March 14, 2010

What crazy weather we have been having this month. Friday night it hailed, then we had a huge thunder and lightening storm that sent Gizmo under the bed and gave Raven a barking fit, then we had a blizzard with almost a foot of snow. Yesterday was cold and sunny. Today is supposed to heat up and be in the 60s.  All that, and we’ve lost an hour too:

Today Kip and I are going to a corned beef and cabbage dinner (for only $7 per person) at the volunteer fire station in our town. They put on these great feeds several times a year to raise money for the fire station (we never miss the Bean Feed and always try to make it the town fair where the food is burgers, hotdogs, chips and soda). The first year I was in Shingletown, we arrived at the Bean Feed and were the only people under the age of 70…but the food is good and it is fun being part of this small town tradition. So, we’ll be celebrating St. Paddy’s day with traditional fare and bumping elbows with people in our community at the same time.

I am ALMOST finished reading The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt. Wow, what a terrific book this has been. Byatt has a ton of characters in this family saga (in fact, early on I stopped reading and made a flow chart of the families and the masses of children in the book), but I never felt overwhelmed. The more I read, the easier it was to put a face to all the names because Byatt is nothing but skilled at character development. I hope to have my review up very soon on this one.

vs.

Since I’ve read Wolf Hall (read my review) and now The Children’s Book, I think I am qualified to say that Byatt’s book should have captured The Booker Prize. Not only was it an amazing look at the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century in Europe (Britain specifically), but Byatt’s story telling was riveting. Mantel, on the other hand, seemed more interested in being different in her style than being accessible to her readers. (I also think Byatt wins on cover art – hands down.)

As far as characterization goes – well, I have to say that Mantel had the potential to blow Byatt out of the water with her main character Thomas Cromwell (what a fascinating historical figure). But she became so incomprehensible to me as more and more characters were introduced and she continued to play around with the ambiguous pronoun “he”, that I ended up just finding myself confused and irritated. Byatt also had a huge cast of characters (mostly fictional, but some historical), but they were so well developed that after a while I had no trouble following their individual lives. I was interested in Byatt’s characters. I cared what happened to them. I wanted to understand them.

So on all fronts: story, characters, even cover art…Byatt wins for me.

This is all just my opinion, of course. If you’ve read both books, what do YOU think?

If you are a prize list follower, you might want to check out Jackie’s predictions for the Orange Prize long list. On her list, the only ones I’ve read are The Children’s Book, Wolf Hall and The Year of the Flood (read my review). I am planning to read The Lacuna this month, and The Little Stranger next month. And Tyler’s and Tremain’s new book’s are on my wish list. The rest I need to do some research on…so I am withholding opinion for now!

Speaking of lists, here is a new list of sorts…The University of Rochester is recognizing translated literature with their Best Translated Book Award. Here is their short list, of which the winner turned out to be The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven (translated from the Hebrew by Dalya Bilu). I have not read ANY of the books on their list (sadly), but if you are like me and wish to read more translated works, this is a good place to start.

That wraps up this edition of Sunday Salon. What great books are you reading lately? Do you have any plans for today? If so, I hope that at some point they involve reading a good book!

Friday Finds is a weekly event hosted by Jenn at Should Be Reading. Jenn writes:

The weekly FRIDAY FINDS event asks you to share with other bloggers about the new-to-you books you found during the week — books you either want to add to your TBR (to be read) list, or that you just heard about that sounded interesting.

Clicking on the title of the featured book will take you to Amazon; clicking on the featured blogger whose review made me want to read the book will take you to that review.

