I picked this book up on the suggestion of a friend and I cannot thank her enough! This book was absolutely stellar! There's suspense, drama, and a creatively designed dystopic world! The characters have depth and are very engaging as they race around an arena trying to kill each other!
Before getting ahead of ourselves, some back ground information is necessary. When global warming destroys the United States, the remaining land is divided up between 13 districts. When District 13 decides to fight back at the inordinate amount of control the central government is exerting, they are put down and destroyed. As a reminder of this ill-advised uprising, every year there is a nationally televised gladiator-esque game show pitting two contestants from each district against everyone else in a battle to the death.
Katniss, our 16 year-old volunteer, is a strong, determined heroine. If she can be called that. Her drive to return home forces her to be brutal and harsh, while she is still likable as a character. Her alter-ego Peeta, also from her district, is generous to a fault. The story follows them as they try to escape the other 22 players and learn of the evil that lurks in the government. Do they make it out? Read it and discover the truth!
Note: The sequel to this book is coming out September 1, 2009. Get them both!!
This fantastic historical fiction, set during World War II, is about one girl's dream to fly. Ida Mae is a fair-skinned African-American girl whose father taught her to fly so that she could help dust the crops. Sadly, his passing in a tractor accident left behind Ida Mae, an older and younger brother, her mother and her grandfather to tend to their strawberry farm in Slidell, Louisiana.
With World War II coming to the home front, Ida Mae's brother quits school (where he is studying to become a doctor) to join the fight as a medic. Frustrated by her imposed role due to her gender and race, Ida Mae decides to try out for the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). She "passes" for a white woman and goes through her training.
She meets some special and interesting characters along the way, like the wing walker Patsy "Cakewalk" Kake and the sweet, charming Lily Lowenstein. Their story provides a look into the all guts and little glory that was the life of a WASP.
While based on actual history, this particular story is not true; that the author knows about. Compellingly written with some Southern charm and accurate historical facts, Flygirl is a must read for teens looking to get a little history lesson while enjoying a good story.
So I have decided to change the basis of this blog. I will be writing book reviews and mixing in a little information about myself periodically. As many of you know, I work in a library and intend on becoming a librarian one day. As a precursor to that I am writing book reviews to broaden my vocabulary, explore new book genres, and reflect on the plethora of books there are to read in this world.
If you have any suggestions of books for me to read and subsequently review, please let me know. Enjoy!
I am not usually a fan of recliners. The traditional overstuffed giant recliners tend to be a white elephant in a room. So needless to say I was very happy while researching seating for a media room to come across these contemporary well designed recliners in the UK. They describe this recliner as: "One of their best selling recliners which reclines, swings, swivels and orbits to your desire"....and it claims to be "seriously comfortable".
Dakota Contemporary Designer Swivel Recliners
The mechanism for these contemporary designer recliners operates by leaning back on the chair and using your body weight to hold back.
What do you think? Would you have one of these seriously fun contemporary designer recliners in your home?
For those of you who haven't checked out the magazine LoftLife Magazine - The Loft Style Guide to Life in the City, it is a must read. And I don't say that only because I am on their 'Board of Experts' - the Editors and Creative Directors at LoftLife Magazine are top notch. Their style and editorials are fresh, relevant and timely. Last fall Kyra Shapurji, Managing Editor and Linden Hass, Photo Editor of LoftLife Magazine paid me a visit at my office in Vancouver to firm up a feature they were doing on favourite shopping spots of mine and a few other Design Professionals in Vancouver. Linden Hass shot a few pictures of me and the drawing below is what resulted.
I love the illustrations for LoftLife Magazine done by the talented Graham Smith from San Diego. He illustrates the masthead and the Panel of Experts for LoftLife Magazine. This month LoftLife Magazine is going to be on national newsstands: Borders, Barnes and Noble, as well as Hudson News. So pick-up your copy and read their articles. In the current Summer 2009 issue of LoftLife Magazine I particularly like:
LoftLife - Allure of Amsterdam: Dutch Design Beyond Droog. (I am lusting to visit Amsterdam)
LoftLife - Paper or Plastic? (really gets you thinking and hopefully acting)
LoftLife - Big Blank Wall: The mirrors on our minds. ( Love this round-up of mirrors) among others.......... LoftLife Magazine also has a great Blog.
Happy Reading! Please let me know if you have read a copy of LoftLife magazine and what you think of it by leaving a comment.
Valentino: The Last Emperor "What do women want? They want to be beautiful!" This is the motto that Valentino has based his life on.
