaps

Why Neil Gaiman loves libraries

Thank a Library Worker Today and Every Day

It’s only books ’n’ shelves but I like it

The fantastic appeal of fantasy

Top 10 Underrated Fantasy Stories Before 1937

The End of Books

Library of Congress: We're archiving every tweet ever made

5 Ways The Google Book Settlement Will Change The Future of Reading

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:34:00 +0000

I really enjoyed this book, and it has only fueled my desire to go to India. Which is strange, really, since a goodly portion of this books concerns gangsters, dancing girls, and the Shiv Sena; none of these are particularly tourist-friendly--well, the dancing girls might be, if you're a male tourist.

My favorite part was the Bollywood section, of course. It was fascinating to read about how a film gets made: how the script develops, how casting is determined, how financing is secured, how the shooting proceeds, and how all of these things can change on very short notice. It was even more interesting because I'd actually seen the film in question ("Mission Kashmir"). I knew a little bit about Sanjay Dutt and his legal troubles, but not to the extent that they were explored here; a lot of the Hrithik Roshan information I already knew because I have read this charmingly silly and rather gossipy book (it also had a description of Preity Zinta and the gangsters, which I need to go back and look at again).

I feel a little bit like I've done the Suketu/Vikram trifecta, since I've now read Maximum City, seen "Mission Kashmir," and read Sacred Games (which I should write a *real* review for). It was very interesting to see where they all overlapped and where they diverged. I should point out that I have also read and loved Vikram Chandra's other two books, that I have seen other Vidhu Vinod Chopra films, and that I've read some of Anupama Chopra's books and articles too, so I'm not a total n00b.

But what I really identified with is the adolescent Suketu's move from then-Bombay to New York, and his struggle, upon returning years later to Mumbai, to find his lost childhood. You can't go back, no matter how much as you might want to. All you can do is hope that things haven't changed so much that you're hopelessly lost while also harboring a nagging suspicion that you *ought* to know this place and just...don't. It's hard to explain if you haven't experienced it, but read this book to get an inkling. (We won't even dwell on the agonies of what it's like to move to an entirely different country where you don't speak the language and generally stick out like a sort thumb, but needless to say, he nails that too.)

It's big, it's sprawling, it covers both the sacred and the profane--it's just like Mumbai, in other words. And I want to go there some day.

Suketu Mehta's site

Source: borrowed from library

What's Your Number?

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Top 100 children's books; bold the ones you've read.

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart (2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham 1963 - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver - Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

70/100 and for the most part, I really did read them as a child, although there are a handful I read in library school. There are some on the list I'd like to read though, like Hugo Cabret.

via Liz B and Abby (the) Librarian

Nathan Lane is Funny

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:15:00 +0000

via Bookshelves of Doom

A Premonition

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Sadly, it seems that zombies and angels, rather than mummies, are the next big Thing in YA lit. But I'm sure every monster's day will come. Thanks Lush Brother!

from here

10 Rules for Writing Fiction

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:28:00 +0000

Part One

Part Two

It's fascinating to read so many different writer's take on the same thing, even if I may not be familiar with all of their works. I dare say that many of these rules could be applied to more than just writing fiction.

Love Diana Wynne Jones?

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:56:00 +0000

Diana Wyyne Jones (who is only my favoritest author EVER, and I had no idea she was so ill, and I feel like a jerk for not knowing) is apparently quite sick, and in need of cheering up. So if you would like to brighten her day, drop her a line at:

Diana Wynne Jones
c/o Greenwillow Books
10 E. 53rd St.
New York, NY 10022

Via Bookshelves of Doom

ETA: corrected address

Hee! (and links)

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:59:00 +0000

I know that designers pull artwork from stock, and that if it's art that's in the public domain it gets even more use, so it's not uncommon to see the same image on multiple books. However! Someone at the bookstore had a sense of humor and I just couldn't let that go undocumented:

Links that I have been sitting on for varying lengths of time:

10 Librarian Blogs To Read in 2010

10 Technology Ideas Your Library Can Implement Next Week

Try to Remember to Forget

Steampunk: 20 Core Titles

Libraries help fill city nutrition gaps

Dear Disney: Boys Aren't Stupid, But Renaming 'Rapunzel' Is

Libraries as places to linger and mingle

Survivor: The History of the Library

Cold

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:59:00 +0000

Here is the poem I posted yesterday on Twitter, in honor of DOA and me both freezing to death because the psychotic building a/c switched on. Two nice days in early April in Minnesota should not cause this!

