Weekend Cooking and a Cookbook Review - Cucina Povera

Beth Fish Reads sponsors this weekly meme where we foodies can chat about cookbooks, cooking gadgets, recipes, or anything else gustatory. Be sure to stop over there to find other terrific weekend cooking posts.

This week I got a notice from NetGalley that they had some cookbooks available for pre/review.  I don't usually like cookbooks in an e-format, particularly since I don't have a color e-reader.  However, I went to browse through the list to see if anything jumped out screaming "buy me buy me!!"  I am so glad I looked.

In spite of what Andrews McNeel Publishing says, I think this one was edited in heaven by my Nona and her son, my father.  I am positively drooling over this book, and have already sent an email to my daughter strongly suggesting that this one appear in my stocking from Santa later this year (it's not due for publication until next month.)

Cucina Povera
Tuscan Peasant Cooking
Author: Pamela Sheldon Johns
Photographs by Andrea Wyner
Publisher/Format: egalley 192 pages
Year of publication: 2011
Subject: Tuscan Peasant cooking
Genre: cookbook
Source: e-galley from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher's blurb: Italian cookbook authority Pamela Sheldon Johns presents more than 60 peasant-inspired dishes from the heart of Tuscany inside Cucina Povera. This book is more than a collection of recipes of "good food for hard times." La cucina povera is a philosophy of not wasting anything edible and of using technique to make every bite as tasty as possible. Budget-conscious dishes utilizing local and seasonal fruits and vegetables create everything from savory pasta sauces, crusty breads and slow-roasted meats to flavorful vegetable accompaniments and end-of-meal sweets.

The recipes inside Cucina Povera have been collected during the more than 20 years Johns has spent in Tuscany. Dishes such as Ribollita (Bread Soup), Pollo Arrosto al Vin Santo (Chicken with Vin Santo Sauce), and Ciambellone (Tuscan Ring Cake) are adapted from the recipes of Johns' neighbors, friends, and local Italian food producers. Lavish color and black-and-white photographs mingle with Johns' recipes and personal reflections to share an authentic interpretation of rustic Italian cooking inside Cucina Povera.

I found many of the recipes to be familiar from my childhood, others exotic but with ingredients that had me making a market list to try them as soon as I can get my hands on the real book.  In fact, my sister, who is also an excellent Italian cook, was just visiting last week, and we had a discussion over whether or not one could substitute olive oil in a cake recipe that called for vegetable oil.  The recipe for Ciambellone (Tuscan Ring Cake) on page 156,  left no doubt that olive oil was quite acceptable. In fact, that cake looked so good, I may just have to move my laptop to the kitchen and bake it tonite to serve with some fresh Maine blueberries.  Because, you see, the secret of Cucina Povera, in fact the secret of all good Italian cooking, is to use the fresh ingredients one has on hand, to make simple, elegant, wholesome, healthy food.

The cover recipe "Pomidori, Fagioli e Cippoline" (Roasted Tomatoes, Beans and Onions) p. 135, makes me wish for a cold rainy day to come quick.  My family was quite fond of our Nona's gnocci - they were her specialty.  But I was quite taken with a dish I'd never seen before "Gnudi" on pg.90.  Literally meaning "nudes", they are spinach and ricotta dumplings - similar to the filling found in ravioli, but without the pasta shell.  On a bed of homemade tomato sauce, they would be worthy of royalty.

The book is well laid out, has an excellent index, and although the e-galley is lacking a table of contents, each section has an individual TOC.  The photography is spectacular...if you had a fork and spoon, you'd feel you could dive right in. The actual recipes don't start until page 43, but you don't mind because Johns takes us on a pictorial and memory tour of the area, introducing us to locals who have been cooking and growing these foods for all their very long lives.  She gives us introductions to herbal remedies handed down by the monks in a local monastery, explains why basic ingredients are so important, and how and where they're produced.  In short, we get culture, history, geography and cuisine all in one small volume.  It's a winner.

Winners! The Things We Cherished by Pam Jelloff

We have winners!!! This World War II story is definitely turning out to be a good read.  I haven't had time to finish it yet, so you'll have to wait for my review, but that's no reason to keep the winner's of our giveaway waiting.  Thanks to Liz at Doubleday, we have two copies to bestow and they are going to

Divya

and

Michelle 

at TheTrue Book Addict 

Congratulations! 

Cozy Time: Murder with Puffins

Author: Donna Andrews
Publisher/Format: St. Martin's Paperbacks (2000), 311 pages
Subject: more murder, different birds
Setting: Matinicus Island, off the coast of Maine
Series: Meg Langslow Mysteries
Genre: cozy mystery
Source: my own shelves (years ago - book sale?)

I can't believe I've waited so many years to enjoy the adventures of Meg Langslow.  I now know that I can grab one of these delightful Donna Andrews cozies at any time, settle down for a few hours, and emerge from any kind of bad mood, reading funk, headache, fight with the family, etc., in a much better mood.

