The Constant Gardener

I'm about 50 pages in, so I'll let you know how it turns out. So far: very good.

How to Be Lost

by Amanda Eyre Ward

I read this at the urging of Nick Hornby, who discusses it in "Housekeeping vs. The Dirt" as one of his monthly reads. Easily one of the best books I've read in quite a while, along with the books I've already discussed.

Eyre Ward explores the dynamic of a family following the disappearance of a child--their pain, of course, but also their abortive attempts to move forward and just get on with their lives. It's told from various points of view-- sometimes through letters, sometimes through flashbacks, sometimes first-person narration (which, honestly, usually isn't my favorite, but it works here, I think...mostly because I didn't find myself constantly questioning/doubting the narrator).

How To Be Good

by Nick Hornby

This is the first piece of Nick Hornby fiction I've read, though I inhaled "The Polysyllabic Spree" and "Housekeeping vs. The Dirt." His fiction is just as good, just as astute, just as spare, thought-provoking and self-validating. Loved every minute, and instantly moved on to "About a Boy."

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

by Eva Rice

SCM, can I even begin to thank you for demanding for months that I read this book, and then for shipping it over to me to ensure that I would? It was wonderful...that sort of wonderful that made me feel everything the characters were feeling as they felt it, and the sort of wonderful that made me mourn for days after I'd finished it. Also, there is just something about reading a book whose characters have really perfect names, and Ms. Rice definitely, definitely found some gems.

"Little Children" did the same for me, which is why you will find it in your next package from me.

To answer your question, Heather, yes, I am quite excited about Fashion Week...

You know, all the time, you hear people say things like, "If I won the lottery, I would..." and then you hear them fill in the blank with something that sounds so ridiculous and contrived and prissy and goody-two-shoes, you just want to slap them. Well, not me; I will tell the truth. If I won the lottery, I'd dress myself and everyone around me in Christian Lacroix Couture. What a colorful, fashionable bunch we would be. Certainly neither prissy nor goody-two-shoes.

Furthermore, I am almost certain that I would be a more effective prosecutor if my suits looked like these: Chanel and Armani Privé. Sure, they're perhaps a little formal, but are the Armani Privé hats not FABULOUS?

I'm also enchanted with Christian Dior Couture, and I can't help but wish that I lived the sort of life that required that manner of dress. It's rather like Ascot on acid. In technicolor. Love it.

LUSH

OK, I did it. I broke down and went (with friends) all the way to Scottsdale, so that I could properly experience Lush Cosmetics, and MAN OH MAN! Am I glad I did! Despite being conveniently located in my home, Lush's internet boutique simply does not do it justice.

Firstly, the store looks, from the outside, like hippie paradise and smells like a little corner of Heaven. All the products are handmade from lovely plant *stuff* that works miracles on your skin. Their face masks are squishy and contain such ingredients as lettuce and seaweed. Need proof of their homemade-ness: you have to store them in the fridge (just like food...and one of the masks I got looks like nothing so much as hummus, so take my advice and look twice before you dip in your pita bread).

Lush's bath bombs and bubble bars are just delicious, too... And, yes, I'll admit it: My favorite thing about Lush is the names of their products. How can you resist the thought of slathering yourself with something called Dream Cream, Shimmy Shimmy, Schnuggle, Skinny Dip, or Silky Underwear?