Reading is Sexy

I’m already doing a non-fiction book group in 2009, but I wanted to be part of a fiction one as well. So I decided to make my own, and I hope it will continue past 2009. Introducing the Reading is Sexy Book Group!

Here’s our book list. There’s no real theme this year; these are just books that I’ve heard about and want to read.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (Jan. 1 - March 5)
Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon (March 19 - May 21)
The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood (June 4 - July 16)
The Wind-up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murikami (July 30 - Aug 27)
Farthing - Jo Walton (Sept 10 - Oct 22)
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman (Nov 5 - Dec 31)

You’ll notice there is time between each book - we’ll use that time for discussion and reviews.

All the books can be found cheaply - The Graveyard Book should go down in price (or be found used) by the time we get to it.

Interested in joining us? Just read along and keep an eye on this blog. Discussion will mainly be here, but feel free to post your thoughts to your own blog and link over. And share with your friends! I don’t know anyone who wants to read less, so we all can gain something by participating.

Oh, and leave a little note here to let me know you’re joining in, so I can keep track of y’all.

10 comments December 16th, 2008

Coffee Wars: Genuine Joe

Genuine Joe opened a few years ago and quickly became a popular neighborhood spot. In 2006 they won the Austin Chronicle’s Critic’s Pick for Best North Austin Coffeehouse.

Atmosphere: (7) With tons of seating including three separate rooms and an outdoor patio, GJ can really pack the people in. Unfortunately, that means it can get pretty loud at times as this tends to be more of a social hangout than a place to do work in the evenings. Daytime is much more relaxed, and at all hours I’ve never had to worry about the sound system blaring. If you do need to get some work done at night, just remember to bring headphones - and be aware of the live music on Thursday and Saturday nights as well as the 3rd Monday of the month.

Clientele: (4) The clientele is very mixed, reflecting the neighborhood. I love seeing all the different people interacting, even though the noise can sometimes be too much, like I said above. There’s always a interesting conversation to pop into, though. For those of you keeping track, there’s more (seemingly) single men here than women.

Staff: (5) No pretentiousness here. The staff here is super friendly and doesn’t mind making strange drink requests (chai with a shot of chocolate, anyone?). And knowing the regulars by name helps create that cozy neighborhood atmosphere.

Food: (7) Awesome brownies, plus soup, sandwiches, and other baked goodies, including vegan options. Plus, bowls of fresh buttered popcorn! They do seem to run out of things easily, however. The past few times I’ve arrived at 7 p.m. the bakery case was mostly empty, even though they are open until 11.

Mocha: (9) $3.35 GJ has my favorite mochas, with the right blend of coffee and chocolate. I never have to worry about chocolate sludge on the bottom or an inch of foam on the top. (I hate foam.) At other coffee shops it takes me a long time to finish a mocha because of the overpowering flavors attacking my mouth, but at GJ they drink easily and make me rush back for another.

Coffee: (7) $1.45 The coffee has a nice medium flavor, as it should be when you order the house roast. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste but it is quickly replaced with a general coffee flavor - like how you wish that coffee at IHOP was.

Wild Card: (+1) They love having groups come in, and the two side rooms plus a table in the main room can be reserved in advance.

Total Score: 40

Genuine Joe is located at 2001 W. Anderson Lane.

Add comment February 4th, 2008

Coffee Wars!

A while ago I realized that the first year I lived in Austin I visited about a dozen coffee shops. I suppose I have a caffeine addiction. Or just an addiction to places where I can people-watch and write. Every place is different of course, but there is always someone looking for the “best”. And so, in an excuse to visit or re-visit Austin’s coffee shops, I bring you Coffee Wars!

I’ll be visiting as many coffee shops in Austin as I possibly can, and reporting back here with the results of my visit. To try and make the ratings process simpler, I’m going to order the same thing at every place: a regular coffee and a mocha.

Here’s how the 45 points will break down:

Flavor: 10 points each drink
Food: 10 points - selection, taste, price, etc.
Atmosphere: 10 points - seating, noise level, lighting, patio
Price: (not rated) given for completeness
Staff: 5 points - attitude, conversation, etc.
Clientele: 5 points - It may seem odd to rate a place based on who goes there, and this might be something that should go in the Atmosphere category, but the other denizens of the shop can potentially make or break your experience.
Wild Card: 5 bonus points - anything goes

I’ll be keeping a running tally of all the points and post the final list at the end of the year.

Add comment January 27th, 2008

Where we go when we know

As if pregnancy wasn’t enough to make me constantly analyze life, this week I found out one of my friends has a brain tumor. Not cancer, but scary stuff nonetheless. We’re about the same age, so even though she had no symptoms to clue her in, I’m now thinking about all those other problems our bodies hide from us.

It doesn’t help that the little guy is measuring behind and I have to have an extra ultrasound. I’m not so worried, as our families are mostly small and I’m not expecting to have a basketball star for a son, but still. It’s just another one of those things. I can’t see inside my belly, so I just have to rely on all the dancing he does to know he is OK.

With all of this it’s no wonder I haven’t been very invested in working on my play for ScriptFrenzy. Maybe scripts just aren’t my thing, because it is already June 15 and I have only 2,500 words written. (The goal for the month is 20,000.) Then again, it seems like I haven’t been able to do much of anything creative since I found out about the baby. At first I was too tired and sick, but now I’ve just lost the drive - or can’t get my brain to work.

So it’s probably a good thing we’re going to the Twin Cities next weekend. We’ve already got a lot planned:

Add comment June 15th, 2007