The 100-Day Project | Days 6-10

I've accepted the 100-day project challenge this year, and you can read more about it here. I post my collages daily on Instagram, and plan to post a recap every 5 days or so here on my blog. As always, click on images to view larger.

6/100:

7/100:

8/100:

9/100:

10/100:

My mixed media supplies include acrylic paints, paper, gel pens, and sharpie markers. I glue everything down using an uhu glue stick. This project is making a part of my brain stronger for sure. I can feel it flexing.

10 down, 90 more to go!

You can see a video of the journal I'm using, and my thought process for this challenge here.

Cinemascope: Testament of Youth

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.




Released in 2014.

Plot line: Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman's point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it's a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.

I seem to be watching quite a few war movies lately, but I love that there are from a woman's point of view. I have not read the memoir this is based on, and this is an interesting story about the horror and life altering times of war. I especially liked how this movie explores how turbulent times change society and women's roles in them. I would recommend this one for fans of historical fiction and period pieces.

You can see the trailer here. If you have yet to see it, this is a movie worth watching.

Recent Reads

36. Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel
This book is a physically beautiful object, and the author makes creative use of an assortment of documents, books within books, maps, notes, illustrations, and more to tell two stories set about 300 years apart. The only problem is that all the beautiful packaging is only skin deep. The writing is not compelling, the characters are uninteresting, and while I enjoyed the setting of stories within stories, and how it is tough to tell which is the present time, and how time folds back on itself, I did not care one whit about the characters and their issues, and found this one a bit of a slog to get through. Too bad really, because this is a physically lovely object, and for that fact alone it gets an additional star. Rating: 2 stars.

37. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 8
The thing about this wonderful manga series, is that 8 volumes in, I am still loving the complexity of the story telling. There are several interesting plot lines in this one, and I so felt for Ieshige. How awful to be the "oafish" older daughter in a world that values outward beauty, and to have a beautiful mother and sister to boot. I was rooting for her all the way, though she is not as good a leader as her Mother, but then, who could really match Yoshimune? Interesting gender role reversals continue to highlight some of the ridiculous norms that are still accepted in our times. Can't wait to see what happens next. Rating: 4 stars.

38. Self-Portrait as Your Traitor
"Illustrated essays and visual poems are part philosophy, part art, part deeply personal memoir exposing the universal triumphs and tribulations of being human."

Well, color me confused. This book made the Brain Pickings' Best Books of 2013, and I for one don't get it at all. I did like the hand drawn lettering, and some of the ways the author plays with text as art, but honestly, this one left me shaking my head. Not for me. Rating: 1 star.

39. Meanwhile in San Francisco: The City in its Own Words
I love books like this and wish there was one for every city. The thing about travel guides is that while they are chockful of information, they are often rather antiseptic as well, and they have to be I guess. In this delightful book, the author captures a sample of the people and neighborhoods of San Francisco, using gorgeous pen and watercolor illustrations, and snippets of dreams. Do not expect an all encompassing guide to the city, but if you are in the mood for a whimsical travelogue, give this one a try. Rating: 4 stars.

40. Nimona
Nimona is a young shapeshifter, who badly wants to be the sidekick of an evil lord, aka Lord Ballister Blackheart. They team up on a mission against the Institution of Law Enforcement, and the shining hero, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin. The names alone are worth the price of admission.

This a fun graphic novel about the battles between the two sides, and lots of death and mayhem ensue. I quite liked the relationship between Blackheart and Goldenloin, and was pleasantly surprised at how Nimona does not play the typical girl tropes. The art is colorful and sketchy, and while I smiled at various moments, I did not love this one as much as I expected to. As an aside, my 11 year old nephew read it through in a couple of sittings, and enjoyed it. Rating: 3 stars.

The 100-Day Project | Days 1-5

I've accepted the 100-day project challenge this year, and you can read more about it here. I post my collages daily on Instagram, and plan to post a recap every 5 days or so here on my blog. As always, click on images to view larger.

1/100:

2/100:

3/100:

4/100:

5/100:

My mixed media supplies include acrylic paints, paper, gel pens, and sharpie markers. I glue everything down using an uhu glue stick. Since my collage skills are almost non-existent, this challenge is forcing my brain to work in unfamiliar ways. I am delighted to find my brain working on compositions and ideas all the time, and sometimes an idea comes to me in its entirety. So fun. I am also using up my stash, which is another thing that makes me happy about this project. 

5 down, 95 more to go!

You can see a video of the journal I'm using, and my thought process for this challenge here.

Cinemascope: Restless

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.




Released in 2012.

Plot line: Based on the bestselling spy novel by William Boyd, this Emmy®-nominated BBC drama is a tale of passion, duplicity, and betrayal. Ruth Gilmartin (Michelle Dockery) is stunned to learn that her mother, Sally (Charlotte Rampling), has been living a double life. Her real name is Eva Delectorskaya (Hayley Atwell), she worked as a spy for the British Secret Service in the 1940s, and now someone is stalking her.

