Everyday Goddess

"Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business" by Thembisa S. Mshaka

I recently finished a book I'd been reading since June: Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business by Thembisa S. Mshaka. The reason for this particularly long read is two-fold. First, somewhat ironically, it was difficult to get through it because I got laid off. While it would certainly make sense to think this would increase my reading time, it actually shot it to hell, as my lunch break changed from reading time to Tivo time.

And second, this book is DENSE. Just chock full of information and anecdotes. The organization and flow are challenging. I definitely found it a difficult read to plow straight through.

When I would mention to friends what a challenge I was finding it, however, I had to then scoff at the idea that I should put it down and not complete reading it. Certainly, I have abandoned books I was sent to review, although with the intention to return to them at some point. But what I would say about Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business is this: If someone told you there were a hundred golden needles in a haystack, wouldn't you keep looking?

...in PUT YOUR DREAMS FIRST, Thembisa Mshaka uses her 15 years of experience in the music industry to expose the hidden truths that women need to know as they aspire toward entertainment careers, such as how to avoid compromising one's self-respect and the little-known fact that women run a large part of the business. This highly informative guide is for every woman wanting to know how to navigate the entertainment superhighway and find that job of a lifetime.

Thembisa has put together amazing experiences and words of wisdom from a multitude of amazing women in all parts of the entertainment industry. Certainly, the book skews towards the music industry, because that's her background, but it hits the other bases, too. And I was interested to learn more about the music industry because that's the aspect of entertainment I know the least about.

So, OK, here's the deal. The book deals with being a woman in the entertainment industry. And as a woman who works in the entertainment industry, the mere fact of hearing sexism discussed in a factual manner is pretty mindblowing. We're so far up the ass of the mindset that screams "victim mentally" at the mere mention of sexism that there were sentences in this book - pure factual sentences - that literally made me gasp. (Like, OMG, you're not supposed to talk about that!) Look, running around with a bitter stick up your ass screaming sexism all the time doesn't help anybody. You do need to be positive and action focused in the face of whatever comes at you, particularly when you're at work. You do need to hit a closed door and look for a window. But a world that uses the "victim" mantra to silence discussion of real issues is just as bad and should be just as unacceptable. Things like sexism and racism don't go away just because we closed our eyes and wished real hard. Women rocked their instruments for decades, but it took blind auditions to integrate our orchestras (see Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell). So it was awesome to read a book full of women actually talking about their realities without fear.

And if you'll forgive me one more digression on the topic, I have been so, so inspired by all the female directors this year. Yes, of course I am inspired by male directors as well. But there is something about people a little more like me doing what I dream about doing that powerfully inspires me. I am reminded of this quote from Joanna Russ, "Without models, it's hard to work; without a context, difficult to evaluate; without peers, nearly impossible to speak." In 2009, yes, women still face different assumptions about who they are and what they want. They do - at times - face unique barriers. I want to hear how other female directors navigated it all. I want to hear from them in any context. And yet, as this article in Variety about the female directors this year states, "...most of the established women directors contacted for this story didn't want to be shoved into the 'gender category.'"

Which is really disappointing to me, because I just want to hear from them. I don't really care how the magazine wants to spin their article. It *is* a wonderful, groundbreaking thing that there are so many female directors getting attention all at once this year. It's new and amazing, and it matters to me. I am so thankful for the women who are taking this opportunity to talk to the press about their directing. I savor every word.

And I am thankful for all the women who spoke to Thembisa for Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business. It was a lot to wade through, but it was worth it.

In terms of review, I am going to say this. I do recommend Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business to women in the entertainment industry who want to learn what other women experienced and learned and advise. But unlike me, if you check it out DON'T feel like you have to read every word in order from beginning to end. I would hate for you to get stuck and put it down.

Instead, I recommend definitely reading the "Summary of Secrets Revealed" at the end of each chapter. These are easy to read and contain many awesome nuggets. Also, focus on the chapters that seem most interesting to you based on your interests, but I'm going to give you a Serious Must Read. The chapter, "Read the Label" includes a section, "The Good Fight" which starts on pg. 137. This includes "The Ten Severance Commandments," which are seriously worth the price of the entire book. If only I'd known then what I know now...

