Leisure Girl

Oh other blog...I've been neglecting you

2010-02-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

So I am attempting to pose every day in the month of February on my other blog.

Which of course means I'm not posting here.

Two blogs! That's a lot people! Especially when you consider I get maybe a half an hour of computer time a day.

But I do love this blog, so here I am, however briefly.

I recently watched the fabulous Lifetime movie (is there any other kind?) The Pregnancy Pact.

So great. Based on a true story, of course. Here it goes (non spoilers ahead): Girls in a small town all try to get pregnant. Which is pretty easy since they're all having unprotected sex because all the boys are too embarassed to buy condoms. But then once they're pregnant they realize it was probably a mistake. Because having a baby? Not so easy.

Shocking, I know. The twists! The turns! The stupid, stupid characters.

Still, it was fun to watch.. There's just something about Lifetime. It's like TV crack.

I promise to post more. I just got Lauren Conrad's book, which I can't wait to read. Perhaps next month I'll try to post here every day.

A blog I’m mildly obsessed with

2010-01-27T15:22:00.002-05:00

So I’ve been enjoying Delilah Paints.
It’s a fun blog about a mom of two who’s an artist and is both clever and snarky (oh snarkiness…you are my most favorite-est of all personality traits).

Go, read, enjoy.

The odd side note about this blog is that I sort of know this woman in real life. She runs a baby wearing group and is the person who got me totally hooked on the whole concept. Plus I’ve since seen her a handful of times since we met.

It always feels a little weird to be reading someone’s blog when you only sort of know them. Usually they’re either complete strangers or actual friends. So reading her blog and feeling like I know her and then running into her and remembering we’re actually virtual strangers always makes me feel a little stalkerish.

Plus I think she’s super cool, so I really want to befriend her, but haven’t managed to. I have concocted potential “be my friend” emails and pretexts, but then they seem too lame, even for me, so I give up. Also I worry that she would find me too dull in real life. Even my imaginary friendships are rife with problems, sadly.

More with Meg Cabot? Seriously? Do you owe her money?

2010-01-24T20:21:00.000-05:00

I know. I’ve blogged about her before. Repeatedly.
But seriously. I love Meg Cabot.

She’s just so good. And her series are so fun. Plus I just love series. Cause you like them, and then there’s more of them. Ingenious.

The Kindle and I just finished reading her 1-800-Where-R-You series. Well, we read four out of five. Because for some reason the middle one is not available for the Kindle. Grrr…

And they were so good. I just love her writing and her characters. Always fun and fiesty, with just enough added romance. They're about a girl who gets hit by lightning and can then find people who are missing. And she has various adventures. And a cute boy. A nice addition to her stable of good books.

Who doesn’t love smutty vampires?

2010-01-17T14:06:00.000-05:00

So in my search for post Twlight books (and the rereading brought on by watching New Moon and having ensuing age-inappropriate Jacob lust) I was looking for another enjoyable vampire series.

I did not find anything quite as engrossing as Twilight, but did find the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost.

These books are about a half vampire/half human named Cat. She hunts vampires and has various special powers. She meets up with a vampire named Bones and although she’s sworn to hate all vampires she ends up falling for him (I know…shocking). The books (there are four with a fifth coming out this year) follow them as they fight people and have kinky vampire sex. Always a good time.

Still, they’re a good read. I’ve been enjoying reading things far removed from reality at the moment as a break from being a constant baby mama and vampires/ghouls/whatnot fits the bill.

Snuggie? Not so much.

2010-01-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

So I got two Snuggie’s for Christmas. I am sure this says something about me that multiple people who know me would think “She seems like a girl who would enjoy a blanket with sleeves.” Which, of course, I am.

I got both a normal Snuggie and then a Snuggie knock-off from Etsy. (Although isn’t the Snuggie itself a Slanket knock off? It’s a slippery slope of blankets-with-sleeves).

The results? Go for the slightly more expensive Etsy Snuggie (or Snugglie, rather). It’s thicker and warmer and much better made. The actual Snuggie started to rip the second day I had it and is super thin.

Still, I have discovered that I do, in fact, enjoy a blanket with arms. Perfect for couching.

Hello, Kindle

2010-01-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

I got a Kindle for Christmas. And I am in love.
I had my doubts, at first.

Oh no, I said, snootily. I love books. The feel of them, their smell, their pages. I don't even like reading things on the computer. I would never like a Kindle.

And it's true. I don't like the Kindle. I love it.

It's so light and easy to hold.

I forget I'm even looking at a screen.

When I lay with the baby and he's napping? No wrestling with heavy books and page turning. Just the gentle clicking of the "next page" button.

And when I want a book? It’s there in a few seconds. No more waiting for it to arrive – and I like immediate gratification.

Are Kindles going to be the downfall of books and reading? I hope not…but if so I may be going down with them.

Two movies that sucked much less than I thought they would

2009-12-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

I realize this post begs the question – why are you watching movies you think are going to suck?

To quote Lorelai Gilmore, I like movies “good, bad, and indifferent.” As long as it’s not too serious, long, scary, or bloody I am up for watching it.

And I had two pleasant surprises lately, which just goes to show…something. That low standards can sometimes pay off, perhaps.

First was My Life in Ruins.

This has the woman from My Big Fat Greek Wedding as an American working as a tour guide in Greece. She’s unhappy, she doesn’t like her job, etc. We watch one tour and she finds the meaning of life…falls in love…etc.

I think I remember reading that this was cheesy, which it totally is, but it has some funny parts and nice scenery.

Last night I watched I Love You, Beth Cooper which I think was supposed to be horrible.

I actually thought it was pretty funny and entertaining.

Typical coming of age movie with craziness and teenage hormones, which I always enjoy.

So…don’t judge a book by it’s cover or a movie by its reviews. That’s today’s moral.

Yay! Random British TV

2009-12-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

I love the Brits and their television, despite the somewhat cringey-ness. I randomly got the first season of Gavin and Stacey from Netflix and heartily enjoyed it.

It’s the story of two people who have been talking on the phone through work and decide to meet and fall madly in love and immediately get engaged, you know…as you do.

The two writers are also in the series as their friends and are very funny.

It has the added benefit as being a nice glimpse into a different culture. Lots of British slang and jokes about people from Wales that I didn’t get at all.

Go...watch...enjoy.

A Christmas movie I hadn’t seen? Shocking.

2009-12-04T14:56:00.000-05:00

But true – the other night I watched Holiday Affair with Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum.

I love 40’s movies pretty much across the board. They’re so fun and cozy I just want to crawl into my TV and live there. Plus I love the clothes. And this one was no exception.

Not overly Christmas-y, except that it takes place during the holidays, but a cute little love story.

So go and watch it. They’re playing it on TCM so check your Tivo.

'Tis the Season (sort of)

2009-11-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

It’s officially the Christmas season (although my decorations have been up for a couple of weeks now – don’t judge me!)

So in that vein, I present:

Leisure Girl’s 5 Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time (and I watch them all)

1. White Christmas

My number one classic. I watch this one every year, along with Holiday Inn, which is remarkably similar. I love it, except for some of the extended dance numbers that I fast forward through. But the songs! “Snow” and “White Christmas”! And Bing! It’s a winner

2. Elf

I think this is the very best newer holiday movie. Just odd enough to be fun. My husband and I spend an oddly large amount of time repeating “Santa! I know him!” to each other.

3. Christmas in Connecticut

Another classic, although not nearly well known enough. Star crossed lovers, secrets, possible kidnappings, a cow, this movie has it all.

4. Charlie Brown Christmas

I have blogged before on the oddness of the Charlie Brown universe, and this one is no exception. But I love it when they all dance, and the magical tiny Christmas tree. And Linus, of course.