Castles in the Air, The Restoration Adventures of Two Young Optimists and a Crumbling Old Mansion, by Judy Corbett was recently featured on Cathy’s blog Kittling Books. I don’t read a ton of non fiction, but this story about the restoration of an old house in Wales looks really good. Cathy writes: ‘If you love reading about old houses being brought back to life by people who love what they’re doing and have a true sense of adventure, you will love reading Castles in the Air. Corbett not only has a knack for restoration, she’s a deft storyteller as well.‘

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly was reviewed over on Nymeth’s blog Things Mean A Lot. This YA novel (whose title in the U.S. is A Northern Light) centers around a high school student and a murder (which just happens to be based on a real case). Nymeth writes: ‘It’s a triumphant novel in some ways—full of life, courage, determination and idealism—but it’s also not one that romanticizes life at the turn of the twentieth-century. Bad things happen to good people, as they did then and still do now.‘

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead is a memoir which was recently featured on Suzanne’s blog Chicks With Books. The author and her husband relocated from Sussex England to a tiny village in the Alpujarra mountains – deciding to give themselves five years there to see if it was really for them. Suzanne writes: ‘This book was a joy to read! When you open the book it’s as if Victoria is sitting down with you over a cup of coffee chatting about what funny things happened on the way to Andalucia. Her warm personality floats off the page and you are hooked to keep reading. Victoria’s writing is wonderful, funny, and entertaining! And as if the story wasn’t enough, there are spanish recipes sprinkled through out the pages. (and the one for gazpacho looks deelish!)‘

Mothers and Sons by Colm Toibin caught my eye over at Joann’s blog Lakeside Musings. This is a short story collection, and Joann talks about one of the stories in her review: ‘[...] I find myself still thinking about these characters today. I’m looking forward to making my way through the rest of this collection.‘ I love discovering new short story collections – and I’ve read a novel by this author which I enjoyed, so it is not a stretch to place this book on my wish list.

Did you read find any great books this week? Why not share them over at Should Be Reading today?

• Tell your readers what is it about “an” author that you are most passionate about, that have you coming back for more from them, following their every blog post – literally blackmailing people to read their books?

• Who are some of your all time favourite authors?

• And what is it about them that makes you keep going back for more?

Be as creative as you want with this topic, use excerpt if you wish to convey the authors style, Use pic as necessary and make your readers see why you love the authors you do.

There are many authors whose work I love and whose books I read as soon as a new one hits the bookstore. So it was a little difficult for me to pick just one author to highlight. Given that this month is Women’s History Month, I finally decided on one of my favorite female authors who leans towards historical fiction in her writing, although her writing could also easily be classified as literary fiction as well.

Rose Tremain

Rose Tremain (b. August 2, 1943) is an English author who has won many awards for her writing. She has published 11 novels, 3 short story collections, and 1 children’s book.

I am slowly working my way through Tremain’s work and, so far, have loved everything I have read by her. I thought that the best way to share with you what I love about Tremain’s writing, is to share some of the books I’ve read by her, including some notable quotes from them.

The Colour (published 2003)

This was my first Tremain novel … and it blew me away. Set in New Zealand, the story centers around a newly married couple. I wrote in my review: ‘The inhospitable and breathtaking land of New Zealand seems pitted against these people almost from the very first when Joseph mistakenly builds his home on an exposed hill instead of the protected flats. Then one day Joseph discovers gold dust in the creek near his home and keeps it a secret from both Harriet and Lilian. It becomes an obsession which promises his redemption and one which will finally drive him to the other side of the Southern Alps where a Gold Rush is underway.‘

There are multiple themes in this novel: the power of nature, love and desire, materialism vs. inner contentment, and the connection between cultures. But it was Tremain’s characterization of the women in the novel which I loved the most.

Some passages which demonstrate the beauty of Tremain’s writing:

Better that we never know (she wrote to her father) what lies beyond the next hill. For the answer might come back “nothing.” And I confess that, having travelled across the world, I do not feel I would be content with that “nothing.” My habit of looking at the mountains has not gone away. They are so fine. I wish that I could paint a picture of them for you. And they Contain a mystery: that is what I feel. And I ask myself: Is the mystery they contain the mystery of my life? -From The Colour, page 168-

For a few moments, the sun disappeared behind a cloud, and in the shadow, nothing of it was visible, only the shingly mud and the herringbone imprints of the ducks’ feet. But Joseph knew that he’d seen something. He stood without moving, waiting for the sun to come out again. It returned and sparkled on the water, dazzling him. He had to close his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, he’d forgotten the precise spot where the colour had revealed itself. Then he saw it once more, a minute patch of shining yellow dust. -From The Colour, page 57-

Read my full review here.

