Lovely Little Shelf

Presidential Challenge: Millard Fillmore

January 21, 2012 – 11:22 am

millardfillmore
Millard Fillmore, by Paul Finkelman

So I told you guys last month that Zachary Taylor was actually pretty sweet for how unknown he is and the length of his presidency (only about 18 months). The biography that I read talked about how had he lived, the civil war may had been totally avoided. The weird part? His vice president, Millard Fillmore, was his polar opposite. They didn’t meet each other until inauguration and even then never became close. After Zachary Taylor died, Millard Fillmore immediately (like within days) fired his whole cabinet without having replacements and just… did his own thing entirely.

Dude hated blacks, Jews, Catholics, Masons… and made laws/decisions based on all of this. It was kind of a wreck. Any advancement toward a compromise that Zachary Taylor had made, Millard Fillmore set back years and years. Totally wild. I know that Pierce and Buchanan are often sited more for escalating things leading up to the civil war, but I think that there is a strong, strong argument for Millard Fillmore getting that ball rolling, especially when he approved the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. I shudder just thinking about it.

So that’s that. He finished up Zachary Taylor’s term then ran a couple more times unsuccessfully then pretty much faded into obscurity.

I really did like learning a little bit about Millard Fillmore, only because I knew literally NOTHING about him before…. but, guys? Not the best biography. There were a lot of actual writing problems (sentence structure, SERIOUS repetition of whole phrases), but the real issue was that this guy, Paul Finkelman, straight up hated Millard Fillmore. He did not say one single positive, nice thing about him. Ever. He talked VERY little about his regular life (as in… I had to look on Wikipedia to find out that he had two children) and nothing about decisions that he made as president that did actually have positive results. The only thing he talked about was the slavery issues. Doing a bit of research myself online after finishing the book, I realized that there were a few other things that he had his hand in that turned out well in the end. After reading a biography, I probably shouldn’t have to Google/Wikipedia the subject, right? Right.

The thing is, I knew when I bought this book that it had low reviews. There are only a handful (like 3 or 4) biographies on Millard Fillmore- he’s one of those overlooked guys- and some had higher ratings, but they all cost OVER THRITY DOLLARS. Was I about to shell that out on an unknown? Never. This one was cheaper (but still like sixteen bucks!) so I went with that one. So. This isn’t a glowing review, but for like half the price, I honestly was pretty happy with what I ended up with.

If you want more info on the Presidential Challenge, read this and check out the current participants. If you want to join, email me or comment here and get started!

By Jacki | Posted in Review, presidential challenge | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Friday Five (20)

January 20, 2012 – 1:55 pm

1. The creepy thing about snow? I just looked out in the backyard and there are clear footprints that just march straight across the backyard. I know that they are not from anyone in my family or my neighbor (he’s super old and no way could he walk in snow) so it creeps me out a little bit to know that someone was tromping through the back yard…

2. We’re kind of having sick/tired/whiney day here today. Bleh. Longest frigging week ever and I’m so, so glad that it’s almost over. AND as and added bonus, my parents are coming to visit this weekend! I know what you’re thinking- and you’re right. My mom was just here last week, but my step-dad couldn’t make it then and they have some Christmas presents we couldn’t fit in our car that they’re delivering and… wait? Why am I making excuses? Having my parents visit is awesome and I’m way excited.

3. I have been having serious problems sleeping. I fall asleep fine, but probably 4 nights a week, I wake up in the middle of the night and am awake for HOURS. It is making me permanently exhausted. You should see the bags under my eyes. It’s unreal. Add that to the great zits perched on my cheek and the fact that I’m getting chubby from being pregnant but not looking seriously pregnant yet… it’s bad news, folks. Bad news. The sleep, the look, the whole deal.

4. Oh! Incredibly amazing news! I got a new phone! I have been using this old, busted, second hand phone for so long that I forgot how awesome having a new phone is!! I got the brand spanking new iPhone 4S and I’m totally obsessed. It just… works. When I push buttons, things happen. This was not true with my previous phone, so it is quite the treat. Also, I’m addicted to the game Temple Run. It’s so stupid but I’m in love.

5. I started my newest Presidential Challenge book today! Millard Fillmore, I’m going to know everything about you.

By Jacki | Posted in default | Comments (1)

This is true, you know…

January 18, 2012 – 11:40 am

…at everything…

By Jacki | Posted in Thoughts | Comments (1)

Review: The Fault in Our Stars

January 16, 2012 – 8:51 pm

tfios

The Book: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

The Story: Hazel is a 16 year old girl that was diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer two years ago. Because of some experimental drugs, she is still alive and still hanging on. She isn’t in school and most of her friends have ditched her, but she goes to support group and hangs out with her family and watches a lot of America’s Next Top Model. She’s stuck to an oxygen tank, but still chugging along with this kind of cancer-normal life.

