Book Report: ‘Grace: A Memoir’ By Grace Coddington

“If Wintour is the Pope . . . Coddington is Michelangelo, trying to paint a fresh version of the Sistine Chapel twelve times a year.”—Time

I was dead excited to watch ‘The September Issue’ three years ago.  I wanted to see Anna Wintour in her natural ‘I’m holier than thou’ habitat.  But for some reason all of the fashion porn somehow blocked the majority of the oddness.

Being a fan girl of Fashion Television with Jeanne Beker, I watched the same episode that ran on Saturday and Sundays nights at 6:30 p.m. when I was a teen just so I could soak up all of its goodness.  Even today when by fluke I catch old episodes of FT – everything stops in my flat.

I remember seeing this redhead woman with wild frizzy hair always in the front row of fashion shows with Anna and think ‘what the?’.  That was Grace Coddington.  Last year as I watching ‘The September Issue’ and it all clicked.  Grace has been the Creative Director at Vogue for the past forty years.

Grace describes her early career as a model, working with such world-class photographers as David Bailey and Norman Parkinson, before she stepped behind the camera to become a fashion editor at British Vogue in the late 1960s. She began creating the fantasy “travelogues” that would become her trademark. In 1988 she joined American Vogue, where her breathtakingly romantic and imaginative fashion features are now part of fashion history.

I really loved getting into bed every night and reading this book.  It’s a hardcover so yes a bit heavy but I was able to plough through it in 1 week easily. Grace is a well travelled and seasoned woman.  She is very English and at times simple but elitist.  Sure she does come off as the softer one next to Anna – but Grace has her vices, attitudes and her fair share of uppityness.  She is a true redhead.  Plus some of her commentary on other races and cultures could be considered offensive.

I was actually hoping for more information about her love affairs with Michael Chow and her other men.  Those portions of the book fell a bit flat.  Her experiences with Madonna, Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Liz Tilberis, supermodels, her partner Didier Malige and other A-lister celebrities were also intriguing but too short.  Her storytelling about Anna felt overly edited.  Again I felt like she was holding back.

I loved her pages and pages of descriptions about clothing she would source from designers, her views of the collections on the runways, swish location shoots, discussions with designers, makeup artists like deceased Kevyn Aucoin, hairstylists like Vidal Sassoon, photographers on product styling as well as the accompanying cheeky illustrations made the book a light and a fashion fan’s instant mate.

Grace is 71 and is still working at Vogue.  I respect that and I also respect that even though she works in such a fickle industry, she fully aesthetically honours her age.

Some of the photo from previous campaigns she has worked on up to the present year are located in the back of the book are a historical retrospective into her career.  I would see them as a teen every month as I tore them out of Vogue library copies to adorn my locker walls.  Who knew they would be considered advertising art in the decades that have passed?

Now for a Memoir from Anna Wintour.

‘Grace: A Memoir’  By Grace Coddington

Hardcover Book:  $46.00 CAD

Publisher: Random House

Book Report: ‘Charlotte Street’ by Danny Wallace

If you are a fan of Nick Hornby’s style of British cheeky writing you will enjoy Danny Wallace’s ‘Charlotte Street’.  It’s an easy and fun read woven within an endearing story line.

It all starts with a girl . . . because yes, there’s always a girl.

Jason Priestley (not that one) has just seen her. They shared an incredible, brief, fleeting moment of deep possibility, somewhere halfway down Charlotte Street.

And then, just like that, she was gone—accidentally leaving him holding her old-fashioned disposable camera, chock full of undeveloped photos.

And now Jason—ex-teacher, ex-boyfriend, part-time writer and reluctant hero—faces a dilemma. Should he try to track The Girl down? What if she’s The One? But that would mean using the only clues he has, which lie untouched in the beaten-up camera.

Unlike Nick Hornby’s style of writing, Danny Wallace doesn’t plug in loads of ‘between you and the writer tongue and cheek jokes’.  I did enjoy the music and cultural notes that Danny Wallace did pop into ‘Charlotte Street’.  It keeps me interested and reminds me that I have likeminded interests to the main character.

