Model Student? Model or Student...she had to pick one.

Model Student...a tale of coeds and cover models...by Robin Hazelwood is my book recommendation for my high school friend Lisa L. It's just a fun book about a girl who has the smarts to attend Columbia University and the looks for modeling. It's her quest to pursue both at the same time, even with the immense pressures on the modeling industry to eat nothing, take cocaine to stop being hungry, and add a couple cup sizes to her bust. In the end she realizes she has to pick one, and the reader is kept in suspense until the very end. I thought it would be an easy decision, but Robin Hazelwood keeps the attraction between both model and coed equally compelling.

Ode to Snow (Guest Blog from my Dad)

"I was going to read a book tonight but we have 18 plus inches of snow and my wife has been out shovelling for close to 3 hours; I can't see her anymore in the high drifts.

I sent our black lab out to find her about 2 hours ago, but he has not returned.

I sent our cat out to find them both about an hour ago but he also has not returned.

Maybe I will go and read that book now that the house is so quiet."

Witty, Dad. Very witty.

It's SNOWING...what do you read during a snowpocolypse?

Snow days are some of the best times to cuddle up by a fire, make some hot chocolate, and get comfy with a good book. I'm planning to finish Nanny Returns. I sort of cheated a bit by speedreading the last 30 pages, so I know what happens, but now I want to go back and read them luxuriously.

In the northeast, we're supposed to be getting 1-2 FEET of snow! People interviewed on the news said that even though they had a fully stocked fridge, they were still going out to the grocery store this afternoon. Crazy.

It's my bday this weekend, and my parents were going to send me chocolate covered strawberries in the mail. Sadly, the delivery crew said they couldn't do any deliveries to Washington DC this weekend because of the storm.

And...my husband just presented me with snowshoes for my bday!

This is supposed to be the largest snowfall that the DC area has ever seen. This should be interesting...

What am I reading right now?

People have asked me what I'm currently reading. I'm about half-way through Nanny Returns. It's the sequel to the bestseller The Nanny Diaries. For me, it's really hit or miss with the authors' books. I loved Dedication, but I didn't like Citizen Girl. Nanny Returns is great. It picks up about ten years after the first book, with Nan having married Harvard Hottie, moving with him all around the world, and then settling back in Harlem, NY to buy a house. Through strange events, Nan is once again reunited with Grayer X.

I never understood why the last name was X. I know it's a stand-in--supposed to be respresenting all crazy, rich parents who treat their kids like trophies to be taken out of the cabinet for polishing once in awhile. However, why couldn't the authors have just picked a fictional last name? Same as in Citizen Girl. The main character's name is Girl. I could never get into that. Anyway, not a big deal, though. I'm still loving the book and definitely recommend it.

The Food of Love-another recommendation for a possible Iron Chef

Mike and Meredith, my book recommendation for both of you is the Food of Love by Anthony Capella. Since you're also going to participants in our Iron Chef cook-off in a few months, this is a food related book. It inspires some delicious Italian cooking. Or...at the very least, it makes you want to go out for a really great Italian meal!!! Enjoy!

(You know what else? It makes me think of Epcot's Italy...and of course when I think of Epcot, I think of you guys!)

Something Borrowed--a wedding book for Denise.

Denise, since you're a gal who's about to be married, I picked a wedding related book for you! Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.

Ok, so here's a disclaimer about this book. At first I didn't want to read it because the protagonist is a girl who steals her best friend's fiance. I didn't think I'd be able to relate to the main character. And I wouldn't root for the stealer and the fiance to stay together. But I took a chance and read the book. It was a surprise, but there are reasons why the reader can end up seeing the narrator's perspective and feeling empathy.

Have you read this one already? I'd be interested in your perspective on the book, especially since you're getting married this year.

J.D. Salinger Passes Away 1/26/10

This post is dedicated to J.D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye who passed away at age 91 this past Wednesday.

I remember that I was first introduced to the book in 9th grade English class. Our teacher, Mrs. Wiggin (who was also the school newspaper faculty lead), gave us a choice between reading Pride and Prejudice and the Catcher in the Rye. Of a class of about twenty-five students, only six people chose P&P, me being one of them. The rest of the class read Catcher. Why? Because when you're in 9th grade with eight classes, tons of homework to do, and a new set of boys and girls to notice for the first time, you choose the book with less pages. I, however, was not thinking along the same lines of my classmates. I chose P&P because Mrs. Wiggin said it involved a love story. A month later everyone in the class discussed their two books, and I heard how much everyone liked Catcher. So later, on my own, I read the book too.

Tell everyone when/how you first read Catcher in the Rye.

There's also a blog that I'd like to link to: http://bookpage.wordpress.com
They're also running this kind of post about J.D. Salinger. They also review books and post recommendations.

Chocolate-the cure for all that ails-and...it's a book.

Divya, a book recommendation for you is Chocolate, which is a book that was also made into a movie. I specifically picked this book for you because you and Vivek will be doing an Iron Chef with us in a few weeks/months. Not that chocolate will be the secret ingredient, necessarily, or that your names will be pulled out of the hat in April to be the cooks, but...in this book, they talk about how chocolate can be used as an ingredient in all types of dishes, not just desserts. I was so inspired to cook decadently after watching this movie and reading this book. You're such a good cook that you might like this particular book too!

Remember Me? Recommendation for Ginger

Ginger,

Thanks for always asking how my book is going. I really appreciate your encouragement. You are the most fabulous recruiter at work!

So this posting is dedicated to you with a book recommendation that I really love. Remember Me is quintessential chick lit written by Sophie Kinsella. It's about an average woman who wakes up from a coma one day---with expensive possessions, a vice president position in her company, and a glamorous new look. She doesn't remember how she got any of these things. Last she remembers she was an average Jane with no boyfriend, a lousy job, and no money. Now she's married to a gorgeous millionaire. The book goes on to explain how she got her current persona but what she had to give up to rise that high.

I see this book becoming a movie! Hope you like it!

Can Parents Make Their Kids Give up an Organ?

I haven't seen the movie My Sister's Keeper yet, but I've read the book, and I liked it a lot. I wouldn't say it's my favorite book (probably because I already knew how it would end and that tainted the experience for me), but it was pretty powerful. The concept is pretty interesting--a little girl who's born just so that her sister can have a genetic match for bone marrow (or some other bodily fluid/tissue...I can't remember now). But she grows up completely at the beck and call of her sick sister who constantly needs blood, etc. from her. The straw that breaks the camel's back is when this girl's mother asks her to give up a kidney for her sister. The girl files for emancipation from her parents so they won't be able to make her go through the procedure.

Someone who'd already read the book asked me if I'd give up a kidney for a family member. I don't have any sibling so I can't say for sure, but I sure know I'd give up a kidney for my parents if they needed one. I might feel differently though if I was specifically born to save someone else. I think I'd start feeling like my life wasn't my own.

Teesha, since you're one of my friends who's most dedicated to her family, this book recommendation is for you. You're also one of my most compassionate friends.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the moral implications of this theme? Can parents really make their kids give up an organ? Is that even legal???

Nathan Bransford's Blog

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Nathan Bransford is a literary agent who writes a blog about publishing and agents. It's quite informative. He says that marketing is a key to getting published, and that part of marketing is making sure you have a "googleable presence on the web".

Well, sir, that's what I now have! If you google "girl classified", "girlclassified", "Marlena Amkraut", "chick lit book recommendations blog" you'll find my website or blog as one of the first suggested links.

What I need now, though, are followers on this blog. So this is me imploring you to sign up to follow this blog.