I normally dislike amateur sleuths who put themselves in harm's way, who dismiss competent law enforcement's efforts, and who think only they can solve the case.  Meg Langslow can demonstrate all of these unprofessional attributes, but even while she's getting herself into a mess, her brain is at least kicking in to say "BAD IDEA- GET OUT OF HERE" and she has the soothing help of her developing romantic interest -- the handsome Michael.  I just wish her ditzy father has more of the same impulse control----but then----it wouldn't be a good story.

This one has everything I need for escapist lit....a great setting (can you beat a lighthouse, a Maine Island, and those darling cute puffins?), some more of the same loonie-toon characters (including her parents!!), a cast of possible suspects with just enough doubt cast on each to keep you guessing, and good writing.  The dialogue is realistic, and while I realize that not everyone has the option of seemingly unlimited financial resources so they can just take off for an entire summer to traipse around to various venues on vacation, the plot itself is also reasonably believable, particularly if you live in coastal Maine and are familiar with stories of life on Matinicus.

While this one was published over 10 years ago, the entire series is standing up well, and the newest one has just come out.  I'm glad I finally got to them, and can't wait to sprinkle several others into my reading life for the foreseeable future. 

Review: Governor's Travels by Angus King

 Governor's Travels

How I Left Politics, Learned to Back Up a Bus, and Found America

Author: Angus King
Publisher Format:Down East Books (2011), Paperback, 128 pages
Subject: Traveling Through America with family
Setting: broad spectrum of US visitor attractions
Genre: memoir
Source: Review copy from the publisher

Such a fun book!  I wanted to run right out, buy (or at least rent) an RV and start driving.  Angus King, former governor of Maine, walked out the door of the Governor's mansion, went "home", finished packing, and took off in a 40 foot RV with his wife, a 12 year old son, and 10 year old daughter on a six month adventure across the US.  Now right there is a recipe for disaster!  The King family however, turned it into a luxurious episode of learning, loving and living.

The book is loaded with pictures, and uses them to tell the story with well-written captions, along with some thoughtful essays by the author offering reflections on the environment, family dynamics, friendship, the beauty of the US, aging, politics (not too much) and educating our children. It's an easy read (about 2 hours), a great conversation starter, and a book that begs to be shared.

It definitely brought back memories for me of a trip my family took back in the late 60's.  My mom and dad loaded their 4 daughters (ages 20,17,14, and 11) into a 1964 Dodge Coronet (no A/C in July), put five suitcases and four "train cases" into the trunk (back then the trunk was the size of a small aircraft carrier) and headed west from Baltimore.  In 27 days we saw something like 18 states, visited the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, LosAngeles, Disneyland, San Franciso, Reno, Yosemite and Yellowstone Parks, the Corn Palace, the Badland,  Mt Rushmore, saw friends in Lincoln Nebraska, and Cincinnatti OH.  We had no Ipods, no personal computers, no airbags, no shoulder belts, no GPS and no satellite radio --in fact, if I remember correctly, we didn't even have FM radio.  We were NOT allowed to eat in the car.  We had maps (and learned to read them), we each had a book, and we fought to sit in the front seat between my parents, or to get a window seat in the back. We became best friends and built memories that have lasted our entire lives.

The King family had a self-contained world inside their RV -satellite TV, internet, cooking, bathing, etc, but did not allow those modern devices to interfere with their experience of and appreciation for the sheer majestic beauty and diversity of the US.  I think this was the best gift they gave each other and the strength of the book: by letting us join in the experiences of his family, Angus King shows us our country, shows us that while "there's no place like home," we have so much else to be thankful for.  His descriptions and reflections certainly show why the US is never to be taken for granted.

This is a book to be shared, to be out and available for visitors.  If you only buy a few books a year, get this one.  It's the real deal - - one of those books that is going to keep print books on real paper from dying. 

Many thanks to Judy Paolini at DownEast publishers for making a review copy available.

Cozy Time: Two Series by Charlaine Harris

As the summer cozy-thon continues, I've been catching up on a favorite author: Charlaine Harris. Each of her  series has a  diffferent protagonist, setting, and plot premise that keeps them all separate, and prevents them  from running together. Last week, I reviewed her Lily Bard mystery "Shakespeare's Landlord" and have been looking forward to these two.  Harris has developed some excellent female characters, some interesting side characters in each, and plausible, intriguing plots.  I read both of these earlier last week and look forward to having more of both these series on my nightstand, or my MP3

Title: Grave Sight
Author:  Charlaine Harris
Publisher/Format: Recorded Books, audio 12 hours, 310 page equivalent
Narrator: Alyssa Bresnahan.
Year of publication: 2006
Subject: extra-normal abilities; murders
Setting:  Sarne Arkansas (fictional town)
Series: Harper Connelly mysteries
Genre: cozy mystery,  paranormal detecting
Source: public library


Harper Connelly was struck by lightening as a teen and lived to tell about it.  In fact, as a result of the electric bolt, she now can find others who have died and by being near the bodies, determine how they died, although she can't see the murderers when foul play is involved. With the help of her "brother" Tolliver Lang, they hire out across the country to assist in locating missing persons.  In many cases, they provide information to local law enforcement personnel often giving them a different take on how the victims died.  In Grave Sight, Harper not only finds the body of a murdered missing young lady, but also establishes that her dead boyfriend, originally ruled a suicide, did not in fact kill himself.  She and her brother are held in town until the local sheriff and police can solve the mystery, in spite of Harper's insistence that she can't "see" the identity of the perpetrator.