One week, at support group she meets Augustus Waters. He has his physical faults- such as, you know, only having one leg- but mostly he is beautiful and smart and funny and… well, totally into Hazel.

What starts as just one little conversation turns into months of talking and sharing books and becoming totally wrapped up in each others lives and families and dreams. Finally being drawn out of her hermit-like life and being forced to deal with real issues that she’s been able to put at bay all this time lead her to ask serious questions about love, living, dying and what a real “legacy” looks like.

What I Thought: Ok, guys. This is going to be gushy and unbiased and one sided and totally honest.

Totally honestly? This is probably one of the best books that I’ve read in years. It’s amazing. AMAZING.

Here’s the thing: writing about kids with cancer is nothing new (Hello, Lurlene Daniels!). I went into this thinking that I knew exactly how it was going to play out… but I was wrong…. because while books about kids with cancer are about a dime a dozen, books written honestly are not.

Hazel and Augustus are not cardboard cut-outs of cancer patients (”I will inspire everyone to lead a better life! I will sew blankets for orphans!” and so on and so forth), nor are they cardboard cut outs of teenagers (”Oh my god, I totally have cancer which means I can’t shop! Woe is me!” and so on and so forth)… they are real, true blue, intelligent, feeling humans who are dealing with serious issues. I love that they maintain their sense of humor, their snark, their personalities but still manage to grapple with life-and-death questions. It is the most honest thing I’ve ever read.

And maybe even this (honest, teenage cancer patients) has been done before, I don’t know… what really set this book apart was the writing. Guys, I’m not kidding you, John Green can write like no one else out there right now. It’s not just words on paper- it is poetry, it is art, it is…. stunning. I read the whole book in about two giant chomps- I laughed, I cried, I turned the pages as fast as I could- and still have the book sitting here for a re-read. There were so many quotable, highlightable parts that I just couldn’t slow down to highlight. I can’t explain it because I don’t know how, but his way with words is amazing and perfect and swoonworthy.

I had to wait before I wrote a review because when I finished this book, I was totally smashed, slaughtered, gutted…. by the storyline and by the fact that I had just read something so amazing. I wanted to let it marinate so that I could attempt to write a balanced review. Guys, I can’t do it. It is nearly a week later and I can’t think of even the smallest fault in the book. It’s that good.

Conclusion: *sigh* Read this. Then buy it for your friends. Then re-read it. And then read it again. Seriously.

By Jacki | Posted in Review | Tagged , | Comments (6)

Bookish Thoughts: Bold Shelves

January 15, 2012 – 8:50 am

I really like black bookshelves. I think that they make the colors in books “pop” and that they just look clean and nice.

I saw these recently, though, and LOVED them. I love that they have a white back and black shelves:

Awesome, right? Not to mention the purple chaise. I die.

Anyway, it got me thinking about bold colored shelves, so I, of course, consulted Pinterest.
Ohhh the treasures I found.

My little head is all full of ideas now…

By Jacki | Posted in Thoughts | Comments (5)

Review: The Omnivore’s Dilemma

January 14, 2012 – 9:31 am

omnivore

The Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan

The Story: Michael Pollan had been curious about where his food comes from for a long time. It’s just something that we, as Americans (or people living in a first world country) take for granted every single day, but it was something that Pollan had really put thought into. He decided to figure it out.

His goal was to follow industrialized food, “organic” food, and food that had been hunted/gathered. He wanted to start from the bottom and just watch the items in the meal until they made it to his plate.

While he ran into a lot of obstacles (harvesting yeast is hard, but not as hard as obtaining fresh salt or, well, seeing ANYTHING that the industrialized food factories do), he basically did what he set out to do and the result was this book!

What I Thought: The “where does my food come from” thing is something that is really fixed in my head. I grew up in a farming community and my mom was (and still is) very, very loyal to local farmers. We grew up talking about this type of thing and understanding the importance not only to our health, but to the environment and our community that we live this way. As I grew up and moved out, this became more difficult for me. Not only did I not have the money to spend on anything other than, well, boxed mac and cheese, but I went to college in a big city where it truly is harder to buy local. When I got married and moved to Akron, we became part of a CSA and regulars at the local farmer’s markets. All that to say, I went into this book already knowing what I was going to take out of it… or so I thought.

