Quote de jour
Thomas Jefferson once said to John Adams, "I can not live without books." I agree. Hell, for me would be stranded on a desert island without books.
I'm nearing the end of last week's memoir: Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert.  With millions of fans waiting for a follow-up to Eat, Pray, Love, it's no surprise Committed debuted last week at #1 on the NY Times best seller list. The reviews are mixed. Ms. Gilbert was correct in lamenting the Herculean task of pleasing millions of fans. It simply can't be done. That said, what remains is a choppy work with some good bits. The book shines when she talks about the trials and tribulations of her relationship with her husband. She could have made better use of the exotic travelogue-like locales like Laos. The book sinks into leaden boredom when she spouts corny quotes on marriage and journalistic asides.

I'm ready to jump feet first into a new crop of memoirs. The hunger for memoir genre keeps growing. I hope it continues since I'm working on one of my own. Some writers, like Mary Carr make careers of writing one memoir after another. Her latest is the highly touted, seen everywhere Lit of how she exchanges alcohol for Jesus. Why are we as a culture so hard-wired for redemption stories? While the subject matter is old hat, her writing is lyrical and wise. The first line reads, "Any way I tell this story is a lie."  She has this to say about writing memoirs. "...Also, at this point in literary history, it's understood that memoir is not an act of history but an act of memory, which is innately corrupt. That said, I believe a writer makes a contract with the reader to tell the truth. I try to stick with the stuff that's stuck hardest with me."

After seeing and the film Julie & Julia, I thought I should read the book that it's based on. I'm about to gorge on two books by Julie Powell.The book Julie & Julia, based on her blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's classic cookbook. It's no surprise that her marriage experienced some bumps along the way. The extent of these bumps are catalogued in her new memoir Cleaving. She continues to blog at http://www.juliepowell.blogspot.com

This lovely example is why I like to photograph the front and back covers. The retro design below, not so much.



A juicy week for magazines in the shake-your-head-can't-make-this-up kind of way. I don't think we've seen the end of the  John Edwards train wreck. His mistress Rielle Hunter, who calls herself a witch, gives us genuine New Age witchy types a bad name. My prediction? She's going to write a book. I did a double-take and silently screamed nooooo when I saw this weirdly filtered shot of Oprah. It's the kind of flattering lighting reserved for ninety-year-olds. The Oscar race is on. Yay. Speaking of films, I went to see "The Lovely Bones" with trepidation in my bones. I loved the book and, it's rare for a film to improve on a beloved book. Even with Peter Jackson's phantasmagoria of directing and Middle Earth kind of special effects, the film falls short. The lead, played brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan holds the film together, but it's not enough. She did a terrific job in "Atonement" and I see a wonderful acting career ahead for her. If you haven't read the book or have low expectations, you'll enjoy the suspense. If you have read the book, don't expect a faithful adaptation of plot points from the book.


I think the reign of Lady Gaga (gracing yet another cover) has just begun. May long she reign.