Music and Silence (published 1999)

Music and Silence won Tremain best novel in the 1999 Whitbread Awards. Set in 17th century Denmark, this incredible novel is told from multiple points of view including that of Kirsten Munk who was the manipulative and unfaithful wife of King Christian IV. This is, in part, what I wrote about this sprawling medieval  novel: ‘In Tremain’s competent hands, this historical novel becomes a symphony of romantic twists and turns, and a saga which encompasses all the excesses and political intrigue of royal life in seventeenth century Europe. Tremain explores such complex themes as order vs. chaos, love vs. hate, dreams vs. reality, and betrayal vs. loyalty – all through the metaphor of music and silence.‘

In Tremain’s talented hands, Music and Silence transcends the historical fiction genre and becomes an extraordinary work of literature. Here is an Tremain’s description of a waterfall – the Isfoss – which has frozen solid, and the way King Christian imagines the tiny crystals of ice forming in the roaring water:

They acquire thickness, length and weight. The water is transparent clay, moulding them, layer upon layer, and as the layers accumulate, the roar of the river has become muffled. The human ear has to strain to hear it. And then, in the space of a single night, it falls silent. -From Music and Silence, page 107-

Read my full review here.

The Road Home (published 2008)

The Road Home won Tremain the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction Award in 2008, and for good reason. This beautifully written novel is about 43 year old Lev who is forced to leave his rural East European town to seek work in London after becoming a widow and single father. This is a moving character driven novel about loss and identity. And it is the character of Lev who sticks with the reader long after the final page has been turned. In my review I wrote: ‘Dreams are the fuel for overcoming obstacles in this story of a man who must leave his home in order to find it again. Lev is a dreamer and a romantic. He is a character who readers want to see succeed, a man whose flaws are surpassed by his kind and vulnerable heart.‘

Although I loved the two previous novels enough to give them five star reviews, I believe The Road Home to be Tremain’s most accomplished novel which I have read. She writes flawlessly, with an insight into the human condition which touches the reader’s heart.

It was at this moment – with Rudi halfway up the ladder – that he heard himself whispering to his friend, “Don’t look down…don’t look back…” and he felt that he suddenly understood why Rudi had brought him here and that the thing he had to embrace was the idea of perseverance. – from The Road Home, page 127 -

It was passages like this, which explore the meaning of friendship and hope within the context of Lev’s future, which made me truly appreciate Tremain’s writing.

Read my full review here.

Other books by Rose Tremain which I have not yet read, but hope to:

Novels:

• Sadler’s Birthday (1976)
• Letter to Sister Benedicta (1978)
• The Cupboard (1981)
• The Swimming Pool Season (1985)
• Restoration (1989) and the screenplay for the 1996 film
• Sacred Country (1992)
• The Way I Found Her (1997)

Children’s Books:

• Journey to the Volcano (1985)

Short Story Collections:

• The Colonel’s Daughter and other stories (1983)
• The Garden of the Villa Mollini and other stories (1987)
• Evangelista’s Fan and other stories (1994)

Rose Tremain’s newest novel, Trespass, is due for release this year. The product description on Amazon reads:

In a silent valley stands an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic so haunted by his violent past that he’s become incapable of all meaningful action, letting his hunting dogs starve and his land go to ruin. Meanwhile, his sister, Audrun, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed Cévenol world comes Anthony Verey, a wealthy but disillusioned antiques dealer from London. Now in his sixties, Anthony hopes to remake his life in France, and he begins looking at properties in the region. From the moment he arrives at the Mas Lunel, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion. Two worlds and two cultures collide. Ancient boundaries are crossed, taboos are broken, a violent crime is committed. And all the time the Cévennes hills remain, as cruel and seductive as ever, unforgettably captured in this powerful and unsettling novel, which reveals yet another dimension to Rose Tremain’s extraordinary imagination.

Have you read any novels or short stories by Rose Tremain? If so, did you enjoy them? Which were your favorites? If you have not yet read anything by this author, have I tempted you to do so?

Visit this week’s Weekly Geeks to link up your post and see who other readers highlighted.