Finally, I also really enjoyed the last chapter "Exit Stage Next" about moving in and out of the entertainment industry. It was a short and interesting read. Oddly, the book ends rather abruptly, but you know what? Take that as permission to skip around at will.

There's at least 100 gold needles in Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business, so how could I not recommend the haystack?

~

Please note that I received the book reviewed above for free from the publisher for my honest review, and I won't be sending it back. Also, just a reminder, if you click any of my Amazon links and then make a purchase, I get a percentage of the sale, and you make my day.

Gary Goldschneider's "Everyday Astrology"

I have been a fan of Gary Goldschneider's ever since The Secret Language of Relationships came into my life. In it, Gary Goldschneider breaks the sun signs down by week. You can look someone or yourself up by week, and you can use the chart in the front to look up the dynamics of the combination of you with someone else.

In undergrad, the joke was you'd start dating someone, and so you'd go look up your relationship in the book. If it was bad, you'd say no way you're going to not date someone because of what it says in an astrology book!

And then, after the break-up you'd go back and look up the relationship again. And say, Yup, that just about covers it.

I also really like his book, The Astrology of Time which works as a sort of meditation for the week. It's out of print, but way worth getting your hands on.

So when I got an email telling me Gary Goldschneider had a new astrology book out, I jumped at the opportunity to take a look at it. It's called Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology: How to Make Astrology Work for You, and if you were ever a fan of Linda Goodman's Sun Signs (which came out in 1968 if you can believe that!), this is like the shiny modern Gary Goldschneider version.

In Everyday Astrology you can look people up by their sun sign, and then by 16 different categories of people in your life: boss, employee, coworker, client, partner, competitor, first date, boyfriend / girlfriend, spouse, lover, ex, friend, roommate, parent, sibling, and child. Of course, the trick in some of those instances is getting that birthday, right? Facebook can be a big help; LinkedIn, not so much. But usually, you're bound to find out at some point. One good thing about Everyday Astrology is that you're back to just needing a person's sun sign (rather than their specific birthday) to look them up and read all about them.  ;)

The nature of a book like this is that you naturally explore it over time. Looking up some of the important people in my life certainly gave me some insight (occasionally terrifying insight), and I *really* appreciate all the different categories. Each section is further divided into various specifics like "vacationing with a Leo sibling" and "impressing the Taurus first date." Or even "brushing off the Taurus first date."

I'm definitely going to be using Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology: How to Make Astrology Work for You in conjunction with The Secret Language of Relationships, and I think it will fill that hole where you're pouring over the relationships book wanting there to be more to read. Now there's more to read!

For a real taste of the book, check out this article from Gary Goldschneider. For better or for worse, it's got my Cancerian number, that's for sure:

12 Signs to Connect With Your Significant Other
By Gary Goldschneider,
Author of Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology

ARIES
March 21-April 20

Strengths: Independent, Honest, Energetic
Weaknesses: Self-unaware, Demanding, Pushy
Interactive Style: Purposeful, Focused, Dynamic

The Aries Relationship
Aries romantic partners can be counted on for their honesty and desire to maintain a close involvement. However, their dynamism is so great that you may not be able to meet their constant demands on your energies. Although they are extremely independent -- and most likely will encourage you to be so also -- they will also want to have daily contact with you, whether virtual, auditory, or physical. They would hate being called needy, since their self-image is one of total independence, yet they are in fact very dependent on their boyfriend or girlfriend, at the very least to listen to them, take their advice seriously, and obey their commands.

TAURUS
April 21-May 21

Strengths: Loving, Caring, Involved
Weaknesses: Overpossessive, Controlling, Manipulative
Interactive Style: Forthright, Frank, Giving

The Taurus Relationship
Tauruses tend to be very possessive in matters of love. They will look at you as belonging to them as much as their home, their car, or their clothes, and they will consider this a great compliment to you. Problems arise, of course, if you do not entirely agree with them, insisting that you are your own person and have the freedom to do as you wish. They may even seem to agree with you, since it only reinforces their belief in their own fairness and shows how secure their love for you really is. But, in fact, they will never want to share you or give you up when their feelings go deep enough.