Even I, who grew up under the parentage of a total hippie, had no idea how brutal and disgusting the industrialized food situation is. The way they treat animals makes me sick to my stomach- and I happily eat meat. Bleh. I’m not going to gross you out here, but it’s bad, bad news. Seriously.

I think, though, that Michael Pollan did manage to come at this as unbiased as he could. He admitted that he (like pretty much everyone) enjoys a trip to a fast food restaurant every once in a while. He said that it is us, hungry, feeding machines of Americans that allow for this to go on. If we didn’t buy food packed with HFCS, if we refused to eat meat from cows given antibiotics or fed corn, there would be no reason for this huge industry to exist. That is 100% true.

I also really enjoyed the history of the organic food blow-up. That was an area where I really knew nothing and I thought it was interesting how it went from a small movement to this huge money maker and how some farmers have “sold out” and some have stayed really true to that original mission. Good stuff.

One thing, however… if you’ve already seen Food, Inc. and that was enough for you, you could probably easily skip this. While it did go much more in depth, it had a lot of the same key players (that awesome/awkward farmer from Virginia) and covered much of the same ground.

Conclusion: If you care about the food going into your body, I would say that this is a must-read. If not, McDonald’s on happily. You won’t be able to once you read this ;)

By Jacki | Posted in Review | Tagged , | Comments (4)

Friday Five (19)

January 13, 2012 – 9:37 am

1. I know that I posted this on my Twitter feed this week, but I don’t know if you all follow it. If you are a mom, know a mom, or see moms in grocery stores, this is important. It is the most honest thing I’ve ever read and I keep going back to it because I just can’t believe that someone sucked the thoughts out of my head and put them on the internet. It is reassuring and wonderful. Go read it.

2. We have a garage. That we nearly always park in. And we didn’t last night. And it snowed/iced and is still snowing/icing. And I’m supposed to go bake at the cafe any minute now. Um no, I’ll be waiting for Shaun to get up and scrape and warm up the car for me. I’m not dealing with all that. Until then, I’m killing some time with you, my lovely blog readers.

3. My mom visited this past week for a few days and it was the most magical thing ever. Izey LOVES his “maw maw” and upon waking for the day, waking for naps, and at every other minute, he’d ask for Maw Maw then follow her around and play with her ALL DAY. I promise you guys he didn’t even look at me one time from Tuesday until Thursday. Of course I love my kid. Of course I love watching him love my mom… but mostly I loved that I could sit on the couch and read for like… an hour straight. This was especially nice, because Tuesday night I received The Fault in Our Stars in the mail. That’s right, I read it in about two sittings… all because my son prefers my mom over me. I can deal with that.

4. Speaking of The Fault in Our Stars… I can’t talk about it yet. I’m still processing… not only the story but the fact that a person can write like that. I’m about to start gushing, so I must stop, but I’m pretty sure that was one of the best things I’ve read in years.

5. Still singing Rockin’ Elmo songs in my head. See, I told you. PERMANENT loop.

By Jacki | Posted in default | Comments (3)

Bookish Thoughts: Sci-fi/Fantasy Flow Chart

January 12, 2012 – 9:24 am

Have you guys seen this?

Click on it for a much, much bigger version.

What is wonderful is that it pegged me as a The Name of the Wind lover in about 2 questions. I answered differently and it always scooted me towards books that I love… and this is amazing because I would by no means call myself a huge sci-fi/fantasy lover.

Fun, fun!

What did NPR recommend for you?

By Jacki | Posted in Thoughts | Comments (2)

Bookish Thoughts: Beautiful Shelves

January 11, 2012 – 10:13 am

It’s probably been a good month since I showed you some shelves I’ve been collecting. Pinterest has only fueled an obsession that’s been going for a long time, but oh man are there some beauties on there. Here’s what I’ve been drooling over lately.


Oh man do I love this. I can totally see this in our house (although are ceilings aren’t half that high).


Now this is will obviously never be in any home that I own, but oh my word. The pink. The books. The iron staircases/railings. Anyone know where this is? I NEED to be there.


This is totally do-able though. The thing that I really love is that it makes sure you have little side tables on either side of the couch too. I actually think that this is brilliant, especially for a house with a really open floor plan. Very cool.


And this one spins. Awesome, right? Well for only SIX HUNDRED dollars it can be yours from PB kids. *snort* If you pay that much for this, I will have no problem calling you an idiot to your face. Seriously though, it is cool, huh?

Have you seen any great bookshelves lately? Please share!!

By Jacki | Posted in Thoughts | Tagged | Comments (5)

Nerdfighters, Rejoice.

January 10, 2012 – 8:56 am

For today is TFIOS day.

UPS man, get here soon!!

By Jacki | Posted in default | Comments (4)