Some time ago, Amy and I loaned each other cookbooks. I lent her Spicery, and in return I borrowed A Cook’s Guide to Grains by Jenni Muir.

A Cook’s Guide to Grains is a lovely book. It’s beautifully laid out and contains some really nice photographs. It begins with an overview of the different types of grains out there, and then has an excellent selection of recipe, using both common and unusual grains. The book is not exclusively vegetarian, but the majority of the recipes are meat-free, or easily modified to be meat-free. Each recipe contains some historical information as well as cook’s notes.

I decided to try out one of the book’s Australian recipes: Anzac Biscuits. The word “ANZAC” is an acronym for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and was commonly used to refer to Australian and New Zealand soldiers during the first world war. There’s plenty of confusion regarding the naming of Anzac biscuits, but they’re the biscuits of my childhood. They’re also a bit interesting in that they’re made without eggs, which means they store very well. The recipe in A Cook’s Guide to Grains is different from the recipe that sits vaguely in my memory (from the CWA cookbook), but the resulting biscuits (really cookies by American standards) are still delicious!

I went to see The Prestige this evening. I was a little wary of the film in light of the calamity that was The Illusionist. I wasn’t sure that I was ready for another movie about magicians. I’m happy to report that The Prestige is a much better film than The Illusionist. The acting and script are superb, and there’s enough going on that you don’t mind the length of the movie at all (and, at 128 minutes, it’s long). (I actually just viewed Hugh Jackman’s IMDb profile, and was surprised to discover that he really hasn’t featured in any Australian movies – a handful of TV series, and that’s it. Unlike many Australian actors working in the US, he really began his career there). In any case, The Prestige has an all-star cast, and they do a great job (I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a huge fan of Scarlett Johansson), there’s great character development, some lovely plot twists, and an ending that leaves you unsure of what you should think.

Solar and I went to see Little Children last night. The theater was packed. This sort of surprised me, but I guess it had been a gloomy day without much opportunity to go out, and people were eager to get out of the house.

So what do I think about Little Children? I think it’s funny and well-acted and completely well acted. The ending, though, I could have done without. The problem I had with the end of Little Children was very much the problem I have with the end of The Mermaid Chair. I’d really like characters who are in unhappy situtations to have one of two things happen to them. Either:

They accept that change is hard, and, defeated, they stay in their situation.
They make the change. It is hard, and messy, and initially worse than the initial situation, but ultimately an improvement.

This is real life. Instead, what happens in movies and novels is that the characters almost make the change, realize it is hard and that they are are terrified, and go back to their orginal unsatisfying lives, which, suddenly, are no longer unsatisfying (despite the characters having done nothing to make these lives more satisfying). Why would writers do this to their characters? And why would they do it to their readers? Is a little empowerment such a terrible thing?

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is not exactly serious literature, but it’s very pleasant, and there’s a lot to be said for that. Its intentions are good, it’s easy reading (or listening, if, like me, you’re listening to audiobooks), and the characters have, well, character.

Blue Shoes and Happiness is the 7th (and currently final) book in the series, and it’s no exception. Like all of the other books in the series, it’s not in a hurry (rather like Mma Ramotswe). I somehow managed to borrow an abridged version of the novel from the library (I must stop doing this!), but I enjoyed it very much.

On Saturday evening I went with Solar to see Martin Scorcese’s new film, The Departed. While I’d read good reviews, I was concerned that it was going to be too suspenseful for my liking (not really a fan of suspense of horror, I’m afraid). I can report that while there’s plenty of blood and shooting, there’s not really a horror element to it, or any suspense. What a relief!

The film is set in Boston, which was cool. There’s something very satisfying about seeing your city on the big screen, and realizing that there really some things about it that are iconic. The film itself is excellent – I really enjoyed it. You have to be prepared for a fair amount of shooting (without giving too much away, there’s barely anyone left alive by the end of the film), but the film (despite its length) is fast-paced, with plenty of twists and interest.