GEMINI
May 22-June 21

Strengths: Fascinating, Spicy, Sparkling
Weaknesses: Unpredictable, Abrupt, Misleading
Interactive Style: Oblique, Persuasive, Flirtatious

The Gemini Relationship
Having Gemini boyfriends or girlfriends will certainly bring some spice into your life, as well as a good dose of uncertainty, since it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict their behavior. Changing moods guarantee few dull moments but can also put a crimp in your plans or undermine the structure of your relationship. Making appointments can be particularly difficult since, although they usually arrive on time (when they do show up), the greatest danger is that they will abruptly cancel an appointment they never really intended to keep anyway. Exasperating but fascinating, these ephemeral creatures will lead you on a merry chase.

CANCER
June 22-July 22

Strengths: Affectionate, Kind, Giving
Weaknesses: Irritable, Selfish, Withdrawn
Interactive Style: Self-protective, Accepting, Dependent

The Cancer Relationship
Cancers enjoy being in a steady relationship. Very much creatures of habit, they get used to having their partners at their beck and call. As a result, they will count on them for everything from financial help to sex. Liking things to go well, these folks are affectionate and kind, as long as they get their way. When denied their wishes, they get very crabby and irritable, often withdrawing into their shell and striking out in anger and resentment. Like their symbol, the crab, they are highly self-protective but are also no strangers to pain.

LEO
July 23-August 23

Strengths: Confident, Enthusiastic, Supportive
Weaknesses: Career-oriented, Ambitious, Egotistical
Interactive Style: Proud, Demanding, Pushy

The Leo Relationship
Leo boyfriends/girlfriends are involved, committed, enthusiastic, and, in general, supportive of your relationship with them, up to a point. They can be counted on not only on weekends but occasionally during the week as well, as long as you do not interfere with their ambitious career plans. Avoid situations in which they must choose between devoting time to you or to their job, since even if they choose you it may be because they feel pressured to do so. Remember that although Leos may hate to lose you, they are always confident in their abilities to find a replacement.

VIRGO
August 24-September 22

Strengths: Structured, Orderly, Prepared
Weaknesses: Compulsive, Tight, Unyielding
Interactive Style: Calculated, Precise, Orderly

The Virgo Relationship
The fringe benefits of Virgo boyfriends/girlfriends become apparent when scheduling travel, making arrangements and reservations, and planning for the future. Virgos will leave little room for error in their shrewd calculations and need to put such matters in order. Sometimes you will wish they did not need to pin down everything so precisely and left a bit of wiggle room for last-minute changes, but for the most part, they will spare you a lot of time and trouble. Generally speaking, Virgo boyfriends/girlfriends serve the relationship rather than their partners and do their best to preserve its integrity as well as its limits.

LIBRA
September 23-October 22

Strengths: Giving, Affectionate, Loving
Weaknesses: Unhappy, Needy, Selfish
Interactive Style: Selective, Expectant, Affectionate

The Libra Relationship
If you are to be Libra's boyfriend or girlfriend, you had better talk, act, and look good. Libras are very choosy when it comes to those they want to be seen with in public; they also expect to be treated well and shown a good time. You can expect rewards from Libras, but it will be clear that your constant appreciation of them is expected without any thought of receiving anything in return. That said, Libras are very giving in relationships, and those who have their love and full attention are indeed blessed. Problems arise when Libras become unhappy, and these difficulties should not be ignored but addressed as soon as possible, before things get out of hand.

SCORPIO
October 23-November 21

Strengths: Caring, Protective, Interested
Weaknesses: Jealous, Possessive, Angry
Interactive Style: Involved, Serious, Self-contained

The Scorpio Relationship
Scorpio boyfriends/girlfriends can be both jealous and possessive. They fully expect your unilateral involvement with them, and at the first signs of your interest in someone else, they are likely to either lash out in anger or become silent, withdrawn, and depressed. Scorpios figure that because they give a lot they should also get a lot, and that you are lucky to have them. But beyond that, for a Scorpio, love is a territorial thing -- they just don't like someone messing with their chosen one. Also protective, they have a real interest in the well-being of their loved ones and can show quiet concern over them in times of illness and need.