March 7, 2010

9:30 AM

Good morning everyone! Winter was stubbornly hanging on here last week in Northern California despite some warm days which tricked us into thinking Spring had arrived. We ended up having three inches of snow during the week (which feels like a lot after having only rain for weeks upon weeks). Raven likes the snow – it makes her silly…she likes to throw her feet way out in front of her and run full speed in circles around the yard. This morning the sunshine is back and the snow is melting. I long for tulips.

I have posted a few reviews since my last Sunday Salon…

Life Sentences by Laura Lippman was an easy and enjoyable read for me (read my review). For those of you familiar with her early novels, you might be interested to know she has changed things up a little. Rather than writing straight mystery or suspense novels, she is now writing what I would consider more literary fiction with a mystery embedded in it. I have one of her earliest novels in my TBR pile and I am interesting to compare it to her more recent work. I was thrilled that Lippman agreed to write a guest post for my blog as part of my TLC book tour of her book.

I also finished reading Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt (read my review). I was pleasantly surprised by this little memoir which packs a punch. Although initially I was on the fence about the style of Rosenblatt’s writing, I eventually grew to appreciate it as it related to theme. Rosenblatt was interviewed about his memoir on NPR and I listened to it after reading the book. It is a fabulous interview which I attempted to embed here on my blog – but for some reason the code refused to cooperate. So here is a link to the interview which I think you might enjoy (to hear the interview you have to click on the phrase “Listen to the story – All Things Considered” which is just above the title to the article).

I also was thrilled to get a copy of the re-release of Garth Stein’s debut novel: Raven Stole the Moon (read my review). I didn’t love this book, but I appreciated it and found it an interesting (and quick) read. Although on the surface this comes off as a straight forward supernatural thriller, Stein explores some bigger issues within its pages. Those readers who are interested in Native American legends and religion will probably want to pick up a copy of this book which was just released this week. I’m giving away a copy on March 11th as part of the Reading for a Cure project. To learn more about the giveaways, please go to this post. (I’m also drawing a winner for a paperback edition of The Local News by Miriam Gershow on March 9th – you can read more about that here).

My current read is The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt which was short listed for the 2009 Booker prize. This is my first Byatt novel and I was not really sure what to expect. I’ve heard great things about this book, and also some not so great things about it. But I must say that, so far, I am captivated by this dense family saga set in Victorian England. Perhaps it is my love of stories or, more precisely, my love of story telling…but I am finding myself just immersed in this novel which revolves around a children’s book writer named Olive and her huge family of children. At nearly 700 pages, it is a good thing I am enjoying the book! I have no idea when I’ll finish reading it…but when I do, I’ll post a review.

Here are my scheduled reads for this month (subject to change, of course!):

• The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Lotus Eaters, by Tatjana Soli (being toured here on my blog on March 24th)
• An Irish Country Girl, by Patrick Tyler (another book I’ll be giving away toward the end of the month)
• The Glass Room, by Simon Mawer (reading this for the Booker Yahoo group)
• Say You’re One of Them,by Uwem Akpan (short story collection)
• Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons
• I Never Told Anyone, edited by Ellen Bass and Louise Thornton (an anthology of writings by women survivors of sexual abuse which I’m reading for The Social Justice Challenge)

Some of these are chunky reads, some look like they will demand a lot of my attention … so I am hoping I can get through them all in March!

What about you? What are you reading? What is on your nightstand? What are YOUR plans for today? Whatever they are, I hope they involve a great book!

I want to talk about improvisational cooking – something that I just started doing in the last year. I love to cook in large part because of the creativeness of the craft. Following recipes “to the letter” is not fun for me. I like to experiment. I hate to measure things. Besides, often I find a recipe that looks great, but I’m lacking ingredients. Since I live more than 30 minutes from the nearest decent grocery story, I don’t always have the option of popping out and picking up missing ingredients.

