And the winner is...

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who entered and commented! I loved hearing all about your favorite books, and I'm so thrilled to add new books to my list for 2012. When I pick up the winner's copy of Swimming in the Steno Pool tomorrow, I'll be picking up a few extra books for myself. (See, I get to be a winner, too!)


So, without further ado:


See I upgraded to a zebra Snuggie this year.

The winner is: LAURA!



Congratulations, Laura! You are now the proud owner of a signed copy of Swimming in the Steno Pool! Send me your address!

Again, thanks to everyone who commented, and thanks to everyone who reads my blog -- it really means a lot to me. And special thanks to Jon Burchard for being such a fantastic cameraman! (This year I didn't have to prop up the camera on a stack of books and an empty candy box. I felt almost pro-fesh-un-alll.)

And please, do pick up the books on the list -- they're so good. I've decided that I'll do another one of these in a few months because it's been so much fun!

Which means I need to get reading. Now, that's an awesome Accomplishment.

Picking a winner in just a couple hours!

What do this:



And this:



And this:



And THIS:



Have to do with this Friday night?

Why, it's what I'll be wearing for the grand Giveway picking (I feel that a Snuggie and a tiara really work best for these occasions), what I'll be drinking because it's fancy time, and what I'll be giving away!

So there's about 2 hours left for you to enter here...

Because I need to go and get THIS.




Good luck to everyone who entered!

Deadline for the Giveaway Extended Until Friday the 13th!

Joan reminded me that I have a previous engagement on Thursday night, so I can't choose the winner until Friday the 13th! Which I rather like -- it will be someone's lucky day.

So stay tuned, dahlings! And if you haven't entered yet, go here and leave a comment. And please share the link and the love!

Now if you'll excuse me, Joan just reminded me that I have a meeting with Maybelline. See you Friday, and good luck!

Reading is Fabulous and Fundamental.

Reading is cool. Check it out:

Bowie reads.


The Beatles read.



La Liz reads.


Monty reads.


Winona reads.


Hipsters read.



Marilyn reads "Leaves of Grass."


So does Lisa Simpson.


(All images from the amazing Tumblr blog Awesome People Reading)

And YOU can be as cool as these people by checking out my last post, and entering to win the contest! The prize is a SIGNED edition of Lynn Peril's Swimming in the Steno Pool! All you need to do is leave a comment of one of your favorite books you've read lately (or ever), and you're automatically entered. I'll pick the winner January 12th. Click here to enter!

Reading really is fundamental and fabulous.

Happy New Year... and a FABULOUS GIVEAWAY!

Well, hello there!

It's a new year and this is kind of exciting: THIS IS MY 100th BLOG POST. I kinda feel like it's cheating because I'm supposed to be doing all these 97 things, right, and I only have 43 of them done and this is my 100th post. I know I'm bad at math, but something doesn't compute. But whatever, I have still hit "post" 100 times -- or will when I finish this! (Insert noisemaker sound here.)

The reason I have the 100 is because I have written extra entries -- including the annual New Year "Hey Don't Give Up On Me!" post and books I've loved. Well, since this is the year I get Organized, I'm combining 2 posts into one. Isn't that clever? And read aaaaaallll the way to the bottom, and there will be another GIVEAWAY! (Insert that noisemaker sound again.)

So one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read more this year, and I thought that if that was one of your resolutions, too, I'd give you a list of a few of my favorites I've read over the past year or so. I've read quite a few more, but I've been bad and haven't kept track and have lent them out and can't remember them off the top of my head. But here are some that I've really enjoyed, and I hope you'll enjoy them, too:


2011 was a lucky year for us, because a new Lynn Peril book was released: Swimming in the Steno Pool! This time around my favorite author tackled the subject of secretaries throughout history, and goes way beyond the stereotypes of "office wives" making coffee. Smart, witty, and informative, whether you know shorthand or not. A must!



