alivemagdolene: (Books are Magic)
THANK YOU UNDERSTANDING ABOUT PROJECT DELAYS AND THANK YOU FOR LEAVING A COMMENT IF YOU'RE READING! LOVE AND THANKS TO ALL MY READERS!

The all new 50 Books Challenge!

This is not a typical review, but a special edition and I saved it to be the last book of the year for that reason. I explain below!



Read More... )
alivemagdolene: (Books are Magic)
imgur

Picture by joeshlabotnik on Flickr


2020 is finally over, but we've still got a couple loose ends. And I KNOW you want to hear my thoughts!

No? Well, come for the snark then.

At any rate, like most carbon-based life forms, 2020 caught me by surprise. I knew going into this challenge that I might not make fifty given how my schedule has changed since I used to do the challenge, but I wasn't expecting the level of comfort food rereads I was going to need, or the way that doomscrolling and other 2020 interruptions would interfere with my plans.
Still, we've got a solid 14 books reviewed, and I'm going to talk about them! I actually have finished three more, but didn't get the reviews written in the holiday chaos. I debated what to do, and decided to put them with 2021's books, both for clarity's sake and for the fact at least one of the 2020 reviews I started in 2019, so it all comes out in the end.

I MAKE THE RULES OF THE CHALLENGE, MIND!

I liked the old "year in review" categories I used when I wrote about this before, so I'm going to keep them, but I'm adding a new one. Watch 'til the end for a special shoutout!


Favorite Books:

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Yellow Wallpaper

Lilac Girls

Sisters First

IT

Licey's Story

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions



Least Favorite Books:


Chasing Hillary

Lacks Self-Control

The Egg and I



Books That Made Me Want to Smack the Author(s):


Chasing Hillary

Lacks Self-Control

The Egg and I

IT



Books That Felt Like a Sisyphean Ordeal:

Chasing Hillary

My Life in France

Lacks Self-Control

The Egg and I

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

IT

Licey's Story



Books That Helped Me Look at the World in a New Way:


Chasing Hillary

My Life in France

Lilac Girls

The Egg and I

Sisters First

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions


Books I've Already Recommended to People:


My Life in France

The Yellow Wallpaper

Sisters First

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions



Most Disappointing Books:


Chasing Hillary

The Egg and I

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

Licey's Story



Most Depressing (as in Sadness-Inducing) Books:


Lilac Girls

IT

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions



Most Uplifting Books:


Lilac Girls



Books I Feel Like It's Important or Culturally Significant for You to Read at Least Once:


To Kill a Mockingbird

The Yellow Wallpaper

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions



Finally, none of this challenge would have been possible without the help of one of my best friends, the amazing, talented, and beautiful poet/writer/photographer/translator/renaissance woman, my cool-ass friend Martyna. She not only read and encouraged these reviews back when I first used to write them, she suggested books!

When I mentioned I was toying with the idea of restarting this challenge a year and a half ago, she encouraged me wholeheartedly and I freely admit I was oddly terrified at the idea of this kind of writing again and not sure I could do it. I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without her encouragement! When I finally did get off my ass and actually did write these, SHE READ AND COMMENTED ON EVERY GODDAMN REVIEW, whether it was a book she was interested in or not! Not only that, but she promoted this blog to her many Instagram followers!

I write these reviews because it's genuinely fun and it's a place to talk about books I read. Whether or not people actually read them is pretty much secondary, although it's fun when people have read it too and chime in to discuss it. That said, it meant and means THE WORLD to me to know that at least one person was reading, and that person was my brilliant and wonderful friend and I'm forever grateful! ♡


...And if you're annoyed I'm back writing these again, you know who to blame. HA! (But seriously, she deserves at the very least a tasteful monument somewhere.)

DON'T FORGET I'M ON BLOGSPOT NOW!
alivemagdolene: (Books are Magic)
The Fifty Books Challenge, year five! (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) This was part of an awesomeballs gift package from the ever-fabulous [livejournal.com profile] anais_rhys from my wishlist.

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Let Me Entertain You... )
alivemagdolene: (Tori)
It's the March of the Typewriter project! Yes, I'm fucking taking forever and this might go into April. MARCH into April, as it were. Heh. Oh, keep quiet.
Previous Topic: Steampunk

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Get it? LITTLE THINGS?! From here.


