Saturday Night's Alright

Weekend weather combined with today's news stories have left me without a suitable theme today. I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Stay warm.

Read if you can.

Have a cup of tea (or reading water).

Act Now - Cancel Anytime!

Many of us keep up with the latest in film and addictive television programming with Netflix. Some may take collective use a little further with handbag selections. This week, I discovered another intriguing opportunity in the wide world of rentals: books. Bookswim allows subscribed users to rent books for a monthly fee beginning at $23.95 for three books at one time. There are no deadlines to reading unless self-applied (over-achievers) or demanded by your book club (procrastinators). No additional shipping fees apply so feel free to order those really heavy books that you have been so desperate to have. Options include paperbacks and hardbacks. A simple search also led me to Booksfree which shares their "how it works" graphics with Netflix (I would suggest a little differentiation here). Booksfree targets paperbacks as well as some audio with a price point that is cheaper than Bookswim. With Booksfree, one also has the option for monthly, semi-annual, and annual memberships (just like your gym).

Immortal Bee Witch lives Secret Lives

With the New Year officially in full swing, it is time to get organized for your first quarter reads. Upcoming titles for the GBC are:

Jan - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Feb - Little Bee by Chris Cleve
Mar - The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
Apr - The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin

As already mentioned, my local alternative for January is Outlanders by Diana Galbaldon. Time for me to pick up the pace on Great Expectations.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Advice for 2011 inspired by a weekend in NYC:

1. Don't forget your sunglasses in the cab, even if the ride makes your top #5 scariest of all time.
2. Know what you want by the time you get to the counter.
3. Hear a band play twice live in the same venue: you may just feel like you are part of a heartbeat.
4. Go for long walks.
5. Wear sparkly things.
6. Falafel eaten standing may in fact be better than that served to you at a table.
7. Read Hemingway, chronologically if so desired.
8. Make spontaneous resolutions at dinner parties.
9. Wash dishes for someone else.
10. Use a brown paper bag to remove exterior skin from grilled peppers.
11. Stay in touch with old friends and make new friends.
12. Speaker placement is important.
13. Taking the scenic route can be more fun.
14. Visit museums and use the audio tour.
15. Order two desserts.

Wishing you an ultra-fabulous beginning to your year.