Another book with "swim" in the title: Swim to Me by Betsy Carter. I saw this in the Algonquin Books catalog and knew it would be a winner, because I love everything Algonquin publishes. This is no exception -- the story of a girl's journey to become a fabulous Weeki Watchee mermaid. When I was finished I was ready to book tickets to Florida and see the show.



Another one set in Florida, Swamplandia by Karen Russell. I really liked this book and loved the premise, but I did have a problem with some of the details near the end -- but don't let my persnickety-ness deter you. (I didn't like Time Traveler's Wife because of a minute detail, and it's everyone's favorite book.) I'd love to hear what you think!



Okay, this is old news by now (a lot of these are, but there are always gems in backlist titles that may get passed over the initial PR sweep), but I absolutely LOVED ROOM by Emma Donoghue. So much so, in fact, that I still, to this day, think about the characters and wonder what they're doing, much like how I felt about Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. So powerful, and what's funny is that when I first started reading, I had no idea how she could sustain the story. Oh, she does.



This is old news, too, but still very good news: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I read it when it first came out -- I bought into the hype of the wunderkind young author, and was so enthralled that I kept sneaking reads of it while I pretended to shelve books at the bookstore where I worked. This past year I went to dinner with a group of women, and one of them said that this book is her litmus test of potential friendships and standing gift to everyone with whom she's friends. I understand completely.



I Was Told There'd be Cake and How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley. I kind of hate Sloane Crosley because she's another wunderkind -- super witty, a terrific writer, and cute. And has been compared to Dorothy Parker, David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, three of my absolute favorites. I kind of hate her because I am totally jealous of her and wish I could be her. Sigh.



Another wit that had me laughing out loud, and that may surprise you if you've read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, as it is one of the most horrifying (and best) short stories ever written. But one of the things that makes "The Lottery" so scary is how real it seems initially -- the everyday life of a housewife in an everyday town, but then horror seeps in. (I always thought that was what made Stephen King and Steven Spielberg's "Poltergeist" so popular, too -- everyday people confronted with terror.) Life Among the Savages is Shirley Jackson's chronicle of her own life, and it is hysterical. I want to go back and share all the funny parts here, but I won't. You need to read them for yourself. Those kooky kids!



Speaking of kooky kids... I bought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs because I loved the cover, and it did NOT disappoint. It is all-around fantastic, from the premise, the craft, the story and the found photos within. It reminded me of the great books I read as a kid, with a little Geek Love (but much, much sweeter) thrown in. I heard there's going to be a sequel and I CANNOT WAIT.



While Miss Peregrine had a group of peculiar kids, none of them were only a foot tall, but that's where Chumpy Walnut by Will Viharo comes in. Chumpy (oh, how I love the name -- in fact, the book is chock full of fabulous names) is only 12 inches tall, but holds his own with lots of fast talkin' guys and dolls. The reviews call it "Runyon-esque," but I think it's way more Viharo-esque. Super fun read,complete with illustrations, and I'll bet you'll be wishing you had friends named Goosey, Hotsie and Cupey, too.



Another charming walk through the past, literally -- Caroline Preston, the author of The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, has collected 1920's ephemera and crafted a story (much like the found photos of Miss Peregrine) out of wonderful vintage illustrations, ads, photos, drawings, and knick knacks. And yet with just a few written words per page, she has written a novel with a terrific storyline that takes the reader from Cornish, NH, to Vassar to Manhattan to Paris and back to Cornish again and created a spunky character, the brave and independent Frankie.



The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. Another young girl's madcap adventures in Paris. God, I LOVED this book. Just get this line as she talks about wanting "to sin" and go to the Ritz in the 1950's: "I mean... oh... Luxe, satins and silks... leopardskins and peacock's tongues. Silk -- that's what I want rubbing against me. I feel so woolen all the time." Tres magnifique!



I suppose I was on a kick this year -- single, intrepid women from decades past. Hmmm. But this one, I think, is the best of the lot. (And trust me, I loved them all.) So much so that when I finished, I went right back to page one and savored it again for a few hours.