Oh, wie ist es kalt geworden
und so traurig öd und leer!
Rauhe Winde wehn von Norden,
und die Sonne scheint nicht mehr.

Schöner Frühling, komm doch wieder,
lieber Frühling, komm doch bald.
Bring uns Blumen, Laub und Lieder,
schmücke wieder Feld und Wald!

--Hoffmann von Fallersleben

Poisson d'Avril

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Read to a Unicorn

By far the best library-themed April Fools' I've seen today, although this is also very amusing. :D

New and Shiny

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:09:00 +0000

Battery Park City got a fancy new eco-friendly library: A Library That Most Can Only Dream Of

And don't forget the slideshow!

I admit, I am a little jealous--who wouldn't be, in times like these? But my own branch was remodeled fairly recently, and we were lucky enough to avoid the trendy color of the moment (I'm looking at you, orange). And while our remodel cost a lot less, and our building is a lot smaller, we have almost as many computers as they do. So I guess I don't have all that much to be jealous about after all?

Ok, I wish our roof didn't leak, but that's getting fixed soon!

Scott Pilgrim! An Epic of Epic Epicness!

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Not only is Volume 6 finally coming out this summer, but the movie is also coming out this summer! Squee! :D (There's a video game release too, but that is less exciting to me.)

Comics site and Movie site

Split Reading

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Saturday evening I attended a reading at the Loft Literary Center. It was for Swati Avasthi's debut YA novel Split. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but based on the selections she presented, it looks to be *really* good; it's gotten great reviews everywhere. I'm looking forward to it.

I originally heard about the book through Kurtis Scaletta's recent interview with her, and then he nagged me to come to the reading. (Truth be told, it was more along the lines of a pleasant invitation than nagging, but that doesn't make for as good of a story.) Author readings are always fun, and it's a shame I don't attend more, given how vibrant the literary community is here in the Twin Cities. I need to work on that.

Swati Avasthi's site and blog

Alex reads Twilight

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:08:00 +0000

It's hilarious. But sadly, he's only read through chapter 11 so far. (He does drop some bad words, so be warned.)

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 and 4

Chapter 5 and 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8 and 9

Chapter 10 and 11

"Kaminey"

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:45:00 +0000

Charlie and Guddu are identical twins; Charlie has a lisp, and Guddu stutters. That's pretty much where their similarities end, though: Charlie is a small time conman working for a gang, and Guddu works for an NGO spreading AIDS awareness. They can't stand each other, and haven't spoken in years.

Charlie loses all of his savings when the jockey who had been paid to throw a race decides to double cross the gang. This enrages Charlie, who had been planning on using his winnings to fund his dream of a bookie stall of his own, so he hunts down the jockey and brings him to the gang's headquarters.

Guddu has gotten his girlfriend Sweety pregnant, and is horrified to learn that her brother is a local politician (read: thug) who would no doubt rather see Guddu dead than married to his sister. Sweety says the only option is to get married and then run far, far away. Unfortunately for them, Sweety's brother tracks them down.

Charlie has found the man who turned the jockey at a nearby luxury hotel, and is determined to get his revenge--or at the very least recoup his financial losses. Meanwhile, in an adjoining room, two corrupt police officers are in the midst of turning a drug deal and collecting a guitar case full of cocaine. Charlie and his cohorts manage to inadvertently steal both the guitar case and the drugs, which cause the corrupt policemen (and their drug lord bosses) to come after Charlie...and wind up catching Guddu.

And then Charlie and Guddu have to make some hard choices.

Oh what a fabulously twisty turny story! (I didn't even mention the Angolans or the diamonds.) It's apparently very heavily reminiscent of Guy Ritchie films, but I can't judge, as I've never seen any of his work. But I know that I want to see more of Vishal Bhardwaj's films. "Kaminey" has garnered all sorts of critical praise both inside and out of the Bollywood industry, and it's not at all hard to see why, as it's a fantastic film. The music is pretty awesome too. I am *so* jealous of my friends who saw it on the big screen.

