Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster: A Review

I finished the above book last night buried in the bed with the dogs and cats. For a while, I was reading lots and lots of memoirs and I read her first one - Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office which I thought was hilarious and enjoyed immensely. The first book had Jen getting fired and tumbling from her yuppie life in Chicago into practical adulthood.

I grabbed Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, Or Why Pie is Not the Answer from Barnes & Nobles along with another memoir (The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry) right before Christmas while I was "Christmas shopping" (hey, I always get something for myself - and I have a Barnes & Noble discount card). Jen has always been okay with her weight and size, but when she goes to the doctor's office after a health scare, she realizes, "what good [is it to] finally being able to afford a pedicure if I lose a foot to adult onset diabetes?"

There was one part in the book that I laughed out loud, and could not stop laughing for about 5 minutes. I disrupted the two sleeping boxers next to me (Maggie under the covers, Trouble squashed next to my hip). Trouble managed to look annoyed and disinterested at the same time. I, however, had to go back and read the same chapter again which led to more minutes of laughing in bed.

If you like reading memoirs, a woman who has no apologizes for who she is, and a book about the reality of attempting to lose weight for health reasons (not to have society drool over her size 2 dress), then this book is for you.

For All You Elizabethan Fans Out There

One of the advantages of living near Washington DC is being able to enjoy the cultural events here. (I am hunkering down and allowing the masses of people coming in for Inauguration to swarm outside while I happily watch TV with the PS3, my dogs and cats and bask in the indoor warmth.) The Smithonsonian has a Resident Associates Program where classes, seminars, speeches and events are held. Topics cover the arts, history, performance and film and other assorted good stuff.

I signed up for Alison Weir's seminar on Elizabeth I and Katherine Swynford: Scandal, Survival, and Succession. Alison Weir is British author who wrote a bunch of biographies on Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Henry VIII's wives and children, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Queen Isabella. She recently began writing fiction taking place in the same era: The Lady Elizabeth and Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey are her first fiction novels. The seminar is February 7 all day, and I bought my ticket already. Good thing I'm a Resident Associates Member; I saved myself $35.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay: A Review

Finished the first of three books the Showtime series is based off of last night, and in one word: Excellent. The ending in the book has some serious differences than the ending of Season 1, but I can appreciate both forms of media separately. The wry humor, the self-awareness, and the dread Dexter faces when confronting old memories are mixed with a suspenseful plot. Loved it.

After reading the book and watching Seasons 1-3 on Showtime, I have a better appreciation for Michael C. Hall as Dexter. He does a great job nailing the contradictions of Dexter and still keeps me wanting to watch to see what happens next.

I've already delved into the second book, Dearly Devoted Dexter and have the third one, Dexter in the Dark on my waitlist at the library.