When I saw that this was based on a William Boyd novel, and a spy novel at that, I was sold. There are two timelines in this one, and the story shifts back and forth between the 1970s and WWII. I love spy stories that feature women, and this one does not disappoint. I would highly recommend this one for fans of historical fiction and period pieces.

You can see the trailer here. If you have yet to see it, this is a movie worth watching.

Journal pages

I continue to love bedtime sketching in my Nightstand Journal. A pen and some paper. No fuss, no muss.

(Click image to enlarge)

You can see a video of the journals I'm using in 2016 here.

Recent Reads

31. Whatever You Are, Be a Good One
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. This is a book that has inspirational/self help quotes on each page. These quotes are hand-lettered, and often accompanied by a whimsical sketch. The author does make clear that this is a sample set from a project she used to improve her handwriting, but I fail to understand why this book was published. Simply not for me, but if you are a fan of quote books, you might like it. Rating: 1 star.

32. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Originally published in 1968, this post apocalyptic novel imagines the world in 2021, after the World War essentially destroyed the planet and most living things. The majority of humans now live off planet, and the ones that remain on Earth covet any living thing, be it a horse or a spider, and since most people cannot afford the real thing, they buy simulated animals. But that's not the interesting part of this story. The interesting part is that there is a new robot on the market, and this robot is virtually indistinguishable from humans. The only way to tell if one is a robot or not is to have a test administered that evaluates your empathy response to various scenarios.

I started this book in graphic format, and realized that was not working for me, so moved to the actual text itself. It is good, but not great. The exploration of what constitutes life is an interesting one, and while I enjoyed the story, it did not have the impact I was expecting based on the the premise.

As an aside, my nephews and I have a password that we have to say out loud whenever we see each other in order to ensure that they have not been replaced by a robot or alien life form. So far, so good. Rating: 3 stars.

33. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 7
This is the best one in this manga series so far. The court intrigues continue, political maneuvering, murder, all of the stuff that I now expect from these books. What this one had in addition is the story of Ejima, and it is a sad one indeed. The emotional depth conveyed in his story is wonderful. We also circle back to Yoshimune's rise to power, and she is the powerful woman indeed. Loved it. Rating: 5 stars.

34. Giant Days, Vol. 1
This volume collects Issues #1-4.

This graphic novel tells the story of Susan, Esther, and Daisy. They are three weeks into university, and have become friends because their dorm rooms are next to each other. There is much to work out when you first start university, and are away from parental supervision. I was quite amused when the characters realized that they would fail the Bechdel test. This was a fun read, though it did lack a cohesive direction. Rating: 3 stars.

35. The Price of Salt
Book blurb: First published in 1952 under the pseudonym Claire Morgan and touted as "the novel of a love society forbids," the book soon became a lesbian cult classic.

Let me start by saying that this novel is wonderfully narrated by Cassandra Campbell.

Patricia Highsmith has been on my TBR list for ages, and since I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie, the stars finally aligned. This is really a coming of age story, and I did not know that going in. Therese Belivet, 19, has dreams of being a stage designer, but in the meanwhile she's got a deary temporary job in a department store over the Christmas holidays. One day her eyes lock onto Carol Aird, a customer buying a present for her daughter, and Therese is smitten. The rest of the novel follows the relationship that develops between the two women.

Highsmith wonderfully evokes a place and time in New York, and I could almost smell the cigarette smoke, and taste the cocktails. I also really liked the exploration of power dynamics in relationships between the various couples: Therese/Richard, Therese/Carol, Carol/Harge, and the author captures really well that shock of recognition when you fall in love for the first time. However, the story moves at an incredibly slow pace, there are really tedious scenes that add little to the overall story in my opinion, and I found both women not very well fleshed out. Okay, so I do know that it was first published in the 50s, and the world was a different place back then, so there is only so much that Highsmith could get away with, but still, I expected more of an emotional depth to this story given what the main themes were. I did not love it as much as I expected to, though I was delighted that the author did not end the book the way most books/movies of that era seemed to end gay/lesbian tropes.

As an aside, the book blurb contain spoilers that, though I saw coming, might be very spoilery for some. Rating: 3 stars.

Cinemascope: Ricki and the Flash

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.

Released in 2015.

Plot line: Meryl Streep is a hard-rocking singer/guitarist in Ricki and the Flash, In an original and electrifying film loaded with live musical performances, Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family.

I am a Meryl Streep fangirl, and it was so fun to see her play something really different. Women have been vilified over the millenia for not conforming to some standard set for them by the men in their lives, and it is refreshing to see a woman be true to herself, damn the consequences. Yes, it is a little too lifetimey for my tastes, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. 