SAGITTARIUS
November 22-December 21

Strengths: Ardent, Good-humored, Positive
Weaknesses: Disappointed, Hopeless, Abandoned
Interactive Style: Optimistic, Philosophical, Improving

The Sagittarius Relationship
Sagittarians make ardent and intense boyfriends/girlfriends. Yet they can also be quite relaxed, enjoying conviviality, good humor, and delighting in the many pleasures of life. Their positive orientations and excessive energies make them a valuable partner, one who will always seek the best in any situation and bring out the best in you, as their partner. They are not good at handling disappointment, however, and may sink into deep depressions when things are not working out. Easily disappointed, their positive orientations can plummet when rejected, leaving them feeling hopeless and abandoned. However, their buoyant spirits revive quickly, and their philosophical orientation urges them to do better next time.

CAPRICORN
December 22-January 20

Strengths: Selective, Efficient, Deep
Weaknesses: Opportunistic, Snobbish, Picky
Interactive Style: Serious, Demanding, Direct

The Capricorn Relationship
Capricorns are likely to treat sex in a very matter-of-fact but also highly natural manner. A typical Capricorn attitude is "I got into bed quickly with the other person to get that out of the way; then we could get to know each other better." Although they are very physical beings, going beyond sex is important to a Capricorn, who usually prefers to develop a serious and deep relationship rather than a brief, superficial one. Capricorns are quite capable of holding back until the right person comes along. Thus their innate efficiency and selectivity keeps them from wasting time and energy on losers.

AQUARIUS
January 21-February 19

Strengths: Fun, Interesting, Exciting
Weaknesses: Drifting, Noncommitted, Unfaithful
Interactive Style: Bright, Cheerful, Open

The Aquarius Relationship
The Aquarius boyfriend/girlfriend is faithful up to a point -- that point usually being when something more interesting comes along. Thus if you can manage to keep Aquarians' faces turned toward you and can satisfy their prodigious and often kinky needs, you stand a chance for longevity in the relationship. Invariably you will have to be forgiving when they do inevitably stray, and be able to laugh off some involvements as being trivial. Your own self-assurance may be the one most important anchor for the ever-drifting Aquarius ship. Needless to say, Aquarians can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys, albeit just as difficult to keep under control.

PISCES
February 20-March 20

Strengths: Passionate, Seductive, Romantic
Weaknesses: Possessive, Controlling, Fearful
Interactive Style: All-involving, Uncompromising, Committed

The Pisces Relationship
Pisces boyfriends and girlfriends give their all in any full-blown romantic relationship. Even the most ordinary or prosaic pairings are given new life and suffused with the profound emotions of a Pisces partner. Those involved with them will attest to their demanding, possessive, seductive, controlling, and passionate natures. Even the most fickle or independent of boyfriends or girlfriends will find it difficult or impossible to carry on other relationships at the same time, and long after their Pisces friend is gone they may well remain in an exhausted state of shock for some time to come.

The above is an excerpt from the book Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology by Gary Goldschneider. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

©2009 Gary Goldschneider, author of Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology, Quirk Books

Gary Goldschneider, author of Gary Goldschneider's Everyday Astrology, is an astrologer and the author of several best-selling books, including The Secret Language of Birthdays, The Secret Language of Relationships (reissue), and The Secret Language of Destiny. He has studied astrology for forty years and frequently lectures and writes on the subject. An accomplished pianist and composer, he has performed in concerts and recitals worldwide. He lives in Amsterdam, where he writes a regular astrology column for AvantGarde magazine. Visit him on the Web at mypersonology.com and goldschneider.com.

~

Please note that I received the book reviewed above for free from the publisher for my honest review, and I won't be sending it back. Also, just a reminder, if you click any of my Amazon links and then make a purchase, I get a percentage of the sale, and you make my day.

Catch a Tiger by the Tail

In "Life of Pi " there is a part where, confronted by the sheer impossibility of surviving at sea with a tiger on his lifeboat, Pi realizes that he might as well go about trying to quench his thirst.

You might think that I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better. We see that in sports all the time, don't we? The tennis challenger starts strong but soon loses confidence in his playing. The champion racks up the games. But in the final set, when the challenger has nothing left to lose, he becomes relaxed again, insouciant, daring. Suddenly he's playing like the devil and the champion must work hard to get those last points. So it was with me. To cope with a hyena seemed remotely possible, but I was so obviously outmatched by Richard Parker that it wasn't even worth worrying about. With a tiger aboard, my life was over. That being settled, why not do something about my parched throat?

