I did it!

One of my goals for 2012 was to read at least three books written for an adult audience.  Considering that I often go on young adult fiction binges that can last upwards of eleven months, planning to read three was doable, but certainly not a given.  I'm proud to say that as of April 11, 2012, when I completed Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, three of the eight books I've read since January 1, were not written for adolescents!  (Insert my happy dance here—which bears a striking resemblance to the twins' moves.)

That said, I want to share a graphic novel (written for young adults) I recently read with you.  Meet the Janes, who are the cast of characters in The Plain Janes, a tale written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Jim Rugg. 

After the main Jane's parents move her to suburbia in the name of safety, our leading lady manages to make friends with three other Janes-of-various-spellings.  Together, they form The P.L.A.I.N. Janes, a secret "art girl gang" whose mission is to create thought-provoking public art, in hopes of inspiring their strip-mall loving neighbors to appreciate beauty.  P.L.A.I.N. = People Loving Art in Neighborhoods.

Reasons these Janes are kind of my kindred:   

• Main Jane's (far left above) first thought as she stares at the sky from the perfectly manicured lawn in her new yard, notebook by her side, bird chirping overhead: "I'm in hell."
• And as she enters her new high school, she tells herself: "Remember it's just four years . . . Om, and all that."
• Jane-with-the-bob (second from right above) puts on a prosthetic nose and recites from Cyrano De Bergerac when she tries out for the school's production of Grease, much to the horror of the "cool" girls running the auditions.
• "I want her to stop worrying and love the world again." —Main Jane, speaking about her mom.  
• P.L.A.I.N. projects include: installing hundreds of stuffed animals outside an animal shelter with clever signs encouraging pet adoption; a message bottle tree, with instructions like dance, hug, and skip inside the hanging bottles; and yarn bombing parking meters and fire hydrants with striped cozies. 

No doubt you understand why I would invite the P.L.A.I.N. Janes to help fulfill my birthday mission.  These girls would be all over #s 5, 9, and 12!  

p.s. You're still totally invited to help fulfill my birthday mission, too.  The Janes would be so proud, and I would be impressed, grateful, and a lot of other positive adjectives!   

I didn't study this in my art history courses

When I was in Europe last fall, soaking in all of the architecture, (sanctioned) public art installations, and fine art in the museums, the question I was most interested in investigating was when and how did street art, as we know it, develop?.  It's not that I wasn't in awe of the traditional art.  Of course I was, but what can I say?  I'm a fan of subversion.  And beautifying our neighborhoods.  Because they are our neighborhoods, after all.  I suppose I should research the "artivism" sub-category from the diagram above, because street art that makes a statement, be it aesthetic or political, is my favorite.  I admire the combination of creativity, cleverness, and conviction.   

Many moons ago, I watched Style Wars (which is kickass, btw), but like the amnesiac I am, I don't remember many of the details (luckily, the entire documentary is streaming on YouTube).  New York.  Subways.  Train yards.  Cans of spray paint.  That's pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the origins of street art, specifically graffiti.  So, I went where all deeply serious academics go to conduct thorough and reliable research: Wikipedia.  I now know precious little more than previously noted above.  (Did you know cave paintings that date back to 30,000 BCE, can be classified as graffiti?  I did not.  I always thought of cave people as rule followers.)  As you can imagine, though, it is difficult to determine precise origins for such a dynamic movement.  And being such a recent (comparatively speaking) branch of visual arts, I didn't expect to find oodles of definitive texts on the topic. 

But, I shall not be deterred!  I plan to watch Style Wars again.  Then, I'll read Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution, Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents, and Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents.  You better believe all this research totally counts as one, if not two (or three!), of the tasks on GOOD's 30-day Challenge checklist.     

Would you like to see some of my favorite 

street art works from my recent trip to Europe?

diagram source       

I have something I want to give to you.

(Well, one of you, at least.)



You've seen this, no?  Marcel the Shell With Shoes On?  And the sequel?

My favorite quotes from the most witty and charming invertebrate ever:

• "Guess why I smile a lot.  Uh, cuz it's worth it."  Marcel, my little shelled friend, I wish everyone had your attitude.
• "... I also have shoes and, um, a face.  So, I like that about myself, and I like myself, and I have a lot of other great qualities as well."  Indeed!  
• "Sometimes people say that my head is too big for my body.  And then I say, 'Compared to what?'!"  When I was your age, I wish I had enough aplomb to improvise such a brilliant comeback.  

