For the love of books

Author Spotlight - Jane Haddam

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's a reflection of my somewhat compulsive personality -- I love making lists, compiling recipes, and organizing everything from books to the contents of our medicine cabinets -- that I love reading books that match up with the season. There are lots of holiday themed books out there, but more often than not, the holiday theme is the only real selling point to an otherwise pedestrian book.

Jane Haddam is the author of a mystery series that started as a holiday series. After penning a book for just about every holiday you can think of, including father's and mother's day, she eventually dropped the holiday setting. Although I started reading the series because of the holiday angle, I have stayed with it because I have yet to encounter a recurring cast of characters that I love as much as these.

Gregor Demarkian is a retired FBI agent who is dubbed the "Armenian-American Hercule Poirot" by People magazine. He is a complicated man, mourning the death of his beloved wife Elizabeth, when he is called in to assist in a serial murder investigation at an estate on the Main Line in Philadelphia. There he meets Bennis Hannaford, a wild-haired author of fantasy novels, from a prominent society family, some twenty years his junior. Gregor and Bennis are as different as night and day, each with their own emotional baggage, and from the beginning they are to each other as nails on a blackboard. Bennis spends her time in the tony suburbs. Gregor still lives in the Armenian neighborhood of his childhood, where the ladies of a certain age watch his every move, and his good friend Father Tibor Kasparian, tends to his parishioners needs when not reading his beloved romance and spy novels. The residents of Kavanaugh Street are by turns, hilarious, endearing, and infuriating, and Haddam wisely assigns them prominent roles in most of the books.

I would read these books for the characters alone, but they are, of course mysteries, and Haddam richly delivers on that score as well. Every one of these books is intricately plotted with a wealth of possible suspects that leaves the reader guessing to the end. She also weaves into her stories issues of the day, including the debate over the merits of capital punishment, and the teaching of intelligent design theory in schools.

The approach of Valentine's Day is the perfect time to try this series, as Bleeding Hearts is an early entry, and one of my favorites. From there, you can follow along on the calendar, as the series moves forward.

If you prefer to jump in with the latest book, there is a new installment coming out next month that promises to be as good as the rest.

Publisher's description:

In Waldorf Pines, a very rich, gated suburb of Philadelphia, ostentation and pretension are the order of the day. But even by the local standards, Martha Heydrich is a stone cold pain. She's the stay-at-home wife of a very rich husband, drives a pink sports car everywhere and is on all the prominent local committees. She's fake, into everybody's business and is rumored to be having an affair with a local teenager, Michael Platte. One morning she seemingly vanishes from her house and later that night her husband Arthur returns home to find the pool house ablaze. Once the fire is extinguished, the police discover two bodies--one is Michael Platte and the other, too damaged to be recognizable, is presumed to be Martha Heydrich. The police think they know what happened--that Arthur killed his wife and her lover over the affair. But then the DNA results come back and the second body isn't Martha's at all, it is an unknown man. With their theory in tatters,, and Martha nowhere to be found, the police to(sic) turn to ex-FBI agent Gregor Demarkian to help them unravel this most puzzling of cases.

I received an advance review copy of Blood in the Water from the publisher, St. Martin's Press. Blood in the Water will be released in March of 2012.

Waiting on Wednesday

2012-02-01T06:53:00.001-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Release Date: June 2012
Crown Publishing

From Amazon.com

"What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?" Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war...

Sounds like a page turner to me! What are you waiting for this week?

The Variations- GIVEAWAY

2012-01-26T09:27:00.003-05:00

I am pleased to spotlight the upcoming publication of a work of literary fiction from the director of the Yale University Press, John Donatich, and to offer my readers the chance to win one of two copies furnished by the publisher, Henry Holt and Company.

The Variations by John Donatich
Release Date: March 2012

Publisher description:

A powerful debut novel about a priest who has lost his church, his mentor, and, most upsetting, his ability to pray.
How can Father Dominic protect or guide his parish when everything he loves falls away? How can he counsel Dolores, a troubled teenager prone to emotional panic and spiritual monomania? Or James, a promising African American pianist, struggling to realize his artistic ambitions by bringing his own voice to a piece that has been played by the world's most brilliant pianists, Bach's Goldberg Variations?

Into this mix comes Andrea, a sophisticated New York editor attracted at first by Dom's blog and then by the man himself. Dom's journey from the cloth into the secular world will offer carnal knowledge, but also something deeper, a more resistant knowledge as life fails to offer happiness or redemption for Dom. In prose both searching and graceful, The Variations locates the right metaphor for our times in this story of one man's spiritual disillusion and ache for
self-knowledge.

Thanks to the generosity of Henry Holt and Company, I have two copies of The Variations to give away to two lucky readers. To enter, please leave a comment on this post indicating your desire to enter. Entrants must provide an email address, either in the comment, or by emailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Entries limited to US/Canada residents, and no P.O. Boxes please. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Books will be mailed by the publisher. Winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond. If no response is received within 72 hours, another winner will be selected. Contest ends on at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on February 19, 2012. Good luck to all!

I received an advance reader's edition of The Variations from the publisher.

Historical suspense -- GIVEAWAY

2012-01-20T11:12:00.001-05:00

A PLACE OF SECRETS by Rachel Hore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The term "historical fiction" is a fairly broad one, encompassing everything from stories set in Tudor England, to Ancient Egypt, World War II, the Vietnam era, and everything in between. In addition to the disparate time periods, these books can have different emphasis: some are heavy on the historical details, others feature suspense, a mystery or a romance, and still others combine several such elements. I suspect that I am not alone amongst those fans of historical fiction in having favorite time periods to read about (mine are the two World Wars). I also love reading books that have unique settings, or that spotlight an obscure aspect of history. In A Place of Secrets, British author Rachel Hore offers a suspenseful story that centers on a facet of history that is not often explored in popular literature: the science of astronomy in the late 1700's.

Antiquarian book expert Jude Gower is working for an English auction house when she fields a request to value a collection of scientific books and instruments. The materials are located in Scarborough Hall, an old countryside estate house where her grandmother Jessie lived as a child in the gatekeeper's cottage. Upon learning that Jude will be going to the estate, Jessie hints that she is harboring a secret that is linked to "the folly," a tower that was used for stargazing by Anthony Wickham, an amateur astronomer who owned the estate in the late 18th century. As Jude explores Wickham's library, she begins to unravel the story of Esther Wickham, a foundling adopted by Anthony, who helped him record his observations. Slowly, the journals reveal secrets that are linked to Jude's own familial past and suggest that the nightmares Jude suffered as a child and currently plague her young niece Summer, are the reflection of an otherworldly connection spanning two hundred years. When Summer goes missing near the Hall and her family fears the worst, the centuries converge in an exciting conclusion.

This was a book that worked in many respects for me, and in other ways, did not. First, the positives. I was very interested in the astronomy -- an unusual subject matter for historical narratives. As set forth in the afterword, Ms. Hore used, as a template for her story, the events surrounding the discovery of Uranus by a scientist and his sister.

I loved Esther -- she was such an interesting character, strong and wise beyond her years, and I felt like I was inside Esther's mind as Jude read Esther's journals. In addition, a gamut of human emotions is set forth through the pathos of Jude's widowhood, her knotty relationship with her older sister, and her budding romance with a man who occupies a cottage on the estate.

I was intrigued by Ms. Hore's explication of the Romany (gypsy) culture and their place in English history, which she achieved by weaving the stories of two young Romany girls, one of whom was a contemporary of Esther's, the other a friend of Jessie's. As a whole, I thoroughly bought into the device of the tantalizing connection between the past and the present -- the thread running from Esther to Jessie to Jude to Summer.

So what did not work as well. Essentially two things. I felt that the book was about fifty or so pages too long, and as a result, at times my interest would lag. In essence, this was not a book that I "couldn't put down." The other negative is the fact that there were numerous threads to the narrative that are all resolved ever so conveniently in the last few pages of the book. In both these respects, I think that less would have been more.

Because I did enjoy the book in many respects, not the least of which was the quality of the writing, I would certainly be open to reading this author again.

I received an advance reader's edition of A Place of Secrets from the publisher, Henry Holt. A Place of Secrets will be released in February of 2012.

Thanks to the generosity of Henry Holt, I have two copies of A Place of Secrets to give away to two lucky readers of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post indicating you wish to enter. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at
Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US/Canada residents only, and no P.O. Boxes please. Books will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on February 17, 2012. Good luck to all!

Wednesday Winners

2012-01-18T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to announce the winners of two recent giveaways.

Reclaiming Our Food goes to Heather from Raging Bibliomania

Death Drops goes to Joy from Books and Life

Congratulations to Heather and Joy!

Stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway this weekend.

Not much here

2012-01-14T07:54:00.000-05:00

THE DRESSMAKER by Kate Alcott

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Readers of this blog know that I am an easy touch for historical fiction, and that I like to mix up my time periods.  Having seen the movie Titanic but having read little about the actual events, I was interested to learn more about the disaster. The blurbs I read about The Dressmaker promised an unique perspective on the events. In that respect, I would say that the book delivered, but in that respect only.  While I would not characterize The Dressmaker as a dud, it definitely will not be a memorable read for me.

The novel is loosely based on the real-life British fashion designer Lucile Duff-Gordon and her baronet husband Cosmo. The Gordons survived the shipwreck, but were eventually vilified as personifying the ruthless disregard that was displayed for the lives of the less privileged souls in steerage.  As the novel opens, Lucile hires Tess Collins, a young woman fleeing a life of servitude in order to pursue her real talents as a seamstress. From her observations as Lucile's personal maid, Tess senses that there is more to Lucile than meets the eye.  Lucile keeps Tess guessing -- is she a vacuous society matron, a driven career woman, a vulnerable girl harboring deep insecurities, or some combination thereof?   When tragedy strikes, Tess manages to survive with the help of a young seaman, Jim Bonney, but her hopes for a new life are threatened when questions are raised about Lucile's actions on the night of the shipwreck.  During hearings held on the matter in the U.S. Senate, Bonney's character is impugned, and Tess must decide where the truth and her loyalties lie.

In writing the book, Alcott used the transcript of the hearings, and grounded her story in the fact that 60% of the first class passengers survived that night while the percentage of those in steerage who survived was a mere 25%. From the reports of half-empty lifeboats and refusals to return for those in the water who might have been saved, Alcott has crafted a narrative that explores the notion of responsibility, and pauses to consider what price the will to survive may exact on those who do just that.

An interesting idea, to be sure, but one that mostly failed in the execution for me. My primary complaint is that the only individual with any real substance is Tess.  I never formed an image in my head of any of the other players as I was reading, which for me is the definition of "thinly drawn" characters.  Even the person of tough talking young suffragist and newspaperwoman Pinky Wade, while entertaining, was more caricature than substance.  I was also less than enamoured of the plot pacing. The first half of the book dragged, though I did find myself more engaged when midway through the focus shifted to the Senate hearings.

I have been on a run of really terrific reads lately, so it was only a matter of time before I stumbled. With so many wonderful books out there, even the "just eh" read is one that I aim to avoid. Hopefully I'll get back on track with the early books of 2012.

I received an advance reader's edition of The Dressmaker from the publisher. The Dressmaker will be released in February of 2012.

New herbal remedies cozy mystery series - GIVEAWAY

2012-01-06T14:08:00.007-05:00

DEATH DROPS by Chrystle Fiedler

To be released in February 2012
by Gallery Books

Publisher description:

Nature’s Way Market and Café sells healthy foods and natural cures for what ails you. But there is no cure for murder. . . . Even naturopathic doctors need a little stress relief—that’s why Willow McQuade, ND, takes a break to visit her Aunt Claire, owner of Nature’s Way Market and Café, on Long Island’s North Fork. But Willow’s serenity is shattered when she finds her aunt’s lifeless body on the market floor, a bottle of Mimulus lying nearby. Taken to calm one’s fear of misfortune, the flower essence clearly failed Aunt Claire . . . for her death was no accident. But who would want to kill her? The police soon zero in on Willow herself, who stands to inherit Claire’s business and the rights to a breakthrough anti-aging cream. Desperate to prove her innocence, Willow turns to former police officer Jackson Spade for help. Together they unearth a slew of suspects, each with something to gain by Claire’s unnatural demise. But as Willow gets closer to the truth, a killer waits to administer one final dose of death.

I love to shop in health food stores, so much so that I am on a first name basis with the proprietor of my favorite one just around the corner. However, I am not all that well-versed in the area of home remedies or herbal cures. As readers of this blog know, I am always on the lookout for new cozy mysteries, and when I saw this one, it seemed like a perfect way to learn a little more about homeopathy while having fun at the same time.

Ms. Fiedler has written extensively on herbal remedies for well-known periodicals and she is also the author of three books on the subject: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Natural Remedies, Beat Sugar Addiction Now! and the Country Almanac of Home Remedies. I am anxious to get started on her first foray into the mystery genre, and if you are too, you are in luck!

Thanks to the generosity of Gallery Books, I have one copy of Death Drops to give away to a lucky reader of this blog.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post stating that you wish to enter the giveaway. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. The book will be mailed by the publisher. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on January 16, 2012. Good luck to all!

I received an advance reader's edition of Death Drops from the publisher.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

A parent's nightmare

2011-12-30T09:31:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD FATHER by Noah Hawley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What parent hasn’t wondered if mistakes made in raising their children might well have some lasting deleterious effect? In The Good Father, Noah Hawley takes this scenario to nightmarish proportions as renowned physician Dr. Paul Allen must deal with the knowledge that his son Daniel has apparently assassinated a beloved presidential candidate in cold blood. Faced with the seemingly incontrovertible evidence that his son is a calculated killer, Allen struggles to learn the truth about the crime itself. In the process, Allen is forced to acknowledge Daniel's fractured childhood and the abandonment Daniel felt when Allen divorced his mother, moved across the country, and created a new family. A book that pulled me in from the first page, The Good Father is a work that is both wholly mesmerizing and utterly disturbing.

I have deliberately chosen not to discuss plot specifics. I felt that would detract from the tension the author manages to sustain, one of the strengths of the book. Suffice it to say that the book shifts focus subtly, at times questioning the level of Daniel’s actual guilt, but always returning to the ultimate issue of how Allen can reconcile what has happened to the boy he calls his son.

What I will say is that Noah Hawley has an amazing ability to convey what is going on inside the head of both Daniel and his father in a way that makes the reader equally invested in these very different and complicated individuals. Through Allen’s struggle to understand how his son could have committed such an act, the author searingly portrays what it is like for the families of those accused of infamous crimes. Hawley brings to life the heart-wrenching experience of those family members who continue to love the accused in the face of overwhelming public animus and their own conflicted feelings about the destruction to innocent lives that their loved one has wrought. Consider this passage as Allen ruminates on his endeavor to accept what his son has apparently become:

“A man stands in a crowd listening to a speech about hope. He raises a handgun and pulls the trigger, and, in that moment, extinguishes hope for everyone. Who is that man, if not a monster? Do we really need to know his reasons? Read his manifesto? If understanding him makes what he did seem right, justifies it, even for a moment, then doesn’t that make the very act of understanding obscene?” (281 from ARC that is subject to change).

I have only one nit to pick. A good portion of the middle section of the book contains detailed accounts of the actions of several well-known killers such as Timothy McVeigh, Texas clock tower sniper Charles Whitman, and Sirhan Sirhan, in the days immediately preceding their crimes. In all honesty, this material at times felt flat out creepy to me. I was also somewhat put off by the frequent interruption to the feel and flow of the narrative that resulted from including this information. As the book moved past this section, though, I quickly got back into the story, and ultimately this glitch did not detract from my reading experience.

I am not one to cry when I read -- that has only happened in two instances that I can think of. But I will tell you that my hands were shaking as I finished this book. Is it possible to “love” a book that is incredibly unsettling? I’m not sure. I will say this, though. The Good Father can’t go on my top ten list of 2011 books because it will not be released until February, but I am fairly certain it is not too early to save a place for it on my top ten of 2012.

A book that will stay with you after you read the last page and a conversational gold mine for book clubs. Read this one now.

I received an advance reader's edition of The Good Father from the publisher, Doubleday. The Good Father will be released in February of 2012.

Weekend Cooking (17): Review

2011-12-24T09:08:00.001-05:00

CAKE BOSS: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia
by Buddy Valastro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Food-themed television has certainly come a long way from the days when cooking shows were limited to offerings such as The Galloping Gourmet and In the Kitchen with Julia.  Now, between The Food Network and The Learning Channel (TLC) it seems like there is a never ending feast of new food shows from which to choose. Along with Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and the several incarnations of Iron Chef America, one of my long-time favorites is Cake Boss. For those of you who have not seen the show, in addition to actual baking, the program offers an intimate glimpse into the workings of a family owned and operated bakery. As anyone who has watched Cake Boss knows,it is the outsize personalities of the various Valastro family members that make this show so entertaining.

In this first of Valastro's books, the newest being Baking With the Cake Boss, he tells the story of Carlo's Bake Shop, and more specifically, the story of his father, Buddy, Sr. This book is, at its essence, an homage to Valastro's father, a man beloved by his family and community. Though he died when Buddy was only 17, Buddy Sr. still exerts a tremendous influence over Valastro's life and work.  Sad stories of the hardships Buddy Sr. endured growing up are interwoven with accounts of the near idyllic childhood that Valastro enjoyed as part of a large, close-knit, Italian-American family.   Though his father did not insist that Valastro follow in the family's baking footsteps, he finds himself drawn to the bakery as he sees the joy his father brings to customers. I had never really thought about it before, but I was struck when reading Buddy's sentiments about the role his creations play in the lives of his clients -- how a baker is an integral part of creating memories for people at special times in their lives.

For those Cake Boss aficionados, it will be no surprise that Buddy's ample self-confidence screams off the pages of this book. What was surprising to me was that it takes about 90 hours of filming to get enough footage to produce one 30 minute episode. Fans of the show might also like to read the story of how the Food Network was apparently not interested in doing this show because they already had a hit "cake" show and how Buddy was then snapped up by TLC.

Even if you don't watch the show, I still think the book is an enjoyable read.  Apart from the immigrant story that is so lovingly depicted here, there is a lot of real life drama:  the chaos that ensued when Buddy Sr.'s untimely death left a leadership vacuum in the bakery, the dissension that was sparked after Valastro began to tinker with old family recipes in order to keep Carlo's relevant in a changing food culture, and the make it or break it struggle Valastro had in learning to make sfogliatelle -- a dough needed to produce a signature Italian pastry that only Buddy Sr. knew how to "pull". I felt like I was getting a real induction into the baking world, as I learned terms such as having "the hand of the bag" (the natural talent for piping where the bag seems to be an extension of the decorator's arm) and the idea that some artisan bakers believe that their hands are "touched by God" with the "gift" of being able to make dough behave in a certain way.

There is a fairly extensive recipe section at the back of the book that includes many of the most famous offerings from Carlo's Bake Shop. One particular recipe, for a popular Italian holiday dessert, Ricotta Pie, apparently came with the keys to the original Carlo's bakery established in 1910 and purchased by Buddy Sr. in 1963. Though these recipes are usually made in huge quantities in the bakery, the book indicates that the scaled down versions have all been tested in home kitchen situations, though Valastro stresses that quality of ingredients is paramount to achieving good results.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Two winners

2011-12-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to announce the winners of two recent giveaways:

A Cookie Before Dying by Virginia Lowell goes to Amy from The House of the Seven Tails

and

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett goes to Patti from Peppermint Ph.d

There's still time to enter the giveaway for Reclaiming Our Food.

Not your usual celebrity memoir

2011-12-16T07:38:00.000-05:00

UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS: A Story of Loss and Gain
by Portia deRossi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read alot of reviews from readers who have started a book with high expectations, whether from hype or great past experience with the author, only to be roundly disappointed, and who are then left wondering if their feelings were colored by the high hopes they had for the book. With Unbearable Lightness, I found myself in the somewhat inverse circumstance, yet faced with the same question.  I went into this book with exceedingly low expectations: a celebrity memoir (sigh), with an emphasis on her journey through an eating disorder (I have read a wealth of those sort of books and thought there was not much new to add).   Surprise, surprise, though, I ended up reading this one in essentially one sitting because I liked it so much. Now, did I like it so much because I expected so little? As with the first scenario, I cannot know for sure. But, no matter, the bottom line is that I thought this book was very very good.

As an adult, Portia deRossi has weighed 82 pounds and 168 pounds all in the same year. In this candid memoir, she recounts the journey from the self-loathing that led her into the depths of a life-threatening eating disorder, to the self-acceptance that allowed her to recover and live a full and happy life as a healthy, gay woman. She lays bare the feelings of insecurity and never measuring up that caused her to reinvent herself to fit the image of the thin, heterosexual Hollywood actress, because she did not feel she could simply be who she was and be loved.

Before I began this book, I knew Portia deRossi primarily as Ellen DeGeneres' wife. I knew she was an actress, and I had a vague image in my mind of what she looked like. However I never watched either of the TV shows in which she had a recurring role: Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, and I can't recall ever seeing her in a movie. But deRossi's fame was not an element in this book: she was writing her story as an individual, not as a famous actress. And therein may lie the explanation for why this book worked for me when celebrity books usually do not.

The book has a wonderful intimate tone -- there are no histrionics here -- that made me feel as though she was sitting in the room talking to me. She writes her story as an individual, who just happens to be a famous actress.   I believe that this compelling personal account of one woman's battle to not just accept who she is, but to embrace that person, speaks to us non-celebrities as well who fight our own insecurity demons on a daily basis.

While this is one of those eating disorder stories that has a happy ending, there is not a lot of detail about her recovery process. She suggests that what turned the tide for her was when she decided to eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it, erasing all notions of "good" and "bad" foods.   Frankly, this was the one part of the book that did not work for me. It simply did not seem plausible that after a lifetime of obsessing about what she could and could not eat, that one day she would suddenly allow herself to do that, and never look back. I have to believe there was more to the process than that, and I wish that she had included greater detail on that point.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Weekend Cooking (16): Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-12-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

RECLAIMING OUR FOOD
by Tanya Denckla Cobb
Photo Essays by Jason Houston

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This impressive compendium of essays and photographs illustrates in both words and images how the grassroots local food movement is being implemented across the country in urban and rural areas alike. Cobb debunks the notion that the local food movement is merely a pet project of the liberal elites by demonstrating how community gardens and farming are springing up to great effect in the poorest communities.

Before diving into this book I was familiar with the CSA cooperative model designed to facilitate buying food locally, but I had no idea of the variety of other initiatives currently in place to help individuals "reclaim" the foods they eat. In addition to detailing the wide range of projects and their differing emphasis -- some focus on the food itself, some stress the benefits to the environment, and others use the initiative to strengthen a sense of community -- Reclaiming Our Food seeks to identify the nexus between these initiatives. In that regard, Cobb offers the following:

The grassroots food movement seems to be arising from a common feeling that we have lost our center. Across our nation, we see spiritual restlessness, children disconnected from nature and each other, a proliferation of foods that fail to nourish either body or spirit, and a lack of community, neighborliness, and relationship. This book tells the story of people who are seeking to find a new center, to create meaning and purpose in their lives, to restore harmony and balance in their relationships with the land, food, and each other.
Food, as the sustenance of body, spirit, and culture, is a powerful change agent -- for better or worse. At its worst, we've learned that daily fare that is highly processed, rich in calories but poor in the broad range of nutrients needed to maintain health, benefits the corporations that produce it, not the people who eat it. Decades of this unmindful daily fare, and the resulting epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, are now stressing our health-care system (not to mention our collective pocketbooks) and creating the dismal prospect that our children may lead shorter lives than their parents.
At its best, however, our daily fare can be a powerfully positive force for individual and community healing and health. This is a core value of the grassroots food movement. (7).