I decided that I needed a tiger. Something big and unwieldy that would dominate my life, forcing simplification into my decisions. Being me, my tiger is a 6-month studio office gig with overtime and a giant L.A. commute.

I had ten things on a to do list for last night, after being out on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I got two of them done before I collapsed into bed for the sleep I simply must get to be able to perform well in my new position: I stopped for gas on the way home, and I wrote my BlogHer post. I didn't stop by the bank, pay bills, write my directing update for September, write a letter to Cobra regarding my health insurance, or clear my inbox. All those things are waiting until Sunday (my next open time) because I've got to respect the tiger. I had to go to bed.

Writing this post was on the list, so I'm doing it this morning instead, but I have a hard computer out in the morning of 7:30am, so if I end abruptly, you'll know why.

I'm going to have to be doing less going out on the weeknights.

I'm going to have many, many times where I simply can't get to the fray that waits on my computer.

I'm going to spend a lot of money at the gas station and Audible.

I'm doing something completely new to me, and hoping for new outcomes, or at least some rewarding focus for the next six months.

And... I'm out.

"Into the Beautiful North" by Luis Alberto Urrea

Into the Beautiful North: A Novel by Luis Alberto Urrea is a beautiful book. I mean, seriously, look at that cover. Read that title. Surely this must be a gorgeous, moving novel, perhaps featuring some of that magical realism I love so much. But serious, right? This book feels like maybe it's a serious read.

My friends, No! In fact, Into the Beautiful North is a fun adventure novel full of larger than life characters having wild adventures and mishaps:

Nineteen-year-old Nayeli works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her father, who journeyed to the US to find work. Recently, it has dawned on her that he isn't the only man who has left town. In fact, there are almost no men in the village--they've all gone north. While watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north herself and recruit seven men--her own "Siete Magníficos"--to repopulate her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it over.

Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH is the story of an irresistible young woman's quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.

It's also a book about friendship. And bravery. And taking risks.

Loved. It.

It's like "¡Three Amigos!" meets... hm, "Fanboys." Three Amigos because in that film three Americans travel to Mexico to save a village from bandits, and in Into the Beautiful North a group of Mexicans travel north to the United States to bring back men to save a village from bandits. And Fanboys because it's a road trip movie where a group of friends go on a quest full of wacky adventures and encounters. All these stories have their serious aspects, too, (yes, even Three Amigos) which Into the Beautiful North certainly does have - I could hardly breath when they get to Tijuana and during the border crossing, I was so scared for Nayeli and her friends.

That's a really interesting part of the book, too. Nayeli and her friends come from a small southern village in Mexico, so they experience Tijuana from a very green perspective, and yet a very Mexican perspective, which I found fascinating.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how totally (and literally!) Nayeli kicks ass. She is an awesome character with a simply effervescent personality. *Love* her and her Aunt and her friends and her village. And, of course, the parts of the book that relate to film tickle me no end, and even seemed reminiscent of Cinema Paradiso with the village having a cinema they are very proud of and Nayeli being motivated by The Magnificent Seven. There's even a hilarious bit about Yul Brynner.

You know I can't but read every book with a mind for adaptation, and Into the Beautiful North: A Novel simply cries out to be made into a movie. An awesome fun adventurous movie from a wonderful book.

~

Please note that I received the book reviewed above for free from the publisher for my honest review, and I won't be sending it back. Also, just a reminder, if you click any of my Amazon links and then make a purchase, I get a percentage of the sale, and you make my day.

I've got to get my reading under control.

I almost bought a book at Wax Poetic tonight. I was browsing the shelves at the Christopher Ashe opening, and Cherry Bomb: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Flirt, a Tougher Chick, and a Hotter Girlfriend--and to Living Life Like a Rock Star called to me from a shelf. It looked so fun and shiny.

I resisted!

This is why:

When I got laid off I did a massive cleaning/sorting of my room and pulled almost all my unread books off my bookshelves and piled them up on my chest. Considering my goal is to read 24 books this year - 12 fiction and 12 nonfiction - you can see that the situation is out of hand. Especially considering that I'm most often reading something I've just been sent.

