Book Review *HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY* by Audrey Niffenegger

(I wrote this during Thanksgiving ‘09 weekend. I’ve been blog-lazy. Forgive me.)

Last month, as I sat in my best friend’s tiny living room in Brooklyn, I noticed a shiny, teal-colored book on her shelf. “It’s the new one by the woman who wrote ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife.’” She handed me the book and I read the jacket. I was so intrigued by what I read that I decided to read more on Amazon.com where a several page teaser was provided.

(A little fact about me: I love reading and I love books. Books make me happy. I once tweeted that I would spend money on books over clothes any day. I won a bunch of reading contests when I was in grade school back in Virginia. I owe a lot of my interest in reading to my mom, who bought me tons of books when I was younger (remember Scholastic Book Club?) and always read to me. When I was a little bit older, I read to her.

There’s a room in my house that is filled with my books. No bookcases—the books are stacked on the floor. All over the floor.)

The teaser teased me so much that I was tempted to buy the book but debated the purchase—You need to finish reading “In Defense of Food” for goodness sake!—so I held back, only to be pleasantly surprised by a box in my room that contained not only the teal-colored book, but Malcolm Gladwell’s latest, “What the Dog Saw.”

Yay! Thank you. I love presents.

I finished “In Defense of Food” (oh, did I not write a review of that? Adding it to my to-do blog list…) and started “Her Fearful Symmetry,” the latest book by Audrey Niffenegger.

I’ve been hanging out, snowed in, inside of our Big Bear condo for the past couple of days and was able to finish all 406 pages while drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace. Cozy, huh?

The book was my introduction to Niffenegger—I have not seen or read “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” I think of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and my mind instantly thinks of Rachel McAdams which makes me think of “The Notebook,” and then it’s like, time-traveler who? I cannot imagine anyone else with Rachel McAdams except Ryan Gosling. I wrote you every day for a year!

I liked “Her Fearful Symmetry.” I tend to rate my books based on how well I can visualize the story in my head and whether that story can easily be translated into a film—Dakota Fanning as both of the 21-year old twins from Lake Forest, Illinois, Valentina and Julia?

I also consider the satisfaction of an ending in my rating process, which is not to say that an ending that doesn’t have closure is not satisfying—it just has to satisfy me, and sometimes things that are left open to interpretation are very satisfying because it gives me the chance to think about things. It’s like marinating my brain in book stew at a low simmer.

A great book draws me in quickly. Wait. I take that back. Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” was pretty slow for me initially, but I loved it, loved it, loved it. Loved the ending, loved the last sentence.

“Her Fearful Symmetry” drew me in as I sat in my friend’s 300 square foot New York apartment reading the book flap:

Audrey Niffenegger’s spectacularly compelling second novel opens with a letter that alters the fate of every character. Julia and Valentina Poole are semi-normal American twenty-year-olds with seemingly little interest in college or finding jobs. Their attachment to one another is intense. One morning the mailman delivers a thick envelope to their house in the suburbs of Chicago. From a London solicitor, the enclosed letter informs Valentina and Julia that their English aunt, Elspeth Noblin, whom they never knew, has died of cancer and left them her London apartment. There are two conditions to this inheritance: that they live in it for a year before they sell it and that their parents not enter it. Julia and Valentina are twins. So were the estranged Espeth and Edie, their mother.

Reasons why I like this book:

1. Lake Forest, Illinois. Part of this book takes place in a location that I am quite familiar with. In fact, an ex-boyfriend of mine attended the same high school that Valentina and Julia did.

2. London. I love the accents, I love the culture and the history. I love the city. Oh, that same ex-boyfriend also had parents from London. He also had the accent.

3. Highgate Cemetery. Call me creepy, but I love cemeteries. There is something quite romantic about cemeteries, especially the ones in Europe. Maybe it’s the quiet, maybe it’s the way the leaves fall over tombs and mausoleums, maybe it’s the way all these people who led crazy lives all now live silently under the ground. I’ve never been to Highgate but now have a reason to visit London again. I had to Google Highgate.