Well, of course one of the original New York "party girls," the ultimate spunky gal about town was Holly Golightly, one of my all-time favorite characters in literature. But, believe it or not, she's not one of my favorites on the big screen, as much as I love and absolutely adore Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy. Fifth Avenue 5 a.m. is behind the scenes of the movie, and whether it's your most favorite film in the world or you feel the way I do, you will LOVE this book. Who knew that a "behind the scenes" look would be so enthralling? Trust me, it is.



And here he is, the creator of Holly, and one of my all-time, most revered authors. Now, Truman Capote was the party boy about town, and Party of the Century is the story of his famous Black and White Ball, when Truman was at his peak of fabulosity. And a side note that's so exciting for me -- I bought this book less than a mile from where Truman lived as a child, next door to Harper Lee, in Monroeville, Alabama. (One of my best friends and I went on a pilgrimage there, and it was so wonderful! Here's a photo of me at the site of Truman's old house!) Capote came a long way from his humble beginnings, and this book is a taste of that -- literally, too -- check out the decadent recipe for The Plaza's chicken hash!



Talk about GLAMOUR. I read this book while sitting on a crowded Southwest flight with the guy in front of me leaned all the way back, and a kid watching a movie on a laptop next to me with the volume turned up to 11 through his headphones, while eating a bland airport sandwich and pretzels. And there were Dick and Liz jetsetting on private planes and ginormous yachts, flying in food from Chasen's, spending millions of dollars on diamonds, and boozing it up like nobody's business. (Except it was EVERYBODY'S business. Even the Vatican's.)And yet... you still love them, and want it to work for them. I'd been chomping at the bit to read it since I read the excerpt in Vanity Fair, and it was even better (and juicier) than I hoped it would be. And what's good about this -- the very good authors clearly respect Elizabeth and Richard, and that makes a difference.


And now, drumroll, please, the best book I've read all year:



ZSA ZSA. One Lifetime is Not Enough. No,no it isn't. I am NOT kidding, this book is AMAZING. If you're friends with me on facebook, you know that already. And I hope I've converted you to the Church of Zsa Zsa. She has done EVERYTHING. You NEED this book. It will change your whole life, and you will start calling everyone dahling and realize that the Kardashians PALE in comparison to being famous for being famous -- the Gabors are the real thing, dahlings. Order it NOW.

Speaking of ordering books, I implore you to order/buy from local bookstores and/or brick and mortars. I think you all know how I feel about this, and how important it is to support your local bookseller. Show them some love!

Speaking of showing some love, it's giveaway time!

Leave a comment of YOUR favorite book you've read all year, or ever, or on your To Read list -- I would love some new recommendations, or conversation for ones I've read, too! And please share this post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, that Google Plus, myspace, friendster, with your mom... Everywhere!

I'll draw a name from a bowl like I did here. And the prize will be the first book on this list, a copy of Lynn Peril's fabulous Swimming in the Steno Pool! Hooray! Won't that be a great way to start 2012? I'll pick the winner on January 12 around 8 pm PST, so be sure to comment by then.

Happy New Year, everyone, and thank you so much! And good luck!

Accomplishment #42: Make a Video (#51)

Like many delusional children, I had dreams that I would grow up and be a glamorous movie star. (And a writer. And a Broadway sensation. And an ice cream truck driver if those things didn't pan out.) I just knew I had that certain *something* that was special, and that I was destined for Greatness. Tatum O'Neal? BAH. Kristy McNichol? Pffft. Jodie Foster? No way! (Though one of my mom's friends told me I looked like her, in the era of Candleshoe, and I cried. What I wouldn't give to look like her now.) They were NOTHINGS. I, Karen Finlay, was going to star in movies, be a regular on The Love Boat, AND be on the cover of Dynamite Magazine! (And be a writer, a Broadway sensation and an ice cream truck driver.) I was going to take the world by storm!


This really should have been me. From Super Seventies.

