The Funniest British TV Show You've Never Seen

I wrote a little post on BuzzFeed about BBC's Miranda, one of my favourite British TV shows.

Read it here:

The Funniest British TV Show You've Never Seen

4 Young Adult Books for Travellers

When I was growing up, I was always looking for kids in books who knew airports & passports & travel as well as I did. But there was a dearth of kid travellers, unless you count Laura Ingalls Wilder, who I guess technically traveled all the time.

I found a few, & I loved them. Now there seems to be a trip-to-Europe trend in YA novels, which is kind of great. Just One Day, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, & The Fault in Our Stars all feature a teenage protaganist (or two) that fly off to Europe at some point.

Here are 4 of my favourite YA novels for travellers.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith

I found The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight last summer, & I loved it more than I really expected to because: travel! teenage protaganist! airplane to London! This kind of book did not exist when I was a teenage protagonist traveling on airplanes to London, & I would have loved it.

Bloomability
by Sharon Creech

Bloomability is about a girl named Dinnie who lives with her "semi-nomadic family*" & whose dad is "transiently employed.*" I feel you, Dinnie. Also, she ends up at an awesome boarding school in Switzerland, a country that I love.

Betsy & the Great World
by Maud Hart Lovelace

I have read Betsy & the Great World nearly every year since I discovered it in high school. Betsy sails away on a ship to Europe after graduating & ends up discovering Venice, Munich, London, & even an exotic island in the middle of the Atlantic. It's a simple story, but one of my favourites of all time.

Anna & the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Anna moves, against her will, to a boarding school in Paris, where her world is expanded & she falls in love with a great British boy. The end.

Bonus Young Adult Book for Travelers:
The Impossible Knife of Memory 
by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory doesn't fit this jet-off-to-Europe list BUT it's a great book for teenagers who travel a lot. Hayley is an army kid & this book really deals with some of the crazy ways that affects her & her family. 

*Thank you for that, Wikipedia.

those books in that suitcase came from here

Fiction by Fictional Authors

Remember that time Anne Shirley wrote a story that won the Rollings Reliable Baking Powder contest? Don't you kind of want to read that story?

There is something so tantalizing, yet frustrating, about a book that is referred to in a novel or film... but doesn't actually exist. Your favourite characters keep talking about it & you just really want to read it. But you can't! Because it doesn't exist! Discord & frustration.

Here are a few books that I really want to read but can't, because both they & their authors are fictional.

An Imperial Affliction

from
The Fault in Our Stars

Yeah, this one tops the list. I've read The Fault in Our Stars twice already, but no matter how many times I read it, I'll never quite know what happens in Hazel's favourite book. For that matter, I'll also never get to live inside the endless fiction of The Price of Dawn, based on Augustus's favourite video game.

Of the many pleasant miseries afforded by reading John Green, not getting to read Van Houten's fictional fiction is just one of them. I really want to read Augustus & Hazel's favourite books. I also want to listen to The Hectic Glow. I also want everyone to live forever. Alas.

Hogwarts: A History

from 
Harry Potter

Here's a question: do the characters in Harry Potter read fiction? They read a lot - especially Hermione, obviously - but it seems to be all textbooks & Flying with the Cannons & Rita Skeeter's scandalous Dumbledore biography & Gilderoy Lockhart's made up memoirs.  Do Harry, Ron & Hermione ever read novels?

Every time I read or watch Harry Potter, I find myself really wanting to get my hands on Hogwarts: a History. What wonders might be revealed if this book actually existed? Maybe J.K. Rowling should get on that. I bet half of it is already floating around in her head.

In the meantime, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, & Quidditch Through the Ages all do really exist & can be read.

An Unkindness of Ravens

from
One Tree Hill

I recently became obsessed with One Tree Hill, & have been binge-watching it on Netflix. I'll spare you the details; suffice it to say, I really want to read Lucas's books.

Although there is something that bugs me; An Unkindness of Ravens is confusingly referred to as fiction, even though it seems to be an exact retelling of Lucas's high school experience, without even any name changes. It's kind of like when TV show characters say they want a Mocha Latte. It drives me crazy. Because that's not a thing!

The Simon Snow series

from
Fangirl

Simon Snow is a Harry Potter-esque series in the book Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. There are clips of it scattered throughout the book & to be honest, it seems pretty gripping. If it was real, I would read it. I wouldn't mind reading a bit of the main character Cath's fanfiction, while I'm at it.