5. The Santa Clause

The top four are the ones I love, and I waffled over the fifth. It could also have been Miracle on 34th Street or Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation. But The Santa Clause is a fun concept and I love watching him turn into Santa for some reason.

So there they are - I can't wait to go another round with them before the holiday!

I'm hooked on e - well, actually on E!

2009-11-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

I somehow had managed to go almost 30 years without watching E! (the entertainment television channel). And then I had a baby. And I had a LOT of time laying around, napping, nursing, etc. And it was winter. And my husband was working. And I don't get Tivo up in my bedroom.

And somehow all of these factors led to me watching every season of The Girls Next Door on DVD.

I figured my son was already seeing a lot of boob action, so a few (hundred) more couldn't hurt.

It's not that the show is good, exactly, it's just that it's fascinating. Like a nature documentary - except instead of chimps it's very young girls who cannot keep their clothes on and a very very old man who should really know better.

I was hooked, and am in fact watching the current season now, which is much worse and the new girls are a lot less interesting. Although grown twins who still dress alike and sleep in the same bed is odd enough to be intriguing.

And, sadly, The Girls Next Door was just a gateway show.

I watched the whole season of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami and just got my first disc of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in the mail. It's a slippery slope strewn with dumb topless girls.

Dipping my toe into romantic comedies

2009-11-23T14:11:00.005-05:00

Leisure Girl almost always enjoys a romantic comedy, and The Proposal was certainly a good time. Cute cast - Sandra Bullock is always fun and I love me some Ryan Reynolds (cause he's tall, and funny, although I worry about the fact that he's married to Scarlett Johanson, who I hate...it makes me think he and I wouldn't really get along...then I try to relax and just enjoy the movie...)

Plus it had Betty White! And Alaska! And Canadian humor! It was fun.

Less fun? Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

I thought I was going to LOVE this one. I am a huge Jennifer Garner fan and who doesn't love Matthew McConaughey?

Me, apparently.

I know he always plays the cool playboy with the heart of gold, but I kinds think I'm over it. Mainly he seems sleazy. And a little greasy. And not so cute. I ended up feeling like she could do better.

Perhaps it's over for me and Matthew? Only time will tell.

New Moon makes me want to be 15 again

2009-11-22T13:56:00.001-05:00

And I am back. Yes, for reals, people. This is me re-committing to this blog. Also me emerging from a baby soaked haze. But he’s old enough that he can enjoy a little leisure of his own (don’t judge me…it’s only the occasional Baby Einstein) which allows me to be able to actually sit and blog.

And what better movie to start with than New Moon.

I was a little too excited to see this. It felt a tad unseemly. But they sucked me in with their hype and endless ads and cute cute boys.

And we all know that I love her books. And anything geared towards teenage girls.

Anyway, I took my over excitement and a purse stuffed with candy to the movie yesterday and it totally lived up to my expectations. I know it’s getting bad reviews, but I am not entirely sure why. It’s true to the book and fun viewing.

It is a little slow? Yes, but so was the book. Is it a little cheesy? Seriously, people, what were you expecting?

All in all, I say it was delightful. And despite that fact that the actor who played him is just baby faced enough to make me feel a little dirty, I love me some Jacob. Not for me the pale and tortured Edward, I say bring on the hot built werewolf.

I'm still here, but does anyone care?

2009-09-28T14:17:00.001-04:00

I've been away for ages!

Why?

Had a baby, which results in WAY less leisure time.

But I still manage to read and watch trashy television. So I could still post...if anyone is still interested in my musings...

Is it me or are the Charlie Brown specials oddly trippy?

2008-11-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

As an early present to myself, I bought the Peanuts Holiday Collection, which has the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Charlie Brown movies.

These are some of my favorites, and definitely a tradition, but I do find the Thanksgiving one, which I watched last night, to be excessively weird.

First of all, where are these kid's parents? How are they free to wander around alone on Thanksgiving? And, okay, the best meal Charlie Brown can come up with is popcorn, toast, jelly bean and sundaes, but most of that was cooked by a dog, which I find pretty damn impressive. I have two dogs and they would have been absolutely no help, whereas Snoopy not only cooked but also set the table and folded the napkins into little shapes. He's really the unsung hero of this piece.

Every year I watch and every year there are more unanswered questions. It's a holiday mystery.

Looking for love...

2008-11-24T16:13:00.005-05:00

I think it takes guts to decide your life is interesting enough to write an autobiography when you're only in your 30s. That said, Bridget Harrison's Tabloid Love is realtively interesting, if somewhat unfinished.

It's the story of the author - a British writer who comes over to work for a New York newspaper and the various romances she has.

I ended up wishing it were a fictionalized account so I could have a more satisfying ending, but it was fun.

Twilight is here!

2008-11-22T11:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went and saw "Twilight." I couldn't wait and had to go on opening day.

As I have blogged about before, I really enjoyed the books and the movie did not disappoint.

I thought it stayed very true to the books and was similar to how I pictured things in my head.

The actors and actresses were all pretty and fun to watch, especially Edward, who only makes me wish I was still 13 so I could better justify having a crush on him.

Go and see it, you won't be disappointed.

I admit, everyone else was right

2008-11-19T09:56:00.003-05:00

The history of "The Office" and me is this: Several years ago I started watching the British version, which everyone said was so funny, and I absolutely hated it. It was just too awkward and not funny to me.

So when the American version came out and people said this one was great too, I completely ignored it and thought it would be more of the same.

This is despite everyone I know telling me that it was really funny and I would like it if I watched it.

That is, until this weekend.

My husband and I curled up in bed and decided to try a few episodes off of Netflix with their watch now option.

And now I'm in love. All I want to do is lay in bed and watch "The Office". Luckily we have four whole seasons to get through.

So, yes, everyone else was right.

More fun with Lee Nichols

2008-11-17T14:01:00.004-05:00

A little bit ago I blogged about a book by Lee Nichols that I had liked. I have since read two more by her and enjoyed both of them.

Wednesday Night Witches is about three women with various girl type problems who also end up having magical powers (and who hasn't been in that situation, after all). It was fun and girly, plus I always enjoy the addition of magic.

I also read Tales of a Drama Queen, which I think is her best known book. It was fun, but like the Shopoholic series you spend the whole book wanting to reach in and slap some sense into the main character as she makes a series of bad choices.

Both were a good time.

Fun for boys of all ages

2008-11-14T14:13:00.003-05:00

I feel a strong need to support Brandon Fraiser movies, because he's such a cutie. Unfortunately, many of them are very, very bad.

Journey to the Center of the Earth was not one of those, however. It was a little cheesy (another Fraiser hallmark) but enjoyable enough.

There is apparently a 3-D version available, and I think that one would have been a lot more fun.

Still, even in 2-D it's a good way to spend a couple of hours.

I would like to be Anne Hathaway

2008-11-13T13:45:00.003-05:00

Although without the vaguely European, con man boyfriend, obviously.

I just love her and think she's so classy and cute. So I was predisposed to like Get Smart, and it didn't disappoint.

It's not the highest brow humor, but I still enjoyed it and laughed out loud quite a bit.

My only complaint? She and Steve Carell make a totally skeevy couple.

Surprisingly disappointing

2008-11-11T13:27:00.003-05:00

I was so excited when I finally got American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld from the library, after waiting for ages. And yet it was such a disappointment.

It is the thinly veiled fictional biography of Laura Bush. Not normally a topic that would interest me, as I am not huge fan of the current first family. Maybe this was what stood between me and liking this book? But I found it slow and just not generally interesting.

I have just loved her other two books, Prep and The Man of My Dreams, so I was sure this would be a winner as well. What happened?

Pretty much the best. show. ever.