Danny Wallace writes characters that are holding their own lil secrets from the reader.

If you are looking for a fun book to get stuck into for a holiday or even as you commute to work and school – pop this into your bag.  It’s a clever twist on the age old story of boy meets girl.

But the book at amazon.ca and chapters.ca.  Voila!

http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/Charlotte-Street-Danny-Wallace?isbn=9781443411844&HCHP=TB_Charlotte+Street

‘Garde-Manger’ by Chuck Hughes

GARDE-MANGER Written By: CHUCK HUGHES Published by La Presse

Garde-Manger Restaurant in Montreal

When I was in Montreal in May – my friend and I checked out the cutie chef, Chuck Hughes yummy restaurant Garde-Manger.  If you are a foodie and find yourself wandering the streets of Montreal in need of a slap up meal that will leave you feeling gastronomically satisfied amongst locals, a mix of hipsters and tourists, Garde-Manger is your spot.

‘Chuck Hughes is the star of Food Network Canada’s and The Cooking Channel’s (US) “Chuck’s Day Off”, a show featuring the charismatic chef cooking for friends and family on his day off at his Montreal restaurant, Garde-Manger. Fabulously energetic, fun and a skilled chef, Chuck definitely has star quality and “splash factor”. His star is on the rise in the US, with his show airing there on the Cooking Channel, and his impressive win last spring on Iron Chef, beating none other than Bobby Flay.

Our meal was hearty and the service delightful at Garde-Manger.  The guys that work there have Chuck’s aesthetic as well. Young, hip, tattooed and of course dreamy.  Whatever our waiter recommended we bought and ate.  Simple.  Easy.  Not us.  The food!

If you can’t get to his restaurant his cookbook, appropriately called ‘Garde-Manger’ is a great investment.  The cookbook features recipes from his restaurant and his show, and they are down-to-earth but festive, yet never fussy.

Chuck does seafood best as part of his repertoire but the cookbook contains great recipes focusing on the usual beef, chicken, veal and vegetarian.  The chapters of the book are broken done into easy to find Cocktails, Staff Meals, Amaazing, Garde-Manger, Fish & Seafood, Potato Crazy, Small Plates and Desserts.  I love that Chuck is humble and also gives props to his staff that help in customizing the constantly evolving menu at his restaurant.  There is a dedication in the book just to them.

Some of the delectable recipes you can find in this cook book that you can also have at Garde-Manger include of:

Bloody Caesar with Crab Legs – an in-house specialty drink.  Pricey but all the rage for first timers at Garde-Manger.  Now you can make this in your own house to dazzle your mates with.

Sardines and Roasted Tomatoes on Toast – mmm is right.  I usually have sardines in my kitchen cabinets and love to toss this lil baby together on a Saturday afternoon when I can’t be bothered to go out and do a grocery shop.

Lobster Poutine – we had this when we visited Garde-Manger as an appetizer.  It was warm, pure comfort food, fully laden with the richest and juiciest lobster on a bed of homemade fries with the silkiest gravy I have ever tasted in my life.  A Canadian classic indeed.

Is this book a good investment?  Indeed it is.  Not only is it a great souvenir if you have visited his restaurant and want to try your hand at the meals or as a neat gift for a friend and family member in your life.  It is a true foodie lover’s dream, but also speaks in language that you and I can really get giddy over.

Buy the book here:

http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/Garde-Manger-Chuck-Hughes/?isbn=9781443413268

http://www.amazon.ca/GARDE-MANGER-CHUCK-HUGHES/dp/2923681495

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Garde-Manger-Chuck-Hughes/9781443413268-item.html?ikwid=garde+manger&ikwsec=Home

Happy Birthday Mr. Strummer!

Today marks the 60^th birthday of Joe Strummer.  60.  This past weekend was also the Annual ‘Strummer of Love Festival’ coordinated by his lovely daughters in Somerset, England.  I’m thinking next year possibly hitting it up for my 40^th birthday.  http://www.strummeroflove.com/

I have a funny relationship with The Clash.  I liked them as a teen but didn’t get really into them until my early 20’s.  I remember having a crush on a boy in highshcool that used to make tapes for me which always had ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go?’ on them.