TOPIC: Beautiful Minutia

This topic comes from the funk queen of the universe [livejournal.com profile] warriorpoet:

"Gush about a little piece of something you love. Like one shot in a film, or one chord change in a song. Love and appreciation of a meaningful thing on a microscopic level."

I FUCKING LOVE THIS QUESTION. So, so, SO many ways this could go! I love all so many little things in big things that I love.
Edith Massey's lines in my favorite film of all time Polyester, but especially the "au currant!" line! The way Vivien Leigh says "DuBois" when she gives her name to Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire! But no, I'm limiting myself to just one thing. Just one, Benjamin.

You know u curious... )
alivemagdolene: (MST3k Something Really Stupid)
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HELP ME OUT! Bumping Into Broadway, 1919

Stealing a meme from [livejournal.com profile] queer_theory and I need your help! Except I'm not doing EVERY day in March, just a lot of them.

I want to blog at least once or twice a week here and I want to write about topics suggested by you, my long-suffering and awesome f-list. Specific questions, a general ideas, whatever. It can be about anything! Likes/dislikes, social justice/feminism, fandoms, silly or serious stuff, what have you. It can be in the format of the the "five things" meme if that's where your mind goes.

THANK YOU!


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alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
IT'S AN EXPLOSION (ok, four new art cards I hadn't posted)!

Come on down and visit at one of the galleries.

Photobucket


Visit on Facebook

Visit on DeviantArt

Visit on Flickr


A sneak preview:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z263/magdolenelives/407582_330103623689582_105192249514055_1073787_1144760444_n.jpg?t=1327227995

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z263/magdolenelives/407582_330103630356248_105192249514055_1073789_1774958575_n.jpg?t=1327227622

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z263/magdolenelives/407582_330103627022915_105192249514055_1073788_1212194431_n.jpg?t=1327227755

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z263/magdolenelives/407582_330103633689581_105192249514055_1073790_1745684520_n.jpg?t=1327228058


And yes, you do recognize our own [livejournal.com profile] punkishgrin making an appearance!

Comments are love and I like love.

alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
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My hand is still healing and I'm trying not to fuck it up again by overdrawing, but the temptation is great. In the meanwhile, here are some of what I've already finished.
And yes, you DO recognize one of my constant muses, La Goddesse Rouge, [livejournal.com profile] frozendoll, enjoying Nine of Cups.

Sneak preview:

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket




Visit on DeviantArt!

Visit on Flickr!

Visit on Facebook!

Visit on MySpace!


Comments are love and I love you all.

~♥ ♥ ♥~
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
Photobucket


New at my collective gallery!

Sneak preview:

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No, your eyes don't deceive you! That's our very own adorable [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] with the Pope of Truthiness himself (who she has actually met so it's even better)! When I met up with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] in DC recently, she was nice enough to let me recreate this pose (so was [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]-- if I'd thought of it, I'd have gotten one with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] and maybe even our rally chaperone).


Visit on DeviantArt!

Visit on Flickr!

Visit on Facebook!

Visit on MySpace!


Comments are love and I love you all.

~♥ ♥ ♥~

Update!

Oct. 10th, 2010 10:43 am
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
Photobucket


I'm still trying to get better about posting updates.

Still figuring this would be easier to do as I go along and get them up.

New up at my collective gallery! Sneak preview:

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And yes, that IS the magically delicious [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]! I have to stop having hot friends to draw.

Visit on DeviantArt!

Visit on Flickr!

Visit on Facebook!

Visit on MySpace!


Comments are love and I love you all.

~♥ ♥ ♥~

UPDATE!

Sep. 20th, 2010 06:48 pm
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
Photobucket


I'm trying to get better about posting updates.

I figured this would be easier to do as I go along and get them up. Ahem!

New stuff up at my collective gallery! Sneak preview:

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket


And yes, that IS the gorgeous [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] who was nice enough to be my model yet again by virtue of me being a pervert creeper and stalking through her Facebook photos ([Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] is also my "model" this way).

Visit on DeviantArt (which is pissing me off recently)!

Visit on Flickr!

Visit on Facebook!

Visit on MySpace!


Comments are love and I love you all.