It's a pleasant read, and the reader has a fairly good inkling about 1/2 way through of who dunnit, but the story is so well written,  it's easy to continue to the end to see if the hunches are correct.  This the first book in the series and I can't wait for the rest.

Title: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher/Format: Recorded Books audio, 6hr, 45 min;  310 pages equivalent
Narrator: Thérèse Plummer
Year of publication: 2010
Subject: amateur sleuthing-murder
Setting: Lawrenceton GA (fictional town)
Series: Aurora Teagarden mysteries
Genre: cozy mystery
Source: public library

I was immediately drawn to this series when I saw that the protagonist was a librarian!  Of course, Aurora (Roe) Teagarden is also an heiress, and decides she doesn't need to be a librarian anymore so she is now working on becoming a real estate agent, following her mother's footsteps.  While showing a client a three bedroom house, they discover the body of a fellow agent dead in the master bedroom. The story ramps up from there, another body is found, and Aurora discovers not only that she may be the object of a killer's search, but also the new love in her life (a real hunk who will certainly satisfy the romance readers who pick this up) may in fact be a suspect in the case. 

Great fun, tightly woven plot, interesting and engaging characters make this series one I'm going to continue.  This one is the third I've read, and I expect the next five to be just as much fun.

I can certainly recommend any of these series to those of you who are lovers of the cozy genre.  And if you are a vampire fan, don't forget her Sookie Stackhouse series.

Mailbox Monday - Aug 8th

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Created by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday, now has its own blog. Hosting duties are being rotated every month.  August is the month for hosting by Staci of Life in the Thumb.  She's not only hosting, but she's got some great giveaways going, so stop on over there after you're done here.


Only one book this past week, but what a fun one!  Down East Books sent

Governor's Travels

by Angus King


I'll be posting a review later this week, so I'll just tantalize you now by saying that Angus King is a previous governor of this great state, now teaches at nearby Bowdoin College, and he's given us a delightful afternoon of reading in this pictoral journal sub-titled
How I left Politics, Learned to Back up a Bus, and Found America.

Stay tuned ......it's a winner!

More Life as it should be - Maine Hospitality

Down East Magazine, one of my favorite publications, posted this on their Facebook page yesterday.  It so captures the essence of the Maine sense of humor, hospitality, and general love of life that I had to share it with you.  They do a great job at Down East.....be sure to grab a copy at your newstand to see more of life as it should be.

P.S.  I'm posting a copy of this one in my guest room!!

Summer in Maine - Life as it was meant to be!

Summer in Maine often provides a little glimpse of heaven--blue skies, sea breezes, fairs and festivals, sailboats, enough fog to set off the haunting sound of the lighthouse's fog horns at night, fresh tomatoes and corn, wild blueberries, clams, lobsters, beach roses, and of course lots and lots and lots of visitors.

We live on the MidCoast - that area that divides the state into two Maines...the south and west with the wide sandy beaches of Kennebunk, Ogoquit, Old Orchard Beach and the gorgeous lakes in the western mountains and DownEast from here to the eastern border into Canada with wide craggy rocky beaches, lots of lobster and cooler days and nights.  Not a scientific description, but we'll settle for being right in the middle of both.

We've had an abundance of visitors so far, and are expecting more.  The highlight of course has to be the annual visit from the granddaughter who started coming here for a few weeks in the summer when she was only 4 1/2/.  Now at nearly eleven, and nearly as tall as her Tutu, our visits have evolved from lots of story reading and trips to see wildlife to shopping expeditions, her teaching Tutu about various new teen-age 'persons of importance', how to use an Ipod Touch, and beating Tutu and Tampa (that's "grampa" in her original baby-talk) at the Wii.  Of course, she now times her visits to be able to go to the most fun event of the summer around here: The annual Lobster Festival in Rockland. She's even old enough to be able to appreciate some of the science exhibits such as the mako shark shown here, in addition to the rides and eats.

Earlier this week we spent a glorious day at Reid State Park  - beautiful beach on the tip of Georgetown Island with fun tidal pools, rocks for climbing, enough breaking surf to be able to "jump the waves" and a gorgeous open ocean view of some of the outer islands.  On our way home, we stopped at my sister's recently acquired little beach cottage to try out her hammock.  It was pronounced more than slightly acceptable.