I received the Holiday 2006 Vogue Knitting magazine yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised. I often have trouble finding anything that I want to knit in Vogue Knitting (I won’t renew my subscription when the time comes), but this time there were several things that I’ll definitely consider.

I’m a huge fan of the scarf on the front cover. It looks luxurious and warm, not to mention fun to knit. My other favorites come from from the “A Foreign Affair” collection. I like the asymmetric sweater and there’s also a very nice short-sleeved button-up top (the first in the Foreign affair collection) that I think I might enjoy knitting and wearing.

Last week I needed a DVD to check test the audio-visual system at work, so I went to the library to borrowing one. I ended up taking out Howard’s End, a movie that I’ve been meaning to see for years. Why have I been meaning to see it? Well, I’m a huge fan of Emma Thompson, the movie won several academy awards, and when done well, I enjoy period dramas.

The movie is long (around two and a half hours), but I didn’t feel it dragged particularly, and I thought the adaptation from the book was excellent although I have to admit to never having read the book. What I really mean is that I didn’t feel that the film suffered from it’s being an adaptation from a novel. The cast really is stellar, and they do a good job here.

The story is one of the class system in England at the time. The interaction between the classes, and the privileges afforded to each class. It’s nice to think that things aren’t quite so stratified these days, although we’re by no means living in a fair world now.

I tried to knit while watching the movie, which was a huge disaster. Before the movie had even started I’d managed to spill water over everything, and I ended up spending more time fixing mistakes than actually knitting. Still, I think I made some forward progress.

I borrowed Knitted Babes from the library yesterday, and I’m completely smitten. This is a book that definitely shouldn’t be judged by it’s cover. The cover isn’t actually terrible, but what’s inside is just amazing. The book is published by Interweave Press, and I have to admit that my respect for Interweave grows almost daily.

The book begins with an overview of the (relatively basic) knitting and sewing skills that you’ll need to complete the projects in the book – I actually think you could get away with making a lot of the clothes without a sewing machine – although a sewing machine would definitely make things easier. Then there’s a section showing you how to knit the babes, complete with ideas of how to personalize each one. The rest of the book is devoted to clothes and accessories that you can make for the babes – they’re a mixture of knitting and sewing projects. I found my mind racing and the possibilities!

There are some amazing knitted babes out there that other people have made – check out the Knitted Babes Knitalong, and this super-cute pair from ronin knitter.

The talented Claire Garland has a second book coming out – Dream Toys – I can’t wait to check it out!

Another audiobook, although this time I accidentally picked up an abridged copy from the library – and didn’t realize until I got to the end of it. I should have been suspicious of the paltry 5 CDs. In any case, what’s done is done. I guess I’ll never know what I missed out on.

The Tender Bar is a memoir from J. R. Moehringer. It outlines his childhood, his search for father-figures in the absence of his own father, his mother’s determination that he should have a better life than hers, and his path to and through Yale. For me, the most interest aspect was the reflection on what it means to try something that you suspect is beyond you, and the exhileration that follows, not just from acheiving something that you thought you couldn’t, but from the actual process of hoping, and throwing your everything into it. (I guess you see this, in a slightly different light, in The Devil Wears Prada).

One of the really nice things I get to do is to organize speaking events for graduate students. Last night was the first of these events that I have organized. I was nervous. It was my first time doing this, and, for the first time, I’d invited an author to an event where we hadn’t had a book reading before. I wasn’t really sure how it would go over.

I had invited Gail Caldwell, senior book critic at the Boston Globe, Pulitizer Prize Winner, and author of A Strong West Wind. Lucky, Gail is also a lovely person, otherwise the whole thing might have been too intimidating for words.

Gail read from her memoir, which I have to admit that I haven’t read (yet). I read an excert in the New York Times Magazine, and was intrigued. She writes about her path out of small-town Texas and her love of literature. This resonated with me. Last night she talked about how there wasn’t so much to do when she was growing up – reading was one of only a few options available to her. I was an avid reader growing up (as was my brother) – it never occurred to me that I was drawn to this as an escape or as one of only a few option, but it was probably true for me, too.