2008-11-07T09:01:00.004-05:00

For my husband's birthday, I got him season three of How I Met Your Mother.

It is one of my absolutely favorite shows, and it just keeps getting better.

It is so consistently funny and the characters are fabulous. I am completely in love with Neil Patrick Harris, who just makes the show.

Have you not seen it? While I don't know how that I possible, I am almost jealous that someone would have three unwatched seasons stretching before them.

Go, go now!

Celebrity rehab? How did I miss this?

2008-10-28T13:37:00.004-04:00

In scanning the channels this weekend, I stumbled onto the VH1 show Celebrity Rehab. I don't know why on Earth I haven't been watching this. I remember hearing that it was good it a trashy, train wreck kind of way, and boy is that true. No one seems to go off the deep end like famous people, probably because they're the only ones with the money to do drugs in really massive quantities. But it's a good time to hear their stories, plus there's the fun of watching Nick Nolte just be completely insane. (Edited to add: Kim was totally right, it's crazy Gary Busie, not Nick Nolte...I find them eerily similar...)

Stupid movies? Often just that.

2008-10-20T14:38:00.004-04:00

.

Sometimes I like stupid boy humor movies. Those ones that look so groaningly bad can often be very funny, if a bit of a guilty pleasure (never the ones you want to tell people you spent the weekend watching).

The thing is, these movies are hit or miss. And I have been very much missing lately.

I have watched both The Love Guru with Mike Myers as well as You Don't Mess with the Zohan with Adam Sandler. They were both really not good. Just kind of wincingly not funny.

I know, I have only myself to blame.

Lipstick Jungle = hot boy

2008-10-17T10:23:00.003-04:00

I know it's a slightly less good version of Sex in the City, but I do enjoy Lipstick Jungle.

It's a little trashy, and all of the women are queens of making bad (bad!) decisions. But the actor who plays Kirby is too cute, and you get to watch him making out a lot. Plus there are lots of good clothes and jewelry. Definitely worth watching.

How have I not blogged about Jennifer Cruise yet?

2008-10-16T16:36:00.003-04:00

I don't know how I haven't written about Jennifer Cruise yet, since I absolutely love her. I think I've read everything she's written and it's all SO fun.

Last week I thought I had stumbled across a book of hers I had missed, much to my glee. I started Bet Me and realized a little way in that I had, in fact, read it. But it was good enough that I read the whole thing again and enjoyed it the second time around as well.

Her books are totally fun and frothy but are also well written and really absorbing. Read something by her! You won't be sorry.

DVDs I love

2008-10-14T16:09:00.004-04:00

I have so been enjoying television seasons on DVD lately.

Two that have recently come out that I love:

30 Rock:

So good and funny and Tina Fey is just enjoyable on every level.

And although I know I should completely hate Alec Baldwin because he is such an unbelievable ass, he is entirely funny on the show (which always leaves me feeling a little guilty).

CSI NY:

I love this one as well as the regular CSI, although for some reason I only like them on DVD. There's something nice about watching them four at a time.

It's a little cheesy, but I am always completely entertained by this show.

Although I would happily own both of these, right now I am waiting for Netflix to parcel them out for me.

George Clooney is always a good thing

2008-10-13T13:24:00.004-04:00

This weekend I rented Leatherheads . A cute funny movie.

Really, I would pretty happily watch George Clooney read the paper for an hour and a half, but this was signifigantly more entertaining than that.

It was fun and full of good 40s banter, which is always a plus.

Definitely recommended as a way to while away a couple of hours.

I don't like Kung Fu

2008-10-09T13:53:00.004-04:00

Knowing this, I probably shouldn't have rented the movie The Forbidden Kingdom.

I blame my husband, or at least the fact that it seems only fair that he occasionally gets to watch movies he likes.

I am not much of an action movie girl, and martial arts movies especially leave me cold. This one definitely did, and even lacked cute boy eye candy to distract me. And, in the end, even my husband didn't like it that much.

Cute book, too much stand-up

2008-10-08T11:11:00.003-04:00

I am predisposed to like all British chick lit, which is why I got all the way through the (oddly long) book Snap Happy by Fiona Walker. It seems like a book I would have like more - romantic mis-understandings, happy ending. The off putting factor was that the main character was supposed to be a stand up comedian. This led to lots of "comedic" one liners that were mostly lame or too pun-y, even for me.

Fun with new shows

2008-10-07T11:37:00.002-04:00

I am a little behind on watching (and judging) the new fall shows, but I did enjoy The Ex-List on Friday night.

The main character has to find her soul mate and get married within the year or she'll be single forever. And her soul mate is someone she's already been involved with.

This concept does raise two questions for me. How is this show going to last longer than a year? Also, if I had to track down every boy I'd been even remotely romantically involved with in the course of my life, I'd be totally screwed.

Still, it looks like it's going to be cute and I am looking forward to episode number two.

A delightful vacation read

2008-10-06T14:13:00.003-04:00

Having returned from my travels, I have many tales of books, movies, and television I have enjoyed (after all, it's not a vacation unless there is time for leisure).

An especially good book I found was Hand-Me-Down by Lee Nichols. I enjoyed this one enough that I immediately began scouting Amazon for other things she has written.

It's the story of Anne, who lives in her sister's shadows and is trying to make her own way while being attracted to her sister's ex-boyfriend.

It's a little long, or perhaps I was distracted, because it took me forever to finish. Still, it's a cute story with good characters, and, of course, a happy ending.

Leisure Girl is on vacation

2008-09-23T16:00:00.003-04:00

I will be traveling around the states for most of the next couple of weeks.

I will p0st about my various leisure activities when I have the chance.

In the mood for an odd movie?

2008-09-23T15:37:00.002-04:00

Wristcutters: A Love Story, is a very odd movie, but one I enjoyed quite a bit.

It's the story of a man who kills himself and then goes to an afterlife completely inhabited by other suicide victims.

The plot sounds not at all good, I know, but it was different and off and kind of fun.

A good try when you're in the mood for something a little strange.

Better late than never

2008-09-22T11:57:00.003-04:00

I finally sat down and watched all three of the 90210 episodes I had Tivo'd.

I loved the original 90210. It was the first (in an eventually long, long line) teen show I really fell for. But I wasn't too excited about the new one, especially because I heard it wasn't very good.

I was actually pleasantly surprised. The plots are interesting, trashy, but they move along, and the characters are likeable for the most part.

A definite new show recommendation.

Quick - read this book!

2008-09-19T13:09:00.004-04:00

I love finding a great book. It is just the best feeling, and one I had recently when I read Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen.

Such a fun and interesting book. The requisite love story, plus a surprisingly involving plot about the main character's work as a high school guidance counselor. It's well written and I was more interested in the extraneous characters in this book than I am in the main characters in others I have read.

She has a couple other novels out that I have put on my library hold list. Hopefully they are all good.

So, go out and read this one.

Jucier than Desperate Housewives

2008-09-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

Reading The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives is a lot like reading People Magazine.

It might not have a ton of literary value, but it's fun and gossipy, and the characters in it are vaguely horrifying.

It is the story of a very wealthy neighborhood and all the scandal that is lurking underneath the surface. (Hint, it's a lot)

All in all, a good time.

Am I a broken record?

2008-09-17T17:00:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, stop talking about Katie Fforde.

But I can't, because I just love her.

I just finished Restoring Grace, and it was another winner. British, house remodeling, and romance. What more can a girl ask for.

Perfect for curing up in bed with.

My odd new DVD obsession

2008-09-16T08:38:00.003-04:00

I have been watching the first season of Third Watch on DVD and have been enjoying it a bizarrely large amount.

It's a show about firemen, paramedics, and police. Not something that would normally be my cup of tea, but the people are cute and the stories are completely interesting.

