July, 2007
July 4st, 2007, 2:08 p.m. - Where's Andrae?
Happy 4th of July! Project Runway marathon, anyone?
July 7th, 2007, 1:20 p.m. - One day at a time, right?
If you're thinking about starting to watch Big Brother, listen to me: DON'T. You will get addicted. I am serious. Take it from an expert. You will start reading the live-feed threads and wondering who's going to win the power of veto and try to figure out the strategies and wonder what the voters are going to make Eric do. It will make you offer to recap Tuesday episodes. It will ruin your summer.
I need an intervention. Get me Candy Finnigan! No, not Ken! I'll relapse! Nooooooooo!
July 9th, 2007, 8:37 p.m. - So. Mad. About. Jesús.
"Whose Favorite Dancer? Why So You Think You Can Dance Needs a Makeover"
11:06 p.m. - "The world is full of secrets people manage to keep"
21. New England White (Stephen L. Carter)
Up next: Not a Happy Camper (Mindy Schneider)
July 11th, 2007, 5:54 p.m. - Oh, Danielle. Why couldn't you have used the veto so Jen would be nominated?
July 12th, 2007, 8:36 p.m. - No, seriously, who?
July 17th, 2007, 8:34 p.m. - Look at all the literate people in the F.C.!
Falls Church loooooooooooves Harry Potter.
July 18th, 2007, 8:50 p.m. - Can't they mutiny against the HOH?
July 19th, 2007, 8:53 p.m. - Oh, Hung. You're not always right
July 21st, 2007, 1:59 p.m. - This detour only has one choice
Of course I'm reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows now, so I'm putting Not a Happy Camper on hold. I'll get back to it in 700 pages or so.
July 23rd, 2007, 11:19 p.m. - Perfect
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
Up next: back to Not a Happy Camper (Mindy Schneider)
July 24rd, 2007, 11:23 p.m. - Yeah, neither was I, really
23. Not a Happy Camper (Mindy Schneider)
Up next: Cabin Pressure (Josh Wolk)
July 25th, 2007, 4:30 p.m. - Like I said to fellow recapper Sandy, thank goodness for pixelation
July 26th, 2007, 8:52 p.m. - Um...why now?
11:36 p.m. - It's impossible to come up with a good title for results-show articles
July 29th, 2007, 8:55 p.m. - Boys are gross (but also really funny)
24. Cabin Pressure (Josh Wolk)
Right before he turned 34 and got married, Wolk decided to fulfill his longtime dream of returning to his favorite summer spot. Of course, it was very different from the way it had been when he was a camper and counselor as a teen, but he found that even 20 years later, the campers were very similar and the traditions still stood. He also still felt like the same person - he still felt less than confident around Mitch, an older counselor who he'd never really clicked with, and he still wanted people to like him.
Since I was obviously never a teenaged boy, I've never really understood what makes them tick, and Wolk sheds a lot of light on that. (For instance, if you want teenaged boys to bond, torture them all.) As Wolk himself mentions, he went back to camp to relive his childhood, but he wound up figuring out what it means to be a good role model to kids. It came at the perfect time in his life, right before he was about to start a family. He learned that he couldn't recreate his perfect summer memories, but he also learned that as long as he was complaining about how things were different, he couldn't form new perfect summer memories.
Up next: Beyond Reach (Karin Slaughter)
July 31st, 2007, 11:23 p.m. - God said to Jameka, "You crazy, girl"
Carter's books are refreshing in a sea of thrillers that are a) gory, b) contrived, c) uncreative, and d) poorly written. Since he's a law professor at Yale, it's understandable that his mysteries are more cerebral than most. I liked The Emperor of Ocean Park, Carter's first novel, and I liked New England White even more. He keeps up the pace well, and as I've said I liked before, his characters are distinctive without being quirky or over the top. Two of the main characters in this novel, Julia and Lemaster, were featured in The Emperor of Ocean Park, so I hope Carter carries on the pattern by making one of the characters from New England White the star of his next mystery. I nominate Flew and Vanessa, the latter of whom was by far the most interesting character in the book.
Really, it really is perfect. It's the perfect ending to the series, and I think Rowling wrapped everything up in the best way possible. She really is very smart and knows how to tell a great story. The book incorporates pieces from the first six books, so if you're not that familiar with the series, read those first. And then I think you'll be very pleased with the way things turn out.
Eh. Not worth it.
I decided to read Cabin Pressure right after Not a Happy Camper to compare the two books on summer camp. Not only was Cabin Pressure better written, it was also hilarious and moving at the same time. Wolk writes for Entertainment Weekly, my favorite magazine, so that's not surprising. But what was surprising is how much meaning he found in the summer he returned to the camp he attended as a child and teenager, this time to be a counselor.