Later today our son (grandbaby's father) will arrive and we'll really get down to having even more family fun.  It will also be Mr. & Mrs. Tutu's 44th wedding anniversary and being able to celebrate it living in Maine where we spent our honeymoon so many years ago makes it even more special.  Our daughter and son-in-law will be up for a visit sometime later this fall.

Don't worry, I'm still reading.  Today, while g-babe was running around the festival going on vertigo inducing rides of all kinds, Tutu was sitting on a bench in the shade reading from her Nook.  I actually got over 250 pages read before she announced she was ready to go home.

I can actually still remember when I had that much energy.  In the meantime, it's time for Maine blueberry ice-cream or a scoop of Moose Tracks.

A new series and a giveaway : Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

As I mentioned in Monday's Mailbox, this month St. Martin's Press is releasing the first volume of five of Jeffrey Archer's newest family saga "Only Time Will Tell".  It is going to be a great way to kick off the fall reading season. Here's the publisher's blurb:

The "Clifton Chronicles" is Jeffrey Archer's most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author. The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, 'I was told that my father was killed in the war'. But it will be another twenty years before Harry discovers how his father really died, which will only lead him to question: who was his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who worked in Bristol docks, or the first born son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

"Only Time Will Tell" covers the years from 1920 to 1940, and includes a cast of memorable characters that "The Times" has compared to "The Forsyte Saga". Volume one takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford, or join the navy and go to war with Hitler's Germany. In Jeffrey Archer's masterful hands, the reader is taken on a journey that they won't want to end, and when you turn the last page of this unforgettable yarn, you will be faced with a dilemma that neither you, nor Harry Clifton could have anticipated.

St. Martin's has graciously offered us 3 copies to giveaway.
It's even opening this one to our readers in Canada.
No PO Boxes, but anything US or Canadian with a street address can enter.
Just leave a comment AND fill out the form.
Deadline is August 25th.

Review: Grace of Everyday Saints by Julian Guthrie

Subtitle: How a Band of Believers Lost their Church and Found their faith
Author: Julian Guthrie
Publisher/Format: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt : e-galley 292 pages
Subject:  Closure of Catholic parish, Catholic church politics
Setting:  San Francisco
Genre:  Non-fiction
Source: Net galley from publisher

This was a so-so read I got it as an e-galley from the publisher. I found it enlightening but tedious. Due out sometime this month, I won't be rushing to put it on my 'gotta have' list. Although well-written, it reads like the series of newspaper articles that gave birth to the project. If you are from the San Francisco area, and are interested in local history, it will appeal to you. If you have an ax to grind with the Catholic church, it will appeal to you. If you're looking for intelligent decision-making, and/or happy endings, don't get your hopes up.

Essentially, the story centers around a small group of people who refused to accept the inevitable -- a building that had served as their physical place of worship was going to be closed down by their religious superiors.  They acknowledged that "church" meant the worshiping community, but did not seem able to separate the community from the building.  A lot of time, energy and money spent to get them through the trauma to a reluctant acceptance. SAD.

Upright Piano Player - we have winners!

This is a very unique character study.  David Abbott writes in a very clean and concise prose that allows the reader to enter into the depths of loneliness, despair, and unhappiness being experienced by Henry, the main character.  The story is a non-story, the only plot the day to day plodding life of Henry who must deal with an ex-wife dying of cancer, a son from whom he is not quite estranged, a grandson who died tragically and for whose death Henry may or may not feel some guilt, and a stalker who appears to want to make Henry's life as miserable as possible.

Throughout all this dark tragedy, Henry seems unable to rouse enough "get up and go" to do anything to change his circumstances.  It is impossible for this reader to even get a grip on whether Henry even cares.  I suppose one could play amateur psychologist and diagnose severe deep depression, but no one in Henry's life seems to be able to bring him to that realization.

It's not a book for everyone, but if you like dark character studies, if you can handle a book that gives you the ending at the beginning, and you like slow, steady prose with no exciting moments, this is the book for you.  Abbott writes well, and I'd be willing to read one more book of his, but I don't think I could take a steady diet of Henry.

Now, it's time to give two loyal readers a chance to see how they felt about Henry's story.  Random.org has chosen our winners, and they have been notified by email to get me their snail mail address by Wednesday the 3rd.  The winners are

Karen B and Sandra K

Congratulations to both of them!

Mailbox Monday - Aug 1

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Created by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday, now has its own blog. Hosting duties are being rotated every month.  August is the month for hosting by Staci of Life in the Thumb.  She's not only hosting, but she's got some great giveaways going, so stop on over there after you're done here.