A few years ago, my friend A reintroduced me to them and again it was a love affair.  Time passed and again, The Clash got shelved for some new music of the moment.  Then recently another chap sent me home with another bagful of Clash books, DVD’s and the like.  The Clash on the brain much?  I need to stay away from boys who like The Clash methinks.

I’ve liked many a band growing up.  In a way I sometimes think I have music adhd.  But whenever my iPod and mood find myself coming back to ‘Combat Rock’ and ‘London Calling’ – I feel so happy.  The music instantly takes back to my teen years when it was all about spinning vinyl on the crappy record player in my bedroom and forgetting about homework for hours on end.

Last week I received a fresh paperback copy of The Clash with a lovely hot pink cover.  It tells the unique story of the Clash, by the Clash. The Clash was a band like no other. Pioneers of British punk rock, their incendiary gigs, intelligent song writing, definitive style and passionate idealism caught the spirit of the times and made them a worldwide phenomenon. Rolling Stone magazine declared London Calling one of the greatest albums of all time, their autobiographical documentary Westway to the World won a Grammy, and their music lives on, influencing emerging bands and exciting new audiences today.

This is the first official book to be created by the band. With unprecedented access to the Clash archive, this landmark publication brings together previously unseen material–including tour posters, artwork, and photos of the band at home, on stage, in the studio and on the road–with each member telling it like it was, in their own words.

Trendsetters, icons, revolutionaries: their story is steeped in mythology. Many people have an opinion about what made them who they were – this book gives the chance to read the full story, from all four band members themselves.

What I appreciated about this book is that it gives small bit size pieces on each of the lad’s stories at certain times in their musical history.  Paul Simonon is my favourite but between him and Mick Jones they kept me giggling throughout this compact pocket edition.

Initially when this book came out in hard cover I thought ‘how am I going to read this book tucked up in bed?’  It’s an easy read and so unlike in the long windedness of ‘Redemption Song:  The Ballad of Joe Strummer’.

There are so many good bits to the book:  the disco graphic snapshot retrospective, global historical tour dates, film information highlights and fantastic vintage pictures of the band.

Ah yes, not only is the book a good chuckle but reading it will bring you closer to the band.  It’s pretty emotional at times – be prepared.

I have an extra fresh copy of The Clash book to giveaway to one of my lucky readers.  Thank you to Chapters Indigo!  All you need to do is sign up to my blog and you will be entered for a chance to win it.  The deadline for entries is August 31, 2012.

Lastly, Happy Birthday to my fellow Leo, Mr. Strummer!  Wherever you are in the heavens…we miss you.

Book Report: Spring Reading Ideas

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The other day I was sitting at work about to go on my dinner break and thought ‘I don’t have any books to read’.  I love spending my dinner breaks doing some light reading not only to rescue me for an hour but also to get me through the next 4-5 hours at work.

Here are some neat spring book ideas to get you through the next few months as we move towards the summer.

Girls in White Dresses:  Jennifer Close (Random House $19.95 CAD)

This is the perfect paperback book to pop into your purse or book bag to travel to and from work, school or a summer job.  It’s an easy read and I really like that Jenn Close doesn’t create insipid and lame-o female characters.  Indeed a bit girly but nevertheless cute and mindless read when you need a mindless read  to skim your eyes over.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working a dead-end job, Mary is dating a nice guy with an awful mother, and Lauren is waitressing at a midtown bar and wondering why she’s attracted to the sleazy bartender.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering years of early adulthood as she pulls us inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

Instant Iron-Ons:  Julia Rothman (Chronicle Books $14.95 US)

Featuring houses, bicycles, and quirky alphabets, these playful iron-on decals make distinctive statements on T-shirts, tote bags, tea towels, and more.

