The Normal School's Spring 2014 edition is out!

Fresno's best literary magazine, The Normal School is now out and ready to be read. I purchased my copy at Barnes & Noble Bookstore for only $5 bucks.

Editors Steven Church, Sophie Beck & Matt Roberts have put together another great edition. I encourage you to pick up a copy today.  Help support local writers and local Fresnans like Church, Beck & Roberts that are keeping readers up to date in the literary scene.

Another great read to keep you busy this holiday weekend.

Happy Reading!

~Francine

Memorial Weekend Reads

What will you be reading this holiday weekend?

There is nothing better than relaxing with a good book and a cup of coffee. This four day holiday weekend I plan to do just that.

Here goes my reading list... I am rereading Tennessee William's "Eight Mortal Ladies Possessed". This is one of my favorite short story collections written by him. I only reread the first story of the bunch which is my favorite. It is titled "Happy August Tenth". It brings back fond memories of my friend Maria.  My wonderful boss purchased this edition for me when a few weeks ago he found out my copy was falling apart and so old and beat up from constant usage. He is one of the best attorneys I know and I am so thankful for him and his kind gestures. 

I am also reading in entirety Dave Eggers "What is the What". I totally love this book so far. I'm only on the third chapter but already I am addicted. Eggers is one of our best writers today. I adore him and his ability to have me so intrigued with the serious nature of his novels and at the same time Iaughing at his dry humor. He must be the smartest man in the world. He also wrote one of my favorite movies Away We Go. I swear this guy can do no wrong.

I am also simultaneously reading Arthur Miller's collected plays from 1944-1961.  I usually read this book late at night before bed and I am in no rush. This is my fun book. I love plays and Arthur Miller is my favorite playwright. Shattered Glass is my favorite play. I will eventually begin reviewing plays and have a tab indicating where to find the reviews. So look forward to that. I know I am.

My romance book read this month is "Labor Day" by Joyce Maynard. O my gosh, I am so a sucker for love and this book is so lovely.  Love always comes unexpectedly and when it does it should be sweet and peaceful. This story is just that. The relationship begins unexpectedly but is welcomed by both with such sweet unconditional love and trust. I will finish this probably tonight. I can't wait.

After the above mentioned books are devoured by my eyes I will begin to read and review local Fresno or Central Valley writers. So if any of you have any recommendations please share your thoughts with me.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.  Be safe and take time to read a book.

Happy Reading!

~Francine

Books vs. Kindle Fire

photo courtesy of bookhurricane.com  

And the winner is............. 

I received a Kindle Fire for Mother's Day. I can't say I was ever completely opposed to Kindle Fire or any other handheld book reading device. However, because of my strong adoration for books, they never interested me.

On Mother's Day, my mother surprised me with one. I immediately enjoyed it. I have always read at least two books at a time. One book would be a serious novel and the other something fun like a memoir or biography.

While enrolling on Amazon.com I purchased a few magazines from the New Yorker and The Atlantic and as I was scrolling through the pages of newly released books, I came across an angelic looking face that compelled me to inquire more. After reading the first sentence of the book I knew immediately who this angelic looking face belonged to. It was Michelle Knight one of the three women from Cleveland that were kidnapped and held captive for eleven years.

Finding Me, was my first book purchased on Kindle Fire. I read the entire book in two days. Just like an actual book, I was able to highlight and type notes in the margins.. I was able to stay up way past midnight with the lights off, huddled in my bed reading in the dark with an aching heart at what this poor woman had to endure. This will be my next book review after I complete Capote this week.

In the end, I would much rather hold a book but am still a fan of the Kindle Fire. I love its simplicity, the virtual bookshelves used to display my magazines and books, and the convenience of it all. I love that it weighs little and easily fits in my purse. It holds its charge well, which allows me to read well into the night while my sons sleep soundly in dreamland, no longer waking them with the bright light in my room.

I will still purchase books. I still long for the day in old age where shelves of books line my family room and the pride of knowing all that knowledge was devoured by my eyes and lives deep within the matter of my brain and I will be happy.

Kindle Fire vs. Books, in the end they both win. Thank you mama for always knowing what is good for me :)

Happy Reading!

~Francine
Anthem Book Review

NEXT BOOK REVIEW

When I was 17 I read Truman Capote’s "In Cold Blood". It scared me beyond belief and at the same time I fell in love with that little odd man and his majestic writing. When the brilliant movie Capote was released I watched it immediately and then, fell in love with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. What can I say; I am a book-to-movie-adaptation-whore (total joke).
Anyhow, during this time I was working with a wide-eyed woman named Robin. She and I shared a love of literature and one day while she and her daughter were out shopping, she purchased a book for me. Yes, a Truman Capote book. An old paperback, a yellow stained brittle paged of a book. It smelled of warehouse dust but wore its age wonderfully.

The book is "Music for Chameleons". I had it holed up in my "to read" section of my bookshelf. Well, I am reading it finally. In memory of Robin, not that she has passed, I just no longer work with her, I have placed as my bookmark an old picture she took while at the beach that reads:

"Danger previously dry beach areas can be swept without notice by large waves. Don’t turn your back on the ocean."

