I learned a new word: Wiki

I was watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire on Wednesday night (a favorite past time of my boyfriend and I) and one of the questions was something like Which of the following is the word for a source of information that is able to be edited by it's viewers? The correct answer choice was wiki, which was also my guess. I thought wiki made sense because Wikipedia.com allows users to add, remove, or edit content. I'd always thought wiki was a made up word, but I looked it actually is Hawiian for "quick." Cool huh?
In case your eyes are as bad as mine, the circled text on the photo says, "anyone can edit."

I like these word posts. I think I'll do it again next time I hear a particularly interesting word. I'll call them utterances.

Barnes & Noble Meet the Writers Podcast

The Barnes and Noble Meet the Writers Podcast is my favorite of all my subscriptions. The show consists of a 10-15 minute interview with a popular author (who typically just had a book published and is on tour). They cover all sorts of books and genres: food lit, children's picture books, memoirs, science fiction, chick lit, horror, poetry and even comic books. All of the interviews are with the biggest names in books: Anne Rice, Gregory Maguire, Lisa See, Augusten Burroghs, Carl Hiassan, Erik Larson, Chuck Palahniuk, Sophie Kinsella, Ann Brashers, and Sue Monk Kidd. Even if you've never read Laurell K. Hamilton, the interviews are conducted in a way so you don't have to have be a fan to enjoy the show. Despite there being authors I haven't heard of, it was really interesting to listen anyway because the podcast sparks an interest in you to try reading a book you may have never come across. Sometimes I find myself being introduced to an entire new genre of books I never knew existed. Who knew 'Dog Lit' had it's own section in the library? My favorite part about this podcast is the length. The show always ends at just the right moment. It leaves you wanting more, but still satisfied. What do they talk about? Meet the Writers is great for people who wonder about what inspires a writer to compose his or her book. They often discuss the writing process, the author's life prior to being published, and what inspired his or her successful book(s). Barnes and Noble's podcast feels just like meeting a friend of a friend for the first time. You've heard a lot about them and when you meet for the first time you're just getting a feel for what type of person (or writer) he or she is. You chat, make small talk, but nothing too personal usually comes up. The show is updated about twice a week. I love Meet the Writers. Even if you've never heard of any of the interviewed authors, it's a great way to learn about new books. Everybody should subscribe.

The Barnes & Noble Meet the Writers Podcast can be downloaded for free directly from the iTunes store. Just enter "Meet the Writers" in the "Search iTunes Store" box.

Podcast Defined

I don't think I've ever defined podcast on Wrinkled Thought. Here's Dictionary.com's definition just in case there are any technological immigrants out there...

In Her Shoes

In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner, defines Chick Lit, which is code for books featuring "smart, funny, struggling relatable female protagonists." (Weiner) In Her Shoes features two sisters Maggie (28), a free spirited size zero with a habit of being evicted from her apartment or being followed by enchanted men, and Rose (30), a Princeton graduate with a law degree and an a closet full of plus sized business clothes. The two sisters only have one thing in common: shoe size. Maggie and Rose are forced to live together and, inevitably, discover how different the two sisters are. At the heat of Maggie and Rose's conflict, their long lost grandmother, Ella, comes into the picture. Despite the girls's mother having died when they were very young, some nasty fights involving Rose's love interest and a pair of very stylish boots lead to the whole family coming to realize they can't live without one another.

Chick Lit has a bad reputation for being frivolous, substancelss, and published for women too ignorant to pick up something as intellectual as The Da Vinci Code (sarcasm). I don't care what type of books you're into, In Her Shoes is fantastic. I coudn't put it down; I finished in only two days. In Her Shoes is 100% character driven, which were incredably developed. I felt like any minor character was just as well thought out as our protagonists. Because the heart of the book is in the character's emotions and interactions, it's a very funny read thanks to such vibrant personalities created by Weiner. I found myself giggling from page one to the end. Despite Chick Lit's bad connotation, In Her Shoes was full of excellent comentary on relationships between sisters, stepmothers and stepdaughters, coworkers, senior citizens in new relationships, and even people and their dogs. It's packed with emotion; I cried twice (no surprises there). I don't really have anything bad to say about In Her Shoes. It's everything I expected it to be, only better.

By the way, I'm not the only one who loves this book. A friend and I went to the drive through at Shakie's and I had the book on my lap and the guy taking our order noticed it and we had a lovely conversation about the amazingness of In Her Shoes. My friend and I ordered two small ice creams, but I'm pretty sure he gave us mediums or larges. Isn't that nice? I'll make sure to bring the book again next time we venture to Shakie's just in case our little friend is working again.

So, apparently In Her Shoes was made into a movie. I've heard it wasn't that good, but I'm going to rent it anyway. You'll probably see a post on it at some point. I need to watch it while the book is still fresh in my mind. (I usually forget books pretty quickly after I've finished them).

I did some research on the Jennifer Weiner and I discovered she's been a devoted blogger since January 2002. Impressive. She's a user of the handy dandy Blogger too. Here's the link to SnarkSpot, Jennifer Weiner's blog.

See more reviews or buy In Her Shoes at Amazon.com.