I like this wee book.  These days, t-shirts at the Gap, H&M or even Old Navy are losing quality and everyone in your hood seems to have the same o’l same o’l look going on.  I like the idea of going to American Apparel and buying some neat quality tee’s, plain skirts or cotton scarves and doing my own lil iron – on project.  A lil funky but also badass is always of the time for me.   I heart all of the iron-on’s in this book – my fav’s have to be the ghetto blaster, French bicylettes and ice cream cones.  The overall vibe of the book is very old school 1970’s New York Vintage.  It’s worth a look.

The Tools:  Phil Stutz and Barry Michels (Random House $29.95 CAD)

I’m a Youth Worker by day and blogger by night.  I encourage a therapeutic approach with my clients while at the same time demonstrate practical and realistic thought as they work on their core issues.  I always like reading honest and straight up books that hit the ground running when it comes to trying new techniques towards a positive change.  The Tools is not only an easy but a fascinating read.  I read this book on my lunch breaks – it really gives a boost to my work.

The Tools addresses the most common complaint patients have about psychotherapy: the interminable wait for change to begin. Barry Michels, an LA-based therapist, was frustrated by his inability to bring his patients faster relief from the issues that plagued them. He found a mentor in Phil Stutz, a psychiatrist who years before devised a methodology that arose from a similar disenchantment. The traditional therapeutic model sets its sights on the past, but Stutz and Michels employ an arsenal of tools–exercises that access the power of the unconscious and effectively meet the most persistent problems people face–and the results are electrifying. Stutz and Michels are much sought-after–a recent profile in The New Yorker touted them as an “open secret” in Hollywood–and treat a high-powered and creative clientele. Their first work, The Tools transcends the typical self-help genre because of its paradigm-changing material, the credibility of its authors, and the instant appeal and empowerment of its message.

Katrina Onstad:  Everybody Has Everything (Random House $22.99 CAD)

It’s funny a few weeks ago I was hanging with my sister’s as we celebrated our Mom on Mother’s Day.  My sister who is mother to my niece and nephew mentioned to me that she would put the kids in my other sibling’s custody if anything happened to her or her ex-husband.  It was a simple statement but man it rocked me.  I remember thinking, ‘Um, I live in a 1 +1 condo and this girl likes not to come home some nights.  How do I take care of two kids?’.  Yep.

‘Everybody Has Everything ‘ is about what happens when the tidy, prosperous life of an urban couple is turned inside out by a tragedy with unexpected consequences? After a car crash leaves their friend Marcus dead and his wife Sarah in a coma, Ana and James are shocked to discover that they have become the legal guardians of a 2½-year-old, Finn. Finn’s crash-landing in their lives throws into high relief deeply rooted, and sometimes long-hidden, truths about themselves, both individually and as a couple. Several chaotic, poignant, and life-changing weeks as a most unusual family give rise to an often unasked question: Can everyone be a parent?

The Petite Advantage Diet:  Jim Karas (Harper Collins $25.99 CAD)

I saw this chap, Jim Karas on Marilyn ‘Fish Face’ Denis a few months back.  I really liked what he said about this book and educating us ladies under 5’4 who are aging and hitting a different metabolic stage in our lives.  This book encourages us to get educated when it comes to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle to stay trim and healthy.  An easy and investment read ladies.

Just as an aside it also was an easy ready and gave some amazing info on the chemistry and science of losing weight.  The exercises I will say were not cool.  They pretty much all required the use of a band.  I’m sorry I don’t have a home gym to fasten a band to.  I would have prefered toning exercises utilizing my body weight.

Very Fond of Food:  A Year In Recipes:  Sophie Dahl  (Random House $34.00 CAD)

Remember when Sophie Dahl used to be a more voluptuous model on episodes of Fashion Television?  Well I guess she gave in to the dominant discourse. 

Bestselling author Sophie Dahl offers up 100 wholesome recipes for health-minded home cooks who yearn for a bit of indulgence in her gorgeous second cookbook. Favoring natural sweeteners, minimal meat, and abundant produce, these dishes satisfy yet never feel ascetic. Recipes ranging from Roasted Pumpkin with Sautéed Greens and Toasted Cumin Dressing to Rhubarb Rice Pudding are organized seasonally, and the book finishes with a full chapter of luscious desserts. But the recipes are only part of the story–Sophie’s food-filled memories and musings on the good life make this a book to treasure for its charms as much as for its advice in the kitchen.