The volume is divided into eight chapters corresponding to the focus of the project and each chapter contains a collection of short essays, spotlighting unique programs in that area. There are stories of organizations in urban centers promoting the raising of livestock, beekeeping, and wild food foraging. One essay argues that community-based agriculture can and should be considered at the development stage of housing construction as a planned asset, rather than just an added afterthought that has to be shoe-horned into existing structures. Other chapters focus on educational initiatives in schools and local food projects that are designed to preserve cultural heritages. In addition to the stories, Cobb includes a "lessons learned" section at the end of each essay, which gives simple, detailed, and practical advice for those who wish to launch similar programs in their community.

An essay that stayed with me spoke about the Seeds of Harmony, a city garden in Oregon located in a housing development that contained subsidized housing alongside luxury condominiums. The garden became the vehicle to allow residents to come together who might otherwise have never interacted. I was impressed by the description of the "kids section" that encourages the agricultural spirit in the younger generation, thus insuring a greater chance that the initiative will continue to flourish as the garden's creators move on.

Perhaps my favorite essay, though, was that regarding the Gateway Greening Project that was borne out of a desire to "green" the city of St. Louis. One facet of the project is the City Seeds Urban Farm, sandwiched between a freeway and a hotel in an urban area, whose workers are drawn in part from at-risk populations: substance abusers, those with criminal records, the mentally and the homeless, and unemployed veterans. Reading about how the garden provided job training, a sense of purpose, and a means to re-integrate into society, was inspiring.

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not the kind of book that I would sit and read from cover to cover. Instead, I will read an essay or two at a time. To that end, I much appreciated the fact that none of the essays were particularly lengthy, thus making it very easy to pick up the book and put it down frequently. Some of the sections were frankly more of interest to me than others, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of the photographs, which vividly brought to life the various stories.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone committed to food/agricultural issues or those who would like to know how to do more to support the local foods movement. It would also make a great gift for those who like reading about how individuals can make a difference in the communities in which they live.

Thanks to the generosity of Storey Publishing, I have one copy of Reclaiming Our Food to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post indicating your desire to enter. Entries must contain an e-mail address, either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US residents only. Book will be mailed by the publisher. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on December 22, 2011. Good luck!

I received a copy of Reclaiming Our Food from the publisher.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Women can do anything

2011-12-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

MIGHTY BE OUR POWERS: How Sisterhood, Prayer and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last year, I read a riveting memoir written by a man who escaped the horrors of the Congolese Civil War and made a new life for himself as a United States Marine and successful businessman. Recently, I read another compelling memoir of an individual who survived the atrocities of civil war in Africa. This time the setting is Liberia, and the individual in question is a woman -- Leymah Gbowee -- recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Ms. Gbowee has an amazing story to tell, and she does so in a way that educates and inspires.

Before reading Mighty Be Our Powers, I had only peripheral knowledge of the events in Liberia during the decade of the 1990’s. At that time, rebels led by Charles Taylor invaded the country from the Ivory Coast. As the fighters moved south intent on deposing the tyrannical President Doe, years of tribal hatreds were unleashed, leading to widespread massacres in which women and young children were murdered in devastating numbers. Gbowee was 17 years old when she witnessed her first murder and was forced to flee with her family. Because her father was a radio technician who worked at the U.S. embassy, he was eventually able to secure passage for his family on a transport ship to Ghana. When Gbowee arrives with her mother and siblings, however, they are forced into a camp with 50,000 refugees where they lived under deplorable conditions. She begins a relationship with a physically abusive man from the camp, and by the time she is 19 she has two children with him. As the fighting continues to rage on in Liberia, Gbowee enters a UNICEF program to train in social work, but ultimately she is ground down by years of degradation and deprivation at the hands of her abusive husband and his family. After bearing her fourth child, Gbowee reaches her breaking point and returns to Liberia where she re-connects with a supportive man whose constant encouragement helps her continue her education and fulfill her potential.

Eventually, Gbowee becomes involved with the Trauma Healing Project working to help the victims of the Liberian strife. The core ideal of the project is that lasting resolution of civil conflicts can only come when there is true reconciliation between the victims and the perpetrators. Her fieldwork begins with workshops aimed at helping the disabled child soldiers, who were universally reviled, to reintegrate into society. Over the next seven years, Gbowee takes on more responsibility with the project, and begins to question why all the team leaders are men, when so much of the devastation of these civil conflicts is borne by the women of the war-torn nations.

In 2000, Gbowee meets Thelma Ekiyor, a Nigerian lawyer, and a lifelong relationship between the women is formed as they become sisters in the fight for women’s rights on the African continent. One of the pivotal moments in their movement is a mass action that they organize to put pressure on leaders negotiating an end to the Liberian conflict. The sit-in that began with just a few hundred women ultimately numbered in the thousands, and included a “sex strike” in which the women of Liberia vowed to withhold relations until the fighting ceased. The mass action, covered by the BBC, helped to empower the women of the African continent as they witnessed how a nation could be changed as the women themselves learned what they were capable of accomplishing. The efforts of Gbowee and women like her were the catalyst to progress in the stalled peace talks taking place in Ghana.

Reading Gbowee’s story from the comfort of my living room easy chair, I could not help but be floored by the tenacity and spirit her life embodies. It seems almost unfathomable to me that she was able to rise above the horrors she endured as her country disintegrated around her. It was truly inspiring to watch her grow into her own as an independent woman against seemingly insurmountable odds.

This was a book that I had a hard time reading knowing that it was a work of non-fiction, and at the same time, I had a time putting it down because it was told in such an accessible way. In addition to recounting the details of the Liberian conflict, Gbowee takes the reader inside the workings of non-profits, exposing the less than altruistic motives that occasionally account for individual players’ actions. I found it interesting to read her take on how divisions in the movement erupted once the movement gained substantial notoriety, and the attacks leveled at her lifestyle that arose as she rose to prominence in the human rights arena.

I heartily recommend Mighty Be Our Powers to those who enjoy memoirs that are about more than just the writer. There are lessons to be taken from Gbowee’s story about the role of women in the world, the need to respond to armed conflicts in ways other than the traditional, and the efforts we should make to find strength in ourselves in order to effect real change in our own lives and the lives of those around us.

I received an advance reader’s edition of Mighty Be Our Powers from the publisher, Beast Books/Perseus Books Group.

A wonderful state indeed -- GIVEAWAY

2011-11-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Between running a used bookshop, and writing this blog, I spend a lot of my time recommending books to other readers. By the same token, I get a lot of recommendations, both from customers and fellow bloggers. One of the authors that is frequently touted to me by both constituencies is Ann Patchett. As a lover of literary fiction, I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I had not read Patchett before, despite the accolades that her work has earned. Well, I finally remedied this omission, having just finished her newest book, State of Wonder and all I can say is, what took me so long?

This book blew me away. Period. One of the best books I will read this year. Period. She writes beautifully. She took me to the Amazon jungle as surely as if I had boarded a plane to Brazil, and she wove a story that gripped me as tightly as the anaconda that attacks her protagonist. It has been quite a while since I have read a novel with characters of such depth and originality. Single-minded research scientist Dr. Annick Swenson spends her life among the indigenous people with the intent of developing a fertility drug for her pharmaceutical company employer and is a fascinating individual. Dr. Marina Singh, an employee of that same company who is sent to discover the truth surrounding the death of a third fellow scientist, is a woman with whom I have nothing in common, and yet, I completely related to and empathized with her from the first page. What happens to Marina during her time in the Amazon raises ethical questions in the reader's mind at the same time that it tears at your heart.

I now am keen to hear from those of you who have read Ms. Patchett’s other books. I would love to know which one of her books you think I should read next, and for those of you who have read State of Wonder, how you think her other books compare? And, I have a fun incentive for you to weigh in.

Thanks to the generosity of HarperCollins, I have one copy of State of Wonder to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. If you wish to enter, please say so in a comment on this post. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US/Canada only, and no P.O. Boxes please. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. The book will be mailed by the publisher. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on December 8, 2011. Good luck to all!

I received an advance reader's edition of State of Wonder from the publisher.

An author to watch

2011-11-18T09:03:00.001-05:00

CAMP NINE by Vivienne Schiffer

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Debut novels are particularly interesting to me. I love the idea of "getting in on the ground floor" of an author's literary career. Finding a new voice that resonates with me and wanting to support the efforts of an unknown talent are two of the reasons I gravitate to the work of first time authors. Don't get me wrong: I am not above following the masses to grab the newest "blockbuster" from a best-selling name. But when you stumble on a writer who has written a book that makes you impatient to see what he or she will come up with next, there is nothing better. Such was my experience with Camp Nine.

In this debut novel, Schiffer takes the reader to the Arkansas Delta where, in the summer of 1942, a Japanese internment camp was erected on land owned by the powerful Morton family.   "Chess" Morton is twelve years old when the internees arrive, and in the ensuing months, she forms a connection with the Matsuis, who have been brought to the camp from their home in San Francisco. Chess's mother Carrie, a widow living in the shadow of her wealthy in-laws, chafes at the injustice being done to the internees, many of whom are American citizens. Carrie's decision to teach art classes at the camp raises eyebrows in the insular Delta society and incurs the wrath of her despicable foreman and Klan member, Hammond Ryfle.  Through her work at the camp, Carrie blossoms into the artist she once was before her husband's death. When an American soldier from her past is assigned to oversee the camp, her life takes yet another turn.

Over the next year and a half, the Matsuis, along with the other internees, attempt to maintain their honor and dignity in the face of devastating loss. As the older son Henry goes off to fight for the U.S. in Europe, his younger brother David, a gifted musician, struggles to reconcile how the same country for which Henry is risking his life would take everything away from his family in the name of national security. David's affinity for music leads Chess to tell him about enigmatic snake handler and legendary blues musician Willie "Cottonmouth" Monroe, the blind nephew of the Mortons' elderly housekeeper RubyJean. Upon absenting himself from the camp to find Monroe, David sets in motion a series of events that will forever changes the lives of those around him.  Long after the internment camp has been dismantled, Chess comes to learn that the fortunes of Willie, RubyJean and Hammond Ryfle are intimately connected with that of her own family, when long held secrets are finally revealed.

Camp Nine is a quiet book that is sure to raise alot of noise in your head.  In her subtle and evocative portrayal of the secretive and hierarchical Delta community, Schiffer expertly conveys not just the racial divides, but the economic ones as well. The nuances of the social strata between blacks and whites, poor whites and rich whites, and the social taboo of blacks mixing with the Japanese are artfully illustrated. Interwoven through the story was also the longing and disappointment Carrie faced stemming from the fact that her immigrant Italian parentage prevented her from being truly accepted by the powerful Morton clan. Vivienne Schiffer grew up in the Delta, in a town that was the site of a Japanese Relocation Center, and that experience has seamlessly translated to the pages of this novel.

Her heart-breaking depiction of the shameful treatment of the Japanese-Americans was made all the more impactful by showing how each of the members of the Matsui family were personally affected in their own particular way. In the course of the narrative, she also provided lesser known details about this period -- such as the divide between the Hawaiian soldiers and those Japanese from the mainland who were put together in one fighting force, that could be traced to the fact that the Hawaiians had not experienced the shame of the interment camps.

One of the more amazing parts of this book is Schiffer's facility with the narrative voice: when the book opens, Chess is an adult, looking back 20 years on the events, and in her recollections the sentiments of her twelve year-old self are perfectly captured. In the final chapter, when Chess learns the truth about her family's past, she also makes a powerful discovery about herself:

"I know that Camp Nine was something that should never have been. It destroyed lives and separated families; it interrupted joys and brought in their stead, wretched sorrows. But the experience was mine, too. On a deeper level than I had ever understood, Camp Nine had defined my life. The misery of thousands had shone a light on who I was, on who we all were, here in the Delta. Would I have ever known these things without their sacrifice?" (126)

I chose to review this book for TLC Book Tours because I wanted to learn more about the Arkansas internment camps. For that alone, I would recommend this book. But I ended up getting so much more. This is a deeply moving, thoughtful book that is at times painful to read because you know that the premise is true.

I received a copy of Camp Nine from the publisher, University of Arkansas Press, through TLC Book Tours. Camp Nine was released in September of 2011.

Two more winners

2011-11-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to announce the winners of two recent giveaways:

MY FIRST LADIES by Nancy Clarke with Christie Matheson went to Elisabeth.

SPORK-FED by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg went to Rhapsody in Books.

Congratulations to both winners, and don't forget there is still time to enter the giveaway for A Cookie Before Dying by Virginia Lowell.

Weekend Cooking (15): Review and Giveaway

2011-11-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

COOKIE DOUGH OR DIE by Virginia Lowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the holidays approach, I always seem to up my consumption of food-related books, and this year is no exception. This past week I discovered another new cozy mystery series that I can recommend to all looking for a light, entertaining read with a slight twist. Unlike the usual bake-shop owning sleuth books, this entry includes neither recipes nor excessive discussions of baked goods. The "hook" to this series is the collectible cookie cutter phenomenon.

Olivia Greyson is the thirty-something owner of The Gingerbread House, a store featuring all kinds of cookie cutters, from run of the mill plastic flower shapes, to antique metal cutters that fetch hundreds of dollars. Olivia runs the store with the help of her best friend, Maddie Briggs, an exuberant redhead with a real spark of creative genius.  Early on in the story, Olivia's mentor and friend, the elderly Clarisse Chamberlain, is found dead under questionable circumstances and Olivia is certain that there is more to Clarisse's death than meets the eye. When a nosy mailman who delivered an important letter to Clarisse shortly before her death ends up in the hospital after eating cookies from Olivia's shop, Olivia takes it upon herself to discover exactly how and why Clarisse died.

Cookie Dough or Die features the usual panoply of suspects, including Clarisse's two sons, Edmund and Hugh, who are vying for control of the family business, Hugh's fiance Tammy whom Clarisse despised, and Hugh's ex-girlfriend Jasmine who suddenly disappeared from town years earlier. Olivia herself becomes the object of rumor and innuendo after Clarisse's will leaves her a substantial monetary bequest as well as a vintage cookie cutter collection worth more than $30,000.

Several things struck me about this first installment. First, Lowell does a wonderful job with the characterizations, from Olivia and Maddie, to the lesser characters of Olivia's aging hippie mother and Clarisse's warm-hearted housekeeper, Bertha. Even the requisite love interest for Olivia, Sheriff Del, is an authentic, no-nonsense figure, the antithesis of the bumbling small town sheriff. Cozy mysteries often suffer from thin or over-the-top characterizations, but Lowell has adeptly avoided that trap here.

Second, I was taken with the cookie cutter angle to the story.  I loved how Lowell made the cookie cutters vital clues in solving the mystery of Clarisse's murder. I thought this was a unique and engaging way to decipher the murderer's identity. I have read a good number of caterer, baker, and chef mysteries, but Cookie Dough or Die is my first foray into the world of cookie cutters. Usually, in these type of cozies, the food descriptions and recipes provide the comfort and homey atmosphere, but here, it is the discussion of the cookie cutters that serves that function, and it does so effectively.

I was also interested to learn that there is a real organization known as the National Cookie Cutter Collectors Club, and that it has it's own newsletter, Cookie Crumbs. Lowell makes reference to a number of collectible types of cutters in the book, and one in particular rang a bell with me:  vintage Peanuts cookie cutters from the early 1970's. I distinctly remember having cookie cutters from the Peanuts comic strip during those years.  Of course, I no longer have them, yet another casualty of my mother's cleaning efforts, right alongside my older brothers' comic book and baseball collections that would undoubtedly fetch a small fortune on e-bay today.

If you like getting in on the ground floor of a cozy series, I urge you to pick up Cookie Dough or Die soon so that you will be ready for the December release of the second installment, A Cookie Before Dying.

A COOKIE BEFORE DYING by Virginia Lowell

From the publisher's website:
On a stormy night, Olivia Greyson and her Yorkie discover the body of a man stabbed to death—which looks suspiciously like the intruder seen fleeing the local health food store The Vegetable Plate. Charlene Critch, owner of The Vegetable Plate, has a grudge against Olivia’s cookie cutter shop, but could Charlene be hiding a secret serious enough to kill for?

Thanks to the generosity of Berkley Prime Crime, I have one copy of A Cookie Before Dying to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. Enter by leaving a comment on this post stating that you wish to participate in the giveaway. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. All entries must include an e-mail address either in the comments section or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Entries limited to US residents only, and no P.O. Boxes please. Book will be mailed by the publisher. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on December 2, 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

A new look for an old favorite

2011-11-03T06:33:00.000-04:00

FOOD RULES an eater's manual
by Michael Pollan, illustrations by Maira Kalman.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For those interested in reading about the politics and science of food and nutrition, Michael Pollan will probably be a familiar name. Pollan has published several books on the subject, including Food Rules, a short collection of dictates designed to help the average person eat better. The theme of Pollan's books generally is that there is not any one evil nutrient responsible for the rise in obesity in America, but rather it is the Western diet as a whole that is the problem. One need only to look at the diet books of the last twenty years to see what he is getting at: each new diet promises results in weight reduction, an increase in energy, or a boon in health-related vital statistics if only X were removed or added to the diet. X can be carbs, fats, proteins, sugar, white flour, take your pick. But people are still getting heavier, and still suffering from health-related issues. Pollan's advice is very practical. Eat real food, in moderate portions, essentially the anti-thesis of the processed food, super-sized Western diet. He believes that our cultural traditions are a better resource for nutritional advice than pronouncements issued by government agencies.

After the original Food Rules was released in 2009, it sparked a debate about the state of diet in America, which was exactly what Pollan had hoped for. Through blogs at the New York Times and Slow Food USA, among others, the American people offered up their own advice for ways to improve one's eating habits. Concomitantly, Pollan happened to visit an exhibit of renowned artist Maira Kalman's, whose work is peppered with images of food, and the idea to re-issue an updated, illustrated version of Food Rules was born.

This new version of Food Rules consists of 83 rules divided into three sections designed to help the reader implement his famous tagline: Eat food, mostly plants, not too much. There are 19 new rules in this book, the outgrowth of the national conversation he sparked with the original publication, as well as a new foreword by Pollan. But frankly what makes this version special and a must purchase for even those who have the original book, is the illustrations. Kalman's work makes the whole subject so accessible and fun! Her whimsical approach is a joy to behold -- from the large drawing of a cheez-doodle that accompanies her introduction, to the illustration of the cereal box on the back cover that animates Rule # 39 not to eat cereal that changes the color of the milk.

This is one instance in which "new" really is better. I liked Food Rules when I read it the first time, but I love this new version. There is something about Kalman's drawings that is infectious -- you smile while you read. Always a good thing.

I received a copy of the new Food Rules from the publisher, Penguin Press, through TLC Book Tours. The illustrated version of Food Rules was released in November 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads where bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Have fun while eating well - Cookbook Giveaway

2011-10-29T08:06:00.000-04:00

SPORK-FED by Jenny Engel & Heather Goldberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love cookbooks. But not just any cookbooks. They have to have attractive photographs (call me shallow, but I need the visuals). They have to feature recipes that don't require me to drive two hours to find the ingredients.  And they have to have interesting text in addition to the recipes. As a long time vegetarian, if they contain veggie recipes that are new to me, that's an added plus. The new vegan cookbook Spork-Fed has all this and more.

Engel and Goldberg are sisters who own and operate Spork Foods, a California company that provides vegan cooking lessons in both group and private settings, as well as individual consultations on how to eat healthily. Their website, www.sporkonline.com even offers on-line cooking classes.  There is no preaching in this cookbook - the sisters have a fun open attitude toward food and their genuine enthusiasm for showing people how to eat well and deliciously at the same time is infectious.

One of the things I love about this cookbook is the way the recipes are presented.  The directions are clear and easy to follow and each recipe has an introductory paragraph containing suggestions on how to serve the creations. Each recipe also has two fun sections dubbed The Sporkie Scoop. For your smarts gives interesting, little-known facts about one or more of the ingredients, and For your parts does the same with respect to nutritional aspects to the recipe. The only thing that I can see some perceiving as a negative is that the recipes tend to have rather long ingredient lists. While that is not a deterrent for me, it may be for those who are looking for dishes that can be assembled in a matter of minutes.

The book is divided into the standard sections: appetizers, soups &salads, sides, main dishes, desserts and brunch. There is a list of resources for obtaining many vegan products and reading material on issues of diet and health. Finally, a "suggested menus" section provides ideas for pairing recipes to make 12 different themed meals such as "throwback to the 50's", "fancy pants" and "hold me-comfort foods."

When I received Spork-Fed, I do what I usually do with any new cookbook, that is, I turned to the desserts section! While they all sound delicious, two recipes in particular caught my eye:  Crispy Green Tea Cookies and the Apple Pie Milkshake.    They are both interesting to me because I have never made anything like either of them before. A quick rundown of the recipes in the other sections makes it clear why this cookbook would be popular even with those who don't adhere to a vegan lifestyle, as there dishes in each section that seem comfortingly familiar: corn cakes with a smoky paprika sauce, velvety carrot soup, creamy tomato soup, creamed onions with a whole wheat bread crumb topping, scallion pancakes, potato gnocchi, sweet potato biscuits and gravy. On the other hand, for those who have a wealth of veggie recipes in their repertoire, I daresay that there are many in this cookbook that will be a breath of fresh air. Contemporary, cutting-edge combinations such as miso-glazed japanese eggplant, seitan wellington with a creamy spinach sauce, and pear fig and sage tarts with a roasted garlic aioli are just a few of the novel offerings.

I am happy to have added this cookbook to my shelves and I think you will be too. In addition, Spork-Fed would make a lovely gift for the vegetarian/vegan in your life, as well as the meat-eater who likes to mix it up once in a while.

I received a copy of Spork-Fed from the publisher, St. Lynn's Press. Spork-Fed was released in October 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of St. Lynn's Press, I have one copy of Spork-Fed to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at
Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Entries limited to US residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on November 9, 2011. Good luck to all!

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-10-26T06:59:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating.

My choice this week is

Heft by Liz Moore
W.W.Norton
January 2012

From goodreads.com:

Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn't left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away, in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising baseball career—if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur—a plea for help—that jostles them into action. Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, Heft tells the winning story of two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives. Like Elizabeth McCracken’s The Giant’s House, Heft is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places.

What are you waiting for this week?

Three lucky winners

2011-10-25T08:24:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to announce the winners of three recent giveaways:

went to Luvdaylilies

went to Jennifer at Me, My Muse and I

went to Anne.

Congratulations to the winners! There is still time to enter my giveaway for My First Ladies by Nancy Clarke.