~♥ ♥ ♥~
alivemagdolene: (The It Girl)
Being on something of a glamor bender (as opposed to a glamour-bender, which is something I'm always on), due in no small part to [livejournal.com profile] meaculpa_g's influence and super fucking rad birthday package (!), I've been wandering through YouTube and have found some fabulous instructional videos, or rather, they found me. I was cruising through some of my favorite '2os links and these popped up alongside.



Notes: Back in the day, when I aped via make-up the style of Miss Bow, I never soaped or otherwise plastered down my eyebrows, partially why I ended up looking like Marilyn Monroe (with a dark wig) trapped in a Silent movie. I'm not sure if it would've helped, given how... resilient my eyebrows are (thick and dark), but this (an easier, cheaper version of Kevyn Aucoin's clever "tape" suggestion) makes me want to try it. Well, if I still did things that way.
Maybe it's better now since I realize make-up doesn't have to look the same all the time? I still can't believe I actually went to work at Marshall's (for those that don't know, Marshall's is a bargain basement department store that I somehow thought it was a good idea to work for) in my disgusting ghetta redneck urban sprawl nightmare suburb in make-up like this whilst my clothing looked like a punk hippie flapper explosion. I marvel at both my ingenuity and audacity to wear that stuff. Of course, the particularly cruel comments I received (in fairness, I did get some nice ones: a woman told me "You belong in an art opening New York City, not in this crummy lil' town.")in this kinda ended that, but still.

And rawr, our instructor is quite the looker, y/y? Of course, the accent is a big factor.

PROS:
• Good historical background (relevant for doing period make-up)
• She may not use shapes as a reference, but she does give movement as to how to blend
• She does mention brand name products, but it can't really be called shilling since the items are fairly specific.
• She gives colors rather than just brand names, ALWAYS handy.
• Her advice works for both make-up artists as well as "self-appliers".
• Proper respect goes to La Bow.

CONS:
• She doesn't have her hair pulled back, a must for make-up
• She doesn't mention cleansing or moisturizing, another must for make-up, particularly in heavy jobs like this one
• She rushes through several segments (the eyebrows especially need more tutorial)
• In doing foundation and concealer, you should always set it with the powder BEFORE you add anything else. Also, it's just easier to rid any "imperfections" like under eye circles BEFORE you start the fancy stuff.
• Finishing with powdering is a great way to fuck up the eye make-up you just worked so carefully on constructing.
• Since, as she notes, the '20s lip shape is as important as the eye, you should "erase" the lines of your lips FIRST (concealer) to give you a blank slate to work with.
• It's much smarter to apply lip liner under the lipstick rather than the other way around. Not only does it last longer (and is harder to smudge), it gives you a better control over the shape, something vital to this look. You can go back after you've done your lipstick to retouch and "clean up" with the lip liner and the concealer respectively.
• She doesn't mention anything about maintenance of this look. Even if you're wearing it just for a photoshoot, you need to know what to have on hand, what's especially smudgeable, et cetera.
• Anyone else not see "flapper" so much as "Courtney Love", particularly with the floppy hair?



Notes: Seeing as how I manage to have those rolling fingerwaves by my face (for the most part) even when my hair is long and my hair is naturally curly, I will never really need this video. However, the presentation is so charming and creative it's worth paying attention to.

PROS:
• Come on, the fakey Silent film jump is adorable!
• As are the title cards, which are actually more than just creative, they make it easier to follow.
• She offers both tight and loose curls
• She emphasizes "DO NOT"s, save for that t-shirt (see below)
• She is working an opposite style into her hair (she has longish straight hair and is doing a short hairstyle with curls) with really nothing more than bobby pins


CONS:
• We don't see any close-ups of her doing the pin curls-- typical for this type of video, but very necessary.
• Speaking of close-ups, we could've used one for the back.
• In a hair tutorial for style, never put "style as desired".
• Ack, can you imagine getting that t-shirt off to change into the '2os garb we see her in at the end? It's pretty safe to say the hairstyle would be significantly damaged.
• She could've been a little more specific about what kind of decorative clip works and what doesn't-- how heavy or how light, for example.

And in case you were wondering, yes I am going to have a ginormous braggy post soon of all the gorgeous, generous, and fabulous gifts I received for my birthday. Hopefully I'll have pictures of one of [livejournal.com profile] frozendoll's gift, a muchly needed haircut!
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
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I have been sucked into Tumblr.