To make matter worse, getting laid off has killed my reading.

I know, you would think I would have so much more time, but the reality is that I usually read on my lunch break. And now, I watch Tivo instead. Unless I go out somewhere and eat, but Hello, Laid Off. I really need to eat at home. Where there's a television full of Tivo'd goodness.

So catching up on my Tivo.

So behind on my reading.

But! I've got a plan!

Tomorrow I will write up a review of my (wonderful!) fiction read from June, Into the Beautiful North: A Novel. I'm still reading my nonfiction from June, Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business, so that's coming on the plane with me to BlogHer. For my July books, emergency plans are engaged. Namely, my fiction book will be Septimus Heap, Book Four: Queste which I believe I can plow through before BlogHer, by reading before bed, and my nonfiction book will be the beautifully tiny The Matrix (BFI Modern Classics) which I believe I can finish before the end of the month. And therefore, be back on track.

Right now for August I've got my eyes on the books I wanted to read for July: Everyone She Loved: A Novel and The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection.

So, so many to choose from after that... Do you ever wish you could read one book with your eyes and another with your ears simultaneously? ("I know kung fu!") Only in my dreams, alas!

Comic Book Reader Fail

OK, I know I've been busy, but this is really lame of me. I missed 4 issues of Buffy Season 8 before I suddenly thought, Hey, I haven't gotten a Buffy comic in a while...

Turns out, I somehow deleted my subscription! It must have happened when I went in to delete something else. Luckily, Things From Another World still had the issues in stock AND the situation changed so that I no longer have to order two to be sure to get the regular cover, which I prefer because I think they're so beautiful. So that rocks.

The cool thing is that now I get to sit down (in my spare time!) and read four in a row. Woohoo!

But, OK, there were Star Trek prequel comic books??? Oh yes, it's Star Trek Countdown, and I totally missed it. Luckily, it's out in graphic novel form.

The plus side of completely missing those comic books is that I somehow managed to see Star Trek spoiler free. Seriously.

I don't know how I pulled that off. It was just like, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy... Oh! Star Trek's coming out next week! And then at that point I simply avoided absolutely anything about it at all. I'm totally looking forward to reading Star Trek Countdown now, though.

And finally, in my comic book news, I'm also reading (yes, in my spare time) Wonder Woman Archives, Vol. 1. My first thought upon cracking it open? Man, they used to use a lot of words!

It's a little overwhelming to think about starting at the beginning of Wonder Woman and all that comes after that, but I'm enjoying it. It's really kinda cool to read the first books of her.

I totally need a superpower that stops time while I'm reading comic books, though.

"Best Intentions" by Emily Listfield

I cannot be trusted with crime drama. Confession time, I finished this book like a month ago. Because I started it, and I read a little, and I read a little. And then I dropped everything on a weekend day and read straight through the damn thing. Once I'm pulled into a story with any sort of mystery, watch out! I have to find out what's going on!

"Best Intentions" by Emily Listfield definitely sucked me in like that. I flat out tore through it.

It kinda felt like reading an individual backstory for a Law & Order episode. I kept feeling like on Law & Order you meet say, the wife and mother and friend character. And you see her for a couple segments, and then you find out who in her life is the culprit. You don't really know who she is or where she's coming from.

But in "Best Intentions" you really meet her and learn about her life and the people in it and you get to read the whole story. In fact, it should be noted that the crime takes a while to occur. I liked that because you get intimate knowledge of all involved, so you really feel everyone's pain and you have a lot of back story to consider when thinking about who done it.

You know I don't write summaries, so here's the official 411 from Atria Books:

What happens when you think you know the person you love -- and you're dead wrong? From the acclaimed author of Waiting to Surface comes the story of four college friends whose reunion reawakens old desires and grudges -- with fatal results.

After tossing and turning all night, thirty-nine-year-old Lisa Barkley wakes up well before her alarm sounds. With two daughters about to start another year at their elite Upper East Side private school and her own career hitting a wall, the effort of trying to stay afloat in that privileged world of six-story town houses and European jaunts has become increasingly difficult, especially as Manhattan descends into an economic freefall.