A fascinating peek into the White House -- Giveaway

2011-10-21T08:38:00.000-04:00

MY FIRST LADIES
Twenty Five Years as the White House Chief Floral Designer
by Nancy Clarke with Christie Matheson

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

One of the things that I most enjoy about attending celebratory events such as weddings or dinners is seeing the striking floral arrangements. I love flowers, but on a scale of one to ten, my ability to produce a pretty arrangement is somewhere around a negative three. My lack of talent in this area makes me particularly appreciative of those who create beautiful works of art from blooms. In her book, My First Ladies, Nancy Clarke takes the reader into the workings of the White House florist shop where, for three decades, she and her staff decorated everything from the residence quarters to formal state dinners to informal barbecues and children's parties. You don't have to be a florist to appreciate this book -- trust me, my thumb is anything but green. Ms. Clarke's recollections of her White House days make for a unique, fun read that is enhanced by over 100 stunning photographs. What makes the photos particularly appealing is that many are not of the stiff, posed variety, but rather possess an intimate quality despite their illustrious subjects.

Ms. Clarke began her career at the White House in 1978 as a floral shop volunteer when her Air Force husband was stationed in D.C. Over the next 31 years, Clarke worked for six first ladies (Carter to Obama), and achieved the position of Chief Floral Designer in 1985. Through her descriptions, the reader is taken into the rooms of the White House, including spaces that are not open to the public. And while the "tour" of the various decors is of course, integral to the book, this is not just a style or decorating diary.

In fact, what makes this book so special is that the reader is treated to interesting observations about the various White House residents from a heretofore unexplored perspective. For example, as one who observed first ladies up close and personal, Clarke noticed that the women are generally more tense during the third year of their husband's administration because the stress of campaigning and the thought of having to leave the White House, and that in the fourth year, the women return to a more settled demeanor as they become resigned to the future. Clarke manages to allow the personalities of the various first ladies she worked with shine through without seeming in the least "gossipy." She formed close relationships with several of the women, and she even worked on the wedding flowers for two daughters of presidents (Bush I and II).

It was also news to me that first families pay for all food they consume that is not part of an official function. And, while the many political ramifications of the uncertainty of the 2000 election were minutely dissected at the time by the pundits, it was a surprise to learn how the ambiguity had implications for the large staff of the White House. I had no idea that months prior to an election, the florists, housekeepers and cooks all study the color, food, and entertaining preferences of the candidates as well as their personal living styles, so as to be in the best position to satisfy quickly the desires of the next first family.

Apart from stories of the first ladies, Clarke also provides intriguing tidbits about the botanicals. Did you know that lilies are injected with muscle relaxant so as to assure that they stay open during the length of an event? Not only did Clarke have to consider the room decor when planning the flowers for an occasion, she often had to take into account obscure details: in one instance she was precluded from using any blue flowers because blue was the color of the political party that opposed the dignitary being hosted. She often had to consider the religious and cultural traditions of foreign guests: no white flowers for occasions honoring Muslim or Pacific Rim heads of state as white is the traditional color of mourning, and for the same reason, no yellow flowers at occasions honoring Central/South American visitors.

Ms. Clarke has had an amazing career, and I am so glad that she chose to share it with others in this book. As the holiday season approaches I can't help but think that this would be a lovely gift for the flower lover on your list, the person who loves reading about the White House, or for that matter, anyone who appreciates memoirs written by ordinary people who do out of the ordinary things.

I received a copy of My First Ladies from Sellers Publishing. My First Ladies was released in September 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of Sellers Publishing, I have one copy of My First Ladies to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post indicating your favorite flower. Entries are limited to US/Canada residents, and must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. The book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on November 2, 2011. Good luck to all!

Book spotlight and Giveaway

2011-10-12T09:01:00.001-04:00

KILLER SWEET TOOTH by Gayle Trent

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Those who read this blog regularly are aware that one of my weaknesses is food related books, and a particular favorite is the culinary mystery. This past year I have discovered a number of foodie series that I intend to continue with, and last week, thanks to the people at Gallery Books, I was introduced to yet another -- Gayle Trent's Daphne Martin Cake Mysteries.

Daphne Martin is in her early forties when she moves back to her hometown of Brea Ridge Virginia after her abusive ex-husband tries to kill her. In an attempt to rebuild her life, Daphne opens a cake baking business (hence the culinary part), and not long after she arrives, she gets caught up in the murder of a local resident (hence the mystery part). In Killer Sweet Tooth, Daphne stumbles upon the recently murdered Dr. Bainsworth in his dental office when she takes her friend Myra for emergency treatment. Next thing she knows, Daphne is considered a person of interest in his death. Endeavoring to clear her name while meeting her bakery obligations, which include supplying a troupe of Elvis impersonators with a peanut butter and banana showpiece cake, Daphne enlists the aid of her news editor boyfriend Ben and China York, a diminutive woman who dresses like Willie Nelson and appears to be "a cross between a pixie and a lumberjack" (p. 24). Given that Dr. Bainsworth was a serial womanizer who may or may not have been involved in somewhat shady activities, there is no shortage of possible suspects.

Daphne is an amiable character, and her good friend and sidekick Myra is quirkily fun without being over the top. One particular plus to this third entry in the series is that it can easily be read without having read either of the first two installments, Murder Takes the Cake and Dead Pan. What I will say about this one is that unlike many culinary crime stories, here, the mystery is paramount. As opposed to the Diane Mott Davidson Goldy Schulz series, to which this might be compared given the rudimentary similarity in the backstories of the culinary sleuths (abusive ex-husband who ends up in prison), the recipes are not front and center, and there is not alot of discussion of baking techniques. There is a small recipe section in the back of the book (including one for that Elvis-inspired cake), and a sample chapter from Murder Takes the Cake. I do like my culinary mysteries to have a heavy emphasis on the culinary, but because this is the first one of the series that I have read and I did like the character, I will give Daphne Martin another try to see if this book is an anomaly in that regard or is representative of the format of the series.

I received a copy of Killer Sweet Tooth from the publisher. Killer Sweet Tooth was released in October 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of Gallery Books, I have one copy of Killer Sweet Tooth to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post indicating your desire to enter. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Contest open to US residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on October 23, 2011. Good luck to all!

Are you ready for your closeup? - Giveaway

2011-10-05T07:31:00.000-04:00

LUCKY BREAK by Esther Freud

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

My "theatrical" experience is limited to high school musical productions, but I have always been fascinated by those people in the drama professions who put themselves out there in front of directors and audiences alike to be critiqued constantly. Sure, the life of the famous actor can be a glamorous one, but what about those work-a-day thespians who must endure every sort of rejection waiting for that big chance that more often than not, does not arrive. In Lucky Break, Esther Freud, the great-granddaughter of the renowned psychiatrist, offers up an absorbing glimpse into this world of emotional highs and lows through the stories of a group of drama school classmates. While I found the book a little slow going at first, I soon got quite caught up in the fortunes of each of the main characters and once the book moved beyond the drama school setting it really took off.

As the book opens, a new class of students is entering Drama Arts, the London school headed by temperamental instructor Patrick Bowery, an individual eminently skilled at striking terror into the hearts of these young dramatic hopefuls. The group includes Nell, a chubby insecure girl who quickly becomes enamored of Dan, a favorite among the staff. Nell's affections are not returned, however, as Dan begins a relationship with Jemma, a more confident and attractive young woman. There is stunning Charlie Adedayo-Martin, whose prospects following drama school appear bright, and older student Jonathan, who recently announced his homosexuality and who abandoned a career in accounting to fulfill his lifetime dream of appearing on the stage.

Freud expertly portrays the emotional rollercoaster of the acting school, adeptly animating the backstabbing over roles and the treacheries that abound between students and between Patrick and his charges as promises are broken without a second thought.  The book gains traction when the scene shifts to the working world, and the students, some of whom graduate and some of whom do not, attempt to realize their theatrical aspirations.   I cringed as Nell was preyed upon by a lascivious movie director in a classic "casting couch" scenario, and I felt the humiliation of the once rising star of Drama Arts when years later former classmates discover him serving as a waiter at a theater function.

Freud's biography reveals that she attended drama school and is married to a famous British actor, and it is presumably this background that has made her narrative so incisive. One prime example is her depiction of the inner conflict Charlie endures when she gets her first big film opportunity, and then realizes halfway through filming that she is expected to perform a nude scene. The conversation Charlie has with herself is just so real. My favorite character was Nell -- okay, I admit it, I usually root for the underdog, and she was eminently likable to boot. I wanted to comfort her as she endured the ill treatment of married lovers, and I savored the high that she experienced when she was unexpectedly auditioned for a great part in a feature film.

Of course, actors are just people too, and Freud is careful to show how the peculiar demands of an actor's professional life can exact a toll on his or her domestic life. As the years go by, Dan and Jemma marry and quickly have four children. Having given up her acting dreams when she was asked to leave Drama Arts after the second year, Jemma at first revels in being a mother and in supporting Dan's career, which remains uneven at best.  Eventually Dan scores a leading role in a play that becomes a sold out hit, and his success begins to undermine his relationship with his family. When
the play closes and he is brought back to earth and his mundane existence, it is unclear whether he will be able to cope with the loss of the adulation and the thrill that acting brings him. Dan's story made me consider just how "lucky" that "lucky break" truly is when it does come.

I very much enjoyed this vicarious peek into the lives of those who occupy the stage for a living. A good story, with interesting, authentic characters, and a wholly satisfying ending, Lucky Break gives the reader a front row seat to experience the heartbreak and exultation of a life in the performing arts, all for a fraction of the cost of a Broadway ticket.

I received an advance reader's edition of Lucky Break from the publisher, Bloomsbury USA. Lucky Break will be released in November of 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of Bloomsbury USA, I have one copy of Lucky Break to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post stating that you wish to enter. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US/Canada only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on October 17, 2011. Good luck to all!

Weekend Cooking (14): Review

2011-09-29T07:35:00.001-04:00

ENGLISH TEA MURDER by Leslie Meier

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It has been a while since I picked up a Lucy Stone mystery. Years ago, I read a number of books in this cozy mystery series, mostly holiday-themed entries. As these things go, I drifted away from the series, not for lack of enjoyment, but just because other series moved into the forefront, and one can only read so many cozys…or at least I can. This new offering still stars Lucy Stone, but missing is the ambiance of a small Maine town, and the family dynamic so integral to the series. I liked both those elements, and in fact, that was what made the series special for me. In the current installment Lucy travels to London, a far cry from Tinkers Cove, although she does take a few familiar friends with her, and her family’s travails make periodic appearances via e-mail.

That said, I did like this book. The Lucy Stone character has always been a favorite of mine. She is authentic: a caring wife and mother who has her foibles just like the rest of the world. She’s smart, but not to the point of being an unbelievable Sherlock Holmes clone, and Leslie Meier has had Lucy grow with the series, going through the various stages women pass through as their children and marriages age.

I have never been to London, so I enjoyed the mini-tour the book provides. I even learned a few things about British cuisine -- mushy peas? Beans for breakfast? Meier’s description of afternoon tea had my mouth watering: scones and cream are a huge favorite of mine. The mystery was interesting as well. Thirteen people are on the tour, the tour leader dies en route, and a cursory investigation by Scotland Yard rules the death the result of an allergic reaction. When two other tour members are placed in jeopardy, Lucy becomes concerned that there was more to the tour leader’s death than originally thought. While the charm of the Tinker’s Cove setting and its residents was absent from English Tea Murder, the book was still a good read, and in fact, in somewhat of an unusual ending for a cozy mystery, Meier does not neatly tie everything up in a clear black/white resolution of the question of guilt.

I am glad I have returned to the world of Lucy Stone, and I look forward to the next installment. First, I want to go back and read Wicked Witch Murder, as it is getting to be that time again.

I received a copy of English Tea Murder from Kensington Publishing Corp., through the Library Thing Members Giveaway Program.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Some giveaway winners

2011-09-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce the winners of my most recent giveaways:

Kathy from BermudaOnion's Weblog won a copy of Under Fire by Margaret McLean

Brenda from WW Stitcher won an ARC of Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer.

Congrats to Kathy and Brenda!

There's still time to enter the giveaway for Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Weekend Cooking (13): Review and Giveaway

2011-09-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

SUPER IMMUNITY by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Is 90 is the new 70? Perhaps.  One thing is certain -- if we are living longer, we want to be healthy for as long as possible, and as a result, there is a seemingly never-ending demand for "new" nutrition and diet books that help us get there.
Super Immunity is not a "diet" book in the traditional weight loss sense. It is a book about diet -- specifically, how to maximize your nutritional intake while keeping your caloric intake low.

Dr. Fuhrman promotes the "nutritarian diet" which is defined as a diet high in micronutrients per calorie. Macronutrients are the ones limited by traditional diets: fats, proteins, and carbs.  "Micronutrients" refer to antioxidants and phytochemicals, the plant-derived immunity building substances which contribute to essential cell function in the human body. These vitamins, minerals and enzymes found in fruits and vegetables all go to strengthening the body's immune system.   A side benefit of the nutritarian diet is that you will naturally lower your weight, as what you consume will truly satisfy your body's real appetite.

At times, I felt that this book was making some rather weighty claims (pun intended). Dr. Fuhrman contends that his way of eating may result in less illness, faster recovery time, protection against certain cancers, and a longer, more vigorous life.  He advocates five "rules" as the bedrock of his plan: a raw green salad and a serving of cooked/greens, mushrooms and onions daily, sufficient vitamin D intake, exercise, and avoidance of all processed foods. The eating plan is generally a vegan one, with protein coming from nuts, beans and seeds; in this regard, he equates the nutritarian value of a piece of chicken to that of a cookie in that neither supply antioxidants or phytochemicals (p. 20). He also stresses that many medications in widespread use for blood pressure, infections and pain may be doing more harm than good. Dr. Fuhrman includes sections on the current debates over the health effects of salt, coffee, soy and omega 3s, as well as the extent to which veganism should be deemed the best eating style. There is a nod to the practical in that the plan allows for 10% of one's total caloric intake to be items that are low on the nutrient dense scale. So you can have your oreos -- just not more than one or two a day. Finally, there is a 65 page section at the end of the book dedicated to menus and recipes designed to make adopting this eating style palatable and fun.

What makes Super Immunity different from some of the more popular nutrition releases out there is its abundance of scientific explanation, which is only fitting, I suppose, given the significant medical benefits Dr. Fuhrman claims can result from this lifestyle. I will admit that at times the minutiae of the biology, physiology and scientific research studies caused my eyes to glaze over. For that reason, if you are new to this area, this might not be the book to start with.  On the other hand, if you are not a novice in the living better through nutrition arena, and you are looking for an in depth look at how nutrition affects the body's functioning, this is the book for you. Dr. Fuhrman has made a compelling, thorough, and well-researched case for using nutrition as a bulwark against illness by targeting foods that strengthen the immune system.

I received a copy of Super Immunity from the publisher, HarperCollins, through TLC Book Tours. Super Immunity was released in September 2011.

For bonus content you can text keyword “SUPERIMMUNITY” to READIT (732348)

Thanks to the generosity of HarperCollins, I have one copy of Super Immunity to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post stating your favorite green vegetable. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. No e-mail address, no entry. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to US/Canada only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on October 4, 2011. Good luck to all!

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Two Winners

2011-09-20T19:37:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce the two winners of recent giveaways:

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay goes to Carol Wong

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante goes to Eliot's eats.

Congratulations to the winners!

There is still time to enter the giveaway for Only Time Will Tell, and stay tuned for a new review and giveaway coming Thursday!

Storyteller extraordinaire - GIVEAWAY

2011-09-15T10:54:00.001-04:00

ONLY TIME WILL TELL by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many years ago I read a novel about a boy from the English slums who manages to become a wildly successful entrepreneur. The book was a sweeping generational saga that captured my attention and kept me reading late into the night. The name of that book was As the Crow Flies, and the author was Jeffrey Archer. Since then, I have read a number of Archer's books, and every time, I have been treated to a wonderful story that I can dive into, with vibrant characters that seem to jump off the page. His are the kind of books that you can sink into after a long day and lose yourself for hours, reluctantly coming up for air only when duty calls, in one form or another.

With that sort of track record, I was thrilled to see that Jeffrey Archer had a new book out that would be the first in a multigenerational saga spanning three volumes. The only real complaint I have with Only Time Will Tell is that at the moment the projected release date for the second volume, The Sins of the Father, is April 2012. I wish I could start the second book today.

Harry Clifton never knew his father. He was told that his father died in the First World War, though he knows early on that that was not possible. Harry's working class mother, Maisie Clifton, is a gutsy woman who works hard to make ends meet, and manages to send Harry to an exclusive boarding school. There, Harry meets son of privilege Giles Barrington, and academic superstar Algernon Deakins. The three boys become fast friends, supporting each other through the school years and beyond.

Fairly early on, it is clear that Giles father, Hugo Barrington, has a connection with the Clifton family that he is desperate to keep hidden. As the story unfolds, Hugo becomes the villain you love to hate as he descends further and further into the land of the loathsome. Watching over Harry is an enigmatic older man, Old Jack Tarrant, a shadowy presence who lives in an abandoned railway car, and yet seems to know all about the Barringtons. Eventually, a long-held family secret upends Harry's life as he is about to be married and enter the hallowed halls of Oxford. The revelation sets in motion Harry's quest to avenge Hugo Barrington and all that he has done to affect his life.

Because this novel is so plot-driven, I am hesitant to reveal further details of the narrative for fear I might spoil the fun. Suffice it to say that there is a little bit of everything here: intrigue, suspicious death, lovers of the spurned and star-crossed variety, heroism, pathos, and twists and turns culminating in an ending that lofts a major curveball on the very last page.

What I will say is that Archer uses a most interesting narrative device. The book is divided into large sections told from the perspective of each of the prominent characters: Maisie, Hugo, Old Jack, Harry, and Giles. The sections cover, in part, some of the same events through different eyes. You would think that this would be redundant, but on the contrary, it adds to the suspense, because each person's story fills in facts that were deliberately left out in the previous recounting. I will admit that there were times when I found myself thinking that I had missed something, only to realize in the next section that it was an intentional omission,not my lack of concentration. Once I recognized the storytelling pattern, I looked forward to seeing what I would discover in the next person's interpretation. I will say, though, that this device might become tedious if it is carried into the next two entries in the series: too much of a good thing, and all that.

For all you readers out there who are looking for a good, old-fashioned saga, an earnest protagonist, a formidable mother that has a heart of gold that you can't help but root for, and a detestable foil whose downfall you eagerly anticipate, look no further than Only Time Will Tell. Jeffrey Archer has done it again. Let's hear it for the British!

I received an advance reader's edition of Only Time Will Tell from the publisher, St. Martin's Press. Only Time Will Tell was released in September of 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of St. Martin's Press, I have one advanced reader's edition of Only Time Will Tell to give away to a lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to U.S. residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on September 27, 2011. Good luck to all!

Gripping courtroom fiction - GIVEAWAY

2011-09-09T06:58:00.001-04:00

UNDER FIRE by Margaret McLean

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

In this third novel by former Boston prosecutor Margaret McLean, readers are drawn into the worlds of arson investigation and criminal defense through the human story of an immigrant victimized by the predatory actions of a large developer. Amina Diallo, a Senegalese woman, is charged with setting fire to her food market in order to avoid losing it to foreclosure proceedings, and with the murder of a fireman who was shot as he tried to rescue Diallo and her son. From the outset, it is clear to the reader both that Diallo knows more about the events than she is willing to say and that there was someone there the night of the fire who intends to do her harm.

Given the author's background, I expected the courtroom scenes to be interesting and authentic, and I was not disappointed. The surprise for me was her wonderful characterizations: this novel is peppered with vibrant, likeable personalities. There is Buddy Clancy, the charming and sharp as a tack defense attorney who wears bow ties that convey subtle messages to the jury, and his co-counsel and niece Sarah Lynch, a former assistant district attorney who is still suffering guilt over the death of her boyfriend and colleague four years earlier in a witness interview that went bad. Lynch's interactions with her uncle Buddy and his dog Rehnquist are heartwarming, and offer welcome moments of comic relief in an otherwise intense and dark narrative. McLean has also created a fascinating character in Sgt. Frank Brady, the state police fire investigator, who has a thing for Sarah, and must wrestle with his feelings when he learns that she has traded on their friendship to get evidence to help Diallo.

There are multiple threads to this story, and at times the plot line becomes somewhat convoluted because there are so many possible angles to the story. That minor quibble aside, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the intricacies of fire investigation and the machinations underpinning the trial proceedings. I particularly liked the author's innovative choice to convey the trial action, at times, through the voices of individual jurors. Not only was this an interesting way to move the action along, but it also powerfully illustrated how a juror's perception of trial evidence will inevitably be shaped by his or her own personal history.

If you like courtroom thrillers where the characters are as equally important as the action, I recommend you give Under Fire a try. I myself am looking forward to seeing Buddy and Sarah in action again. And Rehnquist too, of course.

I received a finished copy of Under Fire from the publisher, Forge/ Tom Doherty Associates. Under Fire was released in June of 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of the publisher, I have one copy of Under Fire to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Giveaway limited to US/Canada residents only, and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on September 20, 2011. Good luck to all!

Another 2011 Five Star Read -- GIVEAWAY

2011-09-03T09:48:00.000-04:00

TURN OF MIND by Alice LaPlante

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finishing this book, I was speechless. This profoundly moving debut novel is the second book that I have read this year that I know will be in my top ten of 2011. Alice LaPlante has done something truly amazing in Turn of Mind.

Like peering through rheumy eyes, the world fades in and out. For the moment, the veil lifts, and all is clear and in focus. And then the veil descends, and the world is obscured. That's the world that former orthopedic hand surgeon Dr. Jennifer White lives in as she falls deeper into the abyss that is Alzheimer's. Just how far removed from reality Dr. White is becomes the issue when her best friend Amanda is found dead, her fingers neatly severed. Could Dr. White be responsible?

I picked this one up primarily because of the "murder mystery," but the truth is that the "did she kill her?" angle is not really the point or the focus of the book. The revelation of the truth surrounding Amanda's death is somewhat of a twist, but not really such a surprise. Instead, the devastating impact of the novel is in its heartbreakingly accurate portrayal of how life will end for this esteemed doctor tormented by the fragmentation of her jumbled mind.

There are no chapters in Turn of Mind. Instead, the narrative moves along through free flowing conversation, journal entries, and observations of Jennifer and those around her. This structure allows LaPlante to have Jennifer fade in and out of lucidity, in a narration that perfectly suits its subject.

Describing the decades long relationship that Jennifer and Amanda have as a friendship seems a bit of a stretch -- do friends do the things these two do to each other? I think not. Neither of these women is particularly appealing. Jennifer is manipulative, harsh, and at times, terrifying, but she is nuanced as well. For example, playing to stereotype, one might expect this accomplished surgeon to be intimidating, but in fact, over the years, Jennifer is repeatedly intimidated by the older Amanda. While the reader never hears from Amanda --she is dead when the book opens -- LaPlante skillfully manages to create a character that engenders an abundance of feeling. Amanda is in a word, despicable. What is so unique about this novel is LaPlante's adeptness at bringing a character to life solely through the recollections of another. The fact that the recollector is such a fragmented character herself is what makes the manner in which Amanda is portrayed all the more wondrous.

LaPlante's depiction of what it is like for someone suffering from Alzheimer's puts me in mind of the stunning portrait of autism contained in House Rules. With the help of ancillary characters, LaPlante shows how this horrific disease touches the surviving family members -- how it is not just dealing with forgetfulness, but the fact that a loved one, who looks the same, is in fact a different person, and often one that is hard to control.