Totally recommended, plus I think it ran for five or six seasons, so I have much more enjoyable DVD watching ahead of me.

Books don't always translate

2008-09-15T09:41:00.006-04:00

I blogged earlier this summer about a book I had liked that the CW was going to turn into a TV series, Privileged.

This weekend I watched their season premiere.

It seems like something I would like, given my proclivity for teenage

shows and the fact that I enjoyed the book.

And? It was okay. I will probably continue to Tivo it, but I didn't even make it through the season premiere in one sitting, I kept turning it off to watch something more interesting.

A little slow, and definitely no Gossip Girl.

I'm still cool, despite playing video games

2008-09-14T10:49:00.003-04:00

I got home yesterday to discover that my copy of Spore had arrived in the mail. Very exciting.

Spore is the new game by the creator of all of the Sims line and I have been looking forward to playing it for ages.

In the game, you start as a single cell organism and slowly evolve until you are able to take over other planets through interstellar travel.

I have to admit that I am currently playing in on the very easiest setting, because I do so hate to be virtually thwarted. I am enjoying conquering other species very much.

If you are an even sort of video game player, definitely recommended.

Oh TV, I missed you

2008-09-11T14:03:00.004-04:00

Ever so slowly, the new TV season is returning. Lovely.

My current excitement does, of course, center around new episodes of Gossip Girl. If loving that show is wrong, I most certainly don't want to be right. Great clothes, and unbelievably involved teen drama (considering they're supposed to be half my age, they really manage to have a large spectrum of issues.)

I am also watching Bones this season. I have watched it after the fact on DVD in the past but decided to watch this season despite not having seen any of the last one. I'm guessing I'll be able to catch up.

Two new shows that I have Tivo-ed but not watched - Privileged and 90210. I will be passing judgement soon.

And I am looking forward to more returning favorites in the upcoming weeks. Good times.

Girly short stories

2008-09-10T14:28:00.002-04:00

I am not a huge short story person, as I like to spend more time with my characters. It is sometimes enjoyable, however, especially since I am going through a no attention-span having period.

The stories in Girls Night In are generally pretty solid. They are by a lot of chick lit authors I already like, plus the book introduced me to some new ones whose books I am now going to check out.

Expanding my chick lit horizons is, of course, always a plus.

US Weekly vs. People - Fight, fight!

2008-09-08T12:56:00.002-04:00

As a result of ordering way too many Sephora products from Amazon, I was the lucky recipient of six free months of US Weekly. Now I receive both it and People, which, I admit, may be a little much in terms of entertainment magazines.

So how do they compare?

I am a People girl at heart, mostly out of habit, but I do think US Weekly has a lot going for it. It's a little more tabloid-ish/trashy, which I actually like. Plus it seems to be more accurate, rumor wise. A couple of weeks ago they rightly said that Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer had broken up when People was still insisting they were fine.

Now that I get both, I am just that much more informed about celebrity goings on, which is, of course, always a good thing.

Writers love New York

2008-09-05T11:20:00.000-04:00

It's not that I don't think New York is a great city. I get a little tired of the books written by/about women who are completely obsessed with it, though.

Momzillas by Jill Kargman is such a book.

It is very New York centered, and the author tries a little too hard with her trendy dialogue.

Here's a sample: "I know, I know: most peeps loathe their MiLs; it's the rule and not the exception. MiLs bug DiLs. They get up in their bidniss."

Do people in New York not just talk like normal people? It has been a while since I've been there.

The book is fun, though, and about child raising in the city. If nothing else it served to make me very glad I don't live there.

More Katie Fforde, more!

2008-09-04T13:43:00.004-04:00

Practically Perfect is the second Katie Fforde book I've read in a relatively short period of time. I seem to be on some kind of roll.

She's just SO good, I want to devour everything she's written, but I am trying to pace myself.

Practically Perfect was another winner. British...house remodeling...true love...dogs...it has everything a girl could want.

So recommended. I just don't think you can go wrong with her.

I made my badly acted teen filled bed, now I must lie in it

2008-09-03T13:35:00.002-04:00

The universe can only say I told you so when I rent the movie Prom Night and find it less than good.

I am not a huge horror movie buff, but I do enjoy some of the teen slasher flicks so popular in the 80s and 90s.

I really haven't enjoyed the more recent ones, though.

The acting is awful, which is to be expected, but they're also oddly boring.

Huge chunks of this movie were taken up with poorly scripted conversations about who would win prom queen. Where's the tension? Where's the suspense?

Perhaps located in a better movie.

Do I want to move to Wyoming?

2008-09-02T11:10:00.003-04:00

I occasionally go through phases where I want to move into the country to a small town. I think it would be fun to have lots of land and know your neighbors and not be in a city or suburb.

The Quality of Life Report, by Meghan Daum is about a woman who does exactly that, moving from New York to the middle of the country and small town America.

I always like to be able to virtually do something by reading about it without actually having to make some huge life change on my own.

The book was good, though the heroine is one of those dumb girls who makes bad choices which as a reader gets a little frustrating. Still, it has managed to stave off my need to move, at least for the time being.

An actual good movie

2008-08-31T16:16:00.005-04:00

After my recent flops, I was very pleased to rent a movie I actually really liked. What a novelty!

Last night I watched Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Visually, a lot of fun, as movies set in that era are wont to be. Great cast - especially the adorable Lee Pace from "Pushing Daisies." The movie had a fun plot and moved along nicely, although the end was a little slapped together.

Still, totally recommended and such a vast, vast improvement over what I have been watching. I can only hope my streak continues.

Not all YA fiction is created equal

2008-08-29T09:46:00.003-04:00

In the realm of young adult fiction, there are definitely different levels of goodness. I am a fan in general, but there are definitely some with writing that is less good or simpler plots.

I recently read Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski. I have read some of her adult books and liked them. Plus, I couldn't resist the plot about a teenager who develops magical powers.

It was a bit like a less interesting Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Plus, the main message of the book is that you can't use magic to fix or change anything in your life. I have to believe that's not true, otherwise, what's the point of having magical powers?

So it was only so-so. That said, I have already requested the next in the series. I have low standards.

Stephenie Meyer does adults

2008-08-28T14:21:00.003-04:00

I know, this is my third post about something Stephenie Meyer has written. I am not obsessed, I promise.

But I just finished (well started, and then finished in the course of a day) The Host, her first novel for adults.

The book is about an Earth where parasitic aliens have taken over and take control of people's bodies. It's the story of one alien and her human "host."

For the first hundred pages of so I was really not into this book. I kept almost giving up on it, but decided I would read at least to page 100. The next thing I knew, I was on page 230 and totally hooked.

It's a little more science fiction-y than I am generally into and than her other books have been, but it's an engrossing story and a fast read, especially for a long book.

If you have liked the Twilight series, I think it's definitely worth trying, although you may have to give it a few chapters.

Can I be British?

2008-08-26T10:38:00.004-04:00

What is it about British chick lit? It is somehow so much more interesting than its American counterpart (not that I don't enjoy the American version as well).

Still, there's something about their shops, food, and strange spelling (e.g. apologise) that I just can't get enough of.

My latest discovery? The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne. So fun, it's main character starts a business where she helps men do things like shop and throw parties and just generally whips them into shape. Plus it's the first in a series, which I always enjoy.

Do try it, perhaps with a cup of tea, and you will not regret it.

I make bad movie choices

2008-08-25T11:25:00.003-04:00

I have had no luck with my weekend movie picks lately.

I wanted to blame Netflix for their going-through-a-dry-spell choices, but I think the blame has to be mine.

In trying to chose movies that both my husband and I will enjoy, I seem to be ending up with ones no one likes.

This weeks less than stellar picks?