Wednesday night I defrosted some chicken thighs, but had no idea what I wanted to do with them. Usually I just marinate them and throw them on the grill. Good, but a bit boring. So I pulled out one of my trustworthy cookbooks: The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. On page 415 I found a recipe called Roasted Chicken legs with Glazed Shallots. Besides the shallots and chicken legs, the recipe called for the following ingredients: olive oil, sugar, 1/2 chicken stock, 1/4 cup dry white wine, chopped fresh rosemary leaves, dried thyme, black pepper and fresh parsley.

I did not have chicken legs (but I had thighs); I did not have shallots (but I had onions); I did not have chicken stock (but I had bouillon); I had no fresh herbs; I had no dry white wine. But I wanted to make this recipe.

This is what I did…

I followed the instructions to heat the olive oil in a skillet, but instead of cooking shallots…I diced up some onions and carrots and cooked them instead. I followed the recipe to add a tablespoon of sugar to the skillet and continued cooking the vegetables until they had caramelized.

I added the caramelized vegetables to a roasting pan and put the chicken thighs on top of them (just like the recipe said to do). Then I decided I wanted to use up some fresh mushrooms I had…so I sliced them up and threw them on top of the chicken.

Next I made the sauce. Instead of chicken stock, I boiled some water and added the bouillon cubes…then I substituted a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar for the dry white wine, eliminated the rosemary and parsley and instead just used thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

From here on out I followed the original recipe – pouring the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, roasting the combination in a 375 degree oven (covered) for 30 minutes (stirring once); removing the cover and roasting 25 more minutes, turning the chicken pieces twice more.

And you know what? It came out GREAT! The balsamic vinegar gave the sauce a more hearty flavor than just white wine would have…and I never missed the fresh herbs. Furthermore, the carrots and mushrooms added a little more flavor and complimented the dish.

Improvisation is so  much fun. If you are a little nervous about doing it yourself, I recommend two wonderful resources:

The Improvisational Cook, by Sally Schneider

AND

The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

Both of these books will help you deconstruct a recipe and create your own wonderful dish! Have fun!!

Share your Weekend Cooking post with other readers by visiting Beth Fish Reads TODAY!

The weekly FRIDAY FINDS event asks you to share with other bloggers about the new-to-you books you found during the week — books you either want to add to your TBR (to be read) list, or that you just heard about that sounded interesting.

I don’t participate every week, but I do star reviews on my Google Reader which catch my eye and when I have enough of them, I post on Fridays about them. Clicking on the title of the book will take you to Amazon; clicking on the featured blogger whose review made me want to read the book will take you to that review.

Back to the Coast by Saskia Noort caught my eye when featured on Danielle’s blog A Work In Progress. This is a psychological thriller published by Bitter Lemon Press, and is translated from the Dutch by Laura Vroomen. Danielle writes: ‘The ending might have been a little too pat, the solution a little too perfect, but really that didn’t detract from the chilling story Noort tells of Maria’s paranoia, fear and helplessness.‘ I’ve added this one to my wish list, and added my name to the Bitter Lemon Press mailing list.

Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian was recently featured on Jill’s blog The Magic Lasso. I have loved some of Bohjalian’s previous novels, and this one looks like an important story about an abused wife who is murdered by her husband. Jill writes: ‘The abuse of Alice Hayward was heart-wrenching. Bohjalian shows every aspect of an abusive relationship – from the punches to the belittlement. Physically, emotionally and mentally abused, Alice endured it all – while hiding it from her neighbors. This is a hard subject matter to read but an important one [...]‘

Even the Dogs by Jon McGregor caught my attention on a review written by Dovegrey Scribbles. The novel centers around an unlikely protagonist – a derelict and drug addict whose body is discovered in his apartment. Dovegrey Scribbles writes about Even the Dogs: ‘[...] a book that will inform, will challenge assumptions and perhaps redistribute rationed sympathies, to ignore it is to ignore a painful but fundamental failing and perhaps to understand that a little more clearly is a step nearer to … well to I don’t know what, because I’m not stupid enough to think the solutions are there for the sorting, but someone needed to tell the story of those who live and die in this underworld and tell it as it really is, and Jon McGregor most courageously and brilliantly has.‘ Sounds like a book I should read.