I am simply floored by this book. Truly in awe of what she has created here. Her next book cannot come fast enough for me.

I received an advance reader's edition of Turn of Mind from the publisher, Grove/Atlantic. Turn of Mind was released in July of 2011.

Thanks to the generosity of Grove/Atlantic, I have one copy of Turn of Mind to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Entries must include an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Entries limited to U.S. residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. The winner will be selected using random.org and the book will be mailed by the publisher. Winner will be notified by e-mail, and will have 72 hours to respond. In the event the winner does not respond within that time, another winner will be selected. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on September 17, 2011. Good luck to all!

Some winners

2011-09-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the two winners of An Accident in August by Laurence Cosse

Julie from Knitting and Sundries

Audra from Unabridged Chick

And congratulations to the winner of Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

kimyunalesca from In times like these

There is still time to enter the giveaway for Books Can Be Deceiving, and stay tuned for a giveaway of what will surely be one of my top ten reads of 2011.

GIVEAWAY - Books Can Be Deceiving

2011-08-30T10:27:00.001-04:00

Great news!

Thanks to the generosity of Berkley Prime Crime, I have one copy of Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay, recently reviewed here, to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. Entries are limited to U.S. residents only and no P.O. Boxes please. For a valid entry, please leave a comment on this post, and include an e-mail address either in your comment or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Followers of this blog get an additional entry. Winner will be chosen by random.org and the book will be mailed directly by the publisher. In the event that the winner does not respond to my e-mail within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on September 14, 2011. Good luck to all!

A mystery for book lovers

2011-08-26T08:48:00.000-04:00

BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING by Jenn McKinlay
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I selected this book because I had read one of Jenn McKinlay's Cupcake Bakery mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed it. This new series looks to be promising as well.

The main character, library director Lindsey Norris is likable, and what avid reader wouldn't appreciate a librarian who identifies people by the books they love to read? Equally appealing is her best friend, children's librarian Beth Stanley, who is not above dressing up in a Little Red Hen costume to entertain her young patrons. When Beth's ex-boyfriend, a despicable but award-winning children's book author is found murdered, Beth becomes the prime suspect, and she and Lindsey team up to find the real killer.

All the makings of a good cozy are here, from the small-town seaside setting to fun, quirky characters, including a sour-faced librarian known as "the lemon." I particularly enjoyed Lindsey's wry observations about the library patrons and employees, and Beth's charm and zest for life makes her the perfect foil to Lindsey's more staid persona. Even the identity of the killer is not painfully obvious, as can be a pitfall of many cozies.

The original paperback edition of Books Can be Deceiving contains several nice extras as well: a reading guide for a suggested book club pick, a knitting pattern for a hat Lindsey makes in the book, several recipes referenced in the story, and a preview of the next book in the series, Due or Die.

If you like reading books where books feature prominently, whether it be a bookstore, library or publishing industry setting, and you like your mysteries soft as opposed to hard boiled, then I suggest you give this one a try.

I received a copy of Books Can Be Deceiving from the publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Group USA, through the Library Thing Members Giveaway program.

A hero on a white horse

2011-08-22T08:56:00.000-04:00

THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION by Elizabeth Letts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite books was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. The heart-warming story of the brave, gallant horse made such an impression on me that in my minds eye, some forty years later, I can still see the cover of the book like it was yesterday. Today I finished a book about another horse, this time a gallant white one, that stole my heart like Beauty did all those years ago.

The Eighty Dollar Champion is the story of Snowman, a discarded farm horse destined for the slaughterhouse, who went on to win top honors in the world of show jumping in 1958 and 1959. It is also the inspiring account of Snowman's owner, Harry DeLeyer, a Dutch immigrant who lived through the Nazi occupation and moved with his young wife across the ocean to create a better life for his family. The bond between Snowy and Harry begins when Harry buys the beaten down horse for $80 after seeing a spark in his eyes, and blossoms into a tie so strong that when Harry tries to sell the horse after restoring his health, the horse responds by repeatedly jumping paddock fences to make his way back home.

This story might have all the makings of a syrupy Hallmark movie, but the book is, in fact, a fascinating study of the changing face of America in the 1950's and 60's as the elitism of horse shows gave way to the "everyman" spectator who began watching the sport on the new medium of television. The year that Snowman first won the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden was the year when the horse shows ceased to be the bastion of the privileged. Letts details how the souring economy coupled with a struggling newspaper industry seeking any new angle to attract readers, aligned to propel Snowman's underdog story to even bigger attention.

Having no background in the equestrian world, I learned a good deal from reading this book, including the fact that the ASPCA was originally created to prevent cruelty to horses. There is a wealth of information about the different types of jumps, the things that can affect a horse's performance, and the manner in which horses are trained. Letts conducted numerous interviews with DeLeyer during the drafting of this work, and it shows.

With the exception of one or two slow moving technical sections on horse racing and breeding, Letts' easy flowing style makes this nonfiction account read like riveting fiction. What makes her narrative particularly special is the way in which she parallels Snowman's brush with death to Harry's first-hand experiences in the war, and identifies these as the genesis of their urge to live life to the fullest. Each came from humble beginnings, with a heart big enough to be a champion, and both rose to defy conventional expectations.

At his first jumping show, Snowman and Harry are derided by fellow entrants. After he wins a few lesser ribbons, Harry could have been satisfied with the modest success, given his secure job as a horse riding instructor, his small home, and his loving family, but both he and Snowman wanted more: to showcase the gifts they had been given. When Harry goes on to compete in the stratified world of professional show jumping, both he and his horse are treated as outsiders, making their first victory over an Olympic champion horse all the more sweet.

Of course, no horse lives forever, and though not unanticipated, by the time one gets to the end of the story, there is such an emotional investment in this pair, that a good supply of tissues should be at hand. All told, this was a wonderful account of a truly inspiring relationship between man and animal sure to be loved by horse aficionados and neophytes alike.

I received an advance reader's edition of The Eighty-Dollar Champion from the publisher, Ballantine Books, through the Library Thing Early Reviewer's Program. The Eighty-Dollar Champion will be released on August 23, 2011.

Weekend Cooking (12): Recipe, Review and Giveaway

2011-08-18T09:50:00.005-04:00

Have you ever had the experience of reading a book, that is not a food-centered novel, but you nonetheless find yourself craving a particular food because of the setting of the book? Well, that happened to me when reading the wonderful new novel, Ellis Island, the story of an Irish immigrant's experiences in America during the 1920's. From the first page of this book, I couldn't stop thinking that I wanted to make Irish Soda Bread, even in spite of the hot and muggy summer weather we are currently mired in. Feeling like I was a little bit crazed, I dug out my tried and true recipe, which I plan to make for breakfast tomorrow morning. I'm sure you bakers out there probably have your own version of this, but here's the one I like to use:

Irish Soda Bread:

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup currants, plumped
3 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Whisk together first five ingredients. Mix in currants and caraway seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Stir wet into dry to make a sticky batter. Mound the batter on a cooking sheet. Cut an X into top of loaf. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in loaf comes out cleanly.

And now for the book that inspired this mid-summer baking binge:

ELLIS ISLAND by Kate Kerrigan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in the 1920's, Ellis Island is the engrossing story of a young Irish couple, Ellie Flaherty and John Hogan, who fell in love as children and married as soon as they were able.  When John is injured fighting with the IRA, Ellie goes to America to earn money for an operation John desperately needs to walk again. Finding herself the personal maid to the young wife of a wealthy industrialist, Ellie is exposed to the glittering excesses of the roaring twenties and the burst of modernization sweeping the country as cars, electricity and home appliances become commonplace. Ellie proves herself to be smart, fierce, and wholly self-reliant, and after only a year she leaves service to enter the business world as a typist. As she comes to love her life in America, she writes to John imploring him to join her, but he refuses to leave Ireland.

Ultimately, the new life Ellie has made for herself proves to be a double-edged sword. She realizes that she must choose between her love for her husband, and the happiness she has found in fulfilling the potential she knew she had but feared would never reach had she stayed in Ireland.  When circumstances force her to return to Ireland for a visit, Ellie goes home with a heavy heart, unsure of what the future will hold for herself and her marriage.

I read this book in two days, returning to it with anticipation each time I set it down. Ellie is such a likeable character, one that I truly cared about to the end. Ms. Kerrigan does a marvelous job of bring the Prohibition Era to life, and the portions of the book recounting Ellie's experiences in service were reminiscent of "Upstairs Downstairs," which I loved.  To that end, there is the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Flannery, who rules the roost with an iron hand, but has a caring heart, and the frivolous maid Shelia, a school friend of Ellie's, who fulfills her dream of marrying a rich society gentleman.

While Ellis Island is a fine telling of the immigrant experience, it is much more than that. The novel explores the eternal question of the choices women often make in deciding how much to sacrifice for love, and particularly, when love seems to come at the cost of one's own true self. In resolving the question here, the book's ending is entirely authentic. Ellie's thoughts and reactions are real in that they are nuanced and layered -- which is only fitting for the multi-faceted woman she determines herself to be. For those who love immigrant stories, and those who appreciate strong and thoughtful female characters, I highly recommend Ellis Island.

Thanks to the generosity of HarperCollins, I have one copy of Ellis Island to give away to a lucky reader. In order to enter, please leave a comment on this post. Followers of this blog receive an additional entry. All entries must include an e-mail address, either in the comment or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Entries are limited to U.S. and Canada only, and no P.O. Boxes please.   Publisher will mail the book directly. The winner will be selected using random.org. In the event that the winner does not respond to my e-mail within 72 hours, a new winner will be selected. Contest ends 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on August 29, 2011. Good luck to all!

I received an advance review copy of Ellis Island from the publisher. Ellis Island was released in July of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads where bloggers share food related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Two winners

2011-08-16T09:56:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to announce the winners of my most recent giveaways:

Michelle from Peaceful Reader won The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Lisa from Buttery Books won Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly

Congratulations to Michelle and Lisa!

There is still time to enter the giveaway for An Accident in August by Laurence Cosse' and stay tuned for another giveaway upcoming this weekend.

An Accident in August: Review and Giveaway

2011-08-14T07:30:00.001-04:00

AN ACCIDENT IN AUGUST by Laurence Cosse'

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time has lasting consequences and sometimes it doesn't. For Louise Origan, a 25-year-old French citizen, the fear of such consequences may turn out to be worse than the consequences themselves. Or not.

In Laurence Cosse's novel, An Accident in August, the reader is taken back to the night of Princess Di's death in Paris, and asked to consider what might have happened to the person in the unidentified white Fiat that was in the tunnel at the time of the crash, and that may have been responsible, in part, for the accident. Cosse' brings the Fiat driver to life in the person of Louise "Lou" Origan, and imagines her reaction as she discovers that the accident she witnessed was in fact the one being mourned by millions around the globe. At first, Lou is singularly concerned with the loss of privacy that she will undergo if she is identified. As the accident is relentlessly dissected over the ensuing days, she worries that she may have been at fault, and that she was morally bankrupt in her decision to flee the scene. She decides to try and avoid detection, but a sinister individual with knowledge of her role in the accident crops up, throwing her life into turmoil. Ultimately, their interaction culminates in a shocking conclusion that changes her life forever.

What a great read. It is utterly chilling to watch Lou's paranoia escalate as she scours newspapers and radio broadcasts for any sign that the police are on to her, becoming consumed by guilt in the form of horrific nightmares.  There is also alot to think about here. Reading Lou's story makes one consider the guilt we impose upon ourselves, whether deserved or imagined, and the effect that has on our lives.  The social commentary on the devastating effects of relentless media coverage is profound, as is the exploration of the underlying issues of responsibility. Should she have stopped? Is it fair to expect her to turn herself in once she realized what had happened, given the media blitz that was sure to follow? Because the culture of celebrity created by the media informed her reaction, does the media bear any of the responsibility for her actions?

Cosse' has created an overarching eeriness in this book -- an uncomfortable, yet riveting ambiance that, no pun intended, worked on me like a traffic accident that you just can't look away from. I kept on turning the pages, all the while squirming in my seat.  With the appearance of the man who threatens to expose Lou's identity, the book does veer somewhat into the surreal. I was a little disappointed in that sense, as I felt it took away from the Hitchcockian psychological tension that was flawlessly executed up to that point. But this is a minor quibble. I found this book fascinating, and I think you will too.

Thanks to the generosity of Europa Editions, I have two copies of An Accident in August to give away to two lucky readers of my blog.  You can enter by leaving a comment on this post indicating whether you watched Diana's wedding and/or funeral, the recent royal wedding, or none of the above. For an additional entry, be a follower of this blog. If you follow in a reader or RSS feed, please let me know so that I can give you the additional entry. Entries are limited to U.S. and Canada only and no P.O. Boxes please. Entries must include an e-mail address, either in the comment, or in an e-mail to me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Please be sure to adjust your spam filters to accept my e-mail address. Winners will be chosen by random.org and will have 72 hours after notification to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on August 22, 2011. Good luck to all!

I received a copy of An Accident in August from the publisher. An Accident in August will be released on August 30, 2011.

Intrigue in the Tudor Court

2011-08-09T19:11:00.000-04:00

PROPHECY by S.J. Parris

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The year is 1583, Queen Elizabeth is on the throne, and Catholic forces are pushing to bring the English monarchy back under Papal authority in the form of Mary Stuart. At the same time, the upcoming alignment of Jupiter and Saturn is causing widespread fear that cataclysmic events will usher in the end-of-days. Enter Giordano Bruno, an anti-papist monk ex-communicated for his heretical theories about the infinite nature of the universe and man's ability to achieve the divine, who arrives in England after fleeing the Inquisition. With the blessing of King Henri VI of France, Bruno takes up residence with the elderly French ambassador Michel de Castelnau and his young, seductive wife Marie.

When one of Queen Elizabeth's court maids is found dead under circumstances that appear to be a warning to the Protestant queen from her papist enemies, Bruno is asked by the queen's secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham, to act as a spy. Bruno agrees, in recognition of the freedoms he enjoys under the English regime, as well as a more practical need for patronage in order to continue his work as a philosopher/writer. As Bruno digs deeper into the death of the maid, another girl is killed and the facts again point to the factions loyal to the Duke of Guise, a french nobleman devoted to the cause of bringing Mary Stuart to the throne.

Palace intrigues abound as Bruno matches wits with a cast of colorful characters, including Henry Howard, who fervently supports Guise's plans to invade England, but who may have more than just his Catholic faith as a motivating factor, and William Fowler, an enigmatic Scottish lawyer who is to be Bruno's partner in helping Walsingham safeguard Queen Elizabeth's interests. There is Ned Kelley, a self-proclaimed "seer" whose divining abilities have made him a favorite of the Queen's astrologer, and Archibald Douglas, a mercenary Scotsman whose true loyalties are anyone's guess.

Prophecy is sub-titled "an historical thriller" and thrilling it is. I did not realize that this was the second book in a series featuring the Bruno character. Usually I don't like to read books out of order, but Prophecy was easily read as a stand-alone novel. Given that this is a fairly popular period for historical fiction, I daresay alot of readers will be familiar with the basic outlines of the story. I enjoyed reading about the ancient writings of Hermes Trismegistus and the lost book that allegedly contains the secret to man's ability to commune with God directly and achieve immortality. I most enjoyed the parts of the book that dealt with Bruno's thoughts on a new understanding of the relationship between man and God; as a result, I want to read the first book, Heresy, which I am assuming would contain more in that regard as it details his ex-communication from the Dominican order and his struggles with the Inquisition.

The set up in the epilogue for what will be the next book is particularly strong. Too often, when a sequel is planned, the concluding chapter can seem contrived or rushed. Here, the denouement is satisfying, and seamlessly paves the way for what will be the next installment in which Bruno searches for the secrets of the infinite universe.

For those who like their historical fiction spiced with murder and intrigue, but very little romance, I enthusiastically recommend Prophecy.

I was given an advance reader's edition of Prophecy by the publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

Weekend Cooking (11): Review and Giveaway

2011-08-05T06:15:00.000-04:00

ANGELINA'S BACHELORS: A Novel, with Food
by Brian O'Reilly Recipes by Virginia O'Reilly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Last week I had the pleasure of reviewing The Kitchen Daughter, a novel from Gallery Books in which the main character uses her cooking skills as a means to cope with the death of her parents. This week, I read another food-related fiction offering, again from Gallery Books, in which a young widow mines her culinary gifts to make a new life for herself in the midst of her grief. Though very different in tone from The Kitchen Daughter, I enjoyed Angelina's Bachelors every bit as much.

Angelina D'Angelo has been married to her husband Frank for only a few years when he suddenly dies from an apparent heart attack. Several days later, Angelina learns that she has also lost her job. Bereft, and in need of an income, she finds comfort and economic support by providing breakfast and dinner for seven neighborhood bachelors. The group of men who gather around Angelina's table are an eclectic group that includes a seminarian questioning his call, a former bad boy from Angelina's childhood, a cultured retiree looking to experience passion in all forms, and a young man considering proposing to his long-time girlfriend. Set in the colorful Italian enclave that is South Philadelphia, this account of the joy cooking can bring to both the server and the served, is a delightful and uplifting story, albeit not one to be read on an empty stomach!

In fact, what makes Angelina's Bachelors quite different from the many other food-centric novels that I have read, is that they were for the most part, books with a few short recipes popping up here and there. By contrast, here there are numerous recipes -- 23 to be exact -- each of which is worthy of inclusion in a high-end gourmet cookbook. Most of the recipes are at least two or three pages in length and entail complicated preparation and presentation instructions. Just to give you an idea, here's a sampling: Lavender-Spiced Leg of Lamb and Ratatouille Frittata; Caraway-Sage Chicken-Pork Sausages with Braised Cabbage in Individual Boules; and Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with a Cointreau Glaze and Cranberries. The quality of the recipes is explained by the fact that the author's wife, who provided all the recipes, has written for Food Network shows and two published cookbooks. In an addendum to the book, I learned that the author, Brian O'Reilly, is the creator and executor producer of Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network, and has himself authored two cookbooks with the star of that show, Chef Robert Irvine.

Lest you get the idea that Angelina's Bachelors is only about the food, make no mistake; this is a wonderful story featuring an utterly appealing protagonist, surrounded by a charming cast of characters. The warmth of Angelina's neighbors shines through, and the vitality of her South Philadelphia surroundings makes the setting very much a character in its own right. In that regard, this book reminded me of some of Adriana Trigiani's novels in the way it conveyed the all-encompassing sense of family that prevails in old world Italian communities.

Last week I said to have a box of tissues handy. This week, I say have a roasting pan at the ready because after reading Angelina's Bachelors, you just may be inspired to fire up the stove. At the very least, you will want to make reservations at your favorite Italian restaurant, although you can only hope the food will be as good as Angelina's.

Thanks to the generosity of Gallery Books, I have one copy of Angelina's Bachelors to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment indicating your favorite Italian meal. For an additional entry, be a follower of this blog. If you follow in a reader or feed, please let me know so that I can give you the extra entry. All entrants MUST include an e-mail address either in a comment, or by e-mail to Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Book will be mailed by the publisher. Giveaway limited to U.S. residents only, and no P.O. Boxes please. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on August 15, 2011. Good luck to all!

I received a copy of Angelina's Bachelors from the publisher, Gallery Books, a division of Simon and Schuster. Angelina's Bachelors was released in August of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Some giveaway winners

2011-08-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

The winner of The Spoils of Time Trilogy by Penny Vincenzi is Brenda from My Spring Snow. Congratulations Brenda!

The winner of Gluten-Free Cookies by Luane Kohanke is Yvonne from Fiction Books.
Congratulations Yvonne!

Thanks to all who commented and entered, and don't forget there's still time to enter the giveaway for The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry.

Weekend Cooking (10) : Review and Giveaway

2011-07-29T07:07:00.000-04:00

THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER by Jael McHenry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are many different methods of coping with grief. For Ginny Selvaggio, a 26-year-old with Asperberger's syndrome, losing herself in cooking rituals helps her to deal with the sudden death of both her parents. This coping mechanism is nothing new to Ginny: the structure and distraction to be gained from focusing on the sensations of various foods, as well as the details of preparation, has been her way of dealing with the sensory overloads that have bedeviled her from childhood. Ginny's sister, the "normal" Amanda, tries to bring order to Ginny's life in the wake of their parents' death, but her well-intentioned efforts result in a fracturing of their relationship, which may or may not be reparable.

As Ginny struggles to maintain her equilibrium, she recreates her grandmother Nonna's recipe for bread soup, and is startled to discover that it causes Nonna's ghost to appear. After uncovering a box containing handwritten recipes, Ginny recreates several, each time calling forth apparitions that help her to understand more about her family and herself. When Ginny befriends a young man mired in his own grief and guilt over his part in his wife's death, she is determined to try and use her gift to help him heal. With the aid of her "visitors", Ginny also tries to find the way to her own place of healing, both in her relationship with her sister, and within herself.

I was very much taken with the premise of this book. In The Kitchen Daughter, McHenry gives readers a wonderful story about the durability of the human spirit, and the powerful role food can play in our lives. She has also done the seemingly impossible in writing a book in which there is not one iota of contrived tragedy or corny sentimentality, despite the fact that the story involves visits from the departed. Love expresses itself in many forms: for those who perceive it in all things culinary, it is hardly a stretch to accept that certain foods will embody a spiritual connection to special people in our lives.

Particularly poignant is her description of the Jewish burial society chevra kadisha, whose consoling rituals include food preparation for those who have lost family members, or are suffering some terrible hardship. It was wonderful to watch Ginny join with them to use her culinary gifts in a way that made her feel part of a communal society, something she struggled with on a daily basis as she functioned in the world at large.

This book is a must read for anyone who is familiar with the comforting effect kitchen routines can have on a troubled soul. It is a must read for anyone who loves stories with characters that tear at your heart, who are flawed and ironic, who make you care so deeply that your eyes well over at their pain.

Read it with a box of tissues and a soothing cup of tea at hand. Or, if, like me, you are sweltering in the summer heat, read it with a serving of "The Georgia Peach" using the recipe in the book. You'll be glad you did.

Thanks to the generosity of Gallery Books, I have one copy of The Kitchen Daughter to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, please leave a comment indicating a particular food that has a special association for you. For an additional entry, be a follower of this blog. If you follow in a reader or feed, please let me know so that I can give you the extra entry. All entrants MUST include an e-mail address either in a comment, or by e-mail to Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Book will be mailed by the publisher. Giveaway limited to U.S. residents only, and no P.O. Boxes please. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on August 8, 2011. Good luck to all!