Borat. I didn't really think I would like it (it looked WAY too cringe-y), but I felt like everyone else in the world had already seen it and we should too. The result? So awkward and really not all that funny.

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns. I like Tyler Perry's movies because they are filled with such pretty people. This one was no exception. But it was lacking in suspense. Would the hard-working, but struggling single mom end up with the completely perfect man who was in love with her from the second he met her? Would she? Would she? Well...yes, obviously.

Perhaps next weekend I will do better.

I love foodie books

2008-08-24T11:30:00.002-04:00

It's no secret that I love chick lit. But I have a special place in my heart for chick lit that talks about food.

Although I am not much of a cook, I love food. I like to watch people make it and even better, to read about it.

So I especially enjoyed Sarah Strohmeyer's Sweet Love. It's the story of a woman whose mother is trying to get her together with her first love. She does this by arranging for them to take a cooking class together.

There's a nice story, some romance, and a lot of talk about cooking and eating desserts.

Be warned, I was forced to consume a lot of chocolate through the course of this book so I could keep up with the characters.

Curl up with Audrey

2008-08-22T12:27:00.002-04:00

Enjoying Audrey Hepburn is a cliche, I know.

I don't even know that I am so enamoured with her, since I often find her characters a little mannered and irritating (Holly Golightly). But I do love her movies. She's so lovely, and they are always fun to watch.

I recently enjoyed three back to back when I got the Audrey Hepburn Collection (from the library, even).

This included Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, and Sabrina. This was actually my first watching of Sabrina, which is, I realize, shocking. I thoroughly enjoyed it, although Humphrey Bogart is a less than ideal leading man for her.

All wonderful and filled with good clothes.

Katie Fforde is lovely

2008-08-21T13:27:00.003-04:00

I first met Katie Fforde and her books years and years ago. I was living in London for a summer and read Stately Pursuits, and completely fell in love with it and her.

It is everything chick lit should be - fun and romantic and well written and British to boot.

I have enjoyed all of her books since then and spent part of this week curled up with Bidding for Love.

So enjoyable I did not want to stop reading it. City girl moves to the country, find new life, meets interesting people, and falls in love. It's the comfy mac and cheese of books.

A word of caution for readers - the object of her affection? Her cousin. I know. They're supposed to be "distant cousins" but it still kind of skeeved me out the whole time.

Yay! The Hills is back!

2008-08-20T13:36:00.003-04:00

I am no stranger to reality television. Such trashy, fluffy fun, for the most part. But I have a special love for The Hills, whose new season returned on Monday.

I find the whole show completely addictive, and am oddly obsessed with Lauren Conrad. I literally buy any magazine with her on it. Why? I cannot explain for the life of me.

The show isn't even all the interesting. Yet I am somehow very invested in rooting for Lauren and against the always evil and vacuous Heidi and Spencer.

Try it and you'll be hooked, in the best possible way.

You can even watch the old seasons on DVD. What fun!

Another day, another new series

2008-08-19T12:54:00.003-04:00

Another new supernatural series is always a find, and luckily they seem to keep appearing before me.

This time it begins with Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead, who has written some other books that I have enjoyed.

The main character is, as you might think, a succubus who works for the devil. Still, she's pretty likeable and has adventures, crushes, interactions with demons, etc.

This book was entertaining. Not a must read, but I will still probably get the next one.

Weekend movie recap

2008-08-18T09:02:00.002-04:00

Another Monday, another weekend spent watching questionable movies.

First up was 10,000 BC. I felt like I had heard people say this movie was good, but it's possible, in retrospect, that I was hallucinating. It may be my own fault. I'm not really a fan of the tracking people down for the final big battle movies and this was definitely one of them. Plus the people were hard to tell apart with everyone sporting BC dreads. Not my cup of tea.

Then I watched Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (I know, I had such high standards this weekend). It was pretty much exactly what you would expect. It had the wonder that is Neal Patrick Harris, but other than that was pretty much drug and bathroom jokes.

Love, love this book

2008-08-17T12:21:00.002-04:00

Literacy and Longing in L.A., by Jennifer Kaufman was so good that it took me weeks to read it. It was like having a really expensive box of chocolates. I parceled it out a couple pages at a time because I knew once I really committed to it it would be over and I would be sad to be done with it.

Why was it so great? I have to admit that I love books about readers. When the main character said, towards the beginning of the novel "I collect new books the way my girlfriends buy designer handbags. Sometimes, I just like to know I have them and actually reading them is beside the point. Not that I don't eventually end up reading them one by one. I do. But the mere act of buying them makes me happy - the world is more promising, more fulfilling."

As someone with a whole bookcase devoted to books I've bought but not yet read (with more piled n the floor beside it) I could relate and couldn't help but love the narrator.

Books play such a huge role in my life that I like to read about other people who feel the same way.

I loved this book and was, in fact, sad when I finished.

New York, New York

2008-08-15T14:20:00.003-04:00

I recently stumbled on the book A Match Made on Madison by Dee Davis.

It is the story of a New York matchmaker trying to set up one of the city's most eligible bachelors. Along the way there are the usual high jinks, misunderstandings, and romantic entanglements.

The book was surprisingly good. The plot was interesting and the characters were likable. I found it a little too self-consciously New York-y though. Each chapter starts with a description of a Manhattan landmark which the heroine then visits. You live in New York, I get it, move on.

That aside, it was a good read.

Gorging on Lifetime movies

2008-08-14T13:42:00.005-04:00

I have been Tivo-ing Lifetime movies non stop lately.

Yesterday I watched two of them.

First up was The Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal. Texas? Cheerleaders? Scandal? What's not to like?

Basically these girls were bad to the bone cheerleaders (drinking! sex! being rude!) who met their match in their couch and Lifetime movie heroine. They did not, however, get the comeuppance smack down I was hoping for.

I also watched Poison Ivy: The Secret Society. This one had an innocent girl (from Iowa, of course) who was lured into a secret society. These girls were slutty and murder-y, as I assume all secret society members are. In the end our heroine prevailed, sort of.

What have I learned from all these films? I was right not to ever be much of a joiner. It only ends in tears.

School loans are a pain - take up counting cards

2008-08-13T12:44:00.002-04:00

I was vaguely excited to watch 21. Why? I don't know, good cast, Jim Sturgess is cute, and it seemed like a relatively interesting plot.

And, yet....

Both Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth were exceptionally uncute. Plus I found the characters annoying (just get a loan to go to medical school like the rest of us...you don't have to count cards in Vegas!) and what happened to Kevin Spacey? Wasn't he once delightful and not all icky?

In the end, you sort of just wanted things to end badly for them and it was hard to feel too bad when it did (oh no! your ill-gotten money that you stuffed in your roof got stolen? how tragic!).

I guess I just like more heroes.

The Twilight saga is a less good Harry Potter

2008-08-12T13:05:00.003-04:00

So I have already blogged about my love for Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight series. I was, of course, thrilled, when the librarian put the fourth and final book into my hot little hands and ran home to read and read.

Breaking Dawn is good, which is no surprise, and definitely worth reading. After all, how could you skip it? It's the last book! Don't you want to see what happens? Of course.

But, of the four it was probably my least favorite, which was a little disappointing.

I felt like the author rushed to tie everything up neatly, and that there was a lot of build up that all really amounted to nothing.

Maybe she needed another book? I don't know, but I was bummed that it hadn't been as good as the others.

The Olympics are oddly like heroin

2008-08-11T10:55:00.003-04:00

While Leisure Girls enjoys many kinds of television entertainment, I am beyond not a sports person. Other than faking interest when I was first dating someone ("I LOVE football!") I can happily go my whole life without watching any sporting events, the Superbowl included.