4. Death. I’m totally fascinated by it. I know, totally macabre, but I’ve always been this way. Maybe it’s why I’m such an anxious person, but I’ve always been fully aware of not only my own mortality, but everyone else’s.

5. The visual/book-into-film factor.

6. The short chapters. Definitely makes the book go by faster.

7. The story. The twist at the end. Actually, there are two twists that I didn’t see coming.

8. The mix of old and new. There’s so much history in this book, particularly with the cemetery and the lives of the inhabitants of the grounds, but Niffenegger throws in a bunch of things—Justin Timberlake, hoodies with fur, online purchases and Wilco—that bring the reader back to present-day London.

I am torn because although I have a clear vibe about everything in this book—the locations, the characters, the accents and the mood—I’m not sure how I feel about the ending to this book. It’s not as satisfying as I wished it were. I turned the last page, expecting another chapter, but got the Acknowledgements instead.

If you’re looking for something simultaneously spooky, romantic, tragic, young- and old-feeling, I recommend this book.

I can’t wait for the movie.

Holiday Tradition *JULIAN PIE COMPANY*

Every Thanksgiving, my family and I make a trip out to Julian, Ca. to buy some awesome apple pie. Julian seriously has the best apples—its climate is ideal for growing them. Julian apples are the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

We always order a bunch of pies for Thanksgiving day. But, we also eat a slice at the shop. My favorite? Dutch apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese melted on top. Mmmmmm. Be sure to try the creamy hot chocolate (“It’s like hot melted ice cream”) and the Apple Memories.

Julian’s a fun place to ride on a carriage pulled by a mini-horse (I actually thought this was kind of sad—such a small horse!)…

…check out the pretty trees…enjoy the cool, crisp air…

…or check out the Julian Book Store (one of my favs—LOVE the way the floor creaks, LOVE the old book smell). This book is OBVIOUSLY not about me.

What’s your holiday tradition?

*New Moon* NOT ENOUGH SHIRTLESS SCENES

I’ve never been in a theatre with so much giddiness. You could feel the amped up energy before the movie even started. Lots of giggling and swooning when the shirts came off (me included). After the the jump—the best shirtless New Moon shots (and possible spoilers).

*2000’s* Which Song Sums Up The Decade For You?

NPR’s Monitor Mix Blog’s Question of The Day was this: Which Song Sums Up The Decade For You?

{omg. we’re gonna start a new decade!!}

I can’t just choose one. My life has always revolved around music, especially in the early 2000’s when I interned at Virgin Records and a local radio station. I was in college when this decade began, holy crap!

Here’s a list I’ve compiled of the top songs that will always make me think of the 2000’s. These aren’t necessarily the top hits of the decade; these are songs that are reflective of the memories I had and the life I lived from 2000-2009. In no particular order, here are the songs that sum up the 2000’s for me:

Dessert Places in San Diego

I’m sad. Why? Because all that’s left of this lovely box of Laduree macarons…

…is a box of Fruity Pebbles-looking crumbs

*OKAY* I still love John Mayer—”Battle Studies” Review

This is the first CD I’ve purchased in years. I bought “Try!” through iTunes and that doesn’t really count (as you can tell by my Sharpie-fied burnt CD above).

The last actual Mayer CD I bought was “Continuum” and that was purchased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum back in 2006. It was the a great soundtrack to a solo road trip across Middle America. I loved it instantly. Maybe it was because of my circumstances (being away from home, not wanting to be away from home, driving alone across Ohio, listening to lyrics like Stop this train, I want to get off and go home again that seemed to match the ache in my heart). Maybe because I already knew some of the songs from Trio. Maybe because it was better.

Mayer’s latest, “Battle Studies,” will probably grow on me. I can’t say that I love it, but my landscape is definitely different—after work today, I drove to Target, bought the CD and listened to a couple songs while stuck in traffic. Definitely not the romantic lonely road trip I had three years ago.