What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg was featured for review on Ti’s blog Book Chatter.  Ti writes that this book ‘[...] is a gem of a little book. Filled with stories about women who don’t settle, yet struggle to find their place in society. Honest and thoughtful in her delivery, van den Berg creates a world where beauty exists in everyday things.‘ I love well-written short story collections, and I like discovering new female writers…so this book definitely goes on my wish list.

What have you found lately? Please share your Friday Finds by visiting Jenn’s blog TODAY!

Life Sentences by Laura Lippman
ISBN 978-0-06-112889-9
352 pages
Published by William Morrow/Harper Collins (2009)

Last year I read my first Lippman novel: What the Dead Know (read my review). I loved it. So when I saw that TLC Book Tours would be touring Lippman’s book Life Sentences, I knew I wanted to participate. Life Sentences is a thoughtful, character driven novel with a mystery (read my review) which will appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries, but also like literary fiction.

Browse inside the book.

A little bit about Laura Lippman:

Laura Lippman grew up in Baltimore and in 1989 worked there as a journalist for the Baltimore Sun. After writing seven books while still a full-time reporter, she left her journalism job in order to  focus full-time on fiction. The author of two New York Times bestsellers, What the Dead Know and Another Thing to Fall, she has won numerous awards for her work, including the Edgar, Quill, Anthony, Nero Wolfe, Agatha, Gumshoe, Barry, and Macavity. Learn more about Laura Lippman and her books on the author’s website.

I was thrilled when Laura agreed to write a guest post for my blog. Enjoy!!

*********************

copyright Laura Lippman (2010)

Thank you, Wendy, for letting me hang out at your blog today. It’s an honor. I may be dating myself, but I’d like to start by invoking a song from Gigi. The singers are Honore and Mamita, former lovers.

H: We met at nine
M: We met at eight
H: I was on time
M: No, you were late
H: Ah, yes, I remember it well
We dined with friends
M: We dined alone
H: A tenor sang
M: A baritone
H: Ah, yes, I remember it well
That dazzling April moon!
M: There was none that night
And the month was June
H: That’s right. That’s right.
M: It warms my heart to know that you
remember still the way you do
H: Ah, yes, I remember it well.

I’ve always inferred that the conceit of the song is that it’s pragmatic Mamita who is right about all the details, while it’s dashing Honore who has twisted everything. (“That’s right. That’s right.’) After all, he’s trying to charm her and she always gets the last word.

But – who says? When memories clash, how do we prove our case? Most of us just pile on more details, as if the vividness of a memory is proof. It’s not. It’s just proof that we are convinced of our memory’s veracity.

A few years ago, I was lamenting a lost sweatshirt, one with an insignia from one of my husband’s projects. It was lost in a taxicab in Ireland in 2006. On that detail, we were in agreement. But I said it had been embroidered with the name Project 2. (Forgive me for being vague. I am famously reticent about my somewhat famous spouse.) He said it was Project Previous. I said I was sure it was Project 2 because I wore it so often. He said that he would know better than I because it was his project, after all. We tossed details back and forth at each other. I remembered that the hem was frayed. He argued that established it was probably an older garment. I said that I didn’t get much swag from his work, which was why I had commandeered this particular sweatshirt. He said he wore it more often than I did. After all, he was the one who left it in the cab. We called the argument a draw.

A month later, he organized years of photos. There I was in Ireland. Wearing the mourned sweatshirt. And there was the Project 2 insignia, clearly visible. A better woman might have let it pass. I am not a better woman.

“OK, OK,” my husband said. “You win.”

“But it’s not about winning,” I told him. “We both thought we were right. In this case, I was. But that’s not important. What I want you to focus on is how sure you were, how adamant and impassioned you became. That proves that passionate faith in your memory doesn’t guarantee anything. If you can be wrong when you were so sure you were right, then isn’t there always the possibility that a memory is wrong?”

“Yes, but –” And he continued to argue, only this time the debate centered on why his error was understandable.

One of the hardest things a person can do is take a heart-felt memory and admit that it’s wrong, or riddled with invented details. Because if we are wrong about one memory, couldn’t we be wrong about all of them? And if we’re wrong about all of them – then who are we? That’s the story behind LIFE SENTENCES. A woman begins to pull on the threads of her life – and everything falls apart. It sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? But I’ve found that it also can be reassuring in a strange way.

