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Friday Five – Hard Cover Titles I Want Right Now

6 Jan

My mom got me a Kindle for my birthday, and as much as I preach the pleasure of cracking open a new book, I’m slightly addicted to it. It’s so amazingly convienient; press a button and a book appears as if by magic! No waiting until I have time to go to the bookstore, no exchanging of actual money (because virtual money doesn’t count, right???), just good books that I want, when I want them. It’s dangerous on my pocketbook, to say the least.

Anyhoo, I stand by my claim that (eventhoughtIlovemyKindleandneverwanttobewithoutit) real books will always be better. The thrill of browsing the shelves and picking up the perfect book, like rediscovering an old friend. The sound of the spine cracking as you open it for the first time, the sound that promises unlocking adventure. I love the romance of books – their promise, their ability to take you to places you never imagined, the way they sit on your shelves so patiently while you read newer, flashier titles, knowing that you’ll love them just as much when you finally come back and read them again. I even love their smell, that’s how much I love a tactile, tangible, real-life book. To this day, one of the most romantic things A can say to me (and he often does, good man) is “how about we go to the bookstore tonight, grab a cup of coffee, and buy you a good book.”

So even with my newfound Kindle-love, there are more than a few books I would die to have right now. I’d love the Kindle version, goodness knows they’d be cheaper, but I’ve wanted these titles long enough that I’d love to have them grace my shelves in hardback. Heck, I’d take them in softcover, but nothin’ says lovin’ like a hardback book. So here, in no particular order, are the top five books I’d love to have in real-print editions right now:

1. Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe, etided by Bernard Comment

2. Bossypants by Tina Fey

3. The Bitch in the House by Cathi Hanauer

4. Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmer’s Markets by Deborah Madison

5. Amphigorey: Fifteen Books by Edward Gorey

Love. Edward. Gorey.

Do you still die for hardback books, or do you prefer the downloadable version? What’s on your must-own book list right now?

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Working on #1 With Benefit

28 Nov

I’ve tried a few times to get on board with the daily sunscreen routine, to no avail. So I decided to pull out the big guns. I walked into Sephora with a specific mission: get a good-feeling daily moisturizer that didn’t make me feel greasy, had a decent spf, and was tipping towards this side of luxury so that I would feel excited to use it every day without breaking the bank. Enter Benefit.

I love Benefit, and have since high school. Since before I knew what good makeup was. I was assured by the uber-helpful sales girl that even though it was a new product for them at the time, it was already a huge hit with consumer reviews. A quick test at the counter left me with sweet-smelling, softly glowing cheeks with no greasy feeling. Quite the opposite, actually, my face felt moisturized and fresh. I took home a bottle with high hopes.

Benefit does not disappoint. I used it for two weeks straight and was complimented regularly on how healthy and ‘glowing’ I looked. My friend Lady Dianne insisted it was because of the new workout regimen we started – week two and I was glowing already! – but I knew it was due to the cream. It just made me feel better. The one downside to this cream is it is scented. I think it’s the scent that accounts for the funny taste…hold on, before you go thinking I lick my face cream, there are plenty of socially acceptable ways I can tell that it has an obtrusively bad taste.