Very Fond of Food will enchant the eye with evocative photography and whimsical drawings; inspire the mind with witty recollections on family, travel, and romance; and captivate the palate with recipes that comfort body and soul. Sophie Dahl invites you into a delightful world where every meal is a story, and there’s always an excuse for cake.

Anna Sui:  Andrew Bolton (Chronicle Books $60.00 USD)

I used to watch Fashion Television religiously as a teen growing up in Rexdale.  Man, watching the likes of Anna Sui, Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs and Todd Oldham not only influenced my style sense as a teen they also challenged me to be an independent fashion trend setter in my world.

Watching Anna, Todd and Marc translate grunge street fashion into a posh and designer brand fascinated and also irritated me.  What was wrong with my $6 plaid shirt that I bought from Bargain Harold’s? 

Anna Sui’s trendsetting rock-and-roll looks have made her one of this decade’s top five fashion icons (Time). Here, in the first book to cover the entire scope of Sui’s twenty-year career, fans get rare access to the designer’s creative process. This richly visual retrospective celebrates her influence; from her first show that snared the support of supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Kate Moss to the role she’s played in making the baby doll dress one of fashion’s most iconic silhouettes. With more than 400 photographs from legendary photographers, this exquisite shimmering foil-stamped cover is essential for all fashionistas.

That said this book is more than a coffee table book.  Indeed it is heavy and beautifully written and photographed but it’s nice to see from beginning to end how Anna out her looks together back in the day.  Now that Betsey Johnson is off the block – watching an icon like Anna continue to carry a brand in this fickle fashion landscape is something to be celebrated as she stayed not only true to her fans but herself.

Book Report: ‘Please Look After Mom’ Written by Kyung-Sook Shin

'Please Look After Mom' Written by Kyung-Sook Shin

‘Please Look After Mom’

Written by Kyung-Sook Shin

It’s very rare that I read a book and feel so utterly moved that I take moments out of my reading and think about what emotions and memories they evoke for me from my own past.

I had an emotional reaction whilst reading ‘Please Look After Mom’.  It made me think of my relationship with my own mom.  Those early years as a rambunctious teen with a whole lot of mod attitude and giving her the hardest trailblazing time.  Hey, I was the first born and I wanted my fun and fought for it.

‘Please Look After Mom’ tells the story of a family’s search for their missing mother — and their discovery of the desires, heartaches and secrets they never realized she harboured within.

When sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station, and vanishes, their children are consumed with loud recriminations, and are awash in sorrow and guilt. As they argue over the “Missing” flyers they are posting throughout the city — how large of a reward to offer, the best way to phrase the text — they realize that none of them have a recent photograph of Mom. Soon a larger question emerges: do they really know the woman they called Mom?

Told by the alternating voices of Mom’s daughter, son, her husband and, in the shattering conclusion, by Mom herself, the novel pieces together, Rashomon-style, a life that appears ordinary but is anything but.

This is a mystery of one mother that reveals itself to be the mystery of all our mothers: about her triumphs and disappointments and about who she is on her own terms, separate from who she is to her family.

Getting back to my teen years – some battles I won.  Some I lost.  But all these years later I see how those battles and wins shaped me similarly to what the characters in the book experienced.  I only have my mom to thank for that.  My love of music, art, travel, drive, emotion and sometimes brassiness – all comes from her.  Her sacrifice – always endless.  Even today.

‘Please Look After Mom’ reminded me of everything my mom has done for me, given me, cooked for me, fought for me and cherished for me.  There were moments I actually wept because of the pure beauty in the words, language, tone and sentiment of this book.  In a way it kinda changed my life.  I know – it’s cheesy to say.  But it’s true. 

There was a moment in the last few month’s where I actually thanked my mom for something she did for me as a teen.  This is something let’s say we don’t really do in my culture.  Now I said it over the phone (small steps) – but I’m glad I told her. 

