Shameless Plug – The Big Book Sale
On a more cheery note today…
It’s that time of year again. The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Big Book Sale. It began several days ago with unloading books and filling a large pier down at Fort Mason with over a half a million books & media.
Here’s a time lapse video of a previous sale’s set up. Watch with your sound turned on. That’s a lot of books.
If you live in the Bay Area, tonight is our Member Preview Sale & Reception – we open the doors to members for a sneak peek — complete with wine & food!
The sale opens to the public tomorrow and goes until Sunday, 10 AM – 6 PM each day. All items are only $3 and under.
It’s not too late to attend tonight’s preview – you can become a member of The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library at our Will Call table beginning at 2 PM.
More information HERE
My sort of Olympics
After the rest of you have retired to bed having enjoyed the 4×100 men’s relay or -Husband’s favorite- women’s beach volleyball, I have been staying up late and watching The Great British Baking Show. You may remember my first foray into this British baking competition HERE. My opinion hasn’t changed. It is still pure delight for me.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the show highlights passionate amateur bakers whose goal is to be named the U.K.’s best. Each week, the bakers tackle a different skill, the difficulty of which increases as the competition unfolds. Unlike our U.S. cooking competitions, these bakers are never called contestants, but always “bakers” ~ given the respect they deserve. And, the show is just that — respectful, with everyone getting along, admiring each others creations, and receiving handshakes and hugs when they succeed. I dislike the U.S. cooking competition shows, filled with dirty tricks and looks that could kill among the contestants.
Like the fan girl I am, I have done some homework and discovered that the judges have the most improbable names, you can’t make this stuff up…
Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
This third season (the U.S. is one year behind the U.K.) is on many PBS stations and also can be seen on-line HERE. I record it, so as not to miss an episode. If you’re a baker you can get all the recipes there as well.
Once again the bakers span all ages, races and backgrounds — but all are interesting and talented.
It was great fun, for example, to watch Nadiya throughout the episodes as her hijab would get smeared with flour and hand swipes of frosting. 
The creativity of these bakers is the most amazing. Each episode they are given three challenges, such as a 3-D bread sculpture, made of three types of dough, and one of them filled – all to be accomplished in 5 hours from scratch with proofing involved. Now, I am, at best, a reluctant baker, but the very few times I have made a bread, it was harrowing – would it rise? has it risen enough?
I never came close to tackling something like this 
There was also a Chocolate Souffle challenge and to make sure each baker has a chance, the timing is staggered so the souffles come straight out of the oven to the judges table. In another contest they must construct nun towers that have to stand for 2 hours, and if you’re like me you’ll groan as some topple with only minutes to go.
Mary and Paul visit each baker as they are preparing their offerings and they take great interest in their creations — sometimes with caution “bubblegum and peppermint flavorings, really quite interesting, not sure about that…” (imagine the British accent here).
I watched the final episode last night, and I won’t spoil the outcome, but I will tell you how each season does end. No disgruntled losers stalking off , no tears or temper tantrums — with this show there’s always a finale picnic on the Highclere grounds (Downton Abbey location) with all the contestants, judges, hosts and their families having a great time, getting along, and sharing hugs.
Now that’s a classy way to end a competition, don’t you agree?
Passport Photo
It was time to renew my passport. Husband and I travel a great deal, so I always keep my passport up to date, but also because I have a secret fantasy
I had a wonderful university professor who taught International Politics & Relations — an elegant older English woman who spoke six languages, had degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge (thank you very much), and dressed like Diana Vreeland. We met for a conference one morning and over a cup of tea, she told the story of falling hard for a Frenchman visiting London. He wanted to take her to his chateau on the Cote d’Azure, but because her passport was expired and it would take 3-4 weeks to renew it, he had to leave and she never heard from him again.
Now this was probably a good thing, she reminisced, because he was a cad not to keep in touch and extend the invitation again once she did have a valid passport…but it taught her a valuable lesson about never letting your passport expire. And her words still echo in my mind — keep your passport up-to-date at all times, you never know when a fabulous Frenchman will want to wisk you off to his castle on the Riviera.
But I digress ~~ sigh…
It was time to renew my passport and I’ve always – always hated my previous passport photos taken by some gum-chewing drugstore employee under harsh florescent lights. Erma Bombeck said “When you look like your passport photo, it’s time to go home.” Given my past photos, I never should have been let outside of my own country. I always feared I looked like a escaped convict on an international no-fly list.
