February 2012 - Things I Read, Things I Watched & Things I Decided I Want to Read

I didn't make my way through many books during the month of February. I read The Family Fang, Let's Kill Uncle (I wish Wes Anderson would make this into a movie... I think he'd be the perfect choice) and a book featuring directors talking about their first films. But that was it. That's a sparse month reading-wise in my world.

I found a ton of books I'd like to read someday though. & they are the following -

Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig by Steven Heller and Elaine Lustic Cohen.

Angie Lewin: Plants and Places by Leslie Geddes-Brown.

Dotty by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Julia Denos.

The World of Downton Abbey: The Secrets and History Unlocked by Jessica Fellowes.

Henri's Walk to Paris by Leonore Klein, illustrated by Saul Bass.

Night Knight by Owen Davey.

Migrant by Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault.

Modern Women: Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art.

Narrow Houses by Avi Friedman.

People by Blexbolex.

Who Wants to be a Poodle? I Don't by Lauren Child.

Alex Steinweiss: The Inventor of the Modern Album Cover.

Staging Fashion: 1880-1920 edited by Michele Majer.

The Wrong Place by Brecht Evens.

Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron.

We Need A Horse by Sheila Heti, illustrated by Clare Rojas.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

I didn't read many books this month, but I watched a lot of things. Mostly because I did a ton of organizing & cleaning & stuff on the computer this month - you know, all things you can do while watching movies. 

I started out the month all "I'm only going to watch movies from The Criterion Collection". And I did.... for awhile.

Scenes from a Marriage.

Straw Dogs. I watched the original AND the remake and I thought the remake was about 40 times more horrifying... maybe that's because I live in the US & not England. Something.

That Hamilton Woman.

A Woman Under the Influence. 

But then I totally gave that up and started watching every Bill Murray movie I'd never seen instead. I really liked Meatballs. The friendship between Bill's character and the loner boy = awesome. Plus I plan to play the theme song for the entirety of this coming summer.

Watched Easy A again solely to listen to the miraculous banter between Tucci & Clarkson.

I want to live in a world that looks like Far from Heaven does aesthetically.

I rewatched Mildred Pierce. I don't really know why because there is no character in the history of cinema or television that infuriates me more than Veda. I SHOUT AT THE SCREEN. I descend into a bad mood. It's rough. If I saw the actress that portrays her younger version (I think she's more insufferable as a child than as a teen), I'd probably slap her. Sorry. Not sorry.

Watched Starter for 10 again soley because I hadn't seen it since developing a Cumberbatch obsession. Also - I'd forgotten that Rebecca Hall was in it. And I like her.

I binge-watched The United States of Tara. By the end of it I was so fond of all the alters (& all of the characters in general). BUCK! CHICKEN! I'm a Diablo Cody lover not hater, so it was kind of weird that I hadn't watched the show until now. When it's over.

Finally, I went to go see The Woman in Black & kept thinking about how much I wanted to own the house on that island. NOT THE POINT OF THE MOVIE. Also - invest in a boat, people! Then you won't be stuck on the island when the tide comes. 

Children's Books I'd Like to Receive for Christmas

.... because I'm a child and an adult simultaneously.

This post could also be titled: "Children's Books You Might Want to Give Someone You Know for Christmas"... or Hanukkah or just for kicks. What have you.

This list is extensive. I love books.... what can I say? More ("adult") book gift ideas soon.

Lines That Wiggle (written by Candace Whitman, illustrated by Steve Wilson), Different Like Coco (written & illustrated by Elizabeth Matthews), Dog Loves Books (written & illustrated by Louise Yates), My First Nursery Book (illustrated by Franciszka Themerson)

Snow White in New York (written & illustrated by Fiona French), Migrant (written by Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault), Zombie in Love (written by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Scott Campbell), Everything Goes: On Land (written & illustrated by Brian Biggs)

Spot It!: Find the Hidden Creatures (written and illustrated by Delphine Chedru), The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale (written and illustrated by Steven Guarnaccia), The Police Cloud (written and illustrated by Christoph Niemann), Follow the Line (written and illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist)

The Composer is Dead (written by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Carson Ellis)

Over and Under the Snow (written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Penguin Classics Deluxe edition with cover art by Ivan Brunetti), A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd (written by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim Kay), Nicholas (written by Rene Goscinny, illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempe), Wildwood (written by Colin Meloy, illustrated by Carson Ellis), The Apothecary (written by Maile Meloy, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr)

When I Was Born (written by Isabel Minhos Martin, illustrated by Madalena Matoso), Cars Galore (written by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake), Dogs (written & illustrated by Emily Gravett), Speckle the Spider (written & illustrated by Emma Dodson), For Just One Day (written by Laura Leuck, illustrated by Marc Boutavant), Moon Rabbit (written & illustrated by Natalie Russell)

Little Owl's Night (written & illustrated by Divya Srinivasan)

Little Owl Lost (written & illustrated by Chris Haughton)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Things About Me (by Jenny Slate & Dean Fleisher-Camp)

Spoon (written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Scott Magoon)

Spork (written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault)

Stagecoach Sal (written by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Carson Ellis)

Hansel and Gretel (written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Jen Corace)

I Had a Favorite Dress (written by Boni Ashburn, illustrated by Julia Denos)

I Want My Hat Back (written & illustrated by Jon Klassen)

The Sea of Bath (written & illustrated by Bob Logan)

Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic (written by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Carson Ellis)

Stuck (written & illustrated by Oliver Jeffers)

Sugar Would Not Eat It (written by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Giselle Potter)

basically anything from the New York Book Review Children's collection... but in particular: The Rescuers (written by Margery Sharp, illustrated by Garth Williams), Terrible Horrible Edie (by E.C. Spykman), The Little Bookroom (written by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone), The School for Cats (written & illustrated by Esther Averill), The Sorely Trying Day (written by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban), Three Ladies Beside the Sea (written by Rhoda Levine , illustrated by Edward Gorey)