72 dresses and a jar of nutella @cleopetrus-blog - Tumblr Blog

Just read.

This isn't the book cover for the copy I read, but mine was based on the recent movie. I'm not a fan of movie poster book covers.

I didn't know what this story was about when I picked it up, and I wasn't at all disappointed.

#The Reluctant Fundamentalist #Mohsin Hamid #books #lit #fiction

To the Lighthouse by Virignia Wolf.

Recently read this one for a book club meeting and was surprised to hear that some people found it quite a hard read. I zapped through it quickly; its characters simply took me in.

#To the Lighthouse #Virginia Wolf #books #lit #fiction

writingbox

Commonly Confused Words

Assent: agreement, approval

Ascent: the action of rising or climbing up

#words

Trail of cetterpillars in the driveway by my house!

#nature #caterpillar

newyorker

A cartoon by Roz Chast. Take a look at more cartoons from this week’s issue: http://nyr.kr/1dIqvSg

cleopetrus-blog

Haha, if only the answer was this simple!

#socks #lost sock #laundry #funny #drier

Just baked these babies! - Nutella swirl chewy cookies.

Just substitute nutella swirls for chocolate chips in you favourite choco chip cookie recipe. Basically I wanted to make cookies tonight but realized I didn't quite have all of the ingredients. The result is delicious! Just remember not to mix the nutella in too much, put dots of it all over the dough, then with only a few movements, swirls it through your dough. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Yum!!

#nutella #cookies #baking #recipes #nutella swirl cookies

newyorker

A cartoon by Robert Mankoff. For more cartoons from this week’s issue: http://nyr.kr/1jMGlwC

#New Yorker #cartoons #satire #society

newyorker

Nawara Mahfoud on a Syrian woman’s new life in Lebanon: http://nyr.kr/1hEk02y

“Oum Ali is very proud of the apartment—this is her triumph. Only when she started her catering business did they manage to move here; previously, they all crammed into a one-bedroom basement space, where the smell ‘was as if you lived in the middle of a garbage bin.’”

Photograph by Latitude Stock/Arcaid/Corbis.

#newyorker #syria #refugees #article #reading #world

Home made double chocolate chip cookies revelation! Absolutely delicious and gooey cookies, quick to prepare and scrumptious. Yum!

I found this great recipe on turntablekitchen. Have you heard of wine and food combinations? Of course you have, now discover food and music combos. To tell you the truth, I haven't found the song I should listen to while baking these, but Slate's 2013 summer strut soundtrack on Spotify did the trick. Not all the songs are to my liking, but overall, it's great when you're not quite sure what you want to listen to.

Here's the link to the actual cookies recipe: http://www.turntablekitchen.com/2008/12/holiday-potluck-recipes/

#baking #cookies #chocolate #music #turntablekitchen

First world war bravery was not confined to the soldiers | Priyamvada Gopal

#WWI #guardian #article

Today I tried my hand at Jamie Oliver's Crispy fragrant jumbo prawns. (photo taken directly from his book Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook).

The result was not absolutely as breathtaking as the one in the photo, (I did take a photo of what I made, but my talents lie nowhere near the realm of photography) but they did turn out very nice.

A very easy recipe to reproduce, and might I say well explained in the cookbook. It does, however, take a little time. I unfortunately do not have access to ready-made bread crumbs, so I had to make my own. This is time consuming. Another thing to consider is decarcassing the prawns and butterflying them. In all, I spent about 45 minutes preparing and cooking.

Nevertheless, well worth the effort and the time!

#food #recipes #prawns #Jamie Oliver #cooking

Why so biased against comics?

Living in France has given me perspective on many things: different ways of life, peoples’ attitudes to each other, strikes, the work ethic, the work/life balance; these were all things one could have expected, but nothing prepared me for comic books.

We all know them in some form. Mostly, we know who Captain America is, the X-Men, and what Tobey Maguire looks like in spandex in his reincarnation of The Amazing Spiderman. But alas, our interest generally peaks at the latest Superman movie. Comics, we say, are the domain of kids. Or are they?

I am beginning my 6th year in the South of France and only now am I setting out on my exploration of “la bande dessiné” (BD). Over this side of the Atlantic, there are three main categories of comic books: Comics; or those which come from America, usually concerning superheroes; BD, which is the European comic book, or graphic novel; and Manga, their Japanese counterpart.

Here, comics are respected; they are the domain of each part of society, from children, to teenagers, to adults. In France, one does not have to sheepishly explain the apparition of a stray comic book to a guest during a dinner party. Instead, the artwork and the storyline of said comic book are reviled for their creativity and artistry.

Take for instance the marvellous graphic depiction of the French artist Gauguin’s famous emigration to the island of Martinique. The graphic novel, Gauguin: Loin de la route, published by Le Lombard, written by Maximilien Le Roy and Illustrated by Christophe Gaultier and Marie Galopin is quite obviously not a work for children, and furthermore, very blatantly deserves every praise for artistic and literary merit. Its illustrations, beautiful in themselves, are reminiscent of Gauguin’s own style, and transport the reader into the jungle of his last years. So many of us revel in covering our coffee tables with albums large and small, their content, though surely decorative, cannot in any way match the skill and creativity of many graphic novels, long derided by their supposed juvenile qualities.

Other extraordinary examples of the graphic novel are the numerous anniversary editions of Albert Camus’ work. His most celebrated novel L’Etranger, published by Gallimard and illustrated by José Muñoz is a wonder. The minimalistic artwork accompanies the reader on the protagonists’ voyage through the weeks succeeding his mother’s death. They do not so much illustrate the novel, as put the words into tangible moulds, permitting the reader to rediscover Camus’ masterpiece.

Of course speaking of Gauguin and Camus, one may be led to think, so what, a few examples of what might be called literary comics exist, this doesn’t alter the general trend. Let me persuade you otherwise. Yet another fabulous specimen of comic book extraordinaire is Bill Willingham and Lan Medina’s saga of Fables. This fabulous series follows the lives and tales of our childhood heroes and heroines: Snow White, Prince Charming, The Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Grettle, and many more beloved legendary characters. The gimmick? Discover their personalities, their hopes and dreams, their relationships and their journeys through exile into our world. This is a wonderfully illustrated and written series that will have you harassing your local bookshop for more.

So, why do our cultural values let us watch Marvel films, HBO series about vampires, or movies based on these very magical characters, yet they squirm when we try to broaden our horizons to graphic novels? When we embrace culture we should take an example form the French, and embrace all of culture. Let’s be democratic about not only our political system, but also about our life style and cultural values.

#comics #BD #bande déssiné #article #interest #France #albert camus #bill willingham #fables

theparisreview

The Fiend

Red-faced and romping in the wind I too am reading the technical journals, but Keeping Christmas-safe each city block With tail-pin. My angels are losing patience, Never win. Except at night. Then I would like a silken thread Tied round the solid blooming winter. Trees stand stark-naked guarding bridal paths; The cooling wind keeps blowing, and There is a faint chance in geometric boxes! It doesn’t matter, though, to show he is Your champion. Days are nursed on science fiction And you tremble at the boots upon the earth As my strength and I walk out and look for you.

—Ted Berrigan.

Art credit Azamat Akhmadbaev

#poetry #lit #the paris review