I received a hardcover edition of The Kitchen Daughter from the publisher, Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

A sad tale from a dark time

2011-07-21T07:28:00.000-04:00

JERUSALEM MAIDEN by Talia Carner

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Set at the decline of the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem Maiden tells the story of one Esther Kaminsky, an Orthodox Jewish girl whose artistic genius is stunted by religious strictures that dictate she marry and bear children in order to hasten the Messiah's arrival. Though Esther is encouraged by a beloved teacher to express herself through her paintings, Esther cannot bring herself to defy the rabbinical dictates until she witnesses first-hand the despair that submitting to an arranged marriage can bring. After agreeing to a plan that she believes will be a path to freedom, Esther finds herself the victim of a cruel trick that traps her in the role of wife and mother. Her plan to pursue her artistic career while not abandoning her faith foiled, she ends up living a life that she did not want or choose. Years later, when an opportunity to go to Paris presents itself, Esther grabs at it, and once there, she reconnects with her former teacher. Over the weeks she spends in Paris, Esther morphs into a "modern" Jew: she never looses her connection to God, she just manifests it in different ways as she sheds the restrictions that, for her, stifled rather than opened the way to God. Everything changes for Esther as she at last gives in to a forbidden love, and comes to believe that her talent is a gift from God to be used, not hidden. Just when she believes that in developing her art she is doing what God has always intended for her, tragedy strikes one of her children, causing her to question all that she has become. In response to the catastrophe, Esther makes a great sacrifice that will change her life forever.

This book is a sad one. Overwhelmingly sad. The earlier portions of the book are replete with descriptions of poverty, vermin, and deplorable living conditions. There are seemingly never-ending human tragedies. At one point, when I thought that nothing more could happen to poor Esther, locusts arrive. Yes, locusts. The novel is also filled with scenes of heart-breaking pathos, such as when Esther is excluded from the comforting embrace of her male family members at her brother's graveside, and her ineligibility, as a girl, to say the Kaddish that brings comfort to those who mourn. Even the epilogue, which contains the requisite plot twist, has an aura of overarching sadness, leaving the reader bereft at the needless sorrow and wasted lives for so many of those involved.

There are several reasons why the book did not really work for me, and it was not the dark mood. I can read and enjoy a sad book with the best of them. The real problem is the fact that I did not connect with Esther on any level. Significantly, this was not a function of the difference in time or culture, but rather, that as a character Esther just did not come off the page for me. I am also not a big fan of the "star-crossed lover" scenario, and so for me, the melodrama of that part of the story was unappealing. Finally, the plot line, while authentic, was fairly predictable. To be fair, I have read a fair number of books about the lives of the ultra-orthodox, and in that regard, the book may be of more interest to someone who has not had a similar reading background.

In sum, this is a book that I am not sorry I read, but one I am not likely to recommend.

I received an advance reader's edition of Jerusalem Maiden from the publisher, HarperCollins. Jerusalem Maiden was released in June of 2011.

Weekend Cooking (9): Review and GIVEAWAY

2011-07-14T09:52:00.000-04:00

GLUTEN-FREE COOKIES by Luane Kohnke

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love cookies? Maybe those people who thought they had to settle for a store-bought gluten-free alternative. Not anymore. If anyone you know is living gluten-free, or simply cutting down on the gluten in their diet, run, don’t walk to pick up this book.

Once confined to a small population of those who suffer from celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is now being adopted by a growing percentage of the population, with its adherents found in the autism community, those afflicted with GI problems, and others who simply find that they feel better when abstaining from gluten products. Falling into that last category myself, and because I love to bake, I was very interested to check out Gluten-Free Cookies. I was delighted with what I found. This is a lovely looking book, with beautiful photographs, and clear, easy to follow recipes. Each recipe contains a short introduction, with helpful advice and tips designed to maximize the chances of a successful result. While some of the recipes contain fairly long ingredient lists (which is pretty typical of gluten-free baking), others require surprisingly few ingredients, none of which would be considered unusual.

One of the problems with living gluten-free is the fact that so many of the commercially prepared products are full of artificial ingredients with names sounding like they came out of a chemistry book, rather than a food compendium. As a welcome contrast, here, the author’s approach is one of “freshest ingredients with minimal substitution” (5). In addition, she stresses that she wanted the taste of the cookies to be of paramount concern, so that they would be great cookies that just happened to be gluten-free, as opposed to “second class” alternatives (5). In fact, that is one of the things that impressed me the most about this book -- the fact that the author, who trained at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York City, cared so much about the taste, texture and appearance of her cookies.

The recipes fall into six general categories. “Classics” include chocolate chip pecan, peanut butter, shortbread and old fashioned sugar. A children’s collection features jam thumbprints, snickerdoodles, gingerbread and cutouts to name a few. There are “Fruit delights” such as lemon drops, cranberry-orange nut drops, and apple cookies, and “bars and squares” of double-chocolate brownies with walnuts, double-cherry streusel bars and chocolate-raspberry fingers. A whole chapter is dedicated to “meringues only” with lovely concoctions in the form of brown sugar pecan kisses, lavender clouds and fruit and nut bonbons, and many others. Finally, a entire section set aside for “celebrations and sharing” contains treats for those special occasions with instructions for, among others, pecan wedding cakes, and french chocolate macaroons. There is even a recipe in the children’s section for a double-chocolate “pizza cookie” that can be assembled and frosted to resemble a cake that would surely be a hit at any child’s gluten-free birthday party!

Apart from the wealth of delectable recipes, Ms. Kohnke has provided pages of valuable information on the basics of gluten free baking, addressing the specific challenges of working with rice and nut flours. She also includes an ingredients list, with an interesting discussion of several components of gluten-free recipes that may be unfamiliar to the home baker: she explains what xanathan gum is, the difference in finished product when using brown rice versus white rice flour, and the fact that pure vanilla extract will be gluten-free, but most imitation extracts will not be. In addition, there is advice on how to convert your own wheat-based recipes to a gluten-free cookie, allowing those requiring gluten-free treats to have an old favorite in edible form. Finally, the back of the book contains a reference guide for obtaining specialty flours and additives, and a list of groups and publications of interest to the celiac community. It is not surprising that in his foreword to the book, the Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University cites it as a great resource for those needing to live gluten-free.

Thanks to the generosity of Sellers Publishing, I am delighted to announce that I have one copy of Gluten-Free Cookies to give away to a lucky reader of this blog. Entries are open internationally, but no P.O. boxes please. Book will be mailed directly by the publisher.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Followers of this blog will receive an additional entry; if you follow in a reader or RSS feed, please let me know so that I can give you the additional entry. Entrants must provide an e-mail address either in the comment, or by e-mailing me at Bookgirlblog@hotmail.com. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on July 31, 2011.

I received a finished copy of Gluten-Free Cookies from Sellers Publishing, Inc.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Weekend Cooking (8): Book Review

2011-07-09T06:19:00.014-04:00

EAT NAKED by Margaret Floyd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In her new book Eat Naked, nutritional therapist Margaret Floyd advocates consuming food in its most natural state, essentially eliminating the heavily processed foods that are staples of many American diets. She defines "naked" as food that is whole and unrefined, grown naturally and locally, purchased in season, and minimally prepared. A mouthful to be sure.

In starting the book, I figured that I could safely guess what a "naked" apple or head of lettuce might be. What was less clear to me is how one would define "naked" meat or dairy, but Floyd does so quite clearly. Through individual chapters covering produce, meat, dairy/eggs, fish, fats, grains/beans/nuts/seeds and beverages/sweeteners/condiments, Floyd sets out how to pick the most nutritious options in each category.

There is a fair amount of stating the obvious here: condiments you make fresh at home are obviously more healthy than those processed options available at the grocery store; quality oils are superior in both taste and health benefits to inferior varieties; and your local farmer's market is the best place to find "naked" foods. For those who have read alot in this area, there is also a fair amount of familiar information, as in the listing of the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" produce items, and the fact that thirst may often masquerade as hunger. But for the person new to the world of healthy eating, the book is a fine start: Floyd's writing is concise and easily understood and there is alot of worthwhile information contained therein. In addition, the 40 pages of recipes in the back contain some interesting options.

The thing I most appreciated about the book is that despite some controversial notions -- she drinks only milk that's raw, whole and unhomogenized (61) -- Floyd "keeps it real" as when she admits that she sometimes eats "wildly un-naked foods" (185). In fact, in her closing chapter, she reminds her readers that "inflexibility isn't much healthier than not giving a rat's ass about what you put in your mouth. Both are extremes and, in my mind, terribly out of balance" (185). That nod to reality is what makes her approach workable in my mind; moderation in all things and all that. Just don't ask me to drink raw milk; that is where I draw the line.

I received a copy of Eating Naked from the publisher, New Harbinger Publications. Eating Naked was released in June of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

What's Your Go-To Book? - GIVEAWAY

2011-07-06T07:01:00.000-04:00

In helping to run a used bookstore I often find myself being asked to recommend a book from amongst our varied stock, which is short on best-sellers but long on wonderful old backlist titles. Normally I try to tailor the recommendation to the customer's tastes, although sometimes the customer will simply say, well, what do you like? -- which is nice but not particularly helpful. While I have made many a suggestion in my time, there is one book that I find myself putting in my customers' hands over and over again.

The "book" is actually a set of three books, known officially as "The Spoils of Time Trilogy," authored by acclaimed British writer Penny Vincenzi.

The trilogy opens in London just before the advent of the First World War, introducing the Lyttons, a British family who runs a venerable publishing house. As the saga unfolds, the reader is swept up in the lives of unforgettable characters as well as the cataclysm of world war. Settings shift from the English countryside to the slums of London, the battlefields of Europe, and the cities of America. Moving through the events of World War II, and the years beyond, these novels are simply some of the most captivating books I have ever read in this genre. The oft-used phrase "couldn't put it down" was never more apt.

No Angel
#1

From the publisher's website:

No Angel is an irresistibly sweeping saga of passion and family: a riveting drama and a fervent love story. Celia Lytton is the strong-willed daughter of wealthy aristocrats who is used to getting her own way. She moves through life making difficult and often dangerous decisions that effect herself and others-not only her husband and children; but the destitute Sylvia Miller, whose life is transformed by Celia's intrusion; Oliver's daunting elder sister, who is not all she appears to be; and Sebastian Brooke, for whom Celia makes the most dangerous decision of all. Set against the tumultuous period of the First World War, No Angel is, as Good Housekeeping wrote, "an absorbing page-turner, packed with believable characters and satisfyingly extreme villains, eccentrics and manipulators."

Something Dangerous
#2

From the publisher's website:

The dazzling Lytton twins, Adele and Venetia, grow up with the world at their feet. Born into the great Lytton publishing empire, they are rich and admired, with a confidence verging on arrogance. At eighteen, in 1928, their future seems assured but the specter of Nazi Germany is growing and, gradually, the twins' lives darken in unimaginable ways as they and their friends and family, including those in New York struggle to cope with circumstances for which their privileged world has not prepared them. Something Dangerous is a riveting drama about an embattled dynasty, and a passionate, multi-layered tale of love and politics.

Into Temptation
#3

From the publisher's website:

Into Temptation, the third book of the trilogy, shifts the focus to Barty Miller, rescued from the slums as a baby by Celia Lytton and now living in New York, heading her own publishing company. The Lyttons' publishing empire has fallen under bad times and the family is worried that Barty will make a business decision that would be devastating to them. But will she How will she finally treat this family that have taken her from the slums Will she be a hard business woman or will she do the right thing for Celia's sake As events unfold, long-buried secrets concerning the whole family are revealed, having a profound effect on everyone.

The onset of summer and the potential for extended hours of leisurely reading, is the perfect time to lose yourself in these books. If you like big, thick, generational narratives with a heady mix of history, romance and plot twists guaranteed to keep you glued to your beach chair or hammock, these are the books for you.

Thanks to the generosity of Overlook Press I have a complete set of the trilogy to give away to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment indicating what your go-to book is when asked for a recommendation. For an additional entry, be a follower of this blog; if you follow via RSS feed or in a reader, please let me know so that I can give you the additional entry. Books will be mailed directly by the publisher. Entries limited to U.S. only and no P.O. boxes please. All entrants must provide an e-mail address either in the comment section or in an e-mail to me; no e-mail address, no entry. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. e.s.t. on July 27, 2011. Good luck!

Giveaway Winner

2011-07-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce that the lucky winner of The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson is Margaret.

Thanks to all who entered, and be sure to check back on Wednesday when I will be posting a new giveaway for a wonderful 3 book set. Hope to see you then!

Too much for me

2011-06-30T06:22:00.000-04:00

THE HOMECOMING OF SAMUEL LAKE
by Jenny Wingfield

In Jenny Wingfield’s debut novel, The Homecoming of Samuel Lake, the title character is a Methodist minister who brings his wife Willadee and their three children, sons Noble and Bienville, and daughter Swan, to Arkansas to attend a family reunion at his in-laws, the Moses clan. After Willadee’s father commits suicide on the night of the reunion, the Lake family stays on for a while, only to learn that Samuel has not been granted a parish for the upcoming year. At loose ends, Samuel decides they will stay with Willadee’s family until God makes clear what his next step should be. During their stay, Swan befriends a neighbor, eight-year-old Blade Ballenger, who is horrifically abused by his father Ras, known to many as “Satan’s stepson.” When Blade commits a rare act of defiance against his father, his friendship with Swan will have dramatic consequences for the entire Moses-Lake family.

This book is difficult for me to review as it turned out to be much different than what I expected. I intentionally avoid books that feature child abduction, abuse or murder as a plot line because I know that I will not like the book no matter how well-written it might be. The problem here is that apart from a single reference to a “terrifying father,“ the jacket synopsis gives no inkling of the graphic violence against children and animals that is part and parcel of this story.

Compounding the connundrum for me is the fact that The Homecoming of Samuel Lake has several elements that are the best of what I like about Southern literature. The author has a wicked sense of humor that is reflected in the thoughts and actions of her colorful characters. Swan, the outspoken eleven-year-old tomboy daughter of Reverend Lake put me in mind of that jewel of Southern literature, Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. My favorite character was Willadee’s brother, Toy Moses, a silent, strong man, whose only apparent weakness is his inability to see his despicable wife for what she really is. Willadee’s mother Calla is a wise, strong, and loving matriarch, who endures life’s ups and downs with equanimity. Through beautifully descriptive passages, the author brings to life the atmosphere of the rural South, a setting that I particularly enjoy, and her portrayal of it’s customs, mores, and dialect, felt wholly authentic.

At bottom, though, I just could not get past those parts of the book that were so disturbing to me, and as a result I never became fully invested in the story or the characters. It is for this reason that I have not assigned a rating, or a recommendation. You’re on your own on this one.

I received an advance reader’s edition from the publisher, Random House, Inc., as part of Library Thing’s Early Reviewers program. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake will be released on July 12, 2011.

Weekend Cooking (7): Review

2011-06-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

TO HAVE AND TO KILL by Mary Jane Clark

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love culinary mysteries, so when I saw a new series with the subtitle "A Wedding Cake Mystery," I thought, okay, I'm in. Unfortunately for me, this first installment was mostly mystery, and very little culinary.

Piper Donovan is a 27-year-old struggling actress in New York City who returns home to live with her parents, bakery shop owner Terri, and retired policeman, Vin.  Shortly before Christmas, one of Piper's friends, soap opera star Glenna Brooks, becomes engaged and Piper volunteers her mother to supply the wedding cake. Unbeknownst to Piper, Terri's eyesight is failing and she refuses to take on the job, leaving Piper to do it herself. When Glenna's co-star Travis York ends up dead in a scenario in which Glenna may have been the intended victim, the wedding is not the only thing in jeopardy.  As Piper and her friend, FBI agent Jack Lombardi investigate, the murderer strikes two more times, resulting in a second death. The plot moves along quickly, in short staccato bursts of two and three page chapters, culminating in a final confrontation in which Piper, not surprisingly, prevails.

As a cozy mystery, this book was a fun, distracting afternoon read. Piper is a likeable character, as are her parents, and best friend Lombardi. The identity of the killer becomes fairly apparent in the last 50 pages or so, but I never really thought that cozies are read for the "mystery" part so much as for the atmosphere and/or appealability of the characters.  I do think that there was a bit much going on here in terms of plot lines -- Terri's struggle with the onset of macular degeneration; Piper's ambivalence about giving up her independence; the hint of a burgeoning romance between Piper and Jack; and of course, the baking angle.  In the resulting mix, the bakery aspect gets short shrift, and that was somewhat of a disappointment for me.

Because I liked the Piper character so much, however, I will give the second installment in the series a try; hopefully that one will be a culinary mystery with a capital C, small m.

I received a hardcover edition of this book from the publisher, William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Another winner from Other Press: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-19T07:13:00.008-04:00

THE RESERVOIR by John Milliken Thompson

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

The adage about good things coming in small packages translates nicely to the way I feel about certain smaller publishing houses. One of the first books I reviewed on this blog was The Quickening, a wonderful literary novel published last year by Other Press. Needless to say, I was excited to try another one of Other’s offerings and once again, I was rewarded with a fantastic reading experience.

In The Reservoir, author John Milliken Thompson took the transcript from an actual first degree murder case that was tried in Virginia in the post-Civil War era, and constructed a fictional account of what led to the victim’s death and what followed the jury's verdict. The defendant never testified and the trial evidence, which was entirely circumstantial, left open some question about his guilt of first degree murder; Thompson uses that ambiguity to create a totally engrossing work, featuring authentic characters who populate a dark and steamy Southern world where nothing is clear, least of all questions of guilt or innocence.

The story has roots in an age-old tale: two brothers, Tommie and Willie Cluverius are in love with the same woman, their distant cousin, Lillie Madison. Tommie is the younger brother, a lawyer, with dreams of seeing the world, while Willie is the sturdy, reliable one who works the land and dreams of re-building the farm their father lost during the War. At first Tommie struggles with his feelings for Lillie because of Willie, but he ultimately finds himself drawn to her. Eventually, however, Tommie’s ambition gets the best of him, and he shifts his attentions to a richer and more socially respectable woman. When Lillie’s pregnant body is discovered floating in the reservoir, it is not long before Tommie is charged with her murder.

The reader knows from the outset that Tommie was with Lillie at the reservoir the night she died, but the circumstances of her death are not revealed until much later. The narration alternates between the present as the investigation proceeds, and the past, with Tommie reflecting back on the events preceding Lillie’s death. In this way, Thompson deftly maintains a level of tension that kept me riveted to the pages; I started out thinking I knew what happened, but new wrinkles kept appearing. I found this narrative device to be brilliantly executed in that even though much of the book is written from Tommie's perspective, his voice never tips his hand as to whether he is responsible for Lillie's death.

I like reading those novels set in the American South with a "gothic” feel, and Thompson gets that feeling exactly right. The miasma of the post-Civil War South, the family secrets, even the haze and humidity are all here so as to make iced tea and a fan almost a requirement to read this book comfortably. In the last 100 pages or so, wherein Tommie must come to terms with the jury's decision, Thompson outdoes himself; the imagery and atmosphere are simply stunning. Consider this glimpse into Tommie‘s thoughts as he ruminates on his life:

“Life is so futile, he thinks. But there had been moments of such startling beauty that the veil of the eternal had briefly slipped and you could see that heaven was real.” (334)

Thompson is a wonderful storyteller. This debut novel is rich in plot, setting and emotion.  I wonder what he will come up with next. He has certainly set the bar high.

I received a finished copy of the book from the publisher. The Reservoir will be released on June 21, 2011, and has recently been chosen by SIBA as a 2011 Summer Okra Pick.

Other Press has kindly agreed to give a finished copy of The Reservoir to one lucky winner. To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment indicating your desire to participate and include your email address.  Entrants who are followers of this blog will receive an additional entry. Residents of U.S. and Canada only and no post office boxes please.   Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. on July 3, 2011. Good luck to all!

One of the best books I will read this year

2011-06-15T06:29:00.018-04:00

FAITH by Jennifer Haigh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set during the height of the priest molestation scandal in the Boston Archdiocese, Faith provides a gut wrenching look into the life of a family whose son and brother is one of the accused priests. So much has been written, and rightly so, from the perspective of the molestation victims. What makes this story so unique is that as the reader, you are drawn into the world of the accused, a person that at first blush would appear to be deserving of little or no compassion.  Haigh has put a personal face on the clergy at the heart of these scandals, and in so doing, has delivered a powerful, captivating novel that held me in its grip until the bitter, and I mean that literally, end.

Father Arthur Breen entered the seminary at the age of fourteen, and after assuming his first curate position eleven years later, he serves the church faithfully; in the process he ministers to men his age who are experiencing lives full of things unknown for him. Entering his fifties, Father Breen seems burnt out, when his housekeeper's grandson, seven-year old Aidan Conlon, becomes a fixture at the rectory after Aidan's drug-addicted mother Kath returns to the parish.  Father Breen appears to have a new lease on life, spending more and more time with the neglected Aidan and his wild child mother. In a dramatic turn, Kath accuses Father Breen of molesting Aidan, and within days, Father Breen has lost everything: he is removed from his position, kicked out of the rectory, and exiled to a dingy apartment to await his fate.

Of course, Father Breen is not the only one to be affected by the charges. His half-brother Mike, a successful real estate salesman in the area, has three young boys, and a wife who has always been less than comfortable with her husband's Catholicism. Mike struggles with his feelings about his brother, and in an attempt to reconcile his doubts about Art's complicity, Mike finds himself in an ill-advised relationship with Kath that threatens to destroy his carefully constructed life.  In creating thoroughly nuanced characters, with as many facets as a well-cut diamond, Haigh has managed, in surprising ways, to make each of the principals in the story at times worthy of pity and disdain.

What really happened to Aidan? What was Father Breen's crime, if any? As the reader, you may think you know, but the story that unfolds keeps you guessing. The most captivating aspect to this novel, though, are the tragic human stories of the accused and accuser alike. To be sure, you want to know what Father Breen's real story is with respect to the accusation, but what keeps you enthralled is the sheer humanness of the emotion, the sadness, loneliness, wilful ignorance, desperation, and raw longing of all those involved.

Perfectly constructed, Haigh uses the narrative device of having Art's sister Shelia looking back on the events, a method that maintains the tension even as you begin to sense Art's ultimate fate. Although Shelia is never physically described, her voice is so distinct, her personality so real and tangible, it is as if she were standing next to me while I read.

There are many subsidiary questions floating under the surface of this story. Obviously, those of faith, religion, parental responsibility, the culpability of the Church, the repercussion of its insistence on celibacy, are all here. This is without question a thought-provoking novel. But for me, this was simply an agonizing story, beautifully written.  Although the year is not year half-over, I can say, without reservation, that this is one of the best books I will read this year.  You can take that on faith.

I received an advance reader's edition of Faith from the publisher, HarperCollins, through TLC Book Tours. Faith was released in May of 2011.

Weekend Cooking (6): Book Review

2011-06-10T08:04:00.000-04:00

DON'T KILL THE BIRTHDAY GIRL
Tales from an Allergic Life by
Sandra Beasley

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Imagine that you are five years-old and you have to be afraid to kiss your mother because she may have just eaten ice cream; or a sandwich; or a veggie burger; or any number of other things. That is the world Sandra Beasley lived in as she and her family learned to navigate her life-threatening food allergies. In her memoir, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl, a phrase coined as a reminder to party guests not to touch Sandra once they had indulged in birthday cake, Beasley gives a fascinating and eye-opening account of her experiences. After reading her story, I will no longer bemoan the fact that there are some foods I like too much, but rather, will be eminently grateful that there are no foods that can literally kill me.