And, in the past, this disinterest has included the Olympics. Un-American? Perhaps, but I just didn't find any of it that interesting.

I have now spent 80% of the last weekend watching the Olympics, and it seems like the more I watch, the more I want to see. I cannot at all explain this phenomenon, but I do know what I will be doing tonight.

When teen movies go bad

2008-08-09T15:29:00.002-04:00

I think we can all agree that it's not really reasonable to rent the movie Step Up 2: The Streets and then be surprised when it's not very good. Especially since I had already seen the first movie, which was also not much of a winner, and the likelihood that this one would be better, or even as good, was pretty slim.

But teen movies have an oddly catnip like quality for me, so watch it I did.

And, it didn't disappoint, as long as your expectations were very, very, very low.

On the plus side, the dancing was very cool, and that was a good 60% of the movie.

The characters were poorly written and badly acted and neither charismatic or interesting. The plot, such as it was, was dull and predictable.

I will admit, however, that I ended up fast forwarding quite a bit as the film wore on, so it's possible that I missed several bon mots and plot twists. I doubt it, though.

Still, if you want to see lots of people spin around on their heads, look no further.

Second tier reading

2008-08-08T12:41:00.004-04:00

As we all know, there are books and then there are books. Even while I tend to avoid anything too heavy, some books are a lot meatier, more involving and affecting. Some are like tiny snacks which, while enjoyable, are quickly read and forgotten.

I read quite a bit of both kinds, and I still enjoy the more snack size fare, even though I get through them quickly (and often while the TV is on in the background).

I have just finished two of these kinds of books.

Insider Dating by Jennifer O'Connell is about a woman who wants to create a database about men in Boston so women can know what they're getting into when they date them. It's a somewhat heavy handed story of someone with daddy issues who eventually learns to love.

I also just read Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend by Lynda Curnyn. I have to admit, I started wondering halfway through if I had read this book already. On the downside, this book is clearly not all that memorable, but on the upside I was willing to read it again.

The main character in this story is recovering from a break-up and it bonding with girlfriends/dating/learning to love herself/etc.

Both of these stories are good, especially if you want something especially mindless.

At least I can count on someone

2008-08-07T14:09:00.003-04:00

After being recently disappointed by an author I thought I liked, I was very glad to be able to enjoy Jane Green's The Beach House. I have liked all of her other books, and this one is no exception.

It takes place at the beach, which I always love since it makes me feel all vacation-y and adds to the escapist summer reading feel.

It's one of those character driven, follow various people and their stories as they intersect and are eventually resolved books that are so often found in women's literature, but you generally like everyone in it and want to see things work out well for them.

The characters are great, and it has just the right amount of intrigue, romance, and gossip-y-ness. Plus I promise a happy ending for pretty much everyone involved.

Amnesia is fun

2008-08-05T12:54:00.002-04:00

I can only assume that there are zillions of people who have had amnesia wandering around and I, through some fluke, have yet to meet one. That is the only way I can explain the fact that it is such a prevalent problem in books and movies.

Questionable premise aside, Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella is a great read.

I have consistently loved her other books, especially her Shopoholic series (despite its occasional cringe-y-ness) and was so pleased to find this book was no exception.

The main character wakes up with no memory of the last three years. She has to figure out her new life and the person she is and decide where she wants to go from there.

Enjoyable and recommended.

Vacation movie watching

2008-08-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Never one to be without a DVD player, Leisure Girl found time while in the DR to watch two movies.

Penelope was lovely. It has that fairy tale-esque quality that I love in any kind of entertainment. The people were all cute and it had the happy ending I require from everything in my life.

Jumper, on the other hand? Not so much. For a movie about people who can jump anywhere in the world, it was surprisingly dull. Hayden Christensen reminds me so much of Ryan Phillipe that I was surprised in each scene it wasn't him. His character is smug and self satisfied and quite unlikeable. And, two hours later, nothing had really happened and he movie was over. Definitely not recommended.

A new series - with magic, even

2008-08-02T19:12:00.001-04:00

During my vacation reading, I stumbled along a fun new book. I was even happier to discover that it was part of a series. (A discovery that takes away that "I don't want to finish the book because then it will just be OVER" feeling).

Enchanted, Inc. is written by Shanna Swendson and is about Katie Chandler, a woman living in New York. In this book, magic is going on all around us (as I have long suspected) but most of us are completely fooled by it. Katie, however, has absolutely no magic and so can see what is really happening (frog princes, talking gargoyles, etc.)

She ends up teaming up with a magic business. Highjinks ensue, plus a crush.

Okay, it's not War and Peace, but it's a lot of fun.

Is it a cliche to like Project Runway?

2008-08-01T14:34:00.003-04:00

In the cycle of returning cable shows, I have been once again delighted by the return of Project Runway.

I know, who's surprised? Doesn't everyone already love this show? But it is so good, in a way that so many other competition reality shows are not.

In general, I am not of the "do something and then be judged for it" genre of shows, and completely avoid American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, etc.

And yet, Project Runway manages to totally rock.

I am so not a fashion person. If it were possible, I would wear pajamas all the time. And I am invariable wrong when I try to predict what the judges will like. But it's so fun to see what they create and the judges aren't mean and creepy and it's just a good time for everyone.

I can't recommend this show enough. It's super addictive.

Didn't I used to love Marian Keyes?

2008-07-31T15:11:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I would swear that there was a time I was a huge Marian Keyes fan, and that I had really liked a bunch of her books. So I was excited to get her newest one, This Charming Man, out of the library.

And yet, it was really not good.

I was quite disappointed. Did I only imagine I liked her books before?

She tries so hard to make the language sound authentic that it ends up reading like it was written from someone really unfamiliar with the English language. The speakers seem to lack any understanding of articles or transition words and say things like "Food delicious" which is very distracting.

Plus the book is about a horrible, horrible man who does awful things and then pretty much just gets away with it.

I don't know how to explain. Perhaps my standards were too high?

Leisure Girl in paradise?

2008-07-30T14:50:00.004-04:00

Sometimes vacation is not all it's cracked up to be.

Okay, I generally speaking had a very nice time in the Dominican Republic. The resort was lovely and the beach was everything you could ask for - turquoise water, soft which sand, and gentle ocean breezes.

Plus I had plenty of downtime to read and luxuriate.

So where did the Dominican Republic and I go wrong? That would be the morning of my return trip.

I woke up feeling not so good. Three hours later I was collapsing in the airport. The next twelve or so hours were filled with wheel chairs, vomiting, and more vomiting. You've never had food poisoning until you've thrown up wedged between a Southern Living saleswoman and a flight attendant continuing to shill snacks.

One of my worst days ever, and, like all bad break ups, it has soured my vacation memories.

Leisure Girl is off to the tropics

2008-07-20T16:49:00.002-04:00

I am headed for eight days in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I look forward to plenty of leisure time and will return the 28th.

How is USA so good?

2008-07-19T12:25:00.004-04:00

I swear that until a few years ago I never watched the USA network, except for a few late night and over-run movies.

But in the last couple of years, they have come up with some great original series.

My personal favorite (also loved by my husband) is Psych. In it, two friends pretend to be psychics and solve mysteries. It's so funny and different.

They also have the (slightly less) great Monk, Burn Notice, and In Plain Sight. All of them are enjoyable, plus they're all new in the summer when not too much else is.

My only complaint is their bizarrely short seasons. I am always thrilled when I see new shows are going to be coming on, but they often show about six episodes and then disappear for another four months.

Still, try them and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Fun girly goodness

2008-07-18T14:51:00.003-04:00

Great summer reading is hard to come by. It's got to be escapist and a good read and just a little trashy. Chasing Harry Winston , by Lauren Weisberger, falls into all of those categories.