This week brought a true bonanza to my mailbox.  Hachette Book group is having a summer audio review special, so they sent me 4 audios:

I'm going to have to roll the dice to see which one I pick up first because they all look so good.  Every one of these authors, Anne Rivers Siddons, David Baldacci, Elin Hildenbrand and Nelson DeMille are favorites, and each of these promises to be just enough different from their general writing (particularly for Baldacci) that I'm really intrigued.  Thanks Hachette....you've certainly given me something to look forward to for August.


Then, from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Net Galley this Boston Red Sox fan was thrilled to get an egalley of

Fenway 1912 by Glenn Stout

here's the blurb on this one due for publication in October (just in time for the World Series?)

For all that has been written in tribute to the great Fenway Park, no one has ever really told the behind-the-scenes true story of its tumultuous yet glorious first year. Nineteen twelve was a leap year, the year the Titanic sank, but also the year baseball’s original shrine was “born.” And while the paint was still drying, the infield grass still coming in, the Red Sox embarked on an unlikely season that would culminate in a World Series battle against the Giants that stands as one of the greatest ever played.
Fenway 1912 tells the incredible story – and stories – of Fenway, from the unorthodox blueprint that belies the park’s notorious quirks, to the long winter when locals poured concrete and erected history, to the notorious fixers who then ruled the game, to the ragtag team who delivered a world championship, Fenway's first. 
Drawing on extensive new research, the esteemed baseball historian Glenn Stout delivers a rollicking tale of innovation, desperation, and perspiration, capturing Fenway as never before.

And as the final icing on this week's many tiered yummy book cake, St. Martin's Press sent me an ARC of

ONLY TIME WILL TELL, volume 1 of Jeffrey Archer's new saga of the Clifton family.  Due out in September, I'll have a giveaway posting for this one later this week.  Keep checking back.  I have 3 copies, and we can even open this to our readers in Canada.  I'll give you more details when I post the giveaway. 

Review: The beautiful one Has Come: Stories

Author: Suzanne Kamata
Publisher Format: Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing Paperback, 212 pages 
Year of publication: 2011 
Subject: American women married to Japanese, living in Japan
Setting: various Japanese town
Genre: short series
Source: e-galley ARC from publisher

 This superb collection of short stories is going to be one of my best of the year when it comes time to make up that list in December.  Suzanne Kamata has given us a portrait of American women living in foreign countries, marrying foreigners, and often giving up life as they know it to reside in their husband's native country.  Most were set in Japan, a setting that resonates with me, since I lived in Japan for a total of five years quite awhile ago.

I especially identified with the American woman in the story "You're so lucky" about a woman who is having a C-section in Japanese hospital--she looks at the clock as they begin to administer the anesthetic. It was shockingly similar to my own experience when my son was born there, although he was born in the American Naval hospital.  Of course, she gives birth to twins, and must then begin to deal with physical disabilities that many preemie babies have.

In the next story, "The Naming," we are treated to almost the same event but from the perspective of the Japanese father, who as a baseball coach is struggling with a team that has lost 19 straight games. He is suddenly called away from his team when his wife goes into labor, and hurries to the hospital while his team of underdogs wins without him. His internal struggle with the children's disabilities mirrors his wife's, and it is not until he comes to grips with their ability to survive that he can face naming the children.

Kamata continues with stories of the family dealing with these children.  In "Polishing the Halo" the mother is worried that "Not only was Ana a girl in a society that favored boys, not only was she a mixed race child in a country that cherished pure blood, but also she was disabled."   As she watches, another mother, herself deaf,  signs a halo and says she is an angel, giving Ana's mom hope and a new perspective.

Throughout all the story, Kamata's sympathetic and compelling picture of multi-cultural marriage, of different customs and traditions, and unmet expectations adds to her ability to give us insight into the hearts and minds of these women who have chosen to abandon the familiar in order to remain with the love of their lives.

Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing proves again that small publishers can and do spot the winners.  My thanks for the opportunity to review this one. 

Cozy Time: Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs

Author: Laura Childs
Publisher/ Format: Berkley Prime Crime Mass Market Paperback, 289 pages 
Year of publication: 2008
Subject:  pick one: murder, friendship, book store, food
Setting: fictional town of Kindred Minnesota
Series: Cackleberry Club
Genre: cozy mystery
Source: borrowed from my sister

Well, my sister Cheli said I'd love it, and she was right!  This is going to be a delightful series.  I love the setting, I love the characters, and the plot - while a bit farfetched at times - is not over the top. Suzanne, Toni, and Petra are three women who suddenly find themselves living alone due to death, divorce, and terminal illness of their spouses.  They pool their many and varied talents to open the Cackleberry Club, a sort of Diner that evolves into a diner/restaurant/teashop with a book store and knit shop attached.  The menus are scrumptious, books and reading are valued and highlighted, people care about each other.

This doesn't mean that Pollyana reigns supreme.  There are villains, and evildoers, and cults, and abusers, and murderers galore, but our three amigas manage to 'assist' Sheriff Doogie (don't you just love the name?) in clearing Suzanne's dead husband's name, in freeing some abused women and children from tyranny, and in solving all the outstanding cases so life can once again settle down, hens can lay double-yolked eggs, and teenagers can find fun jobs.