  • Scenario one: I put it on in the morning, avoiding my immediate mouth area, and head to work. Between campuses I grab a cappuccino, and since I have a rare ten minutes to enjoy my frothy treat I pop the top and sit down to sip while perusing my favorite blogs. While sipping, some velvety foam gets on my lip, so I stick out my tongue to lick it off. Instead of creamy, espresso-ey goodness, I get a bitter, astringent flavor that totally puts me off my cuppa.
  • Scenario two: A comes home from work, and is understandably thrilled to see me. A loves to kiss my cheeks. I don’t know why, maybe I have cute cheeks. So after a big A-Bear hug, he plants one on my smooch-puff. He then gives me a big, sweet, butterfly-inducing smooch on the lips…only it would have been that kind of kiss, if it weren’t for that bitter, astringent taste. Totally ruins the moment.
So, yes, I know my face cream tastes bad. Which wouldn’t be a big deal, except that it doesn’t stop tasting bad, even hours after I apply it. In my book, it makes my skin look and feel so kissably-good that I can forgive it a little bitterness during otherwise sweet moments. I just know that I have to proceed with caution and encourage A to kiss the non-moisturized areas on my face when I apply it. So definitely worth the buy, but next time I may walk in to Sephora and specifically request a face cream that doesn’t taste bad.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Hold on, Christy, if you’ve already found a product you love, wouldn’t that mean you’ve accomplished #1 on The List to wear sunscreen? Not so in my book, my friends, not so. You see, it takes roughly 21 days to make or break a habit, longer if the habit is addictive. The longest streak I’ve ever had putting cream on every day is 16 days. I’ll go in fits and spurts, then take a few weeks off. I’m really bad about it, actually, which is why it’s on my list. So I’ll cross this baby off when I’ve got a solid three months under my belt – I figure by then that habit will be pretty ingrained. Will Benefit take me all the way? Only time will tell…

Do you use a daily moisturizer with spf? Let me know what you like, and I’ll know what to try next!

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Frozen Yogurt Makes Everything Better

23 Nov

I love trying new things, and I love to share the things I find that are awesome. So I’m introducing a new category here on BiRL, Raves and Reviews. I’m a positive person, so I’ll only review things I like. There are no sponsors, there are no kickbacks, so everything I write is my own, objectively biased opinion.

Yesterday I had a migraine, all day long. Last night I had an indulgence craving. When I get one of those, I usually head down the street to my neighborhood Trader Joes – or Whole Foods if I’m feeling saucy – and decide between a decent bottle of wine or a really good pint of ice cream. Last night, ice cream won and I brought home Double Rainbow’s Pomegranate Blueberry Frozen Yogurt. What does this have to do with a migraine? After four Aleve, an hour of resting my head, and kicking my noisy dogs out so I could have some peace and quiet, the relentless pounding only subsided after I savored this tub of creamy tartness.

I love frozen yogurt. Let me clarify, I love good frozen yogurt. With real yogurt. With active cultures. There is a lot of yogurt shops out there that pass off any old soft serve as fro-yo just to get the trendy nod.

I’d never tried Double Rainbow’s frozen yogurt, but I made frequent trips to Castro Tarts to pick up a scoop of their ice cream when I lived in the city. The pomegranate blueberry flavor was tart – surprisingly so. The kind of tart usually reserved for summer fruit sorbet. But once you get past the shock of the tart, yougurt-ey creaminess comes through and melts on your tongue in an incredibly satisfying bite. And at 120 fat-free calories in 1/2 cup, it’s an indulgence I can feel good about. It’s a perfect scoop for my palate because it perfectly combines my love of tart fruit flavors and the creamy texture of ice cream. This won’t be the last time this happy little pint graces my freezer.

No post tomorrow, happy Thanksgiving!

Working on #27 – C. S. Lewis Blows My Mind

17 Nov

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I just picked up The Four Loves at my local bookstore to get started on #27 of my 30 before 30 list: to read all the great works of C. S. Lewis. I’m on page one of the introduction and he’s already twisted my mind into a pretzel.

“Divine love is Gift-love. The Father gives all He is and has to the Son. The Son gives Himself back to the Father, and gives Himself to the world, and for the world to the Father, and thus gives the world (in Himself) back to the Father too.”

*Ka-pchooooo!* Page one, people. Mind. Blown.

I thought I’ve give myself a break and intersperse his heavier works with The Chronicles of Narnia, but truth be told I’ve read none of the famous children’s series. I know, I know. My book lover card should be revoked. I also picked up The Magician‘s Nephew yesterday, but I was wondering: should I go in order? What’s the best way to experience Narnia? You who have read all of The Chronicles tell me, what’s the best way to go about it? I leave myself in your capable hands.

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