You can see the trailer here. If you have yet to see it, this is a movie worth watching.

Journal pages

I continue to love bedtime sketching in my Nightstand Journal. A pen and some paper. No fuss, no muss.

(Click image to enlarge)

You can see a video of the journals I'm using in 2016 here.

Recent Reads

26. A Burnable Book (John Gower #1)
I'd been saving this one, sure that I would love it. And you know what? If it were not for the fact that I listened to the audiobook, superbly narrated by Simon Vance, this would have ended up in my DNF pile.

This is a historical mystery of sorts, set in London, circa 1385. I really liked the gritty atmosphere the author captures, but I was bored with the overall story. I'm not sure I've read Chaucer, or if I did in school, it's lost to the mists of time. Maybe if I was a Chaucer aficionado this would have worked better for me, but alas I am not. The story starts with a bang - a murder, a book, a mystery - but then seems to plod about trying to find it's way home. I absolutely loved the maudlyns and their part in this story, but could have cared less about much of the rest of it. It does pick up a bit towards the last several chapters, but I have little doubt that if I had read this in print form, I would have bailed about 50 pages in. So I'd give it 2.5 stars, and will round up to 3 because I so loved having Simon Vance read me a story again. Rating: 3 stars.

27. The Sandman: Overture
I am a huge Sandman fangirl, so I'm not even going to pretend to be objective about this book. It's a prequel to the Sandman graphic novel series, and if you have yet to read those, stop reading this review, turn off all screens, and go start now. I loved that series, so was delighted that Neil Gaiman decided to go back to that well again. And for those skeptics who say you can never go home again, you are wrong. This one is fantastic on every level. I loved the creativeness of the story, and the art - holy mother - the art is a thing of beauty. Am I the only one who noticed how much Morpheus looks like Neil Gaiman in this volume? There is nothing coherent I can say, other than I loved everything about this one, and took my time in reading it so as to make it last longer.

If you a Sandman virgin, I would not recommend starting here however. I'd suggest starting with the original series, and after you have read them all, read this one. Speaking of which, it might be time to revisit the original series myself. Rating: 5 stars.

28. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 6
I continue to really enjoy this manga series set in 17th century Japan, where the Shogun is a woman, and the harem is filled with beautiful boys. There are so many characters in this series, that I sometimes have to remind myself who is who, and what would really help is a family/character tree in the appendix of each book, along with the excellent footnotes. The drama, intrigue, and scheming continue unabated in this volume, with some murder added in for extra flavoring. The art and story continue to be excellent, the old English continues to annoy forsooth, and I cannot wait to see where this series goes next. Rating: 4 stars.

29. Go Set a Watchman
This one was my book club selection for the month, and given that Harper Lee died a couple of days ago, it seemed a very appropriate time to meet and talk about it.

At the time the book was released I read a bit about all the hoopla, but I decided to ignore all of that and see what I thought of it. Well, color me delighted. I'll admit that for the first bit of the book, I was disappointed. Not because the writing is bad, but because I loved Scout as a kid, and was unhappy that she had turned out to be this whiny woman. I realized that my attachment to Scout was adversely coloring my reading of the book, so decided to uncouple this one from Mockingbird, and read it as a completely new book with characters with the same names. No prequel/first draft/ sequel hullabaloo, and low and behold, the magic and mastery of Harper Lee shines through.

There are so many themes explored in this one, but at the heart of it, it is really a coming of age story for our girl, Scout. The novel is filled with scenarios of us/them: men/women, white/black, quality/white trash, North/South, rich/poor, and how Ms. Lee gives us so much to chew on with so few pages is something I still do not understand. I loved the flashback stories, and can see how Mockingbird is the gem that it is, but I also really liked the exploration of how one becomes an adult. When is that exactly? When we understand that things are not black or white, but that there are shades of grey. When we decide that our values are not necessarily those of our parents, or community. When we realize that life and love is complicated. When you realize that parent you idolized as a kid has feet of clay. That scene between Scout and Atticus after she confronts him had me sobbing over my breakfast omelet.

Half of my book club did not like the book, so it clearly resonated for me in ways that it did not for them. The only reason this is not a 5 star read is that it does need some editing and feels unfinished, but holy smokes, I hope there are other first drafts that Ms. Lee left lying around for us to delight in.

A note on the audiobook. This book was narrated by Reese Witherspoon, and at first, I was not sure that her twangy voice would work for me, but it turns out that she was a great choice for this story. Rating: 4 stars.

30. The Bird King: An Artist's Notebook
Everything about this little book makes me happy. I love the author's art, and work, and was delighted to get my hands on this collection of art from unfinished projects, finished work, and sketchbooks. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the mind and creative process of this artist/author, and flipping through this book is like exploring a delightfully curated art installation. Rating: 4 stars.