The lyrics didn’t stick, either. Unlike “Continuum,” “Battle Studies” doesn’t seem to have the heavy thought and weight of songs like “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” nor does it have anything as simplistically genius as “Gravity.” Some of the best art comes from pain, so maybe Mayer’s been a bit happier and a little less nervous about his “stupid mouth” these days? Nothing wrong with that.

Despite the lack of instant love, hearing a Mayer song I’ve never heard before is always a treat. He incorporates very familiar-sounding guitar riffs (are they called riffs?) into his songs that kind of make the songs sound like classic Mayer while still sounding different. Here’s a quick breakdown of my thoughts on the songs of “Battle Studies”:

Heartbreak Warfare Sounds like U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love).”

All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye Beatle-ish. Like it belongs in the “Across the Universe” soundtrack. Those chords actually sound very “Across the Universe”-ish to me.

Half Of My Heart Love this song. I’m a sucker for Mayer’s poppy pop songs, and this one of the poppier songs on the album. Reminiscent of “Only Heart” from “Heavier Things.” I’m also a sucker for anything twang-y. Good choice with Taylor Swift. That guitar part makes me think of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.”

Who Says Makes me think of “Stop This Train.” I like the quiet percussion.

Perfectly Lonely Love this song, too, for the same reasons I like “Half Of My Heart.”

Assassin Eh. Are those xylophones? Xylophones make me think of Grey’s Anatomy (or any Sia- or Feist-type song that could be on the Grey’s soundtrack).

Crossroads I know this is a cover of a cover and I’m wondering why the cover isn’t of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”

War Of My Life This is very Bonnie Raitt “Nick of Time” for me.

Edge Of Desire I think this will grow on me. I’m not into it right now, but I’m sure I’ll love it.

Do You Know Me The guitar picking/plucking sound and the notes he uses sound very Asian to me. I think of bamboo, raindrops and subdued cool mornings.

Friends, Lovers Or Nothing I don’t think I’ve ever been a superfan of any of Mayer’s final songs.

Conclusion: For all the immature, weird and blatantly obnoxious tweets he posts, Mayer’s “Battle Studies” has an uncomplicated, un-complex maturity about it. But, in his more immature years, with lyrics about the confusion and anxieties of life, growing up and moving away, his music had more depth and maybe that’s why I liked his earlier albums more. Knowing that you could relate to the fears of John Mayer equaled a great album.

I’m pretty sure I’ll grow to love this album so don’t hold me to my “almost three stars” rating. I’m almost 100% we’ll be hearing “Half Of My Heart” and “Perfectly Lonely” at Barnes and Noble and airports within the next few years.

*DELICIOUS* — Croque Monsieur

I was uploading some vacation photos to my Facebook page and came across a shot of some really good sandwiches the mister and I had in Montmartre.

We ate some really delicious ones, including the Crudite Thon and the French hot dog, but I noticed one we missed—the Croque Monsieur (see bottom left of photo above).

*FLU UPDATE* – I caught it

This past week has consisted of fevers, sleep, aches, chills, night sweats, coughing, snot, disposable face masks and a lot of soup-eating and liquid-drinking (lots of water and tea). What a pain the flu is. I hope you don’t get it, but chances are, if you haven’t caught it, you probably will within the next couple of months as flu season kicks into high gear. Want to protect yourself? Learn from the CDC.

Thank goodness for CVS and Walgreens. I would be miserable without them.

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Had adventures at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

Amazing how perspective changes when you see things up close.

APRIL ORDOÑEZ ALWAYS ONLINE

Okay. It’s true. I’m online. A LOT. I started blogging on Xanga back in 2003, moved to LiveJournal, then Typepad. Then MySpace, Facebook and Twitter happened.

This blog is about my life in San Diego.

APRIL ORDOÑEZ ALWAYS ONLINE is dedicated to things that I find inspiring, beautiful and cool online.