And if you stop arguing based on memory, you’ll be amazed by how much time you save!

*************************

I completely agree!! Thanks for visiting my blog, Laura. It’s been a pleasure!

Visit more TLC Book tours of Laura Lippman’s novel:

• Monday, March 1st: Raging Bibliomania
• Monday, March 8th: Thoughts From an Evil Overlord
• Tuesday, March 9th: Wordlily
• Wednesday, March 10th: Shhh I’m Reading
• Monday, March 15th: Booksie’s Blog
• Wednesday, March 17th: The Book Zombie
• Tuesday, March 23rd: I’m Booking It
• Thursday, March 25th: pages turned
• Monday, March 29th: Luxury Reading
• Wednesday, March 31st: Cozy Little House

It is here that I share with you the books which have found their way to my doorstep over the last week. To link YOUR mailbox, or to see other bloggers’ mailboxes, visit Marcia today.

I had a fun week in books:

Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson arrived unsolicited from Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting. This latest thriller by Jackson is due for release through Kensington Books in April 2010. Jackson is known for her creepy plots and creepier characters and has been called “the queen of  the modern-day suspense-thriller” by The Providence Journal. Without Mercy is set in the southern mountains of Oregon where a student goes missing at an elite boarding school. This one looks like an-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type read. To read more about Jackson and her work, visit the author’s website.

Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax arrived from Joy at  Joan Schulhafer Publishing and Media Consulting. This novel is due for release tomorrow through Penguin. Magnolia Wednesdays centers around a former broadcaster who leaves New York to return to her Southern roots after being shot in the behind on national television. At forty-one, Vivien Gray finds herself pregnant, jobless and in a dreadfully boring job in Atlanta – and it seems the only thing that can save her is a group of dance studio women. Known best for her humor and portrayal of women’s friendships, Wax has written five previous novels. Read more about Wax and her work on the author’s website.

I also received THREE books which I plan to give away in March for my Reading for a Cure event (want to be eligible to win these books and MORE? Visit this post):

First Daughter AND Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader arrived courtesy of Tor/Forge. These are the first two books in the Jack McClure series (First Daughter was published by Forge in 2008, Last Snow was just released in February 2010). First Daughter introduces Jack McClure who is still grieving for his daughter Emma, recently killed in a terrible accident. When he is contacted by the President of the United States to investigate the kidnapping of the President’s daughter, he uncovers a conspiracy that reaches deep within the government. Last Snow picks up where First Daughter leaves off, but finds Jack traveling from Moscow across Eastern Europe and thrust into a global jigsaw puzzle of intrigue and danger. Van Lustbader is well known for his provocative thrillers and is the author of over 25 international bestsellers, including the last four Jason Bourne novels (the estate of the late Robert Ludlum contracted with Van Lustbader to finish the series). To learn more about Van Lustbader and his work, visit the author’s website.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (brand new trade paperback) arrived from Random House through their promotional book club giveaways (I also got a bag of chocolates … but I’m planning to consume those myself!). Since I own the hard cover edition of this book, I decided I’d add this to my giveaways in March. I really enjoyed this book (read my review) about two sisters from China who immigrate to the United States. Lisa See has published 3 mysteries, 3 historical novels, 1 collection of short stories, and a non fiction book. To read more about See and her work, visit the author’s website.

What arrived at YOUR house this week?

February 28, 2010

Good morning! Here we are – the last day of February. Is it just me, or is 2010 just FLYING by?!??!

I have a little business to get done before I talk about my reading. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you already know I am doing a year long project called Reading for a Cure. If you don’t regularly read Caribousmom, check out the intro post for the project. In March I am having a book giveaway bonanza for those who either join the project, sponsor someone in the project OR make a donation to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation (I’ve set up a special button for the project on their donation page). I’ll be posting a final list of books being given away (and the dates I’m drawing winners) tomorrow, but you can read about the FIRST giveaway on this post. I hope you’ll consider getting involved in some way – it is a great cause. Childhood cancer research is incredibly under-funded. If you’re on the fence and not sure if you want to support this cause, read Kate’s story. She is, in large part, why I was motivated to sponsor this project. If you have questions, either leave me a comment or drop me an email at caribousmom (at) gmail (dot) com.