I've misplaced my Interview with a Vampire book. I'm hoping this is a temporary state, but I'm not counting on it. Maybe it'll turn up. I was really enjoying it and wasn't even half way throught yet. =(

Back to the Basics

I'm sure you've all been enjoying all these posts about college visits, shopping trips, teachers and winter drum line scores but, I think it's about time I got back to the basics. I created this blog to have a place to rave about books I love, not about my personal life. I keep a private journal for a reason; there's really no need to discuss my difficulties with the ACT and trips to O'Charley's on Wrinkled Thought. The problem is, I really love posting, but I haven't had much time to read lately so there's not much to say about books and lots to say about what's been keeping me away from my beloved reading material. A little diary entree here and there isn't a bad thing, but it's been a little overdone lately. Expect a book review tomorrow.

Church Garage Sales are Amazing!

I went to church last night to help set up for our annual spring garage sale and was shocked to find boxes and boxes full of books. I put off putting stickers on all the kids toys for a few minutes to do some browsing and I found fifteen books I wanted to take home. It ended up being only $9.00 for the whole bunch. (Paperbacks were $0.50 and hard covers were $1.00). Most of the books weren't in the best condition; they were old and smelly, but the words are still there. I really wish I would have had my camera last night because there was junk EVERYWHERE. When I walked inside, I thought, "Where did my church go?"

Here's what I bought...

• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
• Anthem by Ayn Rand
• The Chosen by Chaim Potok
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand
• The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
• Seraph on the Suwanee by Zora Neale Hurston
• The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arther Conan Doyal
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
• Pandora by Anne Rice
• The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
• In her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

I also bought these adorable little bird mugs for 10 cents each. (Our family is really into birds).

In other news, PHS Winter Drum Line is officially the 7th best drum line in the world! We went to Dayton last weekend for World Finals Competition. There were a lot of great groups there and it was really cool finally getting to compete with everybody. We also had about an hour long pillow fight on the bus ride home. (See my Myspace blog for details). That was fun too.

I got my ACT scores back from a couple weeks ago and my score went down two points from the first time I took it. How does that work?

I am also aware of the lack of reviews there's been lately. 100 Years of Solitude is a very long book. I was supposed to have it done Friday, but my teacher's changed the assignment so finishing the book is optional now. I do plan on finishing it, but I need a break. As much as I love the book, it gets too confusing to read in little spurts, which is all I've had time to do lately. I need to just sit down one day and read till there's no more pages. Until then, hello Interview with a Vampire!

A Very Long Day

Today was the longest day ever. I spent a total of 13 and a half hours at school, on a Saturday! It was the big ACT day at Page. I've taken it once before, but I thought it was a lot harder this time around. After finishing the test a bunch of winter drumline people (and two extras) went to O'Charley's to celebrate the survival of yet another life altering standardized test. I ate the Shrimp Bayou Pasta, which was delicious, minus the tomatoes, which I forgot to ask to leave off (I hate tomatoes). After we ate, we wandered back to school for our winter drum line practice, where I was till 10:30p. My dad surprised me with some publix sushi when I finally got home. It was great.

On a side note, if there are any Imogen Heap fans out there, she's been posting these really great blog entrees about her adventures in Hawaii on her Myspace. They're complete with pictures and updates on songs she's working on. Here's the link.

The first picture is my buddy Robin and I at O'Charley's. That's Brandon in the background.

College Visit I: APSU

Yesterday, I went on a college visit to Austin Peay State University in Clarksville TN. Mom and I started off by eating in the cafeteria, where we passed an Asian guy break dancing. It was amazing. After eating we wandered towards the music/mass communications building. Upon entering I hear the band practicing Shepherd's Hey by Percy Grainger, one of my favorite pieces ever. Later on I heard them playing some other songs we're working on at PHS, which was odd. A little too coincidental. We peeked into the concert hall and there was this older guy on stage moving props around. I told him I was here for a tour and trying to kill time while I waited for it to begin. He asked me if I wanted to be a music major and what I played. I told him I might be majoring in clarinet performance. He goes on to tell me that there was a clarinet choir concert there tonight at 7:30. Can you get anymore perfect than that? I've always wanted to see a clarinet choir perform, but how cool is it that I get to experience it at (possibly) my future school. Mom and I trekked back across campus to to the starting point of our tour, which ended up being predictable, inevitably informative, and completely worthwhile. Afterwords, we wandered around campus a little bit more and then we went to Wendy's for dinner before returning back to the concert hall for the clarinet choir concert. It was great. I loved it. The rest of APSU was very nice too. It was a good day.

APSU Symphony Orchestra

(I stole both pictures from the APSU website )

Five Ways to Kill a Man

I've never really liked poetry all that much, but lately a teacher of mine has been giving me some and I think like it now that I've been exposed to the good stuff. Five Ways to Kill a Man is my favorite of those few poems I've read. I don't want to put the whole thing up, but here are the first couple lines. You can go click on the link at the bottom if you want to read the whole thing. It's amazing.

Five Ways to Kill a Man
by Edwin Brock
"There are many cumbersome ways to kill a man.
You can make him carry a plank of wood
to the top of a hill and nail him to it.
To do this properly you require a crowd of people
wearing sandals, a cock that crows, a cloak
to dissect, a sponge, some vinegar and one
man to hammer the nails home..."

Five Ways to Kill a Man

-

The guy in the picture is Edwin Brock, if you didn't figure that one out on your own.

Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End Trailer

These films are Disney's best. I love them and can't wait for At World's End to come out. The DVD's lots of fun because of all that behind the scene stuff. I never realized this until watching the writer's commentary on Black Pearl, but you can analyze movies just like you can analyze books. Shocking isn't it?