Say What Now?

Apparently I have been on the Etsy front page twice this summer, without even realizing it.  This is incredibly awesome, since the front page is so killer.  Screenshots below:

1st shot: my item is the checker earrings, second row, second item from left.
2nd shot: I'm the leaf tiara on the top row, second item in.

There, I just saved you three hours.

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/432040.Andrea_Israel">Andrea Israel

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I cannot believe that this got published. This is the story of two women who grow up as sort of friends/penpals.  They also for no reason exchange recipes.  The recipes are included in the book, and are bogus.  I don't think too many women out there who know their way around a kitchen are impressed by recipes for cooked carrots.  Just saying.

So the characters of Lilly and Val are supposedly friends, and the book is their letters to one another over 35 years.  The conflict is supposed to be the tension between them because Lilly's father Issac is more fatherly to Val than to her.  But honestly the real tension is in the writing, as the authors strain to communicate emotion in stilted, overly formal and sometimes outright hostile letters.

You are clearly supposed to like both characters, but I hated both.  Lilly is supposed to be kind of a bitch, and comes off as the worst person in the world.  Her 'redemption' is supposed to come when she arranges an abortion for Val, which really does nothing to impress the reader.  Val is meant to be tender, caring and kind, but comes off as naive, clinging and childish.  I kept wondering, why is Val even giving this Lilly person the time of day?  Why does Lilly bother?  She obviously hates Val.

The climax is a revelation of a family secret, which changes the relationship between the characters, but not in a believable way.  The storytelling is at odds with the writing, which seems more journalistic than anything.  And even though the letters cross a span of 35 years, the writing in the letters does not reflect the age of the characters.  The only time clues the authors give are references to historic events, which, frankly, is not important.  It's more important that I can pick up the approximate age of the character at the time of writing than the time the letter is supposed to be written.  Nine year olds do not write the same letters as forty year olds.  It's a fact.

The good thing about this book is it gives me hope.  Apparently all you need to be a successful novelist is a few credits for writing stories for Dateline.

<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4266524-anna-williams">View all my reviews</a>

Still trying to crack this tripod equation...

So in the meantime, did you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14?

Granted, a size 14 back then was probably like an 8 or a small 10, but it sounds good, right?

I was doing some online window (browser?) shopping and ran across this:

There's something about it that just makes me want to get drunk in it.

Like Hammered.

Really.

Or maybe I just want a genuine reason to dress all Jessica Rabbit/ Betty Page-y.

(I would wear this under it.)

I always do that.  I always get frustrated that I have nowhere fancy to go and get all dressed up.  Then I start drinking alone and I end up waking up on the couch the next afternoon with red lipstick smudged across half of my face.  I mean, I have a fun time doing it and all, but it's sad to talk about.

Peacoats Just Ain't Doin' It For Me Anymore.

It's true.  My love affair with the peacoat may finally be over.

 

Not even a twinge.

This is available at Target, from Massimo.  

The color (I shit you not) is 'Potting Soil Brown'

It currently retails at $44.99, but give it two weeks and it'll be on the 

30% off clearance rack.

I'm not trendy.  I just like what I like and work it into my wardrobe.  But I am loving the military trend of the moment.  Honestly.   It's getting a little out of hand--I've been picking up dresses, sweaters, boots, anything with military styling short of actual camoflage...

For instance, I am all over this sassy little number from Torrid.  Right now it has a pricetag of $98, and since it's Torrid, that number is unlikely to drop much.  

I'm trying to resist buying this until I'm sure that it's destined to be my new winter coat.  My biggest concern right now is that by the end of the season I'll have fallen out of love with the military trend.  But I was all about peacoats for about six years, so you never know.

Do you have your winter coat yet?

Really, Forever 21?

I never bothered going into Forever 21.  I'd always walk by and go, huh, another slut store that caters to the super thin.   But they've started to roll out extended sizes under the name "Faith 21" and now I'm totally sold.  Bummer alert: the 'faith 21' brand is only carried in select locations.  Sweetness alert: you can shop online.

The brand goes up to 3X which they are saying fits like an 18, so the size range isn't all-inclusive.  But I'm usually between a 20 and 22 in dresses and the 3X fits me extremely well, so if you're not a true 18, don't be scared off right away.  The cuts are good, without sacrificing color or style, and the prices are good, with dresses falling between $15 and $30.  Now, I don't expect a $20 dollar dress to last forever, but I had a mini shopping spree at Forever 21 a few months ago and all six dresses I bought there have been great.  The sweater dress pictured above in particular, which set me back a whopping $15.50...

I was actually almost ready to say that Faith 21 could do no wrong, and then I spotted this thing:

...which is entirely not cool with me.

This blog thing, man. It might be a rough start.

I spent today with a headache the size of South Dakota, so experimenting taking outfit photos with my new tripod was in no way happening.  However, I did manage to leave the house long enough to deliver a birthday card to a friend, and score some awesome heels.*

Look at those babies!  Bright silvery sequins, purple linings.  PURPLE SOLES.  Rounded toes and an eensie platform.   Plus, I totally dig the scalloping on the ankle.  Such a sweet detail on such an ostentatious shoe.

Plus, gotta love that closeup.  Sewn on, evenly spaced sequins.  There will be no bald patches on these shoes from glitter or glued-on sequins that rub off.  Nope!  I could marry these shoes.  Plus, they were a mere $14.99 at JCPenny Outlet.  They had a black pair, but not in my size, and I just couldn't cram my foot into that 8 1/2...

*Corinne, I got these at the JCPenny Outlet by your house.  They've got 'STORE CLOSING' signs all over the place.  You might want to stop in before December, as they also have some pyrex bakeware sets for extremely cheap.  No measuring cups though.**

**Sorry everyone who isn't Corinne, for boring you.  Why did you even read that after the first word?  You knew it wasn't for you...  Nosy, nosy, nosy!