The Subsect

from
Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls was full of amazing references to real live books, but there was also one that was fictional. Remember when Rory was languishing away at her grandparents house, skipping school & being all un-Rory-like, & in the meantime Jess wrote a book? Yeah, don't you kind of want to read that book?

The Nikki Heat series

from
Castle

I'll polish off the list with this: fiction, by a fictional author, that also really exist in the real world & you can buy it & read it & it's awesome.

I love the show Castle, where the main character is an mystery writer that also helps the NYPD solve crimes. And this time we're in luck; Richard Castle's books really exist, in the real world. No one quite knows who writes them, but they are actual New York Times bestsellers.

It's all so meta.

Any that I'm missing?

Do you have any favourite fake books that you can't actually read?

Let's share the agony.

picture of Hazel reading in The Fault in Our Stars from Entertainment Weekly

Postcards to Authors

Postcards to Authors started when I got a box of 100 Penguin postcards for my birthday & decided to use them to write to my favourite authors, literary agents & other bookish types, just to say thanks for making great books.

It's kind of fun & it turns out I really like Tumblr. Check it out, if excessive bookishness happens to be your kind of thing.

Postcards to Authors

Postcards to Authors

10 Great Things about the Olympics

There are so many great things about watching the Olympics. Here are ten.

#10 The Olympic theme music

We Olympic fiends are total suckers for the motivational feel-good Olympics music.

We love it. So does Phoebe Buffay.

#9 Learning stuff

You sit down to watch a few minutes of Snowboarding Slopestyle, having never really heard of it. Hours later you emerge an expert, able to discuss in detail the merits of each run.

#8 Being a fan

You suddenly remember people you haven't thought of in four years (Evan Lysacek! I forgot about him; he's awesome!)

Your old favourites are back &, thanks to emotionally told backstories, you quickly develop new favourites as well. Which leads to...

#7 Routing for the underdog

We love to route for the underdog, & the Olympics are chock full of "regular" kids, attempting great things.

We may have only heard of them five minutes ago, but oh man we really want them to win.

#6  Seeing bits of the world

Two weeks spent looking at epic views of mountains & beaches in Sochi, which I for one had never even heard of pre-Olympics.

#5 Bob Costas in his fortress of solitude

We just love Bob Costas, our epic American sportscaster. I've heard a rumour that he'll be back on tonight; apparently the whole dramatic eye infection situation is under control. We've missed you, Bob Costas.

#4 The inspirational ads

Like for example that P&G ad about moms. Sob! I've developed a pavlovian response at this point; I don't even need to be watching the ad, just hearing the music in the background makes me tear up.

#3 Marveling at the possibilities of humans

Just like watching a great sports movie, there are lots of life lessons to be discovered by watching Olympians, even when you're sat on your couch with your popcorn.

#2 Odd things can matter

Do you know what is awesome about the Olympics? Odd things can matter.

I love that someone can decide to do something seemingly inconsequential (like snowboard)... & can actually use it to make a difference.

#1 The whole world comes together.

Like, very nearly the whole world. How often does that happen really?

It's amazing that with all the craziness that goes down between countries & nationalities & groups & even just the fighting within families... at the Olympics so many people come together & agree to abide by the same set of arbitrary rules for a few weeks.

We compete together & hang out with a relative lack of animosity & I love that.

Go world.

10 Great Things About the Olympics picture: Snowboarding Sochi 2014

Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office

My obsession with the TV show Castle continues.

It's just so good. Seriously.

Of course Richard Castle has an awesome New York apartment.

He is a rich, successful mystery writer, after all.

My favourite room is his office; not least because of these super epic bookcase walls...

...complete with typewriter, & lots & lots of books.

Books, books, books.

The view from the desk.

Castle's office leads into his bedroom with more bookshelves, which is awesome. 

More books, & a little Hamlet moment.

And of course; SWORDS.

Castle's office is amazing.

Can I move in here & write?

Castle's Office pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Inspiration at Anthropologie

If you're looking for a little fresh creative inspiration, you could do worse then to spend some time wandering in Anthropologie.

It's not just the actual stuff that's cool; they are really creative in how they decorate their stores.

It's fun to wander a bit & see what's new.

Jenny & Mom & I were downtown last night & popped in to have a look.

As Jenny says, Anthropologie makes you want to go home & light a scented candle.

I just snapped these pictures with my iPhone; & came home feeling a bit more inspired.

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors

The very first blog post I ever wrote, way back in 2005, was

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors.

I had a blog called "There's Beauty in the Breakdown."

Jenny had a blog too: it was a Xanga, remember Xanga?