I picked this book up because I was curious to learn more about the increasing prevalence of food allergies: when I was growing up, as far as I knew, no one in my elementary school classes faced this issue, and none of my high school friends did either. However, like many parents, I have had the experience of being told not to send peanut butter products in my daughter’s school lunches and several of my daughter‘s friends have varying degrees of food sensitivities. I was also interested to see how Beasley’s family coped with her particularly extreme form of food allergy in that she is allergic to so many things, and her reactions are so severe. Her mother’s vigilance had to extend even to non-food substances in the classroom: did you know that Elmer’s Glue contains dairy and that there is wheat in Play-Doh? As a mother, I was particularly taken by the strength Beasley’s mother displayed in dealing with the ever-present threat that something Sandra would eat might kill her, without turning Sandra into a neurotic mess.

But this is not a book exclusively about Beasley’s childhood.

Although the life of a food allergic child is hard in the respect that he or she can never just be one of the crowd at school functions or on school trips, Beasley makes the point that there is at least the feeling that the young child is protected by her parents. Consider for a moment the trepidation that any young adult feels as they go off to college to live on their own for the first time. Now imagine that same individual making that transition knowing that an inadvertent ingestion of any number of different foods could result in a hospital admission, or even worse, be fatal. Beasley also gives voice to the concerns of severely allergic adults, as when she expresses misgivings about how she will feed her own children, when contact with milk has the potential to send her into anaphylactic shock. This was sort of a revelation to me, as I tended to think of “food allergy” exclusively in terms of how limiting it is for a young child.

Beasley confesses to a love of food facts and trivia, and that affinity is evident in this book as she writes about the rituals and customs that include food as part of the tradition. There is also a fair amount of science mixed in with the personal narrative, but it is, for the most part, eminently readable. Particularly interesting to me was the analysis of whether it is better to introduce small bits of an allergen in an attempt to desensitize versus a protocol of total abstinence, and the implications of the now fairly ubiquitous presence of soy protein in the American food chain. The only place where I thought her writing got a little dry was when she wanders into a discussion of food labeling legislation, but that was only a small part of the book.

What impressed me so much about Beasley is that she is entirely even-handed when discussing her situation. I have to admit that I anticipated that this memoir might take one of two tacks: somewhere along the lines of a “poor me” attitude, or alternatively, that of a zealot who insists that those around her must make accommodations no matter what the cost. There is not a hint of either such perspective here. Instead, Beasley’s story is an upbeat one, told with a keen sense of humor and irony, and she repeatedly makes the point that she is primarily responsible for keeping herself safe. I have never met Beasley, and yet, from her voice, I really like her. So much so, that when she describes a mouth-watering meal that she was able to enjoy in a famous New Orleans restaurant, I wanted to shout yes because I was so happy that she could have such a joyful dining experience.

Chances are there is someone in your circle of friends and family who suffers from some form of food allergy, but you certainly don’t have to have a loved one with a food allergy to appreciate Beasley’s story. This is a totally engaging memoir that I enthusiastically recommend.

I received an advance reader’s edition of the book from Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. Don’t Kill The Birthday Girl goes on sale on July 12, 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a weekly event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers link up food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

A good idea that never quite took off

2011-06-04T16:43:00.000-04:00

THE SUMMER OF THE BEAR
by Bella Pollen

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

High expectations about a book can come from a variety of sources; reviews, word of mouth, even a great cover. I started The Summer of the Bear believing that I would love the book because of the synopsis on the back. I came away with mixed feelings, and am not sure if it is because I expected so much. At bottom, this was a book that I liked, but did not love.

Sometime in 1980, a trained bear that had been brought to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland to film a commercial was inadvertently released and spent the next several months roaming the island. At roughly the same time, reports surfaced that a naval installation in the area was leaking significant amounts of radioactive material, placing the residents at great risk. Using these two real-life incidents as a framework, Bella Pollen has created a novel that tells of one family’s struggle to heal from the sudden death of a husband and father.

During the height of the Cold War, Nicky Fleming is in the English diplomatic corps posted in Bonn with his wife, Letty and their three children: eldest daughter Georgie, a studious 17 year-old somewhat lacking in confidence; her darkly sarcastic younger sister Alba, and 8 year-old brother Jamie, who appears to suffer from an Asperger’s-like syndrome in which he understands things only in the literal sense. After Nicky is found dead from an apparent fall off the embassy roof, rumors begin to swirl about his possible treasonous activities. With no permanent home, Letty takes their children and returns to the Outer Hebrides of her childhood. There, in addition to the normal feelings of shock and loss that accompany a spouse’s death, Letty must cope with the anguish of not knowing exactly what Nicky was up to, and whether he committed suicide, as those in the embassy maintain. At the same time, unbeknownst to Letty, Georgie is wrestling with the implications of a recent trip she and her father made to East Berlin, trying to sort out what happened in light of the accusations being made against him.

When the family arrives in Scotland, word gets out that a trained circus bear has escaped captivity and is loose on the island. For Jamie, this news holds particular significance in that just days before his death, Nicky promised to take Jamie to the circus to see a bear act. Given Jamie’s penchant for taking everything literally, he ultimately becomes convinced that the bear is the embodiment of his father’s spirit, which may or may not in fact be true given all that follows.

This book was truly an up and down reading experience for me. There are some keenly haunting moments; one in particular, stems from the oh-so-literal Jamie’s attempt to find his father at a London brothel named “Heaven.” Equally poignant are any number of scenes involving Alba as her sadness morphs into searing, angry outbursts and she struggles to combat the desperate feeling that her world is crumbling by smoking, drinking and shoplifting. Beautiful, lyrical passages abound.

At other times, though, the writing failed to engage, and the story became somewhat tedious. What I thought I would love most about the book, the idea of the bear watching over this disintegrating family was there -- but only in flashes; it was an idea that never quite took off. By the end, Letty believes that she has solved the mystery regarding the circumstances of Nicky’s death, and as a result, the family is allowed to pick up the pieces and go on. This is one that I am not sorry I saw through to the last page, but in all honesty, it is probably not one that I would recommend.

I received an advance reader’s copy of The Summer of the Bear from Inkwell Management. The Summer of the Bear will be released in June of 2011 by Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-06-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a fun event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose:

August 2011 Release

From goodreads.com:

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley…The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio, recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War. Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved. With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened—and may also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights. Tom Dula and Ann Melton had a profound romance spoiled by the machinations of their servant, Pauline Foster. Bringing to life the star-crossed lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia, and solidifies her status as one of today's great Southern writers.

I love the sound of this one don't you? What are you waiting for this week?

Weekend Cooking (5): A holiday to honor, eat and read

2011-05-28T07:28:00.000-04:00

Growing up, Memorial Day meant watching our small-town parade honoring those who served our country, followed by a picnic in the backyard. The food was always the same: grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and my mom's trio of deviled eggs, three-bean salad and potato salad. As a kid, I would not touch the first two, but I loved the potato salad. Mom's secret ingredient was juice from the Heinz dill pickle jar that was a fixture on our condiment shelf in the refrigerator. Dessert was watermelon, and if we were lucky, my mom's version of strawberry shortcake made with ladyfingers, fresh whipped cream (Cool Whip was blasphemy in our house), and sliced strawberries.

Because my father refused to endure the holiday traffic to the beach, I would set up a lawn chair in the backyard under the shade of a large apple tree. While my favorite place to read has always been the ocean, that backyard lawn chair was a pretty good substitute.

Now that the first weekend of summer is upon us, the lists of "beach books" have started to appear in various publications. For me, a book I bring to the beach is not necessarily different than one I would read at any other time of the year. To be sure, you probably won't find me reading Christmas-themed books at the ocean, or for that matter, books set at Thanksgiving or Halloween. Other than that, however, all I really require of my vacation books is that they let me experience the sheer pleasure of reading. I got that and more with A Conflict of Interest.

A CONFLICT OF INTEREST by Adam Mitzner
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Alex Miller is a partner in a prominent Manhattan law firm, with a wife and young daughter, whose life is upended when an old family friend, Michael Ohlig, is charged with bilking investors out of millions of dollars. Miller agrees to represent Ohlig, an enigmatic figure who vehemently denies his guilt. In preparing Ohlig’s case, Miller finds himself increasingly attracted to a female colleague up for partnership consideration, thereby endangering his already tenuous marriage. On the eve of trial, Miller’s mother is found dead, and everything he thought he knew about his family becomes subject to question. Following the jury’s verdict in the securities prosecution, Miller’s life takes a dramatic turn, and the real thrill ride begins.

Years ago, I went through a period where I read a lot of legal-centered novels: those authored by John Grisham, of course, as well as Scott Turow, Richard North Patterson, and Mark Gimenez, to name a few. A Conflict of Interest represents the best of this genre. The legal component is fascinating and authentic. The characters are interesting and painfully familiar in that at times they behave in ways we all do and wish we would not. Finally, the plot contains the requisite twists that make you say “oh“ while furiously reading on.

If I had to quantify it, I would say that Mitzner’s first effort falls somewhere in the middle on the Grisham - Turow spectrum. A Conflict of Interest has the fast paced plot machinations of the better Grisham books, complemented at times with the introspective, reflective quality that defines Turow’s work. What is the conflict of interest referenced in the title? Is it a less than zealous representation of one’s client? The conflict inherent in the betrayal of someone you love or the betrayal of one’s self? Or is it something else? No spoilers here. Just grab the book and your suntan lotion, head to the beach or the park, and read on.

I received a hardcover edition of A Conflict of Interest from the publisher, Gallery Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. A Conflict of Interest was released in May of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Drop by and see what's cooking this week!

Prepare to be entertained

2011-05-23T08:30:00.000-04:00

THE REVENGE OF THE RADIOACTIVE LADY by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I started this book, I was not sure what to expect. Both the title and the cover intrigued me, and the synopsis promised something out of the ordinary. Well, the synopsis delivered in a big way; this is one unusual book. A well-written dark comedy, with wacky, irritating, and at times even lovable characters, The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady kept me entertained right up until the last page.

The radioactive lady of the title is Marylou Ahearn, a woman in her 70's who is hell bent on murdering Dr. Wilson Spriggs, the man she believes is responsible for the death of her 8-year-old daughter from bone cancer. In the 1950's Spriggs headed up a government funded research study on the effects of radiation. In the course of the study hundreds of pregnant women, including Ahearn, were unknowingly administered a radioactive "cocktail." When Ahearn learns of Sprigg's complicity, she tracks him down, moves to Florida, changes her name, and sets her murderous plan in motion. At the time Ahearn catches up with him, Spriggs is a somewhat pathetic figure, in the early stages of Alzheimer's but Ahearn is intent on carrying out her revenge. Convinced that the best way to make Spriggs suffer is by creating havoc in the lives of his family, with whom he lives, Ahearn finagles her way into the affections of Spriggs' granddaughter Suzi. What Ahearn fails to take into account is the love that she soon develops for Suzi and the crimp it will put into her plans to avenge her daughter's death.

At first I was going to say that the best thing about this novel is, hands down, the cast of characters. Suzi's older siblings, brother Otis and sister Ava, both have Asperger's syndrome. Otis is a brilliant scientist, who is attempting to build a nuclear breeder reactor in their backyard, while Ava, a beautiful girl, is obsessed with all things Elvis Presley. The demands of their condition suck up all of their mother Caroline's energy and attention, leaving Suzi to be the ultimate good girl whom everyone ignores. For her part, Caroline is in the midst of severe midlife doldrums, and spends much of her time being a miserable, eccentric wretch. Suzi's father Vic is so bored with his life as an educational testing professional that he spends all his free time watching The Weather Channel hoping that a massive hurricane with strike their town so that he can at least have some excitement; that is, when he is not indulging his convoluted formula for having an affair with a colleague while not really cheating on his wife. As if the Spriggs family were not sufficiently entertaining, we also get to meet Ahearn's neighbors, the Coffey family: Buffington ("Buff"), a pedophile minister, his oblivious wife Paula, and their long-suffering Goth daughter, Rusty. The genius in all the characters is that, without exception each is kooky (some more than others), but none of them are so out there as to seem anything other than real.

Yet equally stellar is the way the author weaves her story. There are several plot lines going on at once, and yet, they all seem to flow together seamlessly. I found myself veering back and forth between the pathos of Marylou's grief and the absurdity of the various doings of the Spriggs family. The novel's wild culmination, when Vic finally gets his hurricane and Otis succeeds with his reactor, makes for a surreal ending that somehow makes perfect sense. Without revealing too much, I will say that there were two parts of the story, one involving Ava, and one involving Buff's criminal sexual behavior, that left me feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but overall they did not detract unduly from my enjoyment of the book.

If you are looking for something different, that is both outlandish and all too real at the same time, then give this one a go. I guarantee you won't be bored.

I received an advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady was released in February of 2011.

The woman behind the mask

2011-05-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

MADAME TUSSAUD by Michelle Moran

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

One of the pluses about reading historical fiction is that when it is well-written, you learn while being entertained. Before reading this book, I, like most sentient beings, knew that Madam Tussaud was a famous modeler whose name adorns wax museums to this day. What I did not know about was the pivotal role that she played during the French Revolution and the five year Reign of Terror that followed the fall of the monarchy.

In 1780's Paris, Marie Grosholtz and her family operated the Salon de Cire wherein wax models of prominent Parisians, including the royals, were displayed in elaborate tableaux. After King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette visit the exhibition, Marie is invited to tutor the King's sister, Madame Elizabeth, in the art of wax modeling, and thereafter Marie divides her time between the court and her home. As the citizenry begins to blame the King for ever deepening poverty and deprivation, political figures, including Robespierre, Marat, Danton and the Marquis de Lafayette plot against the monarchy in discussions at the Salon and elsewhere.  The Salon's tableaux begin to have political implications as models of the royal family are slowly replaced with those fomenting rebellion.  Soon the displays in the Salon become a barometer for the current political climate, changing daily to reflect the ever shifting tides of fortune.

The Grosholtz family straddles the line between royalists and revolutionaries as long as they can.  Marie's uncle and mentor joins Lafayette's National Guard while Marie continues to have allegiance to the monarchy whom she believes has been unjustly demonized. Eventually, however, when it becomes clear that the monarchy will fall, the family is compelled to do the bidding of Robespierre and his minions as anarchy descends over Paris. In the ensuing savagery that marks the Reign of Terror in which the Church was outlawed and tens of thousands of French citizens were guillotined, Marie is asked by the leaders of the revolution to fashion waxen death masks using the recently severed heads of  those executed as traitors to the "patrie." In fear for her family, Marie agrees,and she embarks on a period of horror-filled days and nights consumed by the never ending macabre work. When she is asked to create a cast for the head of Madame Elizabeth, she finally refuses, and she is imprisoned. There, she meets Francois Tussaud, her future husband and father of her three children.

This is the first book I have read by Michelle Moran, and I very much enjoyed her writing style, finding myself quite caught up in her words.  An additional plus for me was that there was little "romance" in the narrative.  There is a love story of sorts involving Henri Jacques, a scientist who frequented the Salon, but it is very much a subsidiary storyline, as Marie's ambitions prevent her from fully committing to Henri.

Parts of the novel I felt went on a bit too long:  in particular the section detailing the events of the Reign of Terror. Moran spares no detail in her descriptions of the atrocities committed by the mob against those associated with the King, and her relentless recounting of Marie's toils among the dead became a bit much at times. For most of the book, it is Marie's story that is prominent, and the history is the background/context. In my mind, that is the correct structure for historical fiction; if I wanted the history prominent, I would read a non-fiction account. In the Reign of Terror section, however, the history takes over the narrative somewhat.

A fascinating story no doubt. It is almost incomprehensible what Marie endured during her life in Paris.  Because the reader knows before beginning the book that Marie survives, the ending is somewhat anticlimactic, although there is a small twist. All told, this is a highly engrossing read, albeit not one for the faint of heart.

I received an advance reader's edition of Madame Tussaud from Crown Publishers. Madame Tussaud was released in February of 2011.

Losing it all (Re-post)

2011-05-14T07:15:00.000-04:00

(This post was originally published on May 12, 2011, but was lost due to the Blogger outage. I have manually re-posted this. If you commented previously, I would appreciate you doing so again. Thanks.)

ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS by William Boyd

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Mention the term "thriller" to me and I am more likely to think Michael Jackson album than a particular novelist's work. After my experience with Ordinary Thunderstorms I believe that will change. I can no longer say I am not a fan of thrillers -- on the contrary, I will be telling everyone I know about this book, while at the same time seeking out more of William Boyd's offerings.

Adam Kindred, a climatologist, is in London for a job interview when he encounters Dr. Philip Wang, an immunologist for a large pharmaceutical company, in a restaurant near the Thames. After dinner, Kindred notices that Wang has left behind a file. He tracks Wang down and agrees to bring the file to Wang's apartment. Arriving at Wang's place, Kindred discovers Wang in a pool of blood, a knife protruding from his stomach. Wang begs him to pull out the knife, and Kindred acquiesces. As he does so, Wang makes reference to the file, but he dies before Kindred can ask any questions. Hearing someone re-entering Wang's apartment, Kindred grabs the file and runs. Only then does he realize that he has left his fingerprints behind on the murder weapon, as well as his name and address in the lobby register. Within hours, Kindred is fingered as the murderer, and he must decide whether he will turn himself in or flee. Opting for the latter, Kindred disappears into London's underground. He sheds all his possessions, lives on the street, and shuns technological contact with the world: no internet communication, no cell phone, and no ATM or other financial transactions.

Meanwhile, those in power at the company that employed Wang to conduct clinical trials for a breakthrough asthma drug are anxiously seeking Kindred and the file. Prior to his death, Wang had warned the company that there was a serious problem with the medication and was murdered for his efforts. Those same people will now pursue Kindred before he can disclose the file's damaging contents. How long he can hide, and at what cost are only the first of many questions to be raised in this cerebral suspense novel.

If I had to sum up this book in ten words or less, it would be "a thriller that makes you think." Apart from the basic plot line juxtaposing the actions of those out to find Kindred with Kindred's attempts to avoid detection, there are deep ethical and societal issues broached here. What would you do if, in the face of seemingly irrefutable evidence, you were about to be prosecuted for a crime you did not commit ? Kindred believes he is choosing to remain "free" but in his life on the margins is he really free?

At one point in the book, the author makes the observation that there are hundreds of people that go missing in large cities every day. Through Kindred's struggles to survive on the mean streets of London, the reader is invited to reflect how many "invisible" people he or she may have encountered on any given day, the missing that are right there in plain sight. Through a series of circumstances, Kindred is able to assume a new identity, and gradually re-enters the world and all that implies: a job, a home and a credit card. What he does when he recovers societal standing provides further food for thought: has life on the street changed him in some fundamental way, and if so, is that a reason to excuse otherwise morally questionable behavior?

There is very little black and white in this novel. Indeed, one of the most fascinating things to me about Kindred is that the author has managed to make him sympathetic and at the same time somewhat discomfiting. While he is certainly the victim of bad timing, he is in London at all because he had to resign his position with an American university after having betrayed his wife with one of his students. Even the hired assassin pursuing Kindred has shades to his character, demonstrated in his service to his country in every war since the Falklands, and his care and concern for his young dog.

Given the psychological depth to this read, it is no surprise that the author opted not to tie things up neatly in some climatic, definitive ending. The brilliance of the book's resolution is that it allows the reader to imagine for him or her self what the ultimate ending will be. A book that makes you think right up to the end and beyond. That's my kind of book.

I received a copy of the finished book for review from the publisher, Harper Perennial, through TLC Book Tours.

For other stops on the tour, click here.

Weekend Cooking (4): Book Review

2011-05-07T08:38:00.000-04:00

RADIO SHANGRI-LA by Lisa Napoli

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Emadatse is a dish eaten three times a day by many of the locals in Bhutan. It is a stew featuring a combination of melted yak cheese, red-hot chilis and pink rice.

Not only had I never heard of emadatse before reading Radio Shangri-La, but I must confess that I would have been hard pressed to locate Bhutan on a map. I had a vague idea that it was an Asian kingdom somewhere near the Himalayas, but that is about as far as my knowledge went. Lisa Napoli’s memoir of her experiences in this land that has only recently been made more accessible to the outside world is as entertaining as it is informative, and is a book I am pleased to recommend.

At the age of 43 Napoli found herself disillusioned with her journalism career and questioning her various life choices, including her lack of a long-term relationship. Napoli was longing for deeper human connections and a greater sense of purpose when a serendipitous meeting with a friend leads to an offer from the government of Bhutan to act as an advisor to a new public radio station established by the King. The station, known as Kuzoo FM, is to be for the youth of Bhutan, and is staffed by a number of twenty-something Bhutanese. Sensing that this just might be the chance to emerge from her funk, Napoli seized the opportunity.

At the time Napoli took off for Bhutan, the country was on the cusp of change. This last Buddhist kingdom, long isolated due in part to its geographic location, as well as the $200/day tourist tax and lone airline, was slowly opening up to the internet and television. Democracy was on the horizon as the King was pushing the country toward a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary elections. It was into this climate, with the idea that the media was to help facilitate a smooth transition, that Napoli first arrived in Bhutan.

Memoirs are not a genre I read that often, and thus I was somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Napoli is quite candid about her experiences during her stay, as well as the personal history that led her to grab at this once in a lifetime opportunity. The conversational tone of the book appealed to me, and I particularly appreciated that she did not take herself too seriously, a trap to which mid-life angst memoirs can often fall prey. Napoli is content to let things happen and then see where life takes her, rather than spend endless hours (and pages) contemplating what her life plan should be.

The people that animate this book are engaging, from the young deejays who work at the station as they navigate their way between the old and new worlds of the kingdom, to the extortionate Buddhist monk with the latest RZR cell phone secreted under his robes. Napoli develops a special relationship with one of the female deejays, Ngawang, and at the end of Napoli’s second stay, she agrees to help Ngawang secure a visa to visit the United States. That portion of the story in which we get to see America through Ngawang’s eyes is quite compelling.

Of course, Bhutan itself is a main character in Napoli’s story. I found myself caught up in the fate of this land dubbed “the happiest place on earth” as it wrestled with the implications of opening itself to the world. Would the modernizations destroy the kingdom’s fundamental character; would a culture of acquisitiveness signal the end of its Buddhist underpinnings? Only time will tell.

As Napoli returns to Bhutan over the years, she realizes that she has all that she needs within herself to find happiness. Upon resuming her “real life” in the States, she knows that she feels differently, but she is content to wait and see what effect this new realization will have on her life. On her third trip to Bhutan, the idea of helping fatherless children takes shape, and when the chance to support a fledgling monastery orphanage for boys presents itself, she knows she has found her answer.

I could not help but think as I finished this book, that Napoli comes across as both an everywoman in her midlife ruminations, and a most remarkable woman in her willingness to take a huge leap of faith and change her life. Perhaps that is why, though I know I won’t be going to the Himalayas anytime soon, I found her story one to which I could fully relate, and, in the process, so thoroughly enjoy.

I received an advance copy of Radio Shangri-La from Crown Publishers. Radio Shangri-La was released in February of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Drop by and see what's cooking this week!

Too thin all around

2011-04-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

SKINNY by Diana Spechler

My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars

Who amongst us has not dived headfirst into a box of ice cream, oreos, or other nutritional wasteland in order to soothe hurt and angry feelings? A familiarity with that coping mechanism caused me to accept for review Skinny, a book whose main character is a 26-year old woman who cannot stop eating after the death of her father. Unfortunately, while the premise of the book appealed to me, the execution did not.