I have had a slow reading month, but I’ve read some interesting books. This week I finished reading Just Don’t Fall by Josh Sundquist (read my review). I really liked Sundquist’s honest, forthright and endearing memoir. He also did a terrific guest vlog for me. If you like memoirs, especially ones which are inspirational, consider picking up a copy of this book.

I also read and reviewed the newest Mayo Clinic Diet (read my review). I’m not a diet person, but this book is more about healthy lifestyle changes than dieting. I think it will appeal to those people who hate diets but want to maintain a healthy weight.

I just finished reading Life Sentences by Laura Lippman for a TLC Book Tour on March 3rd. I’ll be posting my review then, along with a guest post by the author. This is my second Lippman novel, and although I liked What the Dead Know (read my review) better than Life Sentences, I can say that Lippman has become one of those authors who makes me sit up and take notice. She’s written several other books, and I am eager to work my way through them. I think her books are hard to categorize. Her character development makes her books lean toward the literary fiction end of things; yet her plots are distinctly mystery in nature. I like that. It sets her books apart from the typical mystery genre. Have you read anything by this author? If so, what did you think?

Last night I started reading Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt which is due for release through Harper/Ecco in March. This is a slim memoir (my ARC has 165 pages). It begins with the death of Rosenblatt’s daughter Amy. Rosenblatt and his wife Ginny end up moving in with their son-in-law to help care for their very young grandchildren. I’m going to be finishing this book this morning (I have only 50 pages to go) and will post my review later today.

Last night Kip and I watched the movie Sahara (based on Clive Cussler’s novel). It was a fun, escapist movie. I chose to watch it as an alternate media for The Social Justice Challenge (the theme this month was water…and the movie does deal with some pretty bad water issues!). You can read my thoughts about it here.

Later this morning we’re heading into town to get the last of the supplies I need to finish my closet. Then we’re taking Raven for a romp in the woods to burn off a little of her endless energy. It is a gorgeous day here (feels like Spring). What are you doing today? Whatever it is, I hope it involves a GREAT book!

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

To join in the fun, tell us what books arrived at your house this week, then go visit Marcia today and give her a link to your post.

Here is what came to my house over the last seven days:

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann arrived from Random House for a TLC Book Tour in May. Set in New York City in 1974, the novel “captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence – awakening in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and an even heal.” Let the Great World Spin won McCann the National Book Award in 2009. McCann has published three previous novels, and two critically acclaimed short story collections. His work has been translated in thirty languages. To learn more about McCann and his work, visit the author’s website. I will be reading and reviewing this book for TLC Book Tours at the end of May while I am in NYC for the BEA and Book Blogger Convention – hope you’ll come back and see what I thought!

Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs are Getting Fatter by Ernie Ward, DVM arrived from Health Communications Inc. for a TLC Book Tour. I have never had a weight problem with my dogs, but fat dogs is one of my pet peeves (no pun intended). I love reading books about dogs, and this one looks really interesting. The blurb on the back cover reads: “With cutting edge science and ultra-practical tips, Dr. Ernie’s plan will help you give your pet the great health he or she deserves.“  Dr. Ward is is a practicing veterinarian who is dedicated to helping pets and their humans live healthier lives. He makes regular appearances on the Rachael Ray Show, and has been featured on Animal Planet, NBC Nightly News, and CNN.  Watch for my review of this book for a TLC Tour in April.

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel arrived from Spiegel & Grau through a Shelf Awareness offer. Martel is best known for his Booker Prize winning novel Life of Pi. In Beatrice and Virgil, Martel examines the role of fate in the life of protagonist Henry who finds his life changed when an unexpected letter arrives in the mail. Martel poses questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity as the story of Henry is revealed. To learn more about Martel and his work, visit this website. Beatrice and Virgil will be released in April 2010.

What arrived at YOUR house this week???