Of Mills and D'Urbervilles

During the summer of 2001 I lived in New York City. I had an internship outside of the city, but wanted to live in Manhattan to experience New York. I took the train every day to and from work, leaving from Grand Central Station. This is the view from the bridge in Tudor City, the neighborhood in Manhattan where I lived. It's looking down 42nd Street.

A view of the city. Yes, I lived there right before 9/11.

Since my commute was about an hour each way, I had lots of time to read (or nap). Two of the books that I read during this period were Tess of the D'Urbervilles and The Mill on the Floss. I recommend them, but I don't recommend reading them one right after the other. It's just a bit too much tragedy if you read them so close together. Tess of the D'Urbervilles was written by Thomas Hardy, and The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (a pen name for a female author).

I pini della Via Appia

Pines of the Appian Way. By Ottorino Respighi. It's part of the symphonic poem "Pines of Rome." Respighi also wrote the symphonic poem "Fountains of Rome." I like all of them, but "Pines of the Appian Way" particularly stands out to me. I remember a time that I saw it performed live in Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. My friend Megan was in the orchestra. The brass section was up in the balcony, which was perfect for this piece. The sound came from all around and filled the hall. It was breathtaking and gave me major chills.

Not the Pines of the Appian Way. I've never actually seen them. This is the Pines of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Probably less impressive, but still beautiful. And this is my husband. Not a Roman soldier, but possibly pretending to be a Jedi or something. =)

Libeled Lady

Libeled Lady. A wonderful old movie with Myrna Loy, William Powell, Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. Witty, charming, sophisticated. . . . You have to listen to the dialogue closely, or things may quickly pass you by. For instance, if you weren't listening carefully, you'd probably miss the following exchange:

Bill Chandler: I thought that was rather clever of me.
Connie Allenbury: Yes, I thought you thought so.

I love old movies. They didn't have the special effects of today to blow everyone's minds away, so they actually had to rely on characters and dialogue. I think there's something more intelligent and cultured about many old movies, much more so than with most films today. Don't get me wrong, I love films with special effects (The Lord of the Rings on the Ultra Screen was amazing), but too many rely on bathroom humor and blowing everything up in sight. Too often do they lower the intelligence of their audience, rather than raising everyone up a notch. Ah well. Watch Libeled Lady and revel in the wit. (Watch closely for the fishing scene - a little slapstick that is hilarious).

The Gaunt House

There's a house in our neighborhood that reminds me of the Gaunt house from Harry Potter. It's mysterious and creepy and provides a source of much entertainment and speculation. I think our imagination gets a little carried away sometimes. The house is all dark, with the windows heavily draped and shuttered, and is just generally eerie.

I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a snake hanging from the front door. In any event, for those few of you holdouts who do not know what I'm talking about because you have not read Harry Potter, let me take the opportunity to recommend the books. I didn't read them until after the first four books came out. I was being my book snobbish self and declaring that I wasn't going to cave and read popular trash. But someone whose opinion I respected gave them high marks, so I dove in. And couldn't have enjoyed it more. They are a magical delight, to coin a phrase.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice. Probably my favorite book.

I plan to post things on this blog that I have found enjoyable (books, music, movies, etc.). With personal stuff possibly interspersed. I thought it was fitting to start my recommendations with Pride and Prejudice.

The shot above is of my mom's book when she was a girl. She passed it on to me and I first read it in fifth grade. I've read it numerous times since.

I got this copy in England at Jane Austen's house. Everyone should read this at least once in their lives. "An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only."

Austen is one of the greatest female authors to ever live. Her ability to take real life and make it interesting and witty is unparalleled.

I've also found that a lot of people have read Pride and Prejudice, but have never read her other works. Also highly recommended:

All pictures from my personal collection. (I am definitely not the photographer my sister is.)