As Lisa looks over at her sleeping husband, Sam, she can't help but feel that their fifteen-year marriage is in a funk that she isn't able to place. She tries to shake it off and tells herself that the strain must be due to their mounting financial pressures. But later that morning, as her family eats breakfast in the next room, Lisa finds herself checking Sam's voicemail and hears a whispered phone call from a woman he is to meet that night. Is he having an affair?

When Lisa shares her suspicions with her best friend, Deirdre, at their weekly breakfast, Deirdre claims it can't be true. But how can Lisa fully trust her opinion when Deirdre is still single and mired in an obsessive affair with a glamorous photographer even as it hovers on the edge of danger?

When Deirdre's former college flame, Jack, comes to town and the two couples meet to celebrate his fortieth birthday, the stage is set for an explosive series of discoveries with devastating consequences.

Filled with suspense and provocative questions about the relationships we value most, Best Intentions is a tightly woven drama of love, friendship and betrayal.

What I liked best about the book was its modern setting and how well that was written with lots of interesting details. Lisa's husband Sam (who I found fairly unlikable, actually) is adrift in old media as new media pushes forward, threatening his job. So that was interesting to me. I loved Lisa's New York life, fraught with compromises and opportunities, and all sorts of people living all sorts of ways. Not a family peep myself, I still found Lisa's family life interesting, too, which is no small feat.

Ultimately, the crime mystery of the book is gripping and had me page-turning for sure, but it's not actually the strongest part of the book, or even the heart of the book to my mind. The suspense works, but the misdirect felt oddly dissatisfying and the way the reveal finally occurs felt a touch too easy. Still, it's a compelling read with interesting characters I cared about.

And I really liked that it was a book about grown-ups. I'm 37 so I'm just hitting the age where you really have old friends you rarely see, and then what it's like when you come together again. Knowing someone's past intimately, but not a lot about their more recent life. It's an interesting dynamic.

Methinks that the heart of Best Intentions lies more in the exploration of old friends coming together than in the crime comes between them.

You can read an exerpt on Simon & Schuster.

Please note that I received the book reviewed above for free from the publisher for my honest review, and I won't be sending it back. Also, just a reminder, if you click any of my Amazon links and then make a purchase, I get a percentage of the sale, and you make my day.

Books, Glorious Books!

So one thing I'm doing on this here blog here this year is More Books. I'm reading more books, and hopefully reviewing more books, although I only review books sent to me by publishers so I don't review every book I read. And since I'm more with the book content this year, I thought I'd do this book meme that Florinda and Average Jane did today.

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? If I'm buying, mass market paperback.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Noble. But Borders if I've got a coupon on my lunch break.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear? I use a bookmark to hold my place, and dog-ear pages where something rocks as I go.

4. Amazon or brick and mortar? Both.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? My bookshelves are sorted by types and sizes.

6. Keep, throw away, or sell? When I thin my bookshelves, I usually donate the books to the library.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it? People throw away dust jackets? Really?

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it? If a book has a dust jacket, I use that instead of a bookmark.

9. Short story or novel? Both. Though books of short stories are difficult to get through, so I read them less.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. Please.

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Depends on how tired.

12. "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? Dark and stormy.

13. Buy or borrow? Usually buy.

14. New or used? Usually new.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? Three main sources: 1. Sent directly from publisher 2. Read about on a blog 3. The Hollywood Reporter.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Either, so long as it's done well.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? I primarily read on my lunch break, and before bed.

18. Stand-alone or series? Stand-alone.

19. Favorite series? Master & Commander, the Aubrey/Maturin series

20. Favorite children's book? Where the Wild Things Are

21. Favorite YA book? A Wrinkle in Time

22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? MYSTERY AND ADVENTURE STORIES FOR GIRLS (Compilation) Cupples & Leon. Includes: Two Girls and a Mystery, May Hollis Barton; Betty Gordon at Bramble Farm, Alice B. Emerson; Maxie, An Adorable Girl,Elsie Bell Gardner; and Jane Allen of the Sub-Team, Edith Bancroft.

23. Favorite books read last year? Everything Bad is Good for You, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Signed, Mata Hari: A Novel, The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel

24. Favorite books of all time? An Old-Fashioned Girl, Atlas Shrugged (Penguin Modern Classics), A Working Girl Can't Win : And Other Poems
25. What are you reading right now? The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

26. What are you reading next? Oil

27. Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old? A Wrinkle in Time

28. Favorite book to reread? An Old-Fashioned Girl

29. Do you ever smell books? Yes.

30. Do you ever read primary source documents, like diaries or letters? Not generally, but I certainly would if they found their way to me.