So here, for your enjoyment, is my first ever blog post, in it's entirety.

Top Five I-Will-Read-Anything-They-Write Authors

Lauren Winner:

I'm a little surprised even myself that I put Lauren Winner as #1 on this list. Can you really make a list where a new author, any new author, trumps C.S. Lewis?? But I've read every book she's written so far (Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, & of course, Real Sex), articles by her, her blog... plus actually, I want to BE Lauren Winner.

C. S. Lewis:

A shoe-in. This one will keep me busy for awhile. Besides all the obvious reasons for putting him on a list like this, (reasons like: he's brilliant; one of the top thinkers of our time; Narnia), I'm also happy to read anyone who sat in his house in England reading, writing, & drinking tea, & managed to impact the world. It's my dream job.

Jane Austen:

I just read Sense & Sensibility for the first time ever & I can't believe I'd never read it before. I grew up on the movie, my sister has read the book more times then she can count, so I finally started it & I couldn't put it down. I want to read it all over again already. I was already a solid Austen fan from Pride & Prejudice, of course, so I'll slowly make my way through the rest.

Sharon Creech:

This is a children's author who I'd never read until a few years ago, but something about the way she looks at life just does it for me. My favourites so far are Bloomability, Walk Two Moons, & The Wanderer. She almost always has some kind of travel in her books & connects the physical trip with the general journey of life. I love that.

Nick Hornby:

My sister was quick to point out that I suddenly started saying I would read anything Nick Hornby wrote when, in fact, I have yet to finish any book by him. Hmm. So maybe this shouldn't count? But I'm half-way through How to Be Good & I fully intend to follow that up with Songbook, High Fidelity, About a Boy, & the rest, so I'll risk making him #5. Come back in a few months & we'll see if I'm right on this one or if he's just another author I happen to be excited about at the moment.

By the way, seeing as I'm such a fan of books, (& lists. & the British.) I decided, with my sister, to read through BBC's Top 100 Novels. A few years ago, BBC searched for "the nation's #1 novel" & in the process came up with lists of the top 21, top 100, & top 200, including everything from 1984 to David Copperfield to Harry Potter.

Check it out.

Top 5 Author pictures: Lauren Winner, CS Lewis, Jane Austen, Sharon Creech, & Nick Hornby.

O Come Let Us Adore Him

O Come Let Us Adore Him is a crazy song.

I was listening to it the other day & it just struck me as so odd.

Not "come let us do good things," or "come let us overcome our fears," or "come let us work hard," or "come let us tell God thank you."

Just: Come... let us adore Him.

It's a love song, or at least an invitation to one.

It's freeing & a little bit terrifying. It takes away my grip on control.

Just letting go & adoring Him. No agenda, no project, no gift.

O come let us adore Him.

For He alone is worthy.

We give Him all the glory.

picture

A Great British Sitcom

I just found out you can watch one of my favourite British sitcoms on hulu.

It's called MIRANDA & it is hilarious.

(If you've seen Call the Midwives, you'll recognize Miranda Hart -- she plays Chummy.)

Seriously, this show makes me laugh until I cry.

Go. Watch it.

Great British Sitcom picture: BBC's Miranda

Idiosyncratic Good Books Gift Guide

My grandma used to say that it always gets really quiet at the Childers house after we've opened our Christmas presents... because we're all sat reading our new books.

I think good books make the best presents. So here's a random, idiosyncratic guide to books that I think would make good gifts...

for SUPERHEROES

First of all, give superhero-lovers whatever COMIC BOOK or Avengers film that they don't have yet.

Second of all, this awesome Superman ornament.

Third of all, SUPERMAN by Larry Tye. I got this for Christmas last year & I'd read it by New Years. (This MARVEL book also looks really good, but I haven't read it yet.)

for NARNIA FANS

This is my favourite C.S. LEWIS biography. I also loved J.R.R. TOLKIEN by Humphrey Carpenter (for Lord of the Rings fans) & his book on the INKLINGS.

for SPORTSY TYPES

I think the fact that I just used the word "sportsy" tells you that I am not a typical sports fan. However, I do love reading sports books & OPEN by Andre Agassi (TENNIS) is my very favourite. I highly recommend it even if you don't watch/play tennis. It's well-written & just a fascinating story.