At the age of 23, Gray Lachmann has a blow-out fight with her observant Jewish father over her long-term relationship with an aspiring comedian named Mikey, who happens not to be Jewish. Gray and her father do not speak for three years, until her 26th birthday when the two go out for dinner. At the end of the evening, her father dies, and Gray proceeds to blame herself, although the reader does not learn why until the end of the book.

Gray’s father was a morbidly obese man who harbored a secret that led to destructive eating habits. Following his death, Gray begins to mimic his compulsive eating, until she has gained fifteen pounds, and sabotaged her relationship with Mikey. As executor of his will, Gray discovers that he has made a bequest to an unknown woman and her teenage daughter. After tracking them down on the internet, Gray learns that the daughter, Eden, is attending summer "fat" camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Believing Eden to be her sister, Gray gets a job as a camp counselor so that they can forge a relationship. Gray is convinced that if she reveals the truth to Eden about their shared parentage, she will make peace with her father and end her torturous relationship with food.

Shortly after arriving at camp, Gray abruptly stops eating, and begins an affair with Bennett, the 41-year old fitness instructor. When Mikey arrives at the camp and confronts Gray about her affair, she finally reveals the secret she has been keeping about the night her father died. In a plot twist at the end, Gray learns more about her father, and realizes that things are not always what they seem. In letting go of her secret, she finds that she had more in common with her father than she thought, and is ultimately able to end her battle with food.

This book missed the mark for me in several respects. More often than not, the characters felt more like caricatures to me than real people. I appreciated Gray’s acid tongue, and her self-deprecating humor, but I never felt like there was more to her than her biting observations. Bennett, the older man who provides an outlet for Gray to substitute her food obsession with sex, is merely an aging Adonis. I wanted to know something, anything, more about him, to make him a more interesting character. How he felt about the fact that he had an overweight child despite being fitness obsessed himself, or the fact that he was working at a summer camp at the age of 41, were aspects that could have been explored. And, although the author provided a fair dose of comic relief with Lewis, the huckster camp owner and Sheena, the rebel counselor, in the end both characters were more quirk than substance. Finally, while the author deftly captures the pettiness and fluid alliances that are the hallmark of the world of adolescent girls, there is not much depth to any of the teen campers. Instead, for the most part, they embody various stereotypes of the alienated “fat kid“. One notable exception is that side of Eden’s awkward, trying-too-hard, laughing-too-loud, persona that painfully evokes the strivings of those on the fringes of the in-crowd.

Apart from the characters, some of the plot specifics had me shaking my head. For example, immediately upon arriving at the camp, Gray miraculously stops her compulsive eating, and seemingly overnight, sheds her excess weight. In fact, she goes so far as to develop what reads like anorexia in the space of a few weeks. I am aware that anorexia can take over after a dieter has success and then cannot stop, but this plot development just did not ring true to me given the roots of Gray’s overeating. Interestingly, I think part of the reason that this felt so wrong to me is that I thought the author perfectly depicted the way in which Gray tries to satisfy her expansive hunger for emotional sustenance with food. As the book opens, Gray knows that she is abusing food, and she knows why, but she is baffled as to how to stop it. The fact that she would immediately stop eating upon meeting Bennett was simply too much for me to accept given what had come before.

I will say that the book picked up somewhat for me at the end. As I was reading I had the sense that this book might be a good fit for those who enjoy YA offerings. For other opinions, please check out the blog stops on the tour at TLC Book Tours.

I received an advance reader’s edition of Skinny from the publisher through TLC Book Tours. Skinny will be released in May of 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-04-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose:

The Reading Promise
by Alice Ozma
Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: May 3, 2011

From the publisher's website:

When Alice Ozma was in 4th grade, she and her father decided to see if he could read aloud to her for 100 consecutive nights. On the hundreth night, they shared pancakes to celebrate, but it soon became evident that neither wanted to let go of their storytelling ritual. So they decided to continue what they called "The Streak." Alice's father read aloud to her every night without fail until the day she left for college.
Alice approaches her book as a series of vignettes about her relationship with her father and the life lessons learned from the books he read to her.
Books included in the Streak were: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and Shakespeare's plays.

Sounds wonderful for those who love books, yes? What are you waiting for this week?

Weekend Cooking (3): Boston Cookies

2011-04-23T06:05:00.004-04:00

In honor of the Boston Marathon which was run this week, I thought I would post my maternal grandmother's recipe for Boston Cookies. This cookie recipe is one of three that she made every Christmas, and I have continued her tradition from the time I first started baking on my own, approximately 38 years ago (yikes!). Of the three recipes, this is the one that when baking, most makes the house smell like the holiday.

There is one odd thing about this recipe. When I asked my mother where the name "Boston cookie" came from, she had no idea, as my grandmother was Pennsylvania Dutch on both sides of her family. No one in my mom's family could shed any light on the matter, and unfortunately, by the time I thought to ask the question, my grandmother was already gone. Several years ago, I saw a similar recipe with the same name on a food history website, and left a post hoping that someone might have an answer. The person who posted the recipe responded that it might have appeared in The Boston Cooking School Cookbook from the 1800's. Perhaps that is where my grandmother, who never traveled more than 10 miles from the Pennsylvania Dutch country, got the "Boston" recipe that is so much a part of our holidays.

Hope you enjoy them as much as my family does, and feel free not to wait till Christmas!

BOSTON COOKIES

1 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda mixed with 1 1/2 tsp. hot water
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts

Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs (it may look curdled, don't worry that's ok).
Mix in baking soda/water mixture.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cooking sheet (I use parchment paper).
Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins. Edges shoud be browned lightly.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

Transported by the sights, sounds and smells

2011-04-17T06:23:00.004-04:00

THE SANDALWOOD TREE: A Novel by Elle Newmark

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

When deciding what to read next, I use any number of factors. Sometimes, I base my selection on setting.  Although my aversion to flying has rendered me the antithesis of well-traveled, I take full advantage of my reading choices to cultivate status as an armchair traveler. I chose The Sandalwood Tree because it is set in India, a place I am infinitely curious about, and will probably never see.  After reading Ms. Newmark's wonderful effort, I feel as though I have been there and back.

In 1946, Martin and Evie Mitchell and their young son Billy, travel from the United States to India so that Martin can document the end of British rule. An academic historian, Martin is suffering the aftereffects of his service in WWII during which he participated in the liberation of the concentration camps.  The couple's marriage is in trouble as a result of Martin's inability to forgive himself for something that happened during that time, and Evie hopes that their shared experiences in a new land will bring them closer.  Unfortunately, upon their arrival, the opposite proves to be true.

As Martin becomes immersed in the unrest surrounding the upcoming partition, Evie is left to her own devices. She teaches English to village children, and, along with Billy, revels in the wonders of their new home. But when the violence accompanying the creation of Pakistan escalates, Martin becomes increasingly adamant that Evie stay at home. After a random threat places Billy in jeopardy, Evie and Martin are forced to confront the breakdown of their marriage and decide what the future holds for all of them.

The Sandalwood Tree uses a device often employed in historical novels, i.e., dual storylines set in separate time periods, told in alternating chapters, and connected by a discovery made by a character in the more recent era.   Here, in exploring her new surroundings, Evie finds a packet of letters containing correspondence between Felicity Chadwick and Adela Winfield, two English women, who lived in the same bungalow in the mid-1800's.   Felicity was born in India and lived there with her parents, who were associated with the East India Company, until the age of eight, when she was sent to England to live with the Winfields. A beautiful girl, Felicity refuses to be tied down by the conventions of Victorian society, and at the age of 18 she returns to India.  Adela is an awkward, bookish girl who loves Felicity with a passion that she must suppress. After Felicity leaves, Adela is drawn to her Irish maid Katie, and when their physical relationship is discovered, Adela is exiled to India by her horrified parents.

At a time when many English girls were sent to India to find husbands (known as "The Fishing Fleet," the ones who did not succeed in making a match were dubbed "Returned Empties"), Felicity and Adela adamantly refuse to participate in the colonial society. Instead, they retreat to a bungalow in the countryside where they live amongst Indians while Felicity ministers to children in the local orphanage. Against the backdrop of this peaceful life, there is strife in the cities due to Indian soldiers (sepoys) being forced by the British to use pig and cow fat on gun cartridges in violation of both Hindu and Muslim precepts.  When Felicity falls in love with a rich, married Indian Sikh, untold joy and sorrow follow amidst the turbulent winds of change that are sweeping the country.

This is the kind of book that elicits a sigh when you realize there is no more.  The sights, sounds and smells of India rise up off the page. In capturing the cacaphony of color and noise, Ms. Newmark truly brings the streets of India to life. I could almost smell the smoke in the air that is apparently ever-present, as well as see the spectacle that is Diwali, the festival of lights.

One of the things that I liked most about the book is that each story had a number of common elements. Like Felicity and Adela, Evie did not want to confine herself to the English society that had been transplanted onto India -- in her case, the declining Raj -- but rather wanted to experience the "true" India. The narratives of both time periods reflect the dichotomy of the Indian sub-contintent that persists to this day: opulence that flourishes alongside abject poverty.   And, the context for both storylines was slow escalation of national violence: that which boiled over during the Sepoy Rebellion, and that accompanying the Partition that lead to the creation of Pakistan. In that regard, the differing perspectives on each conflict were interesting to note. What the British called the Sepoy rebellion, the Indians referred to as the First War of Independence. At the time of Partition, there were those who felt that forcing the Hindus and Muslims apart would guarantee that the two groups could never live together, but the British philosophy was that without the division, the country would degenerate into chaos.

In the end, it is Felicity's and Adela's example of living their lives for joy that ends up holding the key to Martin's and Evie's future. In that sense, the secrets of the sandalwood tree prove to be their salvation. What a story.  The only bad thing about a reading experience like this one is that it makes it so hard to start a new book for fear that it will not measure up.

I received an advance reader's edition from the publisher, Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Sandalwood Tree was released in April of 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-04-13T08:14:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose:

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Doubleday
Release date: September 2011

Amazon.com description:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

What are you waiting for this week?

Weekend Cooking (2): Book Review

2011-04-09T07:46:00.000-04:00

SPRINKLE WITH MURDER by Jenn McKinlay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of my fondest childhood memories is that of my grandmother coming up the steps of our front walkway with a large box of cupcakes bought especially for me. I loved my grandmother to death, and I did not get to see her very often as she lived several hours away, in the area where my mom grew up. Whenever my mom and I would visit her, we had several "stops" that we had to make. The first place we always visited was a local bakery that made the most dazzling cupcakes I had ever seen. Now that I reflect on it, all but one of those stops were food-related, and even that last one was a "feeding" expedition, as it concerned large white swans in a pond to which I tossed many a crumpled up loaf of Wonder bread! I can still see my grandmother driving up to our house in her big old grey Oldsmobile with the bright red interior, the white bakery box riding shotgun on the front seat. Oh how I miss her.

This is all a long-winded way of getting to the point that I have always had a special place in my heart for cupcakes. Naturally, when I spotted a new cozy mystery series featuring the owner of a cupcake bakery, I just had to bite (pun intended!), and I am happy that I did.

Set in Scottsdale Arizona, Sprinkle with Murder introduces cupcake bakers Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura, two thirty-something childhood friends who run Fairy Tale Cupcakes along with Tate Harper, their rich silent partner and longstanding guy pal. As the book opens, Tate's obnoxious fiance, fashion designer Christie Stevens hires Mel to provide the cupcakes for the upcoming nuptials. Mel agrees, despite her misgivings about working with the difficult woman. When Christie is found dead clutching one of Mel's cupcakes in her hand, Mel becomes the prime suspect and her business takes a nose dive. As Mel races to find the real killer from amongst the many enemies the victim managed to amass, the story moves along at a quick pace.

Several things about this first installment have caused me to put the second entry, Buttercream Bump Off, on my nightstand. First, I really liked these characters. There are layers to Mel that make her interesting. Having spent her childhood and adolescence as a self-described "large Marge," Mel went to college in California, where the thinness obsession of Los Angeles propelled her to diet to skeletal proportions. While attending culinary school in France, she developed a more healthy relationship with food, but she continues to bear the scars of her earlier food issues. She also has a mother who is loving, but in a fairly obtrusive way -- for starters, she takes it upon herself to paint Mel's bathroom mango orange so that Mel will appear younger when looking in the mirror.

Angie is the feisty sidekick, who has her own issues, many stemming from the overprotective instincts of her seven older brothers. Throw in a love interest for Mel, a crackpot bakery competitor named Olivia Puckett, and several recipes for what promise to be scrumptious cupcakes, and you have a fine addition to the culinary mystery club.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth Fish Reads in which bloggers share food-related posts. Stop by and see what's cooking this week!

A hook that did not catch me

2011-04-02T09:38:00.000-04:00

OUTSIDE WONDERLAND by Lorna Jane Cook

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Three siblings, Alice, Griffin and Dinah, lose their mother in a freak accident and several years later their father succumbs to a heart attack, rendering them orphans at the tender ages of 16, 13 and 10. As the novel progresses, each character struggles to cope with the overwhelming sense of loss and fear that is the permanent imprimatur of their childhood tragedies. Alice, the oldest child, tries to keep her family safe by exerting strict control over all perceived dangers; eventually she becomes an actress, enjoying the ability to surrender control on stage, but she is unable to surrender to a belief in lasting relationships, and she moves restlessly from man to man. Griffin works as a chef, and builds a solid life with his partner, Theo until Theo's desire to adopt a child drives a wedge between the couple. The sweet Dinah looks for love in the wrong place, and finds herself pregnant after a brief liaison with a cruise ship employee.

I am sorry to say that this book was not a winner for me. The characters Ms. Cook creates in the siblings are likeable enough, and the ever present shadow of loss that hangs over their heads like the Sword of Damocles made me care about them. Further, the actions of each of the characters are authentic. Given what has happened to them, it made perfect sense to me that Alice and Griffin would have problems sustaining committed relationships -- both almost sabotage loving partnerships with ill-advised liaisons -- and that Dinah, as the youngest, would be eternally seeking the happy, intact family that she never had. If the novel had stuck to this fairly traditional formula it would not have been unique, as this is a theme that has been done many times, but I would undoubtedly have liked it better.

But in Outside Wonderland it is not only the reader who watches how the characters move on with their lives. The siblings' parents, watching their children from heaven, consider what they have missed, and offer a running commentary on the choices their children are making.

Unfortunately, the hook that distinguishes this novel was, for me, off-putting. The image of smiling, perpetually happy parents in Paradise remarking on the earthly happenings struck me as creepy, and their descriptions of the “arrivals” of recently departed people and animals was simply too weird for my taste. This is not a bad book: it is well-written, and had good plot development. It just was not for me.

I received an advance reader's edition from the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin. Outside Wonderland was released in March of 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-03-30T08:09:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose The Submission by Amy Waldman.

The Submission
by Amy Waldman
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: August 2011

Goodreads.com description:

Claire Harwell hasn’t settled into grief; events haven’t let her. Cool, eloquent, raising two fatherless children, Claire has emerged as the most visible of the widows who became a potent political force in the aftermath of the catastrophe. She longs for her husband, but she has found her mission: she sits on a jury charged with selecting a fitting memorial for the victims of the attack.
Of the thousands of anonymous submissions that she and her fellow jurors examine, one transfixes Claire: a garden on whose walls the names of the dead are inscribed. But when the winning envelope is opened, they find the designer is Mohammad Khan—Mo—an enigmatic Muslim-American who, it seems, feels no need to represent anyone’s beliefs except his own. When the design and its creator are leaked, a media firestorm erupts, and Claire finds herself trying to balance principles against emotions amid escalating tensions about the place of Islam in America.
A remarkably bold and ambitious debut, The Submission is peopled with journalists, activists, mourners, and bureaucrats who struggle for advantage and fight for their ideals. In this deeply humane novel, the breadth of Amy Waldman’s cast of characters is matched by her startling ability to conjure individual lives from their own points of view. A striking portrait of a city—and a country—fractured by old hatreds and new struggles, The Submission is a major novel by an important new talent.

What are you waiting for?

A husband in the doghouse, literally

2011-03-23T09:46:00.000-04:00

EMILY AND EINSTEIN by Linda Francis Lee

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful surprise this book was for me. I must confess that when I skimmed the flyleaf, I was a little skeptical: a wife discovering that a dead husband was unfaithful or worse is hardly a unique storyline. However, Ms. Lee has put a fresh spin on this premise with her new novel, Emily and Einstein in that the husband (Sandy) comes to occupy the body of an old dog(Einstein) whom the wife (Emily) adopts from a shelter. What could have been a schmaltzy gimmick, instead, forms the basis for a truly engaging story, largely due to Ms. Lee's uncanny ability to overlay a human's sensibilities on a dog's personna.

When Sandy Portman is killed in a car accident and his spirit slips into the body of a dog, he immediately encounters a mysterious old man who suggests that Sandy can redeem himself by helping his wife Emily to live a happy life. As the story progresses, Sandy begins to gain insight about himself and his relationships that he never had as a human.  When he occasionally reverts to his old, self-absorbed ways, he feels himself starting to disappear.  Ultimately, he accepts that his road to redemption is tied to Emily and the love he had for her but failed to give during his lifetime.

Emily and Einstein is told in alternating chapters narrated by Emily and Einstein, respectively, and the primary reason that this book was such a hit with me was the incredible voicing of Sandy/Einstein. Watching the arrogant, selfish and smarmy Sandy struggle to cope with the limitations of his dog reality is pure pleasure. The "conversations" he has with those around him, though he cannot speak, are hilarious. But even more to the point, they are so dog-like. In one instance, when Sandy gets mad at Emily's sister, Einstein reacts by eating an entire box of Lucky Charms. As his world is driven into a darkness he can't understand, causing him to thrash about, the reader realizes he has of course, gotten his head stuck in the box. Driven by instincts he can't thwart he then eats every pastry in the house. The feelings Einstein describes as he lays on the floor in severe gastrointestinal distress I am sure are exactly the sentiments my dog would have expressed last year after he ate an entire plate of cookies. That is the marvelous thing about this book, the way that Lee has managed to meld the human/canine sensibilites so seamlessly.

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is that I felt the character of Emily was somewhat non-descript. Unlike Sandy, whose voice and personality shone through, I felt like I never quite got a formed picture of Emily in my mind as I read.  This is a minor point, and did not get in the way of my overall enjoyment of the book.

The more I got caught up in the book, the more afraid I became to reach the end. Not so much because I wanted the book to go on, but rather because I simply could not see how Ms. Lee could end this book in a way that would not disappoint. Well, I guess that's why I read books instead of writing them because she found exactly the right way to separate Sandy, Einstein and Emily. This is really a special book.  I won't go on and on about it anymore -- Einstein would say enough already I'm making him barf. Just do yourself a favor and read it.

I received a hardcover finished edition of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press. Emily and Einstein was released in March of 2011.

Dewey Decimals behind bars

2011-03-17T07:51:00.000-04:00

RUNNING THE BOOKS: THE ADVENTURES OF AN ACCIDENTAL PRISON LIBRARIAN by Avi Steinberg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Avi Steinberg is no Marion the librarian. And his patrons are not your average bookworms. Steinberg was looking to leave his job as an obituary writer at the Boston Globe when he spotted a Craig's list job posting seeking a librarian at a medium security prison.  Having graduated from Harvard with no clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life, Steinberg accepted the job hoping that it would give his life some new direction and purpose. In the same way that he had no idea what to expect when he began this job, as a reader, I had no idea what to expect from his story. For both of us, there were some surprises along the way.

I was interested to learn how the library in a prison is much more than just a place to read or check out books. As described by Steinberg it is used as a place to pray, to have a moment of privacy and aloneness that is so elusive in prison, to engage in adolescent play behaviour, and perhaps most often, to serve as a conduit between prisoners of hand written messages inserted in the books.

Prison librarians constantly straddle a line between jailer and teacher/social worker.  Steinberg ran creative writing classes, helped inmates perform legal research relative to their appeals, and gathered information to help facilitate re-entry into society. At the same time, he had to enforce rules stemming from the harsh reality that the library was a security nightmare where hardcovers could be used as weapons or body armor, and the stacks provided ample space for contraband, including weapons, to be exchanged.  The relationships he developed were constantly tested by these necessary procedures; in particular, he struggled with the rule against extending kindness to the inmates in the form of supplying food.  This book deftly animates the theoretical argument about whether tax dollars should be used to support libraries for criminals, an outgrowth of the age old debate of whether the function of prison is retribution or rehabilitation.

By including excerpts of poems, essays and other creative writing turned in by inmates, including one memoir written by a pimp that garnered encouraging letters from publishers, Steinberg humanizes the inmates, and makes the case for rehabilitation. In doing so, however, Steinberg does not overly romanticize these individuals.  At one point in his story, Steinberg is faced with the ugliness of a former convict whom he meets on the outside, and it causes him to reconsider some of his ongoing relationships with current inmates.

There are several truly haunting portions of this narrative.  Frankly, I did not expect to be as affected by this book as I was. The most compelling story for me was that of Jessica, a woman who had abandoned her infant son in a church because she was an addict, and had never seen him again until she learned that they were incarcerated in the same prison. Scared to reach out to him, she sits at the library window and watches him in the exercise yard.  In speaking with Jessica Avi discovers that she has read Sylvia Plath's letters twice, and in their discussions she demonstrates a nuanced understanding of her reading. Eventually, with Avi's help, she composes a letter for her son and has an inmate sketch her portrait, but just before her release, she destroys both and leaves without ever making contact. Unable to forgive herself for the mistakes of her life, Jessica overdoses shortly after leaving prison. In recounting this story, Steinberg points up a unique conundrum for prison librarians -- the usual duty to connect patrons with books has special considerations in prison that may make censorship appropriate given the nature of the population, i.e., should the suicide-centered Plath be off-limits to emotionally vulnerable inmates.

The reason why this book worked for me is that Steinberg never really makes the book about him; rather it is about those library "patrons" and the larger questions relating to incarceration. There were parts of the book that felt somewhat disjointed, and choppy, perhaps because it was structured in two and three page entries. This was a book that I picked up and put down, not one that kept me glued to the pages. Overall, an affecting account of an unusual life experience.

I received an advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

Weekend Cooking: Book Review

2011-03-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

MY KOREAN DELI by Ben Ryder Howe

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Once upon a time I read almost exclusively fiction. Lately, I have found myself reading more non-fiction titles, and for the most part, I have enjoyed them. One of my favorite non-fiction varieties is food-related offerings: memoirs of food critics, explorations of ecological or historical aspects of the current food supply, books on the synergy between culture and cuisine, are just a few of the sort of books I devour (no pun intended, well maybe). When I saw the publicity for My Korean Deli, I thought it would fit in well with my love of all things foodie, and I was right.

For those who live in large urban areas, the “Korean deli” is a ubiquitous fact of life. These stores are notorious for carrying everything from staples such as milk, bread and beer (surely a staple for some), obscure spices, jarred vegetables and tinned meats, to non-edibles such as flowers, toilet paper and crazy glue. The hours are long, the profit margin is small, and the work can sometimes be dangerous. An unlikely career choice for someone who graduated from an elite American university, but it is behind such a counter that the author, Ben Ryder Howe, a former editor at The Paris Review, found himself, as he recounts in this funny, poignant memoir.