It's the story of three friends trying to make changes in their personal and professional lives all the while flitting around with boys and travel and jewelry.

These are all good things. My only complaint is that none of the girls are particularly likeable. I generally wanted things to turn out well, but I wasn't really invested in any of the characters. Perhaps I am just too far removed from fabulous women in New York.

This book is by the author of The Devil Wears Prada, which totally rocks, in both book and movie form. If you've somehow missed that one, read it first.

Japanese game shows rock!

2008-07-17T10:52:00.006-04:00

So I may be one of the two people in the world who has been enjoying "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" this summer.

The show itself is kind of lame, but I do so love the parts when they compete in Japanese game show competitions. I have loved Japanese game shows ever since watching them in a hotel room in Hawaii.

So the show is worth watching especially if you can fast forward to just the game show parts. The rest of it is your typical reality show fare of stupid people arguing.

Look! They often dress up in costumes. Who doesn't enjoy that?

My all time favorite young adult books

2008-07-16T10:22:00.003-04:00

When I was young, I completely fell in love with Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness Quartet . It's made up of Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant.

It's a kind of fantasy-ish series about a girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can become a knight. There's magic and kissing, which is, of course, the perfect combination.

I have found this series to hold up well. I not only read it a million times as a kid but have reread it several times as an adult. So enjoyable.

Christy is a little like 7th Heaven...

2008-07-15T09:31:00.004-04:00

Leisure Girl has been alone for the last week or so while her husband has been traipsing around the country.

I have spent these nights curled up in bed by eight watching Christy: The Complete Series. This is one of those shows (think 7th Heaven, Doctor Quinn) that I usually find a little too wholesome/slow. But I wanted to try it because I like Kellie Martin, the main actress.

All in all, it was quite fun. At times a little slow or preachy, but the characters are relatively enjoyable and it has the two guys fight over one girl aspect that I love (and is so often found in Korean TV).

The series is based on a book by Catherine Marshall, which I have now added to my library queue.

Unfortunately, the series ended with a cliff hanger, but they they made a mini-series to follow it up. I've heard the mini-series is awful (and has different actors) but I must have closure, so watch it I shall.

I thought The Manny would be juicer..

2008-07-14T13:43:00.004-04:00

So when I first saw The Manny by Holly Peterson I thought it looked too frivolous. A shocking admission, given some of the things I've admitted to reading, I know.

But I finally got it from the library, and got past my prejudice enough to read it.

The result? Mixed.

It's fairly well written, but none of the characters are quite well developed enough that you really care what happens to them. The main character stays with a lousy husband for pages and pages and pages. Why? Clearly, life's too short.

There's a romance, but even that is a fair amount of build up for not much action.

Plus there's an endless in-depth (one of the few things that is) work sub-plot. Please, if that's what I was interested in I would be actually working, not reading a book called "The Manny."

All in all? Not too frivolous for me, maybe just not frivolous enough.

Sometimes I cheat on my couch

2008-07-12T12:12:00.013-04:00

It's no secret that Leisure Girl enjoys her couch.

But, I must admit, my heart also belongs to another.

I love my bed .

One of my favorite things in the world is to wake up (late, obviously), make some breakfast, and bring it back to bed where I curl up with a good book.

I also love movie watching in bed. If it weren't for the Tivo only being hooked up downstairs, I might never get up. Also the couch also has the close to the kitchen benefit.

What makes my bed so wonderful?

- I bought my mattress from Angel Beds, which sells tempurpedic knock offs. So unbelievably comfortable.

- Lots and lots and lots of pillows.

- Lovely sheets. I am especially fond of the Martha Stewart line at Macy's.

Not my bed...but it looks comfy.

It's an ex-pat theme

2008-07-11T15:18:00.003-04:00

I must want to flee the country, because I can not get enough of these "girl reinvents herself by moving abroad" books. I just finished English as a Second Language by Megan Crane.

This one lacks Paris (sigh) but instead has Alexandra heading off to a Master's program in England.

The characters are fun, and do a realistic amount of partying, drinking, hooking up, and other recognizable, if questionable, decision making.

The love story is good, although a little unresolved for me (who would happily see every story ended with "and they lived happily ever after.")

Although these books send me into a little "it's looking less and less likely that I will move into a flat in Vienna" tailspin, it's nice to know that I can at least read about other girls doing just that.

TV Guide - It's a magazine now

2008-07-10T16:52:00.002-04:00

I am a magazine junkie. And I love TV. So it's probably no surprise that these two obsessions have to together with my subscription to TV Guide.

No more the tiny Reader's Digest guide of old, today's TV Guide it a glossy weekly magazine.

With it, I am up to date on what's happening with my shows and I know what to program into my Tivo.

Am I embarrassed that I subscribe to TV Guide. A little, but knowing I'm not missing anything more than makes up for it.

I love France

2008-07-09T14:59:00.002-04:00

What is there not to love about France?

French men, French food, French cheese, French clothes...these things are all magical. So who doesn't like a chick lit book set in Paris? It's the best of all possible worlds, really.

One such book? The Art of French Kissing by Kristin Harmel.

It's one of those "girl changes her life dramatically and pretty much all goes well" but with Paris and lots of sexual tension.

An enjoyable, escapist read.

Random cable TV

2008-07-08T10:29:00.003-04:00

Everyone says there's no good TV on in summer, but I have to disagree. Okay, I'll admit that my standards are low, but I think there are quite a few legitimately enjoyable cable series that come on when the network shows are off.

One of my current favorites is My Boys on TBS.

It is a half hour comedy about P.J. and her group of male friends. It's funny and light and I enjoy it despite the lack of any good romantic progress.

The first season is for sale now, and the current one is on TBS and can be watched online.

Enjoy My Boys, the perfect summer show.

Debs are always fun

2008-07-07T12:52:00.003-04:00

Leisure Girl is back from vacation where she had a string of less than enjoyable books. These were actually bad enough to put down after fifty pages or so with the realization that life was too short to read boring things.

One exception to this streak was The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee. This was an enjoyable story about a Texas debutante who has escaped to Boston, only to be dragged back into her family and their society life.

The characters and Texas society-ness were fun

She also has a book out called The Devil in the Junior League, which had to be added to my libary list just based on the title. I've been in the Junior League, after all.

Happy 4th

2008-07-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

Leisure Girl is off to celebrate with her in-laws and will return on Monday.

Meg Cabot rocks, Part Two

2008-07-02T13:02:00.004-04:00

Okay, I know, you've heard it all before.

But Meg Cabot is a fiction writing goddess who should be enjoyed by all.

Unwilling to read young adult books? (What on Earth is wrong with you? Seriously, you're making a mistake.) No problem. Cause darling Meg writes for grown-ups as well... I know, she's a renissancce woman.

She has two great series. One of them is about Heather Wells, a former pop singer who has various romantic tribulations and solves mysteries.

The other is the Queen of Babble series. A delightful series and just lots of fun.

She also has lots of free standing books. My personal favorite, which I even enjoy in re-reading, is Boy Meets Girl.

In conclusion (and I promise this is the last I will talk about her until her next, doubtlessly fabulous book comes out) Meg Cabot is one of the high points of my reading life. Enjoy!

Meg Cabot rocks, Part One

2008-07-01T12:30:00.004-04:00

It is time to devote two whole blog entries to one of my very favorite authors, Meg Cabot.

There is literally nothing this woman has written that I have not enjoyed. Plus she does both young adult books and big people ones as well. She is clearly an author after my own heart.

Today I will focus on her YA contributions.

She is most well known for her Princess Diaries series. I have only recently started reading these, and I don't know how I missed them before. The character is great - and it's about a girl who becomes a princess. High points for being good fantasy fodder.