Official site

Source: personal copy

Cover Girl

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:27:00 +0000

I've seen this several places now, and it's too interesting not to share:

On the design:related site, How to Design a Cover in 1:55 seconds and the accompanying video, which boils six hours of work down to less than two minutes. Be sure to read the entire entry, as it's fascinating!

I enjoyed the first book and am eagerly awaiting the second, so to get this sneak peak at the third might maybe have made me squee a bit.

Going Bovine

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:15:00 +0000

Cameron is 16, and he kind of sort of hates school and his life in general. It doesn't help that his twin sister Jenna is basically perfect, or that the best day of his life so far was a trip to Disney World that happened when he was 5 (he almost died). But Cameron is chugging along, marking time in school, working at the Buddha Burger, buying Great Tremolo records at Eubie's, and just hanging out, when things suddenly get decidedly weird. He starts to hallucinate and have uncontrollable spasms, which lead his parents to suspect that he's a drug addict (he's not), and it takes an array of tests before they find out the real answer: Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or mad cow disease.

And this is where the story takes a tangent into genius land, at least for me. Instead of becoming a maudlin and predictable book where Cameron and his family come together and bond over the inevitable, Cameron refuses to submit and busts out of the hospital. Along the way, he more or less kidnaps (liberates?) Gonzo, a hypochondriac dwarf classmate who has been recently admitted to the adjoining bed. Together they head off on a zany roadtrip/quest to save the world and find a cure!

I loved this book. I may have had a little bit of a bad attitude going in, because the Gemma Doyle books just didn't do it for me, despite having practically checked off the entire list of things I adore in YA literature, but the more I heard about Going Bovine, the more I knew I had to read it...eventually. Part of my love for the book is that you know, deep down, how it's going to end; heartbreaking as it is, I appreciate that honesty (but it's still not at all what you expect). Part of my love is that I now really feel like I need to read Don Quixote, and as daunting as that seems, it's always good when a book violently nudges you to read another book. And I just really like Cameron and Gonzo.

Personal aside: I particularly relate to Cameron because thanks to all those years spent growing up in Europe, I could very well develop mad cow disease too, at least according to the Red Cross, which bans me from giving blood. Thanks Red Cross! Way to make me feel special! So if I head off to New Orleans in a Cadillac to find Junior Webster, you'll know why.

Libba Bray's site

Source: borrowed from library, but I'll be buying it

The Girl With Glass Feet

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Ida Maclaird and Midas Crook meet by chance one day in a park. Ida has returned to St. Hauda's Land to try and find a cure for the strange problem that is affecting her feet: they have turned to glass. Midas is unaware of this; he is fascinated by Ida's weird monochromatic beauty, and wants to photograph her. As the story progresses, so does Ida and Midas' relationship. It is a race against time, as the glass creeps steadily up Ida's body, but also a race against their individual issues and inhibitions.

There are a host of secondary characters who all have important roles to play, and who all bring their own baggage to the table. No one in this fable in undamaged. And that somehow makes the story more realistic, despite the magical elements--after all, no one in the real world is undamaged; some people are just better at dealing with it or hiding it than others are.

I fell in love with the book as I read it, even though the ending broke my heart (but in a good way). It's magical realism filtered through British reserve, by way of a fairy tale. It's spare, it's grey, it's beautiful, I love it. The perfect book to devour in the lingering Minnesota winter.

NY Times review

Ali Shaw's site

Source: borrowed from the library, but I'll be buying it

Soliloquy

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:28:00 +0000

Makes me smile, every time I watch it. :)

PSA

floatinglush@gmail.com (The Floating Lush) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:06:00 +0000

My blog formatting seems to be borked. I've tried to fix it to the best of my (limited) abilities, even going so far as to scrap my lovely outsider template and return to a boring Blogger template. That fixed some of the issues, but alas, not all.

I'm not really sure what to do next, so if anyone has any brilliant ideas, I'm all ears. :(