The photograph is inscribed on the back, picture taken by Robin in 06’. It is just the most bizarre and lovely photo ever. I am thankful for having known her. I have attached a picture of both the old Capote book and the photo. I think the antiquity of both is marvelous. With that said, I will be reviewing Music for Chameleons throughout the upcoming weeks. The book contains three sections. I will review the first section this weekend and so forth and so forth. I will add on to the first section in the blog post page tab. So if any of you want to review it in its entirety do so in the tab which will be titled Truman Capote book review. 
Lastly, this is my book review and it will be unconventional; as I am unconventional. Art is interpreted differently by all. So you may not like my review. It is okay but I hope you continue reading. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I respect differences and actually welcome them, without it we would be rigid animals.
Thanks for your time. Thank you Robin for your gift many years ago and I’m finally reading it.
Happy Reading!
~Francine

Coffee & a good read

Coffee-My Daily Habit

 

As I sit at the mother ship Barnes & Noble Booksellers, I contemplate whether or not I should have a second cup of vanilla latte coffee. A second cup would assure I finish reading the 8th Chapter of Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. With this thought,  I remember a brief intro I wrote during my brief stint as a "Coffee Examiner" and decide to share with you readers, as I order my second cup :).  Enjoy!

One of the earliest legends of the beloved coffee bean is that of a young goat-herding Ethiopian named Kaldi, which also means hot in ancient Arabic, who noticed his herd acting bizarre after eating berrylike beans from a nearby bush. With a deep desire to understand this odd occurrence of his goat’s behavior, he too, partook from the bush, consuming, eating, and possibly chewing what would centuries later become America’s favorite daily habit-coffee.

It didn’t take long for Kaldi to discover the benefits of coffee and legend has it that after the jolt of energy he experienced Kaldi shared this new discovery with nearby monks. The monks began boiling the beans and drinking it. Eventually they shared it with others, whom shared it with more and eventually coffee made its way into the households and hands of millions of Americans.

Of those millions, a slew of coffee loving Americans abide here in Fresno.  Coffee is a core factor in the daily lives of local Fresno residents, myself being one of them. Just like larger metropolitan cities in California, coffeehouses with outside patio seating line the streets and shopping plaza’s in many areas throughout Fresno and with it carry the scent of freshly brewed coffee beans into the hearts of many.

Regardless, of the location or the way one prefers to consume the drink, the fragrant bean is a staple guaranteed to stay. It may have had humble beginnings but now has worldwide recognition; it may have begun as a hot drink but now it is also favored cold as well. Although, the coffee bean has had its share of change one thing is certain- the legend of Kaldi and his perky find has too, become for most people of Fresno a daily habit.  

Written By Francine Ramos-McMillon

A Fascinating & Fearless Actor: Hoffman

"I was moody, mercurial... it was all or nothing"--Phillip Seymour Hoffman....

 

We lost a god today. An acting god, one that towered over many, took on challenging roles and became the other person so convincingly, that he left audiences mesmerized.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of today’s finest actors was found dead in his New York City apartment. According to several news sources, he was found in the bathroom with a needle still dangling from his arm.

A truly heartbreaking image for a great man, father, son, an amazing and talented actor to finish his greatest role in life; living. There is no doubt that today is a sad day. I became a follower of Hoffman’s work when I first watched him in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He played snobbery with such precision and high-classed grace that even as a viewer I felt small.

Soon, many of his films  made my favorites list; Magnolia, Boogie Nights, The Savages, The 25^th Hour and the hilarious, ”Along Came Polly”. Hoffman had such great range that he could act alongside the likes of Ben Stiller and have you laughing your ass off. Then just a few years later, play Truman Capote one of the world’s best writers and human beings, as if he was Capote himself, as if every move and word that he released from his mouth were not his but Capote.

One of my most beloved articles on the art of acting was one Phillip Seymour Hoffman did with New York Times in 2008 titled, “A Higher  Calling”. I recommend you google this article and read it. One will get a glimpse of the acting genius of Hoffman. Below is a quote from that article where Hoffman explains the moment his love of acting was born.

“When I saw ‘All My Sons,’ I was changed — permanently changed — by that experience. It was like a miracle to me. But that deep kind of love comes at a price: for me-..and it’s torturous because you know it’s a beautiful thing. That’s beautiful and I want that. Wanting it is easy, but trying to be great — well, that’s absolutely torturous.”

-- Phillip Seymour Hoffman (quote originally from New York Times,2008)

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was only 46. It is a sad day in the world of film. There is not another actor that can fill the shoes he has left behind. With Hoffman departed, future great roles of characters he could have played will forever be a little empty now.

#RIPHOFFMAN



by Francine Ramos McMillon

Light Up Downtown 5K Run!

 

 

Tomorrow evening in downtown Fresno, Red Ribbon Project will hold its first 5K Run/Walk to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS. Hundreds of local Fresnans will join in bringing awareness by taking to the streets and Lighting Up Downtown Fresno in unity.

T-shirts and glow bands will be provided and  are ready for pick-up to all those that registered. If you haven’t already registered there is still time, contact www.cornerstonecommunitycare.com for more info. Living Social, which is one of the many sponsors of this year’s event, is currently offering a terrific deal.

Penned  Write is a sponsor of this year’s event and is offering 20% off a resume package deal, which includes a resume & cover letter to all participants of the Lighting Up Downtown 5K event.

I encourage you all to register and make a difference in the community. This event is family friendly. So bring the entire family down, children included and take part of a great community event in the heart of Downtown Fresno.

Francine McMillon