The Reading Room Acquires a Couch, a Carpet and a Cat

And a coffee table...


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The Reading Room

Mistress Maddie asked, "Have you considered opening a library of sorts on the dump of the deserted east wing? That's sure to promote healthy reading."



Construction of the Infomaniac Reading Room has commenced.

How do you like it so far?

The Challenge Continues

Thanks to everyone who participated in the January-February portion of The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge. If you missed the post, click here.


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Of course, not everyone had the time to read; especially those of you who were too busy doing your income tax and ogling Mormon Boyz. But we understand.

A tip of the hat to those Bitches who went the extra mile and published posts on their blogs about the books they're reading, as follows:

Mago: The Mistress Sent Me.

Eroswings: Reading List For March.

And Mr. DeVice who has been posting all along about his choices but with tongue in cheek also posted: Not the 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge.

The next segment of The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge will take place around the 1st of May. Check in at that time and tell us what you've been reading during the months of March and April.

In the meantime, enjoy reading!

The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge: Your January-February Choices

It's time for you Bitches to have your say.


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Tell us what you've been reading during the months of January and February for The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge.

The Mistress's Reading List: January-February

On Tuesday, you Bitches will have your turn to tell us what you've been reading during the first two months of The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge.

But TODAY, we look at the Mistress's list of books for January and February.

NON-FICTION:

Over the Top and Back: An Autobiography by Tom Jones (published 2015)...



The “Panty Magnet” confessed to bedding 250 women a year at the height of his fame and he had a string of extramarital affairs. But if you're after the juicy details, look elsewhere. This memoir isn’t a kiss and tell. Rather, it’s an enjoyable account of Tom Jones’ journey from a working-class family in a Welsh coal-mining town to becoming an international sex symbol. Anecdotes galore, delivered in a congenial manner will keep you turning the pages.


Maggie Smith: A Biography by Michael Coveney (published 2015)...



Beloved for her role on Downton Abbey as the Dowager Countess, Lady Violet, Dame Maggie Smith's career spans an incredible six decades on stage and screen. This well-researched account of her life shines a light on her remarkable career and talent. It’s a little more difficult to get a handle on her private life as she’s known to be reclusive and doesn’t give interviews. For an actress so illustrious and accomplished, she remains a mystery.


Boys in the Trees: A Memoir by Carly Simon (published 2015)...



"This book is my way of going back through my childhood, my music, my romances, my marriage ... and trying to make sense of it all," Simon says. She shares her deepest desires, fears and regrets as she chronicles her rise to fame, her struggle with low self-esteem, depression and stage fright, and her tumultuous marriage to singer/songwriter James Taylor. For those of you wondering about her "boys in the bed," you'll find accounts of her flings with Cat Stevens, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, and other lovers.


The Sound of Music Story: How A Beguiling Young Novice, A Handsome Austrian Captain, and Ten Singing von Trapp Children Inspired the Most Beloved Film of All Time by Tom Santopietro (published 2015)...



Since its debut over 50 years ago, The Sound of Music has gained legions of fans the world over.  It's the third highest grossing film of all time, behind only Gone With the Wind and Star Wars. This thorough account chronicles the real-life Maria von Trapp and her family, and delves into the compelling story of the making of the both the Broadway play and the movie. Did you know that Doris Day was considered for the role of Maria before Julie Andrews was chosen? Or that Christopher Plummer so disliked working on the film that he called it, “The Sound of Mucus?” If you’ve enjoyed this iconic film or you’ve faithfully attend sing-a-longs dressed in a dirndl or lederhosen, "I Have Confidence" that this book could become one of your "Favourite Things."


Poison Penmanship: The Gentle Art of Muckraking by Jessica Mitford (published 1988)...



Poison Penmanship collects seventeen of Jessica Mitford’s finest pieces of investigative journalism.  Included are essays regarding her exposés of the funeral business and corruption in the American prison system. The New York Times wrote,  "Mitford's pen is mightier than the sword." An irrepressible writer with rapier wit, Mitford died in 1996 but her legacy lives on through her writing.


The Wild Oats Project: One Woman's Midlife Quest for Passion at Any Cost by Robin Rinaldi (published 2015)...



The self-indulgent true story of how a San Franciscan woman’s extra-marital affairs destroyed her marriage.


My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl (published 2015) Thanks to Normadesmond for this recommendation...



When publisher Condé Nast folded Gourmet magazine and laid off its staff, editor Ruth Reichl, at age 62 was at loose ends. She found solace and regeneration in her own home kitchen where she whipped up a tempting array of dishes over the course of a year. The result is this mouth-watering cookbook/memoir. Reichl says, “A good cookbook should make you want to get up and cook." Mission accomplished.


The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku (published 2014)...



Theoretical physicist, Michio Kaku is The Mistress’s go-to resource for understanding science in a fashion that the layman can understand. In this book, he clearly explains how our brains function and the mind-boggling possibilities that lie ahead for the future of the brain, our third largest organ.



FICTION:

Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe (published 2014)...



Narrated by 9-year-old Lizzie as she plots to find a husband for her divorced mother. A charming novel that makes me want to read more from this author.


American Housewife by Helen Ellis (published 2016)...