Alas, I lost a few things along the way to my star on Hollywood Blvd: All self-esteem and ambition once hitting puberty and junior high school -- or middle school as they call it nowadays -- that time frame between 11 and 13 that should, really, be totally illegal. But I did discover a fundamental truth about myself at a young age while auditioning for a minor role in a school production of Blithe Spirit: I couldn't act my way out of a paper bag. I couldn't even lie convincingly to my mom when asked, "Who ate all the Girl Scout cookies?" Nor could I tap dance, sing, have a fashionable hairstyle, or do math. (Math has nothing to do with it, but I really can't do math.) I also can't drive large vehicles, so my ice cream truck dreams were dashed, too.

So I kind of stuck with the writing thing instead of the whole acting thing. But still, like most delusional people, I harbored a secret fantasy that someday I would become a famous movie star -- but without really doing anything like have talent or beauty or mad acting skillz. Though I don't think being famous is as fun as it used to be -- I have gathered that in the past few years, in order to be a movie star, one must go to rehab, enroll in upper division college courses, have a baby (or pretend to), get married (but only for 1 month to 1 year), engage in what is called "canoodling" with rap stars, have a clothing line with your name on it but designed by people with the fashion sense of sewer rats, and one's only form of self-expression is infantile Twitter posts, because there's no time to actually make movies while keeping oneself famous.

So being a movie star isn't quite as glamorous as it used to be, but some old dreams die hard. I can't help plotting my outfits and witty repartee for future appearances on the late-night talk show circuit and my Oscar acceptance speech anyway. A part of me longs for the greasepaint... The lights, the cameras, and the action.

Well, in 2011, those dreams came true! I, Karen Finlay, starred in not one but TWO films this year -- that's more than Natalie Portman, and she won the Oscar! (Though I know my Best Actress acceptance speech would be WAY better than hers. Harrummph.)

The first one was a super cool project by my friend Nicole Burch, who is an incredibly talented compositor and digital artist, and whose credits include Captain America and Thor! She had an idea for a 50's themed short she wanted to direct, and asked if we'd be willing to lend our house and star. Well, since I've wanted to be a famous movie star for like forever (and really, because Nicole is a dear friend and I was super honored to be asked), we jumped at the chance!

And it was so much fun -- a REAL film crew came to the house, with lights and sound and all that professional equipment!


Nicole and Kyle giving the thumbs up!

And we did real takes and everything, and Nicole directed me on mad acting skillz:

"So, like, it should go there? How should I play it? Should I look happy? Sad? What would Zsa Zsa do?"

And then when it was all over we were sad and were going to miss our new friends:

Jon, me, Nicole, Simranjit, Kyle and Jackie

And then Nicole added 3D animation, the multi-talented Ryan Rorie added the soundtrack, and voila! It's Fantastic!

What's For Dinner? from Nicole Burch on Vimeo.

I LOVE it! I wish I were a better actress (maybe I should have kept those dreams alive and taken a couple of acting classes for my Big Moment) for Nicole's sake, but wow! It was so cool to be part of it, and so awesome to see the final outcome. What a huge honor!

But I didn't just take a hiatus and fly off to an exotic island vacation and canoodle with a local rap star, oh no. I jumped right back in front of the camera! I was thrilled to collaborate with my BFF Carrie Swing, whose blog, Carried Away With Vintage Gourmet is one of the best blogs out there. (Have you checked it out? If not, BOOKMARK IT NOW!) A girl after my own heart, she re-creates vintage recipes and blogs about it, with often hilarious results. We were talking about how we could bring the world of vintage recipes AND Tupperware together (yes, I'm still selling the fantastic plastic!)and we decided to make a video!

So after getting Jon to be the cameraman (and bartender), we filmed ourselves making "Best Oven Hash" from the 1963 Better Homes and Gardens So Good Meals cookbook, using all Tupperware products (except for my mom's 1963 Fire King casserole dish -- don't ever put Tupperware in an oven!) and it was so fun!



Here's Carrie's blog entry that includes the recipe -- it really IS delicious!