Beyond introducing you to Marcel the Shell (or reminding you of his magnificence), I actually do have a tangible gift for one of you.  Yep, this is We hope for more's very first giveaway!  A little thank you, from me to you.  I will send one lucky reader a copy of Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: Things About Me—Marcel's very first book!

Drawing Details:

1. To enter, watch either (or both) of Marcel's videos, and leave a comment below that states your favorite quote and why it's your fave or why it made you laugh or what it reminds you of, etc. etc.
2. Leave your comment by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, February 2, 2012. 
3. I will most likely allow my cat, Cleo, to select the winner.  (Or just pull names out of a hat.  WWMD?  [What Would Marcel Do?])
4. I will announce the winner this Friday, February 3! 

Good night and good luck!

My Favorite Things: Books

Among my favorite things to do when I can choose to do whatever I want

to do: reading.  Here are my favorite reads of 2011, aka

Sarah's Top Seven Books Read During 2011 (catchy, no?)

7. The Hunger Games trilogy.  I'll admit it: I was prejudiced against Suzanne Collins trilogy.  Figured all the buzz was hype.  I didn't read THG till this summer, and I wasn't really hooked until Katniss (our powerful, if flawed, protagonist) was launched up the tube into The Hunger Games arena.  But once I was hooked, I was enthralled.  Truly thought provoking and downright captivating, all three books are excellent.  I hadn't expected the story and message to be so political.  (I guess I thought it would be sci-fi-ish fluff?  See?  Prejudiced!)  But I am very impressed with how Collins portrayed violence and power.  Perhaps it's not for all, but I know where I'll be on March 23, 2012.*   

*in a dark theater, cursing the Capitol regime, and throwing popcorn at President Snow

6. Graceling.  Apparently I'm a sucker for Young Adult Fiction with a strong female main character.  I kind of want to be Katsa when I grow up.  She's clever, witty, and completely bad ass.  She's one of few in her kingdom "graced" with a special power, and we get to watch her make mistakes, learn, and grow—come-of-age, if you will.  Part adventure, party mystery, part bildungsroman; totally enchanting and so very cool.  A nice, and unexpected, combo. 

5. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.  Aaaaaand, here we are again with Sarah's "strong [teenaged] female main character" paradigm.  Though I didn't love TDHoFL-B like the other books already noted, I did enjoy this read.  Frankie attends a boarding school, and when she feels she is wronged by an all-male secret society at said school, we get to watch her exact her revenge, which consists of carefully plotted, elaborate pranks.  The setting, plot, and characterization are reminiscent of John Green (which is a very good thing), but if you want to read "John Green" at its finest, read Paper Towns.  Sigh.  The best.

4. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.  A fun read.  I'm not usually into "romance" or "rom-com" type books, but this one's pretty cheeky.  Dash and Lily are both smart, savvy, word- and literature-loving types.  Before they ever meet in person, they interact with cryptic messages passed back and forth in books (!) in a bookstore.  Solid. 

3. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee.  Disclaimer: Sarah Silverman's humor is not for everyone.  Most call her crass; some call her much worse.  I find her hilarious, and laughed out loud at least once per chapter.  If you don't dig her style, nothing I say will make you dig this book.  For what it's worth, I was thoroughly entertained by The Bedwetter.  

2. Great House.  In an effort to prove that I do read books intended for adults . . . ahem.  Nicole Krauss is the author of one of my favorite books of all time: The History of Love.  Though I wasn't equally enamored with her Man Walks into a Room, I was really looking forward to reading GH.  

It neither dazzled nor disappointed me.  Like always, Krauss' phrasing is gorgeous.  Her words, mesmerizing.  But I didn't really ever grow to care about the characters, so my desire to feel moved as the story unfolded, was unrealized.      

 

1. The Book Thief.  Truth be told, I read The Book Thief before 2011.  However, I'm including it in this countdown because I re-read it.  For the fourth time.  I want everyone in the world to read The Book Thief.  Just once, even.  It is stunning and heartbreaking and powerful.  A treasure.  It's magnificent.  A magnificent treasure.

 

Up next for me?  The Night Circus and The Fault in Our Stars (John Green's soon-to-be-published latest effort).  Is it possible that I'll enjoy more adult literature in 2012?  Sure, anything is possible.  ;]

What were your favorite reads of 2011?

I'm always seeking recommendations!