Thank you to Lindsey at Random House – I have a free copy of ‘Please Look After Mom’ up for grabs.  Sign up to my blog and you could win yourself this lovely work.  If you are already subscribed consider yourself already entered.  Contest Closes on May 12, 2012.

If you don’t win it, pick up a copy for your Mum’s for Mother’s Day and remember her to thank her in your own special way.

Best of Luck! 

Mel xo

Independent Book Blogger Awards: Please Vote for ‘Thirty Four Flavours’ so this girl can go to NYC! ;)

Goodreads and the Association of American Publishers Trade Division members are sponsoring the Independent Book Blogger Awards to recognize those who write passionately about books.  C’est moi! 

Four bloggers will win a trip to Book Expo America, including airfare and hotel accommodations.  Holla! 

Blogs can be entered in one of four categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Young Adult and Children’s, or Publishing Industry.   I entered the Adult Nonfiction category for pieces I have done recently for Thirty Four Flavours.

Each of the four category winners will receive a pass to Book Expo America (June 5-7, 2012) with airfare and hotel accommodation in New York City.

Please vote for my blog Thirty Four Flavours below!    Merci!

Vote for this blog for the Independent Book Blogger Awards!

Vote

Book Report: Elizabeth The Queen: The Modern Life of a Modern Monarch

Elizabeth The Queen:  The Modern Life of a Modern Monarch:  By Sally Bedell Smith

People who read this blog may know that I lived in Manchester, England for a handful of years in my 20’s.  It was a real ‘growing up’ time in my life.  During that time I really fell in love with learning about the history behind the monarchy in the UK.

This year marks the the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II.   2012 is marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. She is today queen regnant of 16 sovereign states, 12 of which were British colonies or Dominions at the start of her reign.

Queen Victoria in 1897 is the only other monarch in the histories of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and a few other Commonwealth realms to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. Following the tradition of jubilees past, a Diamond Jubilee medal is being awarded in various countries and holidays and events will be held throughout the Commonwealth.

I thought what better time to do some reading on her than now.  I picked up ‘Elizabeth The Queen:  The Modern Life of a Modern Monarch’.  It’s a huge book – 537 pages in length and let’s say reading this book really hurts one’s breasts when in bed.  But it’s well worth it.

If you watched ‘The King’s Speech’ last year – it only gave you a teaser into her childhood.  But it‘s a nice springboard into how she was raised and how she puts duty as a monarch before anything else in her life.  It’s quite emotional to have read how her connection with her family and her royal roots enabled her to make some pretty startling choices as a teen, young adult, married woman, mother and now monarch of not only England but other Commonwealth countries.

The book goes in depth into her love affair with Prince Phillip, how she coped with her father’s passing, glimpses into her coronation, her neglectful relationships with her children during their early years and those scandalous Diana and Fergie years to name a few.

The book is hardly written in a National Enquirer style but rather more from stories stitched together form history and people who either worked in ‘her world’ or knew her.

I wish there was more info on her relationship with Wallis Simpson.  Also at times the book did tend to ramble on for too long about certain times in history.  I think the writer really wanted to give as much enough as possible to really give you a sense of her, Elizabeth.   She succeeded.

This book is a great holiday read and very easy to get through.  If you want to get swept into luxury and learn about the monarch in England from the ground up – this is worth the investment.  The book ends with Kate and Will’s wedding day.  I loved that the book comes full circle and you as the reader get an honest snapshot into her mistakes, her successes, her conundrums and most of all her selflessness.  She really is a genuine, hardworking and earnest woman behind the crown and orb.

Book Publisher:  Random House

Price:  $34.00 CAD

Nick Hornby Wrote Me Back

So I sent Nick Hornby’s publicist a copy of my blog post a few days ago just as a head’s up on press.  As seen here:  http://thirtyfourflavours.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/oh-nick-hornby/

On Friday I get an email from a ‘Nick’, subject of the email ‘From Nick Hornby’.

The email was short and sweet and read:

Dear Melanie,

Thank you. I love you too.

Nick Hornby

Enough said. 

Mel

xo