National Siblings Day

It's National Siblings Days here in the States. I wonder who comes up with these holidays. Still, it gave me a reason to look through some old photo albums, and this one of all my sibs is from bygone days that feel like from a different lifetime. 

The100DayProject Prep (Video)

Here is my #the100dayproject planning and journal video. Am both excited and nervous about this challenge.



If the embedded video does not work, click here.

For daily updates once the challenge starts follow along on my Instagram account.

Cinemascope: Before Midnight

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.





Released in 2013.

Plot line: Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) first met in their twenties in BEFORE SUNRISE, reunited in their thirties in BEFORE SUNSET, and now, in BEFORE MIDNIGHT, they face the past, present and future; family, romance and love.

This is the final movie in this trilogy, and it has been quite a journey. I love the idea of checking in with a couple over several decades, and the fact that the director uses the same two actors is wonderful. Hollywood and romance novels have created an illusion of what relationships are supposed to look like, and I really appreciated this more honest look at the reality of how couples age together. A movie made for adults about adult things. Unlike so many movies made these days, there are no car chases and aliens, but there is lots and lots of talking.

You can see the trailer here. If you have yet to see it, this is a movie worth watching.

The 100-Day Project prep

I've got things I need to be doing, but instead of doing them I'm making a new journal for #the100dayproject.

Video of what I've decided to do for 100 days, and the journal I'll be using coming soon .....

The 100-Day Project

I love challenges, and I especially love challenges that hold me accountable because I need to blog/post about them. Some of the challenges I've participated in over the years include December Daily, One Little Word, Capture Your 365, Every Day in May, 12 Weeks of Summer, and Project Life. 

This year I am doing a challenge that is new to me. The 100-Day Project. Are you playing too? If so, do let me know so I can follow along.

You can learn about the challenge here, and read an interview with the creator here.

I'll be posting weekly recaps here on my blog, and you can follow me on Instagram to get daily updates on my progress.

Journal page

I created this page during the warm days of March, but as I look out at the snow I have to shovel this morning, I fear I might have been too optimistic. 

(Click image to enlarge)

It's so fun what you can create with a few supplies. I started with a pen sketch of this girl while running an errand, and finished up the page when I got back home. Art journal pages do not have to complicated or take hours to complete. Playing with splashes of color always make me happy.

This was done in my small traveler's notebook, You can see a video of the journals I'm using in 2016 here.

Recent Reads

21. 1984
I listened to the audiobook, which is wonderfully narrated by Richard Brown.

The really scary thing about this book, which was first published in 1949, is how accurately it describes so much of the world we live in today. This classic has been dissected in so many ways over the years, so I'm not sure I have anything new to contribute. My only regret is that I waited so long to read it. This book is bloody marvelous, and should be required reading for every citizen (no matter the country) every decade or so. Rating: 5 stars.

22. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 5
I am slowly making my way through this manga series, and they continue to be really good. How often can one say that about a 10 book series?

When one's most important role is to produce an heir at any cost, things tend to get crazy. This volume introduces new characters, brings back some old dearly loved ones, and the intrigue, and plotting continue unabated. Deliciously fun. Rating: 4 stars.

23. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #1
I've seen the Blade Runner movie several times, and was curious to read the book the movie is based on. What I did not realize is that this is not a graphic novel in the classic sense of the word. It is really an illustrated novel; it contains the text of the novel in its entirely. As you might imagine, this leads to some clunky solutions as every descriptive word, scene setup, etc. are faithfully captured, while at the same time the art show you what you are actually reading. It does not work well in my opinion. I quite like the art, and really like the story, but though I also read the next volume in this series, as I already had it in hand, I'm abandoning the comic series, and plan to finish up by reading the novel itself. Rating: 3 stars.

24. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #2
Below is my review of the first volume, and it applies to this installment of the series as well.

I've seen the Blade Runner movie several times, and was curious to read the book the movie is based on. What I did not realize is that this is not a graphic novel in the classic sense of the word. It is really an illustrated novel; it contains the text of the novel in its entirely. As you might imagine, this leads to some clunky solutions as every descriptive word, scene setup, etc. are faithfully captured, while at the same time the art show you what you are actually reading. It does not work well in my opinion. I quite like the art, and really like the story, but though I also read the next volume in this series, as I already had it in hand, I'm abandoning the comic series, and plan to finish up by reading the novel itself. Rating: 3 stars.

25. Playing with Sketches: 50 Creative Exercises for Designers and Artists
If you are a creative type of person looking for inspiration I'd suggest you get your hands on this one. The book delivers on what the title says, and it is full of fun and creative ways to play and get your juices flowing. Each exercise is accompanied by a gallery of art that pertains to it. I have no doubt that I will dip into this fun and informative book again when the well runs dry. Rating: 4 stars.