If you're on (and I know a lot of you are) give me a yell so I can follow you?

Also, does ANYONE know how to customize the background/header? The "help" pages aren't terribly helpful.
alivemagdolene: (Wheel of the Year)
I received a gorgeous handmade Solstice card yesterday from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] and because I'm a big braggy show-off, I get to flash it here:

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Artist's Notes: "I wanted to combine a shrine to Mary and Diana of Ephesus + add winter flare."

Which means that [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] remembered that on one of my long rambles of ramblingness, I mentioned my devotion to the Goddess Diana, particularly Diana of Ephesus as well as my affection from my Catholic upbringing for Mary (my current Goddess figure of my "service" altar resembles a traditional Mary, although I didn't realize that connection until years later).
PLZ 2 B EXCUSIN MEH WHILE I LOVE ON TEH CARD AND [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]. PLZ 2 B AVERTIN UR EYEZ.

And, as those that have received cards from me know, I love to stick a cartoon me with well-wishery in the card. I'm glad I'm not the only artist that does so, although mine are NEVAR as adorable as this:

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If you don't find that absofuckinglutely adorable, there's a hole where your soul should be.

I LOVE YOU, [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]!!!
alivemagdolene: (Clara)


In one of the more amusing moments of late, my friend and former colleague Bri exclaimed "Did you catch Megan Fox on Conan? She's stolen your look! Pencil skirt and long dark curly hair!"

In my defense, I did not and do not wear my beloved pencil skirt with stilettos (don't own 'em). Also, my hair is not a weave.
I recommend not watching/listening to the video for very long. Megan Fox is... almost blisteringly obnoxious.

Eh, I've been "compared" to worse celebrities.

NOT SO FUN FACT: In The Sun's recent list of female sex symbols through the years, they had the utter audacity to list this twat alongside the original IT Girl, La Bow. WHAT THE FUCK. Fox wishes she was that talented and witty, not to mention genuine.
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
Wow, am I clueless. I just recently trotted over to my art site (you see wot I did there?) and saw the massive love from the post I made here. Thanks so much, you guys! ^_^
alivemagdolene: (Good Faery)
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Collecting testimonials for ye olde profile page! Please be so kind. I muchly enjoyed being referred to in product form. ^_^
alivemagdolene: (Rob Typing Guns)
A meme swiped by someone I can't remember...

Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it/just answer your question. Ask anything.

All comments screened.


And when I DO blog about it, I promise not to go "SO AND SO wanted me to write about [topic!]!!!"
alivemagdolene: (John Loves Licking Carpet)
Stolen like the dirty crook I am from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]:


This is the problem with LJ: we all think we are so close, but in actuality we know nothing about each other. I'm going to rectify it. I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Ask away.

Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you.



I reserve the right to give a smart ass response to any question, but I'll try not to. ;^)
alivemagdolene: (Marx Lennon)
I stole this from [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] because I am a thief.

1. Name:
2. Birthday:
3. Where do you live:
4: What are you studying/What are you working as:
5. What makes you happy:
6. What are you listening to now/have listened to last:
7. What is particularly good/bad about my LJ:
8. An interesting fact about you:
9. Are you in love/have a crush at the moment:
10. Favorite place to be:
11. Favorite lyric:
12. Best time of the year:
13. Weirdest food you like:

RECOMMEND
1. A film:
2. A book:
3. A song:
4: A band:

FANDOM
1. Favorite Fandom:
2. OTP/OT3:
3. Icon/Fic Journal:

PLUS
1. One thing you like about me:
2. Two things you like about yourself:
3. Put this in your LJ so I can tell you what I think of you.
alivemagdolene: (Artwork)
Having given Nothing Can Top the Coppertop her birthday card, I can now share it with the rest of the world.

Here's a sneak preview:

Image and video hosting by TinyPic


You can see it full size over at the site. You'll notice (or not) my DeviantArt page has replaced my MySpace page as the main hub of my crap. Hopefully I'll get better at flinging my stuff up as soon as I can. MOAR is coming.

About the Authoress

alivemagdolene: (Default)
Madame Mxgdxlxnx Lxvxs, esq™

May 2025

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