This weekend I went to see the movie Valentino: The Last Emperor for the second time. It has finally arrived in Vancouver. The first time I saw it I drove to Seattle because it wasn't out here yet. It is one of the few movies I have been to in my lifetime that everyone in the theatre clapped at the end. I was moved to tears as the great maestro Valentino took a bolt of his signature red fabric and started draping it over a live model, creating and sculpting the design for a new dress. He truly was the Master of Couture, a dying breed in the times we are living in. Valentino: The last Emperor is a documentary that was filmed over a two year period chronicling Valentino's life work. It is a must see, not only for the view into the life of a great Master of Couture but also for the great love story it is.
Valentino: The Last Emperor Valentino's 5 Pugs who go everywhere with him. This picture is taken on his private jet. Please let me know if you have seen the movie and what you think about it byleaving a comment.
I recently returned from a road trip through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley is the home to a budding Wine Industry. I was pleasantly surprised with our stop in Osoyoss to visit The Nk'Mip Winery and Resort. NK’MIP Winery Resort is a four-season aboriginal tourism resort destination that features deluxe accommodation and visitor experiences including an award-winning winery, gourmet dining, desert golf, a cultural centre and full-service spa.
It was a feast for my eyes to view the walls of the Cultural Center from the parking lot at Nk'Mip Winery. I was struck by the beauty of this facade that looked like a giant slab of the most sumptuous marble. On closer inspection and inquiry I was informed it was built with "Rammed Earth Walls".
Rammed Earth Walls at Nk'Mip Winery and Resort also known as pisé de terre or simply pisé
(above left) Notice how thick these walls of rammed earth are - approximately 20% thicker than standard concrete walls. (above right) The rammed earth walls are formed in layers of approximately 6" thick , which gives the walls a beautiful horizontal variegation resembling quarried marble.
Rammed Earth, also known as pisé de terre or simply pisé, is a type of construction material. Pisé de terre (rammed earth) walls are an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and more natural building methods. Traditionally, rammed earth walls or pisé de terre walls buildings are common in arid regions where wood is in scarce supply.
The basic recipe for rammed earth walls starts and ends with plain old dirt.
RECIPE FOR RAMMED EARTH WALLS - Soil about 5 litres Water - Water about half a litre - Cement 10 percent - Pigment 1 percent (about 1 tablespoon)
The mixture for rammed earth walls is compacted in layers between forms. Each layer of the rammed earth walls is approximately 6 inches deep. As each form is filled, another form is placed above it, and the process begins again. This is continued until the desired height of the rammed earth walls is achieved. Forms can be stripped off as soon as the form above is begun, as the compressed rammed earth walls are self-supporting immediately. Most builders of rammedearth walls use pneumatic rammers to compact the earth within the forms.
Deep inset Window detail in Rammed Earth Walls Nk'Mip Winery. My Dad and me.
Some interesting facts about Rammed Earth Walls and Rammed Earth Walls Construction:
Rammed earth walls are 20 percent thicker than most concrete walls so it is better insulating against heat and cold.
Rammed earth walls improve Indoor Air Quality because of the simple finish of exposed rammed earth walls have no toxic finishes.
Rammed earth walls are so solid that they boast superb acoustics and rank with the best in terms of fire resistance.
Because rammed earth walls don't rely on wood the structure will never rot, nor will it be host to carpenter ants or termites.
Rammed earth walls evolved in hot dry climates, where wood is too rare and precious to be used as a building material.
Rammed earth walls have been the standard in house construction in Southern Europe and the Middle East since biblical times.
None other than the Great Wall of China, or at least most of it was built of rammed earth wall construction.
Does anyone know why it is called Rammed Earth Walls?
Great Wall of China - Rammed Earth Walls construction
Rammed Earth Walls
Rammed Earth Walls Construction in Residential Bathroom with a Stump window which was made from the base of a tree that was growing on the house site.
Rammed Earth Walls
Iron oxide layers have been added to these rammed earth walls in sedimentary layers with inset of abalone. Above 2 photos or rammed earth walls Terra Firma
Additional Resources on Rammed Earth Walls Construction Wikipedia Rammed Earth Walls Construction Terra Firma Rammed Earth Walls Builder / Why Rammed Earth Walls in Construction? Walls of Rammed Earth Rammed Earth Walls DIY Rammed Earth Walls Construction Nk'Mip Winery and Resort, Rammed Earth Walls Cultural Center Rammed Earth Walls Construction DiagramYou Tube Rammed Earth Walls Video Images Rammed Earth Walls
I picked this book up on the suggestion of a friend and I cannot thank her enough! This book was absolutely stellar! There's suspense, drama, and a creatively designed dystopic world! The characters have depth and are very engaging as they race around an arena trying to kill each other!
