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Yesterday: the heat.

There were two plans and both involved going to the movies and one was reliant on another factor and included the director doing a Q&A and the other was just two ladies getting together for a subversive comedy. First plan devolved and then the second shortly after. I went home to the cats.

The cats were happy to see me and I was unhappy to see their fur coming off their bodies in swaths. The heat! The air was thick not only with humidity but also cat hair.

I made myself comfortable and heated up my leftover Thai food and got up again to crack open that last Crispin cider in the fridge because did I mention it was hot? The humidity was making my hair reach out to there.

The second season of Orange is the New Black continues to prove that there are still many, many stories out there left to be told (let's stop re-hashing the same stuff, right?) and a lot of those untold stories are that of women and people of color. I admired the brilliant unfolding of the fourth episode with Lorna's backstory. It's just full of the kind of storylines and people I don't see in the media much. More of this! More, please, more.

My attempt to stay cool in the apartment were dwindling as my cider evaporated but lucky for me Adam was nearby and he too enjoys cider. I walked into the bar and he already had two ciders waiting. Somebody asked if we were hydrating by drinking pints of water. Oh no, dear friend. This is cider.

After I flopped onto my bed and slept barely in that warmth. The cat wanted to snuggle like most nights but I had to push him away; what are you crazy? I said.

Tonight, my own personal brand of torture: doing laundry.

There is no reasoning, it’s quite a silly thing.

A lot of people ask me for reading suggestions - given the fact that last year I read over 52 books, I'm part of a book club, and my penchant for daily commute reading. Last week a friend was planning their impending summer vacation, and asked for some "summer suggestions."

I decided to bring some to you, too. And I've categorized them! Since summer reading can go many a way. Generally I think you can read whatever genre, whenever you want, but let's go with the theme - this ain't time to read the frigid, despairing pages of Cormac McCarthy! You're on a beach! By a pool! Lounging in the sun or relaxing in air conditioning!

The Good Ol' Blockbuster

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (& sequels) by Stieg Larsson

The books, the Swedish films, the rumors for the American film versions - this series is legitimately everywhere! And you know what? They're good! You can believe in the hype. At least - for now. I just finished the second book, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and I believe it's a vast improvement on the first. Perhaps because we get more of kick-ass rebel Lisbeth Salander? Or maybe because the translation's just better! I can't wait to read the third, and ALERT: the wonderful Swedish film adaptation is currently available on Netflix Instant Watch! The sequel was just released in theaters, and that's what I'm seeing tonight!

The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike

This one's an oldie. If you've been reading, you probably know that as a pre-teen and teenager, I was obsessed with Pike's eerie novels. However, this was one of his adult novels, and it's a wee bit sci-fi, a wee bit vampiric - and a total page-turner. It's been a few years since I last read it, I may have to delve in again!

For a Laugh

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

Last year, Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea cracked me up. This year's choice had me laughing out loud on the plane to San Diego in June. If she wasn't so funny about her practical jokes, she could be a sadistic pathological liar. Good thing she's hilarious!

Hot Mess: Summer in the City by Julie Kraut and Shallon Lester

I read this a few summers ago, and the emo references and teen language were great for a light, funny read. Also, if you've ever seen MTV's Downtown Girls, its star, Shallon, co-wrote this!

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

Though definitely a dark comedy (the usual Ellis satirical stuffs) I am fully convinced that whoever wrote the plot to Zoolander definitely read this book. It's about the 90s, supermodels, and terrorism: I'm JUST saying. (It's also really violent and sexual, not for the faint of heart!)

Thought-Provoking Fiction

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

You may have recently heard of this novel because Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield (the newest Spiderman) are starring in a film version. Read it before you see it! I love this novel wholeheartedly, and unlike Dragon Tattoo, I'm pretty sure the movie cannot live up to the written word.

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

I read this last summer on the honeymoon - it was perfect to read on the beach with the warm Aruban winds lifting the corner of the pages every so often. It's a saga in the way of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, set in South America and following a family through tragedies and a nation's militant uprising. Allende's settings and characters come to life instantaneously with her gorgeous and illustrative writing.

Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe by Jenny Hollowell

I contemplated grouping this with the comedies, but it made me think - think at what exactly I was laughing at. It's funny, to be sure, but in an almost sad, depressive way. Want to take a look into the seedy business of Hollywood? Go ahead.