Luckily, I discovered that the passport website has instructions for taking your own passport photo, and a tool to load your image to check that it will meet the sizing requirements – check it out HERE.
Donning a black turtle neck, I spent an inordinate amount of time on my unruly hair, put on some makeup, and found a blank wall for the background. Husband then valiantly suffered through the taking of dozens of photos; “no try again, my hair looks funny”, “yuck look at my double chin”, “too close — my head is huge!”, “err, nice, but let’s try another”…until we had a winner.
My passport arrived in the mail the other day and I opened it warily preparing for the worst — but I actually don’t hate it.
Now, just waiting for that Frenchman…
Soul soothing…
Last night I went to bed troubled by a dark yet gripping novel I had just finished (review to follow)
Then woke to news of yet another senseless, hate-fueled shooting.
I soothed my soul in the garden, ending the day by harvesting some fragrant lavender.
I post some photos in a small attempt to sooth your souls as well.
Goodnight all – sleep tight and stay safe…
Everything is Copy
If you’ve been following Book Barmy, you know of my admiration for Nora Ephron. I professed my devotion to her in this POST.
Last night I watched a wonderful award winning documentary about her life called Everything is Copy – trailer HERE.
This quiet but powerful film, had me glued to the screen, an extended visit with this beloved author, journalist, and screenwriter. The film was written, directed and is narrated by her son Jacob Bernstein (her son from her marriage to the infamous Carl Bernstein).
Everything is Copy celebrates her writings, films, family, marriages and her many many friends. Nora is portrayed as smart, funny, urbane and sometimes insensitive and controlling (“she always had a razor in her back pocket”).
Her ex-husband (Carl Bernstein) speaks of her with guarded warmth and sisters Delia and Amy (also authors) speak of Nora with cautionary admiration.
It seems her friends and colleagues were her true family — her true admirers. Nora was everyone’s favorite party host and dinner guest (I knew it!)— she purposely surrounded herself with smart, influential literary and Hollywood notables.
There are cameo appearances by literary icons such as Gay Talese, Victor Navasky, Liz Smith and Marie Brenner (Marie is deliciously filmed in front of her personal library). Nora was schoolmates with Barry Diller and close friends with Mike Nichols and Bob Gottlieb.
Nora’s essays are read by a range of celebrities including Meryl Streep, Resse Witherspoon and a odd looking Meg Ryan (she’s had work done – badly, in my opinion.)
There are snippets of Nora’s interviews from an early talk with Dick Cavett to a more recent interview with Charlie Rose. Old color film of New York City brings to life her early, exciting days at The Post.
Her illness and death are given much import to this documentary. The fact that Nora had openly shared her life (and sometimes others’ lives) but kept her illness a secret for years, was a shock to her circle of close friends and colleagues. They express their bewilderment, and sometimes anger, that Nora kept this information from them. But in the end, the film draws the conclusion that her illness was her personal business and her choice to keep it a secret, was perhaps because it was the one thing she couldn’t control.
The film ends with a reading of her essay Things I Will Miss , written in her final years. Have some tissues handy.
If you have HBO or Netflicks and, like me, you are a fan of Nora Ephron, put Everything is Copy on your must watch list.
One for the book
My books lie unopened, my PBS shows are filling the DVR and the magazines are unread on the table…what’s going on at Book Barmy you may ask?
It’s because of this guy.
Yes, believe it or not I’ve been watching basketball – mesmerized by our Golden State Warriors and especially Stephen Curry.
Normally, I ignore the sports Husband watches — often, it seems, for hours at end.
I’ve tried to take an interest because he does, but I don’t really understand football, baseball seems slow and I can only watch little bits of tennis before I am gravitating for something to read.
But close my book and grab me a beer, I’m glued to the set, mouth open and holding my breath watching these awe-inspiring games. For those of you outside of the Bay area you may need to get caught up.
Here’s a video of the best of Stephen Curry – just watch his moves and you’ll understand why he’s one for the book — and why I’m, at least for now, a sports fan.
Video HERE
N.B. Full disclosure, while I may have become a temporary sports fan, I still haven’t developed a taste of beer.
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