Frances England's album Fascinating Creatures (click here to view on Amazon)
Here's a mini-playlist of two of her songs if you'd like to get a quick listen. I love her music- super sweet and exactly what I like in summertime music. I imagine listening to this on a lazy day when I have all the windows open in the house, a cool breeze coming in, daydreaming of all the good to come! It's funny because this album is actually billed as children's music, but when I had my first listen I had no idea. I knew it was whimsical and fun, but once I checked her out online and via Itunes I realized that she was a singer-songwriter aimed toward a child audience. It makes me happy to know that I already love something so much that I will definitely be sharing with our future kiddo.
I've read a few great books recently too, that I'd like to share!
Swallow the Ocean: a Memoir, by Laura M. Flynn (click here to view on Amazon)
I'm a huge memoir fan in general, but I'm quite particular about both writing style and the way they tell their story. This novel was great- it was an incredibly interesting story and the writer's voice was refreshing. It details growing up with her paranoid schizophrenic mother, and at times it was painful to imagine the author and her sister going through some of the horrible things she detailed. However, it was a good read and if you like memoirs, I definitely recommend this one to you!
Another book I read in the past couple of weeks was The Carrie Diaries, by Candace Bushnell (click here to view on Amazon).
I'd been waiting for this book to come out for quite sometime, and I began reading it via my Kindle DX the day it was released. It's all about Carrie Bradshaw (a la Sex and the City), but before she became the Carrie we all know now! It detailed her senior year in high school, and how she ended up in NYC. The ended was so great, and I definitely enjoyed it. It was a fun read! One caveat though: if you're going to read it you have to keep in mind that it's a "chick-lit" book, so it's more of a magazine type read than a novel that will pose questions, get into your head, or make you think. It was a great summertime read though, and the only issue I had with it was that at times I didn't really make the connection with this old Carrie and the Carrie Bradshaw we got to know on SATC. I do feel that the author should have made a few changes to the younger character, but that's my opinion and overall it didn't hinder the book in my mind whatsoever. If you like the television series or even the movie, I definitely recommend you check this book out!
I've watched what feels like a million movies in the past few weeks and I wanted to share one of my favorite films of ALL TIME. I've seen this movie many, many times before and every time I watch it I love it even more. Mia Farrow's clothing, the dark and creepy ambiance, the music....I can't get enough. If you haven't actually seen Rosemary's Baby you should definitely take a night and enjoy it, beginning to end. In my mind, it's truly a masterpiece!
I also recently went to the theater and saw Babies with my Mom and sister for Mother's Day.
I knew the movie was a documentary but didn't have any commentary or much dialogue at all, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The movie ran about an hour and a half, and I didn't even notice the lack of words throughout. It highlighted the first year in the lives of four babies all over the world: Bayanchandmani, Mongolia; Opuwo, Namibia; San Francisco, USA; and Tokyo, Japan. It was fascinating to see the huge differences in how the babies were both born and raised. After the film was over, I thought for awhile about what the filmmaker was trying to convey. I definitely got an overarching message that no matter the means or the way, all of these milestones we viewed in the film, smiling, talking, walking, etc...are all achieved. It doesn't matter if the baby is raised in a small yurt in the middle of nowhere, or a high tech flat in a bustling city. I also got a feeling that the filmmaker was trying to make a point about simplication. It was so interesting to see the way the babies were stimulated by so many different types of toys: a few had nothing more than a stick and a stone, where as another had the blinking sound machines with a million different colors and pictures to look at. Which is better? The simple way of raising a child? Or through constant stimulation and entertainment? The film gave me a lot to think about, and I definitely recommend to everyone.
Well, I am still under the weather this morning and I'm going to try and get some more rest. This is either a bad, bad cold or the beginning of the flu. Yuck! Send me healthy thoughts ;). Oh, and while I'm sick in bed, I'm pretty fast at responding to my Formspring questions via my phone, so click here to ask away!
Have a beautiful Saturday!
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