Speaking of bad modern folk who need to learn to use a library, here's a favorite story about the son of one of my cousin. My Aunt asked him if he'd like to go to the bookstore and get some books on bugs, and he replied, "Oh no, Grandma! We can go to the library!" They were astonished, because they had no idea where he'd learned about the library. My guess was educational television or preschool.

I'll spare you a rhyming title for National Poetry Month.

But I am going to make you read a poem. Or at least, share one with you which you may choose to read.

My friend Becca gave me the tip off:  April is Poetic. It is, in fact, National Poetry Month.

National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. We hope to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated.

Now, the Academy of American Poets is not really very down with the blogosphere. Their 30 Ways to Celebrate page doesn't even contain the word "blog." Although, these ideas were interesting:

Start a commonplace book
"Since the Renaissance, devoted readers have been copying their favorite poems and quotations into notebooks to form their own personal anthologies called commonplace books."

Start a notebook on Poets.org
"Poets.org lets users build their own personal portable online commonplace book out of the materials on our site."

Add verse to your email signature
"Many email programs allow you to create personalized signatures that are automatically added to the end of every email you send."

Still, where's my blog badge? Where's my widget?

Oh well, here's a poem instead. (One does imagine that that's more to the point.) It's the titular poem from a fav poetry book of mine: A Working Girl Can't Win : And Other Poems by Deborah Garrison. Published in 1998, it seems interestingly more timely now. Or perhaps it's sadly timeless.

~

A Working Girl Can't Win

Is this the birth of a pundit

 or a slut? Is she the woman

they courted for her youthful edge

or a kiss-and-tell bimbo,

a careerist coquette?

This loyal daughter to spin doctors

losing their hair or soul sister

to feminist essayists everywhere?

Is her meteoric rise the source

of her potential demise?

Is her worldview equal parts

yuppie whine and new-age rumor?

Can we get a biopsy on her latest

breast tumor? Is she a failed

anorexic, or diet-pill faddist

who'll let it all go and get fat

in her fifties? Are her roots

rural, right-leaning? Is she Jewish,

self-hating? Past her sell-by-date,

or still ovulating?

Will her husband talk?

Does he mind her success?

Does anyone know - does he see

her undressed? Has she been

photographed? Will she play

truth or dare? And more to the point,

does anyone care?

Come next year, will the masses

be reading her story? Will she be

on the cover, or well past her glory?

Either way, we'll move on, and she'll tire

before long: only her children will grieve

at the way she was wronged.

~

The whole book is a gem. And here's some trivia. Kelly read a verse of "Happily Married" by Deborah Garrison to Brandon on "90210" when they were working on their wedding vows. He didn't get it, and the rest is history.

Sassymonkey has a great post up on BlogHer if you want to read more: Pausing for Poetry. Lots of great links in the post and in the comments there.

Goals Update: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

Reading

So, I'm on track so far for my goal of reading 24 books in 2009 (12 fiction and 12 non-fiction). In April, on the nonfiction side, the good news is that He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know was such a quick read that I've got like a month and 3 weeks to read The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. The bad news is, reading about 50 double standards all in a row is rather depressing, even though Jessica Valenti is funny.

Writing

In screenwriting news, I wrote four out of five Tuesday evenings in March, missing my goal for the month by one. On the Tuesday I missed I was pitching webisode concepts to a friend, so I guess that's pretty much the greatest reason ever. :) In April I've got four Tuesdays and my goal is to beat out my adaptation on index cards using the system described in Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need. I'm tackling a quite challenging adaptation, and moving into the second half I've been feeling a bit lost so I definitely think this will be time well spent.

Arithmetic

I got my taxes done and pulling my business expenses together was as much of a nightmare as ever. I've decided that this is the year I get my business expenses organized throughout the year. I'm using a small business American Express card for most of my business expenses, and my goal in April is to download some accounting software and organize my business income and expenses so far this year. I'm totally dreaming of 2009 business taxes that are a breeze...