Book Review: Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close By Jonathon Safran Foer

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Coco

I was interested in this book before it was made into movie, but never got around to reading it or buying it until after the movie came out. I did not see the movie (and have no plans to), so I can’t compare the stories, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. (That title is an Amazon Affiliate link which means that if you click through and make a purchase I will earn a small commission–thank you for your support!)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Movie Tie-In): A Novel

As summarized on Amazon:

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

I was reluctant to buy the book because the story sounded so sad, but when I saw that it was a New York Times Bestseller, I downloaded a free sample (part of the first chapter) on my iPhone Kindle App, and then downloaded the full book so I could keep reading.  It was one of those books that I didn’t want to put down but also didn’t want to end.

This is the second book that I’ve read this year that is told from the perspective of a young boy (the first was Pigeon English), and I once again found myself enjoying the fresh view on things both mundane and profound. It was funny, poignant, and bittersweet.

Do you read this book or see the movie?

Does anyone else read books on their iPhone?

Posted in Book Reviews, Life | Tagged , | 2 Comments

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Coco

I didn’t really give a mouse a cookie, but … 


I wonder if he liked the Kashi whole grain cookies, or if he was looking for the Chips Ahoy?

Did you ever read this book? Maybe the mouse did!

Posted in Food, Life | Tagged | 3 Comments

Summer Salads: Black Bean Lime Cumin Salad & Watermelon Spinach Feta Salad

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Coco

Last weekend we had some friends over for a cookout. When the temperatures skyrocketed into the 90s, I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to make a tried-and-true bean salad recipe and as good a time as any to try a new watermelon salad recipe.

Black Bean Lime Cumin Salad (From Cooking Light)
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (I probably use less)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin

Toss together beans, celery and onions in a large bowl.
Whisk together other ingredients to make dressing.
Pour dressing over bean mixture and toss to coat thoroughly.
Chill until ready to eat–toss again to redisperse the dressing.

(Aren’t those colors gorgeous?!)

Watermelon Spinach Feta Salad (Inspired by Taste Of Home)
8 cups cubed, seedless watermelon 4 cups cubed, seedless watermelon
1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced (I probably used less)
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach 4 cups fresh baby spinach and romaine
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine watermelon and onion in large bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes. Just before serving, add balsamic vinaigrette and toss to coat thoroughly, and then add feta and toss again so cheese is evenly dispersed.

(Another bright addition to the table!)

What do you think of the changes I made to the watermelon salad recipe? Would blue cheese have tasted better?

Do you follow recipes to the “t” or use them for inspiration?

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Four Miles, Three Ways

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Coco

Last week I ran about 4 miles on each of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but each run was different.

I had planned to run with my dog on Monday, but it started to rain while we were walking to our starting place. While I don’t mind a little bit of rain, I am not ready to sacrifice the near-pristine condition of my new running shoes, so I opted for the treadmill. I was on the treadmill for over 50 minutes, but only 40 minutes of that was running. I chose the “Sport Training” program, which gives you a mix of hills and plateaus.  After my warm-up I ran mostly at 6.3 mph, but bumped it up to 6.5 mph for the last mile.

On Wednesday, I was not ready to face the world when my alarm went off, so I let my husband take the dog out while I hit snooze. When I woke up almost an hour later, I checked my work schedule and decided that I could afford to squeeze in a run and be a bit late. I chose a loop that I knew was 4-ish miles, and ended up covering 4.5 miles in 42 minutes (avg. 9:16 min/mile pace).


On Friday, it was 72F and humid when my alarm went off at 5:00, so I decided to take my dog for a short walk and then go for a solo run. As I headed out, I realized that my Garmin was dead (it had gotten knocked off of its charger), so I set the Nike+ App on my iPod Nano for 40 minutes, and headed out on a different 4-ish mile route. When I got back I used runningmap.com to check my distance–about 4.3 miles (avg. 9:18 min/mile pace).

Do you have different running routes to choose from?

Are you flexible with your fitness routine?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

What Is Your Verb?

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Coco

One of the neat traditions at my son’s high school comes during “senior chapel” when each senior is given a prayer book with a verb inscribed on the inside front cover. The faculty members select the verbs, which are carefully chosen to reflect each individual student. It was quite interesting to hear the different verbs given to my son’s classmates. Some were predictable (leap for a long-jumper, create for an artist) but others were more intriguing (persuade, defend).

The chaplain explained that the tradition arose from a visit to a historic cemetery. She noticed that the gravestones were inscribed with nouns: doctor, lawyer, mother, brother, but those words didn’t give her a feel for who the people were.  As the chaplain said, our spiritual identities are about verbs–what we do, the choices we make, how we live our lives.  She reminded the students that while high school (and college and beyond) can make nouns–labels–seem so important, we will  be remembered by what we do, not by our titles.

What is your verb?

Posted in Life | Tagged | 10 Comments