Some of her stand alond books I love include Jinx, which is about a girl with magic powers (one of my favorite plots, ever, since I am waiting patiently for my own magical powers to kick in any day now), How to Be Popular, and Pants on Fire. They are all so fun and well written. Totally not put downable.

She has a couple other supernaturally series which are all good. I especially liked the Mediator series which is about a girl who can talk to ghosts.

I have to hope, of course, that everyone is already reading her books, but if you've somehow been in a coma and missed them, please run out a get a bunch. You will be a happier person for it.

Everything by Pixar is good

2008-06-30T13:22:00.002-04:00

Leisure Girl knew that the only sensible way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon was taking in a matinee. So she stashed some Kit-Kats in her purse, grabbed her husband, and headed off to see Wall-E.

I am predisposed to love Pixar movies because they are, in a word, awesome. And Wall-E was no exception. So cute and fun and, although the movie only has about 20 lines of dialogue throughout, the plot and the characters are great. I laughed and cried and said "awwww..." as much as you could want to in any movie.

The husband and I enjoyed it significantly more than the children who surrounded us, most of whom spent the movie repeatedly asking there parents what was going on.

Recommended for adults, or at least really smart kids.

More guilty pleasures - tell all books

2008-06-28T16:19:00.003-04:00

In my defense, I very rarely read any sort of celebrity penned or true life gossipy book. Also, I got Tori Spelling's sTori Telling out of the library, so at least I didn't actually spend money to read it. That makes what I'm about to say a little better, right?

I actually kind of like Tori Spelling. I do admit to enjoying her reality show. And she seems pretty nice on it. A little air head-y at times, but someone you would enjoy hanging out with. Plus in my high school days I was a huge 90210 fan. So when I heard she'd written a book I had to give it a try.

And I read it all in one sitting.

That's right, I couldn't put it down.

The 90210 stories, how she got together with Dean (while they were both married to other people), and of course, her horrible horrible mother. Riveting. And the writing was fun and she continues to come across as likeable.

Okay, it's not War and Peace, but it was a nice way to wile away a summer afternoon.

Girls in books make bad choices

2008-06-26T10:17:00.004-04:00

Leisure Girl is married, but even if she weren't, she would know that it's a bad idea to start pal-ing around with your ex-boyfriend and lying about it to your husband.

I spent much of the book Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin cringing as the (happily?) married main character made various horrible, car wreck-esque choices regarding her passionate (difficult? sleazy?) ex-boyfriend and sweet husband. Still, I couldn't stop reading to see how it was going to end.

I have enjoyed other books by this author although she seems to specialize in characters who are kind of awful, but you don't quite wish would be hit by a bus.

Chick mysteries = awesome

2008-06-24T11:27:00.003-04:00

I am a fan of mysteries, and especially enjoy them when they star a spunky female protagonist (who doesn't enjoy those?). I can read about their various plucky activities and near death experiences while comfortably curled up on my couch.

I recently stumbled onto such a book with Killer Blonde by Laura Levine. It is a part of a series of books starring Jaine Austen as an occasional P.I. and solver of murders. A type of person books would have us believe exist in droves, although I personally have never met one.

The book was cute and I enjoyed the character. I am going to order some of her other books for some mindless and sleuthy summer reading.

Run, don't walk...

2008-06-23T14:37:00.003-04:00

Okay, fine. You can totally walk, unless you're being chased by some kind of rabid dog. At which point it's your call. But however you get there, you should most definitely go to the theater to check out "Iron Man".

I know, I'm a little late to the "Iron Man rocks" band wagon, but I just managed to go see it this weekend.

I am a fan of the comic book/super hero movie genre as a whole, and "Iron Man" is the best of of those movies I have seen.

Robert Downey Junior was great and it had a fast paced story and good action (if you're into that sort of thing...which I'm generally not, but it was very entertaining in this movie).

Leisure Girl (and husband) highly recommend this one.

Friday night movie wrap-up

2008-06-21T10:36:00.003-04:00

Leisure Girl spent Friday night in a fairly typical manner. Curled up on the couch with the lovely husband, some (bad) Chinese food, and a few movies from Netflix.

Last nights picks were August Rush and Over Her Dead Body.

August Rush: I had been waiting for this movie for ages. It had literally been on the top of my Netflix queue for months. And yet, when questioned by my husband as to why I had been so hot to see it I could only come up with "I like Keri Russell?" (And of course I do, Felicity was awesome). Still, Keri Russell's coolness was not enough to carry this fairly slow movie for me. Not much romance (which is a crime when the two leads are so cute) and a LOT of music. It was a disappointment.

Over Her Dead Body: This movie, on the other hand? Such an enjoyable surprise. My expectations were, to be honest pretty low. I don't think of Eva Longoria as particularly funny and I hadn't heard anything about this movie from when it was in the theaters. But it was funny! And it has the always adorable Paul Rudd who I would run off with in a second were my husband not sure to object. I recommend this one for some lighthearted, entertaining fun.

Why live your life when you can live theirs?

2008-06-20T13:40:00.004-04:00

There are so many ways to escape your life. Although not particularly a video game girl, I love living an alternate life as a Sim.

I played the original Sims when it came out and now am quite a fan of Sims 2 as well as its various expansion packs.

I like the god-like quality of playing the Sims 2. You can create beautiful people, make them fall in love and have children, and then eventually kill them off when they bore you. I admit, I especially love the dressing them and doing their hair aspect, which reminds me of playing with Barbies.

Plus the Sims lets you be you, but a better version. Sim Leisure Girl is always fun and outgoing. It's much easier to get her to the gym than me, and she and her husband get to relax in hot tubs and take romantic vacations. So discover your alternate, or improved, personalities by playing Sims 2.

Gossip Girl - Guilty pleasure in any form

2008-06-19T15:09:00.006-04:00

Gossip Girl is really everything you could ever want in terms of escapist teen themed entertainment. I was introduced first through the TV show and I must admit that it is my true love. I have since branched off into the books, however, and have found them to be also enjoyable.

Gossip Girl on TV is amazing. Fabulous characters wearing amazing clothes. It fills me with a longing to wear hair bows and plaid. Plus it is narrated by darling Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame. I have a special warm spot for Blair because she is so fabulous at being a bitch. So entertaining and angsty. I am planning on buying the first season when it comes out. Have you not seen this yet? Seriously? What's wrong with you?

After being obsessed with this show like I was still in high school, I of course, turned to the books. The characters are different from the show, but if you can get past that (and I can, barely) they are fun and gossipy and just generally enjoyable. Plus there's a bunch of them, so you don't have that "This was great but now there's no more!" feeling.

Both TV show and books are perfect for summer frivolity. What are you waiting for?

The internet makes TV better

2008-06-18T15:31:00.004-04:00

Leisure Girl loves her television, so why not use the Internet to make watching television even more enjoyable? It's all about leisure multi-tasking, after all.

A few websites that make this easier:

1. My Soju: I have already blogged about the wonders of Asian television. But enjoying these wonders is all thanks to this website. Only a scant few series are available on Netflix (something that is sure to change as soon as Korean Drama fever sweeps the nation) and if you want to purchase them you can plan on spending around $150 each. Yikes. But My Soju lets you watch them for free! Magical.

2. Television Without Pity: This is perhaps my favorite internet site ever. Recaps of all your favorite shows in case you miss them and each one is filled with the snarky mocking that makes for real television enjoyment.

3. Network sites: I recently had a Tivo meltdown (shocking, I know) that painfully coincided with all of the season finales. Thank goodness you can now watch shows you missed on the network's websites.

4. Amazon: Even I can only watch so many shows. And sometimes I am just too impatient to get the series disc by disc on Netflix. Then my obsession forces my to buy whole television series on DVD. When I do this, it's usually from Amazon.