Reading | theclothesmakethegirl

May 17, 2013 Posted by Mel

Jane Eyre… In Slovenian

Longtime readers know that Jane Eyre is my very favorite book, and I collect unusual copies just because I love the book so very much. On the first day of my first visit to Prague in 2010, I found a copy in an antikvariat to add to my collection, and today, I found this two-volume set in Slovenian at an antikvariat here in Ljubljana. Yes, the cover and spine are in English, but the back says... read more

Mar 6, 2013 Posted by Mel

Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook

I’m a proud member of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, and we’ve got a new cookbook coming your way. Available in April, The Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook is packed with recipes from Austin’s most vocal food lovers. The project was spearheaded by Addie Broyles, a.k.a., the dynamo. She’s a founder of the AFBA, the food writer for the Austin-American Statesman, and one of... read more

Jan 15, 2013 Posted by Mel

2012: My Year In Books (Fiction)

(Get your “Reading is Sexy” mug, sticker, etc. here) It’s just as important that we feed our minds as it is to feed our bodies, and I like tucking into a book almost as much as stuffing my face with Chocolate Chili. Last year, I read somewhere in the neighborhood of 56 books, give or take a few I started and abandoned, and a handful of cookbooks I skimmed. I loved some of them. I felt... read more

Jan 8, 2013 Posted by Mel

Review: The Primal Connection

I made the switch to Paleo back in the summer of 2009, based on the recommendation of Melissa Hartwig of Whole9, and my reasons were pure vanity: I’d lost a bunch of weight with the Weight Watchers program, and I wanted to get leaner (and stronger, but if I’m being honest, mostly leaner). In those days, all I cared about was learning what I should eat to lose weight. But as I continued to work... read more

Oct 9, 2012 Posted by Mel

Tuesday 10: My Favorite Cookbooks

One of the questions I’m asked fairly often is where I find inspiration for my recipes. Mostly, I let my appetite and my imagination take the lead: reading Jane Eyre makes me hungry for lamb stews and The Historian makes me crave Turkish food. Daydreaming about Prague inspired Czech Meatballs, and a particularly large bunch of collard greens were the catalyst for a new greens recipe. And then... read more

Aug 9, 2012 Posted by Mel

Sweet Child O’ Mine

This is all kinds of awesome. My favorite part is her joke about the vegetarians. Enjoy! More on Julia I read Julia’s autobiography — yeah, I call her Julia ’cause in my imagination, we’re besties — My Life In France while I was going through the transition of resigning from my corporate gig to become a full-time author. If you’re looking for inspiration to charge ahead for the... read more

Aug 1, 2012 Posted by Mel

Review: The Thyroid Diet Revolution

Thanks to lots of helpful readers, I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the site Stop The Thyroid Madness. It’s a helpful site, but the tone — a little ranty and frustrated to my eyes — always wears me out a little bit. My thyroid situation makes me angry sometimes, too, but when I’m looking for advice, I’m also looking for a balanced point of view that comes from a place of... read more

Jul 14, 2012 Posted by Mel

My Summer Reading List

Summer in Austin. For most people, that means swimming at Barton Springs pool, drinking beer on a boat, or visiting one of the many legendary swimming holes scattered around central Texas. For me, it means hitting the bookstore, then cranking the A/C, and losing myself in a story set someone dark, cool, and preferably, mysterious. Today, Dave and I spent a few hours browsing Half-Price Books, and I came... read more

May 15, 2012 Posted by Mel

Books & Barley Swine: My Birthday in Photos

Seriously, I thought my birthday was a week ago, then I looked at the calendar and realized it’s been two weeks. This is my life right now: time disappears. But stories about books and food are always fun, right? Even when they’re two weeks late. And I have some very sexy books and food to share. So… here are snaps and stories from my birthday celebration on Tuesday, May 1 when I turned... read more

Apr 30, 2012 Posted by Mel

Reading Is Sexy: Best First Lines

Let’s get (word)nerdy up in here! I love the Guardian’s collection of the 10 best first lines in fiction — and not just because Jane Eyre shows up in the #3 spot. The write-ups that accompany each quoted first line make me itch to read all of the books. Oh, words! You are so wonderful. For what it’s worth, I’m now very curious to read The Luck of the Bodkins — and I’ve... read more

Apr 25, 2012 Posted by Mel

Taxidermy, Red Dresses, Laughter: Jenny Lawson

I’ve been sitting here for a good thirty minutes trying to find a way to describe to you the awesomeness that is Jenny Lawson — a.k.a., The Bloggess — author of the book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. If I tell you about how funny she is — so funny that her posts move me beyond laughter to that really embarrassing snorting thing that happens sometimes — I might potentially minimize... read more

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Reading right now...

The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Novel
I'm about two-thirds of the way through this detective thriller, and I'm hooked. It's set in modern Norway with flashbacks to WWII (catnip for me!) and features a somewhat grim hero that engenders empathy. I can't help pulling for the guy as I watch him struggle with his case and his life. The cast of characters is a realistic but motley crew, and it reminds me of other favorites set in cold, snowy climes: the Millenium Trilogy and Smila's Sense of Snow.
Recently finished...

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million
I picked up this book after reading an interview with Lee Child (author of the Jack Reacher thrillers). He referred to The Lost as "the book of the century" and since I devour as much as I can about the Holocaust to try to make sense of it all, I decided I needed to read it immediately. Part memoir, part detective tale, this book was thoroughly engrossing. It's intelligent, annoying, moving, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding and beautifully written. It challenged me in ways I didn't expect, and I was sad when it was finished.