FEVER PITCH by Nick Hornby (FOOTBALL/SOCCER) is also great. And I'm going to go ahead & mention two books I've never read but have heard such great things about: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS by H.G. Bissinger (American FOOTBALL) & MONEYBALL by Michael Lewis (BASEBALL.) Both are on my To Be Read list. Ooh, another good baseball book is CALICO JOE by John Grisham.

for FOODIES

We just made Shauna Niequist's Bacon Wrapped Dates for Thanksgiving. They were bizarre & delicious. BREAD & WINE was the first Shauna Niequist book I'd read, & I loved it. My mom has already read it twice.

RELISH by Lucy Knisley is awesome - a graphic memoir filled with unpretentious food love, & illustrated recipes.

for DOWNTON ABBEY FANS

LADY CATHERINE, THE EARL, & THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY takes the residents of Highclere Castle through to World War II. If you like history & especially if you like Downton, you'll like this one.

I also can't stop talking about TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD, which is the book, written in the 80's, that inspired Julian Fellowes to create the character of Cora for Downton Abbey. If you have any history lovers/Downton fans on your gift list, give them this book. But then be prepared for a barrage of random historical facts at your next dinner party.

---

BTW, I seriously love getting book recommendations from you guys. I've read several books this year that were recommended in Everyday Planet comments, & I'm always looking for more. So, if you want, please do tell me what you've been reading this year!

Also: If you buy these books from these links, we get a little commission & also you support a real live bookstore. But even if you buy them somewhere else (or just get them for yourself at the library) we hope you really like them.

The Sound of Music Live

Did you watch The Sound of Music Live Thursday night?

Apparently 18 million people did.

According to twitter, opinions were decidedly mixed.

Remaking anything as loved as The Sound of Music has it's perils, especially if you are doing crazy things like performing the original stage production live on television in front of 18 million people.

But it was kind of awesome.

First of all, those nuns singing How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria. Charming.

This scene involved singing, dancing, yodeling, jumping on the bed... all live. I was impressed. Where were the microphones, even?

BTW, yes we were all expecting My Favourite Things here. Turns out this was a remake of the original Rogers & Hammerstein stage musical, not the beloved Julie Andrews film. That also explains those songs that we've never heard before, sung by lovable old Uncle Max & the Baroness Schraeder.

Speaking of the Baroness...

Laura Benanti. She was awesome in Go On with Matthew Perry, & apparently she also sings. On broadway.

She made Baroness Schraeder downright likeable. She also rocked some great dresses & a crazy pair of red trousers, which I now want.

And then there's Audra McDonald.

Carrie Underwood was not the only one crying when the Rev. Mother sang Climb Every Mountain.


If you're a purist, I get it. Nothing competes with the Julie Andrews version. (Much like Meryl Streep, Julie Andrews can do anything.)

But I loved that they just went for it. I love the film Mamma Mia because there are no holds barred, & this felt the same way. Crazy outfits? Wild hair? Jumping on the bed? Bursting into song? Why not.

It was a big, crazy thing to do but they just did it. I liked watching them attempt something so big.

Also? The Sound of Music just makes me happy.

What did you think?

BTW, I've been listening to the original Sound of Music soundtrack all day:

And I like these two articles, which basically say "It wasn't good, but I enjoyed it," & "The Sound of Music Live was borderline unprofessional. Also: Terrific."

(I'm now dying to go re-watch the regular film.)

The Sound of Music Live pictures: Carrie Underwood, Goatheard song & nuns, Laura Benanti, Audra McDonald

Inspiration from: Downton Abbey

Are you starting to get excited for the fourth series of Downton Abbey?

Or are you still kind of holding a grudge against Julian Fellowes for the horrific ending of last season?

If you live in England (or cheated & found a way to watch it ahead from the States) then you already know that series four is pretty epic.

(Here's the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet.)

Series four comes out in a few months in the States.

So let's take a few moments & remember how much we love Downton Abbey.

Upstairs

The library at Downton. Just look at this place.

The flowers & pastel colours.

The dress, the pale blue walls, the dressing table. Not too shabby.

Downstairs

Daisy may be at the bottom of the Downton Abbey heirarchy, but that pink & white dress is still pretty great.

The clothes

The drama

Emotional trauma at the hands of Julian Fellowes.

Did you know that the story of Mr. Pamuk was based on a true story?

The Dowager Countess

Bringing much needed moments of levity.

Oh, the Downton drama! Coming soon.

(In the meantime, 2 Books for Downton Abbey Fans

& Drinking Tea on Downton Abbey)

Downton Abbey pictures 1, 2, 3, Upstairs: 4, 5, 6, 7 Downstairs: 8, 9, 10, 11

The clothes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  The drama: 1, 2, 3, 4  The Dowager Countess: 1, 2