Evening by Susan Minot

I read this novel for a class in college, but it still sticks with me long after. The writing uses so many flash-forward, flash-backward plot devices and descriptions that make you think; and it makes you emotional (was it just me?). You'll think of your own memories (many of them summer memories) and your first loves, lost loves, and even regrets.

Perfect for Short Summer Attention Spans

Runaway (Stories) by Alice Munro

Munro makes so much plot in so little words. Her stories could be ten pages long and you'd finish feeling like you knew those characters; her descriptions are succinct, plain, and perfect. I just read this last month, my first by Munro, and I can't wait to read more of her works.

Nine Stories by JD Salinger

I indeed despise Catcher in the Rye - but I truly love this tiny book. In fact, a friend "handed it down" to me last year for the bridal shower, and it was filled with little notes and ticket stubs from all over the world. I recently passed it on to another friend, and told her to leave her mark and pass it on as well. It's writing you can get attached to, but want to share with everyone else.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

I don't think I can even write about how much I love this collection of essays and articles. Ever since I read it last summer, I can't stop thinking about certain moments in this book, and in her writing. I've already reread a few of these essays, and can claim Didion as one of my favourite writers of all time.

A Classic for a Time Escape

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

If someone were to ask me my favourite novel of all time, I'd say this one. I read it one summer many years ago when visiting my family in Panama. I was under a mosquito net, the jungle outside my window, the humidity on every inch of my skin - and I relished in how I remembered everything even more clearly that summer because of this book. Also set in a deep South American jungle, the writing, though translated, is the best. One day I intend to read it in the original Spanish.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

And now to France! This novel made me laugh many times, but like Hollowell's novel, there's an underlying sadness and desperateness throughout the text. Wonderful read.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

For my final suggestion, a return to old New York. I still can't get Newland Archer's character out of my head - Wharton writes in an exacting, witty way and she gets across a lot in few words. If you enjoy Jane Austen and her musings on courtship, Wharton does the same in a much more biting manner. I'm currently reading The House of Mirth by her, and I'm glad to recognize her clever writing again.

*     *     *

Do not, under any circumstances, pick up Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I couldn't even finish it; what a self-indulgent snooze-fest. And I absolutely love her magazine writing! I was super disappointed. Okay, okay - I know a lot of people love it, and maybe you hate one of my own suggestions. To each their own! Let me know if you love/hate/can't wait to read what's listed! Any suggestions of your own?

The rest is out in the cold, holdin' the last of the season.

            

Oh hey! Yesterday when I got home from work I tore open the J.Crew package I got to find three pairs of shorts I ordered. Summer is nearly here! I've never been a big fan of shorts because when shopping I can never find a suitable pair - for a while there I could only find super short shorts and I'm really not a fan of that look for myself. Last summer I found a great pair of chino five-inchers on jcrew.com in gray, and fell in love with the fit and style. PERFECT SHORTS.

Then they went on sale a couple of weeks ago in fun colors like a dusty brick red, peachy pink, and the light bright green you see me wearing above. Sold. So I climbed on my chair and mattress and tried to show you how much I love them. Making a fool of myself for photographic evidence. Classic me.

The point: I got really happy trying on the shorts and knowing that summer is ever so close! Now I just have to find the perfect sandals...

What have you been buying for summer?! Comment with some links if you want!

In other news, my power vinyasa yoga class went swimmingly last night! I told the instructor that this was my first ever yoga experience, and she was happy to know that I was trying it out. I loved the relaxing and the breathing and de-stressing. The main reason I wanted to take yoga is to help out with my pinched nerve issues and back problems. And during the class I felt so much tension released from my back, I was amazed! After the class I spoke with the instructor about how much I liked it and that I would be back next week. She said that I had good form and a good base to work from and that it should be easy for me to gradually become accustomed to yoga. YES! I felt like a got a gold star or something. I definitely left the gym feeling lighter on my feet and just relaxed. And even at dinner I felt myself actively correcting my posture. Feeling good, feeling good!

This morning on the elliptical guess what happened?! I FINISHED WAR & PEACE! Tomorrow is our final book club meeting. It's going to be hilarious. Report forthcoming.

Hey you with the wedding dress on.

Warning: this post is going to be completely random. I'm just writing it all out, segues be damned.

I'm still working on that epic post. It's just...I think I need to be in the right mood to press "publish."