This one was a good, solid, fun summer's read, but would have been just as great to read in the winter while sitting by the fire sipping hot chocolate.  I've a pile of Laura Child's books sitting here on my Summer Reading Ladder.  Can't wait to get to the next one.

Cozy Time: Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

Author:  Charlaine Harris
Publisher Format: Berkley Prime Crime, Mass Market Paperback, 214 pages
Year of publication: 2005
Subject:  murder
Setting: fictional town of Shakespeare, Arkansas
Series: Lily Bard mysteries
Genre: cozy mystery, amateur sleuth
Source:  public library

The summer cozy-thon is getting back into gear.  This is the first in the Lily Bard series by Charlaine Harris.  Ms. Harris has several different cozy mystery series in print.  While I'm not a big fan of Sookie Stackhouse (I just don't do vampires), I really like her other series including Aurora Teagarden, and Harper Connelly in addition to this one.  I'd read another of these Lily Bards, but wanted to read the first one to get all the scoop on Lily Bard's motivations.  Explaining them here---how she came to live in Shakespeare after moving from Tennessee, how she chose her profession of housecleaning, and how she came to meet the two men in her life Claude Friedrich and Marshall Sedaka, would spoil the story, so you'll have to discover the details yourself.

In this beginning story, Lily finds her landlord dumped in her garbage and sets out to find out whodunit because her fingerprints are on the garbage bag and she doesn't want to be accused.  Because of her past, she is reluctant to become officially involved.  I'm avoiding spoilers here, you'll have to read it yourself to see how "the past" influences her actions.  It's a good, not great, story that moves right along, with a likable protagonist.

I just hope that we're not going to be treated to an entire series, à la Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson, or Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum in which the lead female character can't make up her mind between two equally acceptable males. I get tired of that really fast and tend to give up a series rather than reading about more game playing.

I'm going to be listening to two more of these this summer, so I'll keep you posted.

Weekend Cooking - outdoor style

Beth Fish Reads sponsors this weekly meme where we foodies can chat about cookbooks, cooking gadgets, recipes, or anything else gustatory. Be sure to stop over there to find other terrific weekend cooking posts.

I hadn't planned to do a weekend post, but circumstances presented me with a perfect opportunity.  Last week I read Katherine Hall Page's delightful book Body in the Gazebo and mentioned that the recipes in the back was also a wonderful addition.  This morning, since I had a couple of nectarines approaching their sell-by date, I decided to try her recipe for "Fruit Breakfast Puffs" on page 250.  These are essentially popovers with 1/2 a peach or nectarine or other fruit in the middle.

I got up at a decent (for me) hour, pre-heated my oven to 400°F, melted the butter and poured it into the tins, peeled the nectarines and plopped them on top the butter, whisked up the easy egg/flour/milk/OJ/sugar batter, and poured it over the fruit.  I opened the oven, popped them in, shut the oven door, and was reaching to set the timer for 20 minutes, when

PLOP.THUD.

DEEP SILENCE of an ominous variety decended on the world. 

WE HAD NO POWER.

The ceiling fans stopped, the TV went off, the lights went out, my gas oven shut itself off, and I really didn't appreciate my alarm system shrilly beeping and blinking to tell me the obvious.  I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Popovers were NOT going to POPUP in a dead oven.

On to plan B....................

When we moved to Maine, I was reluctantly convinced to purchase a gas grill for outdoor cooking, and have been enjoying it (and blessing whoever talked me into it) since.  So, we decided to experiment.  We lit off the grill, put the pan of pop-pops on the middle shelf, and 10 minutes later ------VOILA!

Fruit Breakfast Puffs à la gas grill.  They were scrumptious.  I'd like to give you the entire recipe, but I don't like to quote copyrighted stuff w/o permission, so go read the book, make the popovers and enjoy!

PS...obviously the power is back after 3+ hours, at least in time to watch the SOX!!

Cozy Time: Murder for Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Author: Donna Andrews
Publisher Format: St. Martin's Paperbacks, Mass Market, 311 pages
Year of publication: 2006
Subject:Three weddings and a murder
Setting: Yorktown VA
Series: Meg Landslow Mystery
Genre: cozy mystery
Source: my own shelves
Rating: 4.5

This is a series I've been wanting to read for a long time.  Many of my sisters, and my friends have pushed and prodded me, and it's not that I didn't want to read them, I just didn't make time.  That has changed.  The first one in the series, this one was a hoot.  I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Meg Langslow, uber maid of honor who is single-handedly managing three different wedding parties scheduled in three weeks in her home town of Yorktown VA. The first is for her best friend, the second for her brother, and the third is her own mother.