We didn't even practice OR edit! Not bad, I say... But if I were a movie critic, I would have to say that Carrie and Tupperware are the stars of the show, and I need to go to rehab and get on an intense Jillian Michaels workout routine and get rid of the weird lisp I just discovered I have. But you know what all that means? I am totally on my way to becoming a REAL movie star and on the cover of People and US Magazines! And isn't Julia Roberts married to her cameraman? See, I'm totally on the right path!

Now, I know that the book said to MAKE a video, but don't worry, I did THAT, too!



CHECK OUT THE ARTISTRY. MARVEL at the technical aspects! Look at the zoom ins, and the sweep of terrifying food wreckage. See how the Sterno flames from the cabbage hover in the center, with Vienna sausages orbiting outwards? That is symbolism for the heat and passion within the artist's heart, and the ideas and creativity emanating like planets, representing crystalline thoughts realized from... Oh WHATEVER. It's 13 seconds of a flaming cabbage dish from this year's Mid-Century Supper Club Potluck, but honestly it looks a lot better than most of the "arty" films I've endured. More festive anyway.

So I'd like to thank the Academy, errr, Nicole for asking us to be part of her special project, which was such an honor and so much fun; Carrie for being my BFF and fabulous collaborator, Jon for being an awesome boyfriend, bartender and cameraman, Tupperware for just being terrific, Mona San Filippo for the flaming cabbage, and all of YOU for reading my blog!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to The Vanity Fair Oscar Party, because that's the fancy one, dahlings. I've chartered my own ice cream truck limo, and I can't wait to say, "In your FACE, Kristy McNichol!" Maybe we'll get on the cover of Dynamite Magazine together. And don't worry, I'll totally Tweet about it.

Forty-two down, 55 to go.

Happy Holidays from 97-Land!

Just checking in to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kooky Kwanzaa, Fabulous Festivus or December 24th... Whatever you celebrate, hope it's a great one!

I don't know about the rest of you, but Christmas is a bit of a challenge for me every year. I always want to Accomplish tons of stuff, like decorate with real fir boughs and holly, bake peppermint macaroons and cook figgy pudding, find perfect presents for everyone I know and wrap them beautifully using twigs and glitter, and eat things like goose. So, basically, do all the things I have never done before and that I am completely incapable of doing. And then I never do ANY of those things and suddenly it's Christmas Eve and I'm all, "OH NO. I still haven't finished shopping for the 3 people I DO have to shop for and I don't even know what figgy pudding IS!" I blame Martha Stewart, Charles Dickens, Lexus commercials and Pinterest for my inadequacy.

This is where I SHOULD say, "But I'm not inadequate! Because those things aren't the true meaning and spirit of Christmas!" Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get enough "messages" forced upon us this time of year, so I'm not adding to that. Maybe I'll rant about it in July. Right now I'm just going to chalk it up to not finding the right balance between busy and lazy, and figgy pudding will just have to wait. Until July. (Or never. I think it sounds weird.) Besides, I'm doing laundry right now, and that's Accomplishing something!

So today, I'm finally going to stop berating myself for lack of figgy pudding and macaroons, put on sweatpants, drink some nog and not do much of anything. Except get some last minutes gifts, brave the market for food for brunch tomorrow, bake cookies for Santa (I'm so glad he likes those Pillsbury dough rolls), make lunch for two trying-not-to-be-cranky children who I've already told that they have to do EVERYTHING I SAY ON CHRISTMAS EVE OR ELSE I'LL RAT THEM OUT TO SANTA, fight the crowds at Santa Claus Lane, go to a party, find all the presents I hid all over the house and don't remember where they are, and wrap them. THEN I'm putting in sweatpants, a tiara, and hitting the nog. Ahh well. It's tradition!

But if you want to feel Accomplished and Christmas Spirit-y and stuff, you can donate to the blog's online food drive here.


But my main Accomplishment in writing this post is wishing you all Happy Holidays, and to say thank you for reading this sporadic blog. I'll let the glamorous Gabors illustrate it more beautifully than I ever could:



Happy Holidays, dahlings! Go be merry and bright! xoxo