Howe and his wife, a former corporate attorney at a prestigious law firm, are living with her parents (the Paks) in Staten Island when the couple agrees to help her mother purchase and run a deli in Brooklyn. This expedition into unfamiliar territory proves to be funny, downright odd, and at times, quite sad. Howe’s descriptions of customers who freak out when he changes the location of the bran muffins and the lottery aficionados who are the bane of his existence, had me laughing out loud. So too, his description of the frat house atmosphere that was the working environment of The Paris Review, as personified in the founder and Big Man on Campus George Plimpton himself, are hilarious. But this book is not a mere collection of amusing anecdotes.

There is a real culture study in this pages. Howe classifies himself as a Boston Brahmin, the product of the uptight childhood that image implies. As someone who admits to living his life by the rules embodied in Strunk and White, Howe is bemused by the experience of living in a multi-generational house where extended family constantly comes and goes, no one knocks before entering bedrooms, and people speak in decibels slightly below rock concert levels. The additional dichotomy between the life Howe leads as part of the highbrow literary world in the rarefied world of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and that of the Staten Island working world of the immigrant community, is a revealing tale of two cities. In that regard, Plimpton is as much a part of this story as the Pak family; Howe paints a portrait of a man who never quite grew up, and the Peter Pan phenomenon that is Plimpton is brought into even further relief when juxtaposed with the hardworking ethos of Howe’s Korean in-laws.

When the family decides to sell the deli because of his mother-in-law’s declining health, Howe is surprised to find he actually misses the business. In reflecting on his journey, Howe begins to appreciate how owning the deli changed him in fundamental ways. Once socially awkward, he is forced to learn how to relate to strangers more easily. His need to control his environment must give way in the face of a daily existence where he never knows who will walk in the store (there are days of naked customers), or what will happen next. As a result, he emerges more confident and accepting of who he is, idiosyncrasies and all. This book is beautifully written, not surprisingly, given the author’s literary background.

My Korean Deli was a satisfying read, with more substance than I expected. It will make you laugh, and make you think. Not a bad combination.

I received an advance reader's edition of My Korean Deli from the publisher, Henry Holt and Company. My Korean Deli was released in March of 2011.

Weekend Cooking is a fun event hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads in which you can link up and share any type of food-related post. Stop by and take a look!

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-03-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose:

Catfish Alley
by Lynne Bryant
Penguin Group USA
Release Date: April 2011

Goodreads.com description:

Roxanne Reeves defines her life by the committees she heads and the social status she cultivates. But she is keeping secrets that make her an outsider in her own town, always in search of acceptance. And when she is given a job none of the other white women want-researching the town's African-American history for a tour of local sites-she feels she can't say no.
Elderly Grace Clark, a retired black schoolteacher, reluctantly agrees to become Roxanne's guide. Grace takes Roxanne to Catfish Alley, whose undistinguished structures are nonetheless sacred places to the black community because of what happened there. As Roxanne listens to Grace's stories, and meets her friends, she begins to see differently. She is transported back to the past, especially to 1931, when a racist's hatred for Grace's brother leads to events that continue to change lives decades later. And as Roxanne gains an appreciation of the dreams, courage, and endurance of those she had so easily dismissed, her own life opens up in new and unexpected ways.

What are you waiting for?

A diet book with a surprise

2011-03-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

21 - DAY WEIGHT LOSS KICKSTART by Neal D. Barnard, MD

Dr. Barnard began his career as a psychiatrist, treating people whose medical ills were exacerbated by depression and anxiety. It was during these years that he became focused on the idea of preventing disease and the role that nutrition can play in that regard. Grounded in his medical expertise, 21 - Day Weight Loss Kickstart advocates a vegan lifestyle that incorporates many elements of other "fire up your metabolism" plans. Put simply, Dr. Barnard stresses a high fiber, very low fat regimen with emphasis on low glycemic index carbohydrates. The strategy requires no calorie counting, and exercise is optional, although encouraged. In rating this book as a pure diet tool, I offer one caution: if you are the type of person that likes to be given explicit lists of what to eat and what not to eat, then this book might not be for you.

Having read my fair share of diet and nutrition books, I begin a new one with limited expectations of discovering something new and exciting; it is a "been there, done that" mentality. However, the behavioral aspect of this book, focusing on the motivational aspects of how and why we eat, nicely distinguishes it from other offerings in this category. For each of the 21 days, Dr. Barnard highlights a "tip" for success, such as suggestions for beating back cravings or adhering to the regimen in social situations, kitchen advice, breakfast ideas and motivational "words of inspiration." The tone of the book is uniformly positive and upbeat, and the information is presented in an accessible format. Even if you do not want to adopt the strict vegan regimen advocated for the 21 day program, there is enough here to allow you to improve your eating habits substantially by adopting one or more of the recommendations.

What sold me on this book, is the "surprise" alluded to in my post title -- the extensive recipe section in the back; this alone makes the book worth owning. I have a number of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the recipes in this book were new to me. Virtually all of the recipes sound wonderful, and there is a large variety of ethnic offerings from Asian to Italian to Middle Eastern , Mexican and Southern. There are even a fair number of sophisticated dessert recipes. Each of the recipes is easy to follow, and most contain variations labeled "Making it Simple" (when you have limited time) and "The Gourmet Touch" (when you want to jazz it up a bit). This week, I intend to try a recipe for "Caldo Verde" which is touted as "a Portuguese extravaganza of pureed potatoes with simmered kale, spiked with garlic and made hearty with a touch of spicy sausage"(veggie of course)(p. 256).

In addition to the recipes, there are two valuable appendices: an ingredient/substitution bible, and a tutorial on cooking methods which I believe would be quite helpful to someone who has not previously cooked extensively with the foods advocated in the diet plan.

Based on the "surprise" material alone, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart will be a keeper on my shelves.

I received a finished hardcover edition of this book from the publisher, Hachette Book Group, Inc.

My first 5 star read of 2011

2011-02-27T08:21:00.000-05:00

THE FOUR MS. BRADWELLS: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my did I love this book.

The “Ms. Bradwells,” so named after Mrs. Myra Bradwell, an Illinois woman denied the right to practice law by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1873, are four women who begin a lifelong friendship their first year at Michigan Law School. Virginia Cook Conrad (Ginger) is the daughter of a prominent Southern family whose name adorns buildings at the law school and whose mother, an acclaimed feminist lawyer, appeared to be devoted to causes at the expense of her daughter. With her promiscuous behavior and flippant attitude, Ginger is “the rebel.” Elsbieta Zhukovski (Betts) was raised by her immigrant mother, a medical doctor in Poland who scrubbed toilets in America to give her daughter every opportunity; considered “the funny one” of the group, Betts fulfills her mother’s dreams when she is nominated for the United States Supreme Court. African-American Helen Weils-Robeson (Laney), "the good girl," suffers the tacit race and gender bias of the posh legal firms; Laney ultimately returns home to Georgia for a career in public service and at the time of Betts' nomination, is running for state senator. Mary Ellen Porter (Mia), “the savant.” grew up watching her mother leave her father every summer, traveling to rendezvous’ with women that Mia later realizes were lovers. A journalist, Mia lives an itinerant life, avoiding romantic entanglements.

Thirty years after they first meet, the four women are together again as Betts is undergoing confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court. When a political blog raises questions about a death that occurred at a Maryland summer home where the four women were spending their law school spring break, long kept secrets threaten to derail lives, and the women flee from Washington to that same home. Over the course of a weekend, the details of that fated night and the effect it had on each of their lives trickle out as each of the women is forced to confront the choices they made so long ago. Told in chapters rotating among the voice of each of the four women, the setting smoothly switches from the present to the past and back again.

I cannot remember the last time I read a novel that had such richly drawn characters. I loved each of these women, something I find fascinating because in most “friendship” centered novels one or more of the characters will be stronger at the expense of others and that is simply not true here. Each of the women is so human, true to herself, and equally important, true to the times. These are not the women law school graduates of today when more than half of the graduating class is female: these women speak and act like the women of their generation, some of whom were still breaking glass ceilings and facing rampant, silent and not so silent discrimination.

But these women are more than just their law degrees. They are caring mothers who fiercely love their children, who long for love and acceptance, and who fight against the ever-present doubts and insecurities that are only some of the repercussions of the crime that profoundly affected all of their lives. Ms. Clayton also hits the mark in her realistic depictions of the envy, closely nurtured old hurts and shifting alliances that are an integral part of most close-knit friendships.

If I had to pick a favorite among the women, I would choose Ginger. Underneath her flamboyant exterior, she was, for me, the most vulnerable as a young woman. Equally poignant is the portrait of her watching her three professionally successful friends rise to acclaim when she, standing in the shadow of her mother’s achievements, has no professional accomplishments of her own to claim.

Because it becomes evident fairly early on in the book, I do not think that I am revealing too much by saying that the death in question is connected to a rape perpetrated on one of the women and that the next day the rapist is found dead in what is ruled a suicide. The reader is left guessing as to who may have been responsible for the death years ago, as well as who has caused the story at last to come to light. The “mystery” aspect is deftly executed, in that a level of tension is quietly maintained throughout the narrative. Yet the heart of this wonderful story is the questions it raises about the perception of rape victims and the more general notions of attitudes about women’s sexuality, both thirty years ago, and now.

Immediately after the rape, the women disagree on whether to report the crime; they ultimately choose not to for a variety of reasons that thirty years later they hope would no longer exist. This book causes the reader to consider whether society has evolved sufficiently to the point that the victims of sexual offenses no longer have to fear being made the object of blame themselves; whether there is still a double standard when it comes to the sexual activities of young men and young women; and whether there is a reduced empathy for victims who are not strangers to their attacker.

After I received this book, I became aware that one of Ms. Clayton’s novels, The Wednesday Sisters was a huge hit amongst book clubs and bloggers alike. At first I was upset that I had somehow missed a book that had generated so much talk. However, now that I have finished this, I can honestly say that ignorance is bliss, because unlike those who have already read The Wednesday Sisters, I do not have to wait to enjoy another one Ms. Clayton’s books.

I received an advance reader’s edition of The Four Ms. Bradwells from the publisher, Ballantine Books, a Random House, imprint. The Four Ms. Bradwells will be released in March of 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-02-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers spotlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose:

Partitions by Amit Majmudar
Release Date: June 2011

Amazon.com description:
A stunning first novel, set during the violent 1947 partition of India, about uprooted children and their journeys to safety.
As India is rent into two nations, communal violence breaks out on both sides of the new border and streaming hordes of refugees flee from blood and chaos.
At an overrun train station, Shankar and Keshav, twin Hindu boys, lose sight of their mother and join the human mass to go in search of her. A young Sikh girl, Simran Kaur, has run away from her father, who would rather poison his daughter than see her defiled. And Ibrahim Masud, an elderly Muslim doctor driven from the town of his birth, limps toward the new Muslim state of Pakistan, rediscovering on the way his role as a healer. As the displaced face a variety of horrors, this unlikely quartet comes together, defying every rule of self-preservation to forge a future of hope.
A dramatic, luminous story of families and nations broken and formed, Partitions introduces an extraordinary novelist who writes with the force and lyricism of poetry.

What are you waiting for?

It's a mystery to me

2011-02-21T08:42:00.005-05:00

RED DELICIOUS DEATH by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My husband knows more about mystery writers than anyone else I know. His fiction reading is exclusively of the mystery variety, and my work in a used bookshop has only managed to fuel his passion as we routinely acquire vintage issues. I, on the other hand, rarely read mysteries; if you have been reading this blog for a while, you may have noticed that I have yet to review a mystery. When I do read this genre it is always the cozy type, and almost exclusively of the holiday or culinary variety. Diane Mott Davidson’s catering series and G.A. McKevett’s Savannah Reid books are two of my favorite food-related offerings. My hands down mystery favorites are Jane Haddam’s holiday mysteries featuring Gregor Demarkian and Bennis Hannaford.

Recently, our bookshop got in Red Delicious Death, a culinary mystery that is part of a series I had not seen before. I started reading it, not realizing that it was the third in the series. I would not knowingly try a series with anything other than the first book, but I found myself enjoying this so much, I decided to continue. And I am very glad I did.

The Orchard Mystery series features Meg Corey, a young woman who takes over her mother’s apple orchard in the small Massachusetts town of Granford after losing her financial services job in Boston. In this third book, she has a burgeoning romantic relationship with local contractor, Seth Chapin, a thoroughly amiable fellow. Given her lack of agricultural knowledge, Meg relies on the advice of her Jamaican orchard manager, Bree, a local woman in her 20’s, whose sharp tongue makes her an interesting character. As Meg is preparing to complete her first harvest, she gets a call from a former colleague and friend requesting that Meg help a young couple who want to open a restaurant in the area. Meg agrees and meets with the couple, Nicky and Brian, and their friend and sous-chef Sam. Not long after the trio arrive in Granford, Sam is found dead at a local pig farm and therein lies the mystery.

Because I don’t read a lot of mysteries, I feel a little out of my element in writing this review as I am not sure what avid mystery readers believe is necessary to make a mystery novel a good one. I virtually never figure out who the killer is, so if easy detection is something that ruins a mystery for you, you cannot rely on my assessment in that area. What I did appreciate is that unlike some cozies, this cast of characters is not hokey as can often be the case with lighter mysteries. Meg is a likeable protagonist and, equally important I think, she is a believable one, as opposed to some cozy “sleuths” who seem to possess powers of deduction surpassing that of Sherlock Holmes. There is some interesting information here about the local food movement, and I liked learning more about the logistics of running an orchard.

I had no problem jumping into the series with this third installment. With the exception of one cryptic reference to something that occurred between Meg and a member of Seth’s family, I never felt like I needed to have read the two earlier books in order to understand the plot of this one. That said, I enjoyed this one so much, that I will probably go back at some point and read the first two. Red Delicious Death ends with a clear segueway into the next series entry, A Killer Crop. I look forward to visiting the orchard again soon with that fourth book.

A multi-layered story

2011-02-17T09:34:00.007-05:00

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many descriptions of this novel I have seen go something like this: a car accident on a foggy night, two women apparently running away from their lives, one dies, and the other must live with the tragedy’s aftermath. That is all here, but the problem with such summaries is that this novel is so much more.

On the night their lives intersect, photographer Isabelle Stein is fleeing her Cape Cod home after learning that her husband has been unfaithful. When Stein encounters loving wife and mother April Nash, Nash is inexplicably standing in the middle of the road; as Nash's young asthmatic son Sam watches in horror, Nash is struck by Stein's car and killed instantly. While Isabelle struggles to come to terms with her role in the accident, April’s husband Charlie is left not only to deal with his grief and that of his son, but to try and understand what April was doing on the road that night.

This book grabbed me from page one, and did not let go, largely because there are so many layers to the story. The mystery of where April was going with Sam underpins the novel and kept me guessing until the end. April is such an ethereal character she at times seems almost otherworldly. Her story made me consider that the same way that pictures can capture a moment in a person’s life but will never totally reveal who an individual is, a person may never really be known by those around him or her.

But the mystery is only part of the picture (pardon the pun). In Pictures of You, Ms. Leavitt gives voice to different aspects of the grieving process through each of the survivors. Isabelle is clearly not at fault in the accident, yet she nonetheless experiences profound feelings of guilt knowing that she was at the wheel of the car that struck April. Her suffering felt very real to me, in part, I believe, because being at the wrong place at the wrong time as she was is something that could happen to anyone. The bewilderment and despair Charlie experiences in his journey to reconcile what he thought he knew about his life seeps off the page, and the poignant portrayal of the ways in which nine-year-old Sam copes with the loss of his mother made me hurt inside. Because Leavitt painstakingly conveys all three survivors’ sense of being so adrift, when Isabelle finds herself drawn to Charlie and Sam after the tragedy, an otherwise improbable story line is surprisingly believable.

As the connections that Isabelle forges with Sam and Charlie continue to grow, Sam becomes convinced that Isabelle is an angel who can help him communicate with his mother. When Sam learns that not only is Isabelle a mere mortal, but that she is also in a relationship with his father, Sam suffers a health crisis and Charlie shuts Isabelle out of their lives. The upheaval that ensues results in yet another dimension being added to the story as Isabelle makes choices to reclaim her life and grow into the woman that she was never allowed to be after marrying as a teenager.

When the mystery of April’s life is finally revealed, I gasped, and at the same time, had the feeling, well, yes, I sort of knew that all along, which I take as a testament to the authenticity of the characters. I particularly appreciated that the author did not succumb to the temptation to wrap things up too neatly, and that in her final chapters she illustrates how the tragedy Sam suffered at such a young age continues to impact his life as an adult.

All told, Pictures of You combines interesting characters with an engaging plot for a thought-provoking, enjoyable read.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Algonquin Books.

A bewitching read

2011-02-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE by Katherine Howe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this fascinating historical page-turner Katherine Howe, a descendant of women accused in the Salem witch trials of 1692, pens a novel that considers the question what if witchcraft really was practiced in colonial times.

When the story opens, Connie Goodwin, a doctoral candidate in history at Harvard, is spending the summer in Marblehead, preparing her grandmother's ramshackle house for sale. When she uncovers an antique key bearing the name of Deliverance Dane, Goodwin's curiosity is aroused. In her attempts to learn more about Dane, Goodwin becomes convinced that she is on the trail of a primary source heretofore unknown, a book of "physick" or medicines Dane consulted for her divination and healing work. Connie's doctoral advisor, Manning Chilton, is equally excited at the prospect of what would be a huge coup in academic circles should the manuscript be located. As Connie delves deeper into the details of Dane's life, she learns that she may have more in common with this condemned "cunning woman" than she bargained for.

Over the summer, Connie comes to realize that the men in her family either die or disappear at an early age, like in Deliverance's family, and that she has sensory abilities that allow her to see and feel things others do not. When the man she is in love with succumbs to a mysterious illness and appears to be on the verge of death, Connie becomes convinced that he can only be saved by information contained in Deliverance's book. Her efforts are closely monitored by Chilton, who has his own malevolent interest in the book and will stop at nothing to secure its ownership.

Interwoven with Connie's quest to find the book, are the stories of Dane and her daughter and granddaughter, who share Dane's "gifts" but must distance themselves from the Physick book because of the taint of witchcraft. Their stories are told in "interludes" interspersed with the main narrative.

This book has it all. Intelligently written, it is offers an interesting, fresh angle on a well-known period of American history. I found myself somewhat surprised at how much I liked this book. I do not generally read fantasy, and never read "paranormal" works, and there is that element in those portions of the story when Connie exerts seemingly magical powers. I suppose I was happy to suspend belief and go along for the ride because by then the book had so totally drawn me in. To a one, the characters were richly drawn, from Deliverance and her progeny, to the modern day Connie and her New Age mother Grace, to the chillingly evil Chilton, who loses his sanity in his futile quest for the alchemical substance that he believes will connect him to God.

In addition to learning about the Salem witch trials, I took away from this book information about the study of alchemy and the societal history of women in colonial times that was unknown to me; that is one of the reasons that I love to read good historical fiction. No matter how informative, however, if I am reading a novel as opposed to a non-fiction offering, I want a good story -- and this one surely had that. I could not wait to see how it ended, and I hope that Ms. Howe follows up this debut effort with a new novel very soon.

I received an ARC of this book at a book related event.

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-02-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine in which bloggers highlight books that they are eagerly anticipating. This week I chose Dreams of Joy, the sequel to Lisa See's Shanghai Girls, a book I loved.

To be released in May of 2011
by Random House, Inc.

From publisher's catalog:
More than a sequel--literally a continuation--Dreams of Joy fulfills the spellbinding story begun in Shanghai Girls, launching its engrossing narrative from the last cliffhanging scene in that book. Devastated after discovering the shocking truth about her mother and father, Joy flees to China to find a new life (and her real father)--and Pearl, realizing what has happened, sets out for Mao's China, resolved to find her daughter.
Both women face almost insurmountable struggles as they combat their guilt-ridden past and a Communist China intolerant of their free spirits, and the tension in their stories is heightened by Pearl's selfless determination to rescue Joy and bring her home.

What are you waiting for?

The price of admission

2011-02-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

Getting In: A Novel by Karen Stabiner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mention the words "college application process" to the families of high school seniors, and see what reaction you get. Having just gone through this last year, I would venture to say that the responses will be a mixed bag amongst the parents, and a fairly uniform shudder of dread amongst the students. With the plunging economy and the ever-expanding applicant pool, the usual angst about where seniors will end up has multiplied exponentially. What used to be (at least as I remember it), a happy time filled with anticipation and exciting choices, has now disintegrated, in some quarters, to a frantic scramble to find the one advantage that will guarantee a place at the perfect school. Whatever that is.

This is the world explored by Karen Stabiner’s novel, Getting In, published last year, which follows a year in the life of five high school seniors and their families as they navigate the shoals of the college admissions process. Each of the five applicants, three from an elite private school, two from a public institution, represents an archetype of a more general category of candidate. Kate is the driven daughter of doctor-lawyer parents who lives out her need for perfection by tearing others around her down; she wants only to be valedictorian and go to Yale, and she is used to getting what she wants. Brad is old money, a multi-generational Harvard legacy who wants no part of Cambridge, but seems to have little to no choice in the matter. The third private school student is Lauren -- that girl in the top of the class, with parents who want only to see her happy, exceptional by most realistic standards, but who is made to feel that she is nothing special because she doesn’t have perfect SAT scores and did not take every AP class ever offered. The two public school candidates, Elizabeth and Chloe are, respectively, the valedictorian daughter of Asian immigrants who wants to make her parents proud, and a happy-go-lucky child of divorced parents, who is content to attend a state school. Rounding out the cast of characters is Ted, the put-upon college counselor at the private school attended by Kate, Brad and Lauren, who is most often concerned with his own interests when performing his role.

All in all, I thought this book did a good job of capturing the craziness that can attend this process; at times, some of the behavior exhibited by certain parents seemed over-the-top, but for the most part, the scenarios rang true, unfortunately. Ms. Stabiner reminds the reader how easy it is to get caught up and lose perspective -- for the senior, when everyone around him or her is ratcheting up the stress level and feeding off other’s anxieties, and for the parents, when you watch your child cope with self-doubt and, perhaps, rejection from the school he or she is convinced is the “only” right place.

This is one that I would have read for the story alone, but I found myself taken by the way Ms. Stabiner writes. I loved how she describes Katie's family, as seen through the eyes of Ted: "He thought they wore success better than almost any other family at school...Not that they were humble about their accomplishments. In fact, just the opposite: they lived in every inch of their lives; they were bursting at the seams of their existence"(p. 35). And she encapsulates so succinctly the feeling of every mother of a teenage girl when she has Lauren's mother observe, "This, thought Nora, was transitional parenthood: a mom was as essential as ever until something more interesting came along, at which point she was instantly less than peripheral"(p. 397). Apart from the quality of the writing, the resolution for each of the candidates is authentic. I particularly enjoyed the last chapter, illustrating the randomness of the system that is often overlooked in the heat of the moment by those involved.

Would I recommend this book? Definitely. I do have one caveat, however. If you are the parents of a high school junior or senior, wait until your child has put down his or her college deposit. On the other hand, if you are a high school junior or senior, go ahead and read it, as you might recognize yourself and your friends in the pages, and thereby gain some much needed comfort and perspective.