Each bride is trying her best to win the Bridezilla of the year contest.  Andrews has assembled one of the looniest, yet lovable cast of characters yet appearing in a cozy. There is the dog who hates everyone, the duck who follows a nephew around like a dog, a group of gossipy busy-bodies, two grooms who appear to be anything but enthusiastic about their upcoming nuptials, another bride (Meg's mother) who insists on major room redecorating at the drop of a hat, a group of Vietnamese seamstresses who can only be interpreted by the son (he's so gorgeous - is he gay?) of the shop owner, and the town Doctor, ex-husband (father of Meg) who seems murder and conspiracy in every bowl of salsa.  It is a knee-slapping hoot with a great story, several red herrings to go along with the parading peacocks, and a little slightly blooming romance thrown in.  I can't wait to read the next in this very popular series to see what else could possibly happen.

Cozy Time: The Body in the Gazebo by Katherine Hall Page

Author: Katherine Hall Page
Publisher/ Format: William Morrow First Edition, Hardcover, 272 pages
Year of publication:  2011
Subject: old and new mysteries
Setting: Aleford, Massachussetts
Series: Faith Fairchild Mysteries
Genre: Cozy mysteries, amateur sleuth
Source: Advance review copy from Early Reviewer program of LibraryThing.com
Rating: 4.2 of 5

I'm a fan of this series, although I've only read 2 of them so far.  This one is #19, and once again, Faith Fairchild--daughter and wife of Protestant clergymen--uses her excellent people skills not only to run a successful catering business "Have Faith", she helps solve two different mysteries while doing good in the community.  There....doesn't that sound very blah, off-putting, and dreadfully dull?  These stories are anything but.  They are well written, with characters who are believable, plots that move right along, in settings designed to make the reader feel immediately at home.  She does just enough back-filling to let new readers jump into the middle of the series.

In this one, Faith is asked by her best friend Pix to look after her elderly mother Ursula while she (Pix) is out of town helping her son prepare for a wedding.  Ursula begins telling Faith the details of a long buried secret from the past (1929).  At the same time, Faith's husband, Tim Fairchild, is suspected by his vestry of embezzling $10,000 from the parish's emergency funds. Of course our intrepid heroine  Faith helps to solve both mysteries.  There are just enough plot twists and sub plots to keep the reader interested.  This is not a 5 star who-dunnit, but it is certainly a delightful summer read, requiring just enough brain power to raise it above the brain candy category.  I'm certainly looking forward to reading a few more in the series.  I don't think I could take all 19 at once, but they certainly fill in the reading menu in their variety.

And, as an added treat,  the recipes in the back of the book are delicious.

Treasures from the Attic - Winners have been chosen

This has been an incredibly hectic two weeks for Tutu, as we unpacked, sorted, and sold thousands of used books donated to our small library for our annual book sale.  Unfortunately, it appears that too many of these "treasures" in some people's minds were actually "no thank you's" in the minds of many of our would-be buyers, so we had to re-sort, recycle, and restow almost 3000 books to try again later or find another venue/format for their journey to a new home.

Aren't we all fortunate though that Anne Frank's aunt Helene chose to treasure all the minutiae of her niece's family so that we could share in the true treasure of learning more about this incredible young woman?  I must confess, I haven't yet gotten the time to sit down and wallow in this one, but now that my own treasure troving is done for awhile, I'm ready to dive into this one.  In the meantime, two other lucky readers will also have that opportunity thanks to Random House.  The winners are:

Margie

and 

Lisa G.

I've sent them an email and they have until midnite Wednesday nite to get me their mailing addresses.

Review: The Reading Promise

Author: Alice Ozma
Publisher/ Format: Grand Central Publishing, Hardcover, 304 pages
Year of publication: 2011
Subject:  father/daughter relationship, books, reading
Genre: Memoir
Source: ARC from publisher via Net Galley
Rating: 3 of 5



A series of vignettes about books the author and her father read to each other over the course of 3200+ nights-- from the time Alice was 9 years old until the night before she went to college. I was frankly underwhelmed by this book.

The premise was so inviting, and since I'm so in love with books I thought it would be a fairy tale come true.  My father was well-read but never read aloud to us.  He did not come from that tradition.  I think everyone in my family read so early that we didn't want to be read to, we wanted to do it ourselves.  On the other hand, my dad drove me to school and home (at least an hour in the car each day), every single day of my four years of high school and the first two years of college.  There were 4 other girls in his big old Dodge Monaco, and the discussions that arose from all of our lives and our readings and assignments at school were as enriching as any late story hours.  So perhaps I found Ozma's scenario contrived.

Alice's father was an elementary school librarian who had the background and training to be able to spot exactly the right book at the right time to fill a need in his daughter's emotional life.  Her parents had separated when she was young, she lived with her father, and she had a mighty imagination.  Dad the librarian's choice of stories and commitment to his daughter are awesome.  An example is her obsession as a 12 year old that JFK's dead body was at the foot of her bed, and her father's wearisome attempts to disabuse her of that notion.  As a young parent I read to my children, but I'm not sure we'd have ever been able to hold up to this promise on either side.  Either the children or the mother would probably have dropped out or skipped a night at least.