My layout! It's different! I mentioned this a few posts back, but I think I'm pretty happy where it is right now. I may still make a header (if I find the time!), but there's nothing too drastically different besides the colors. I did add a couple of sidebar features - firstly, the "Currently Reading" box has a picture of the book I'm reading and links to the book's page on Goodreads. Right under that is the "Recently Read & Reviewed" box, which displays the last four books I read, and if you click on the cover, it'll take you to my review of the particular book. Of course all this would be easier if you just signed up for Goodreads and became my friend.

Speaking of which, yesterday I finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and I recommend it to everyone. I'd heard about it for so long, and not until Jesse unpacked it from his storage space did I remember it. Inside the cover of his old paperback, a girl had written a note of passing the book on to Jesse. I asked Jesse who the girl was, and he didn't remember it was so long ago. I love finding things like this in old books. I'm going to try to write notes on the inside of books I gift to people, and maybe they...or some stranger...years down the line will remember or...wonder who that Jessica is, too. And why she loved that book enough to pass it along to someone else. The novel itself put me in a very pensive mood, and I like being in pensive moods. I'm now reading Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and I'm excited as I already feel myself diving deep into another well-written book. There's a thrill there, for sure.

I really need to see Sunshine Cleaning. Perhaps this weekend.

Gossip Girl has turned from a guilty pleasure into a guilty non-pleasure. I keep watching, but it's soooo bad - my latest hour of eye-rolling was during the episode which centered on a play of one of my favourite books, Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Groan. Also, just an FYI, the rebooted 90210 has actually been pretty good as a guilty pleasure - it just needed to find its stride. None of these teen dramz compare, of course, to the this-feels-a-little-too-real show of Friday Night Lights. I'm astounded by how much I'm reminded of my own high school memories from that show - not the football stuff, just the students and the relationships and interactions. Ridiculous.

Wedding planning is a-okay, but I've been having this recurring dream of eloping. Ah, simplicity.

If you live in New York, and even if you don't, check out Sweet Emily's on 51st and 8th Avenue - it's one of the most delicious dinners (and drinks) I've had in a while. Jesse found it online, and we decided to take my mom and all of her friends there. Jesse thought it would be a good fit because it's American comfort food mixed with Latin dishes. My mom and her friends are all Latinas, so the chef came out to talk to them about the arepas and how they each made them. They were delicious, by the way. Emily herself came out to wish us a good meal, and mentioned that they'd only been open a month and to spread the word. So that's what I'm doing. The atmosphere was calm and perfect for dinner conversation - not overwhelmingly loud like most New York dinner spots. I can't wait to go again!

Jesse leaves tomorrow for a couple of shows this weekend. It's been quite nice having him around and getting into a stride, as most of our relationship before this break was short bursts of his time home between long stretches on the road.

I loved I Love You, Man - and though it's in the same genre as most of those Apatow-y, same-cast movies like Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Zack and Miri, etc., I thought it rose above them. I think I probably only liked Superbad more. Okay, also, I have to make the distinction between this "crew" of comedians making movies, and the others - the older, popular "crew" of Ferrell, Stiller, etc. Apatow-y movies are different than Tropic Thunder and Step Brothers and Zoolander. So, in just the Apatow-y movies (started, I believe, with The 40-Year-Old Virgin), I would rank I Love You, Man WAY up there. Because it did manage to surprise me while making me laugh hysterically, and also, it was one of the only comedies in years that didn't really offend me as a girl. And yes, I can't deny Paul Rudd and Jason Segel's charms. Seriously. I love them. I mean, I've loved Rudd since 1995.

"I know, right?"

Also, that paragraph about the movie may not make any sense at all in retrospect. Apologies.

Hey oh, who's going to see a Red Sox exhibition game in a couple of Fridays with my friends? THIS GIRL. (IS STOKED)

Baseball games are also a sign of better weather...or the promise of, I suppose. I'm unbelievably excited for such, as I already know this summer is going to rock because of impending nuptials, but ALSO because I'm seeing No Doubt (at least) three times, we already have tickets to a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game, and Erica and I have already planned Saturday and Sunday mornings on the roof. Oh, and I'll be spending ten or so days out of the country in a tropical locale with my future husband - SUMMER 09 I LOVE YOU ALREADY! So, if you could just hurry up and get here already, thanks.