Twelve short stories about the psyche of the American housewife. The Mistress must have a different sense of humour than the venerable Margaret Atwood who called this book, “cackle-making.” Or perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for this one.


The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka (published 2015)...



Set in a Canadian town in the 1930s, this story follows a mysterious woman with a troubled past. Told in flash-backs, the story is slow-moving but beautifully crafted.


The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. (published 2013 in Sweden.) Translated from the Swedish by Alice Menzies. (English translation published 2016)...



A young, Swedish woman leaves home for the first time and travels to small-town Iowa to visit her elderly, bibliophile pen-pal. She arrives at the station but no one is there to meet her. What's a girl to do? This delightful debut novel is recommended for readers who like reading books about friendship and for those who like reading books about books. Happy ending guaranteed.


And so ends Part One (January-February) of The Mistress's reading list for the 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge.

12 books in 2 months! That's thanks to a long, cold Canadian winter. It's unlikely I'll top those numbers for the remainder of the year.


On Tuesday, March 1st, we'll be asking YOU Bitches what you've been reading. Until that time, we hope you've enjoyed browsing The Mistress's choices for January and February.

Filthy Friday - Book Challenge Edition

Coming soon ...


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On Tuesday, March 1st, we'll ask you Bitches to comment on what books you've read during the first two months of The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge.

But before we do that, on Sunday, February 28th, you'll read about the Mistress's personal book choices for January and February.

Stay tuned and READ MORE BOOKS!

Open Mic Weekend

This weekend, The Mistress allows you Bitches to take over the microphone and rant or rave about whatever is on your mind.

Filthy Friday - Pole Dancing Edition

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Wenis Wednesday - Snowfall Edition

A record 50 cm (20 inches) of snow fell yesterday.



UPDATE: Apparently, it was MORE than 50 cm. And it's still snowing!

Titty Tuesday

Working from home today...

Finally, a Day Off

And if you think The Mistress is getting out of bed, you are mistaken...

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Happy Valentine's Day, Bitches

How cold IS it?

It is minus -43°C which converts to -45.4°F.



There is NO way to look stylish in this kind of cold.

And The Mistress must go to work.

What is the coldest temperature you Bitches have experienced?

Filthy Friday - Discount Day

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Available, today only through the Infomaniac Shopping Network.

The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

The Mistress had a sex dream about David Bowie last night, one month after his passing into the stardust.



This is the sixth (sexth?) time I've dreamed about him since January 10th.

We didn't make love just once. Oh, nooooo. Four times over the course of one dream. And it was FABULOUS.

In the final scene, I was chatting to a woman when I spotted David returning for the night from the Ziggy Stardust Tour. I told her, "I gotta go. David's back from his performance and I've got to fuck him while he's still wearing his high heels!"

Because The Mistress loves a man who can carry off a pair of high heeled boots or shoes.









Don't you?

Why Wait...Masturbate

Thank you for your patience.


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The Mistress will return as soon as possible.

Please Excuse Our Dust

The Bad News: The Mistress continues to toil at work six days a week which leaves precious little time for blogging.

The Good News: All that time to and fro on public transit means she can READ MORE BOOKS for The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge!

We hope you Bitches have cracked open a book or two since the beginning of the New Year. Remember that we'll be checking in with you around March 1st to find out what you've been reading.

Meanwhile, Back in the Waiting Room

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Apologies for the delay. Help yourself to whatever you find in the Waiting Room. The Mistress will return soon.

Where's Norma?

Norma claims to have gone off to distant lands. This photo from her motel room just in...


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Recommended Reading

Still trying to decide what to read during The 2016 Infomaniac Book Challenge?



Based on titles I've read over the past couple of years, The Mistress offers a few suggestions. See if something here strikes your fancy (besides the man in the photo, above.)  

Not My Father's Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming (2014)...



You may know Alan Cumming as Eli Gold on The Good Wife. Or as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret. (If you haven't seen him in Cabaret, give yourself a treat and click here.) Or as the camp steward, Sebastian Flight in the Britcom, The High Life. Or maybe you've seen him introduce Masterpiece Mystery! for PBS.

So now that we've established just a few of his on-screen accomplishments, let's add author to the list.

In Not My Father's Son, Alan shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with a father who psychologically and physically abused him. Not for the faint of heart, the descriptions are absolutely Dickensian.

Interwoven into the tale is how he goes about solving a deeply buried family secret. 

Though emotionally draining and at times disturbing, Alan relates his memoir with his signature wit and opts for a positive outlook.

"The truth can hurt," says Cumming, "but not knowing can hurt more."


Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (2014)...



If you're a fan of Roz Chast's angst-ridden cartoons in the New Yorker magazine, try her memoir on for size, in the form of this graphic novel.

Roz deals with the decline and care of her aging parents with dark humour and a sense of the absurd. You'll laugh. You'll cry. And if you or "a friend" are going through a similar situation, this book may bring much needed comic relief.

And it's all illustrations so it's like reading a comic book. Yay!


The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puértolas (English translation published 2014)...



The title perfectly describes what happens in this whimsical novel. Looking for a light, fun read? You've found it.

READ MORE BOOKS, BITCHES!