In the end, having now grown up and graduated from college, Alice slips out of the fairy tale tent to climb a soap box as she describes the devastation wreaked upon her father when the school system began to allow less and less time for the librarian to read aloud to children, and began to shift to electronic resources instead of a total diet of paper.  Her obvious dismay at the way her father was treated, and his subsequent early retirement, are trumpeted throughout the final chapters of the book.  He did find a new audience by volunteering to read to elderly folks who no longer were able to do that for themselves, and seemed to be happy in being able to spread the gospel of reading.

In addition to the full list of books they read during "the streak", the final chapter gives us a full page reading promise to sign.  In addition to promising to read to ourselves and our children, she wants us to promise to

• "...speak out if reading is cut from the school curriculum, and to fight for books whenever their value is challenged
• ....tell everyone I know how reading calms me down, riles me up, makes me think, or helps me to get to sleep at night
• ...to read, and to read to someone, as long as human thought is still valued and there are still words to be shared"

She ends by saying "I promise to be there for books, because I know they will always be there for me."

These last sentiments are what drives many of us to blog about the books we read, and I applaud her devotion to the written word.  I'm just not sure getting them to sign a pledge to read is the way to go.

Giveaway: The Things we Cherished by Pam Jenoff

Another Great World War II Novel.

I've done a lot of reading about various phases and participants of World War this year, so I was thrilled to be offered the chance to read and review this one.  My copy hasn't arrived yet, but Liz at Random House has offered us two copies for a giveaway.

Pam Jenoff, whose first novel, The Kommandant’s Girl, was a Quill Award finalist, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the ALA Sophie Brody Award, joins the Doubleday list with a suspenseful story of love and betrayal set during the Holocaust.

An ambitious novel that spans decades and continents, The Things We Cherished tells the story of Charlotte Gold and Jack Harrington, two fiercely independent attor­neys who find themselves slowly falling for one another while working to defend the brother of a Holocaust hero against allegations of World War II–era war crimes.

The defendant, wealthy financier Roger Dykmans, mysteri­ously refuses to help in his own defense, revealing only that proof of his innocence lies within an intricate timepiece last seen in Nazi Germany. As the narrative moves from Philadelphia to Germany, Poland, and Italy, we are given glimpses of the lives that the anniversary clock has touched over the past century, and learn about the love affair that turned a brother into a traitor.

Rich in historical detail, Jenoff's astonishing new work is a testament to true love under the worst of circumstances.

Standard rules:

1.  Leave a comment telling me if you've read anything else by this author or about this subject.
2. Complete the form below.
3. Deadline is  August 10th. 
4. No PO Boxes.
5. US addresses only.

Mailbox Monday - July 18, 2011

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Created by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday, now has its own blog. Hosting duties are being rotated every month. For July our host is Gwendolyn at  A Sea of Books.  Be sure to stop on over and see what everyone else got this week.

I haven't done a Mailbox post for a couple weeks, so here are the books that arrived during the past three weeks.

A Mug-Up With Elisabeth

by Melissa Hayes

One of the wonderful things about being a librarian in Maine is having people who have lived here all their lives introduce me to some of our wonderful Maine authors.  None is more famous, or prolific, than Elisabeth Ogilvie.  I kept borrowing the library's copy of this one but that didn't help others who wanted it.  So I finally realized I need to have my own.  The publisher describes it as

the essential reference for fans of Elisabeth Ogilvie's books--and a wonderful introduction to one of Maine's most prolific writers. A Mug-up, which refers to the old fishing term for a coffee break, presents a biography of Ogilvie, exploring her ancestry, childhood, education, emergence as a writer, and her life on Maine's spectacular islands. It also offers a sampling of some of her earlier and out-of-print writing and synopses of all her published writings, and explores some recurrent themes in her work. The book's appendices provide a glossary; concordances for names and locations; lists of boat names, flora, and fauna; and a bibliography.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For those of us unable to attend the ALA conference earlier this year where ARCs are often readily available, several publishers offered a galley grab on Shelf Awareness.  I was rewarded with this galley from Simon and Schuster.

 The Very Thought of You

by Rosie Alison

Shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize

 

England, 31st August 1939: The world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate which has been opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic, childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unraveling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair with unforeseen consequences. A story of longing, loss, and complicated loyalties, combining a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is not just a love story but a story about love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Destiny of the Republic,
a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
by Candice Millard

I received this ARC from Doubleday for review in September.  Since I've been participating in the LibraryThing reading the president's group, this one will fit right in. 

James A. Garfield may have been the most extraordinary man ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back.

But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what hap­pened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in tur­moil. The unhinged assassin’s half-delivered strike shattered the fragile national mood of a country so recently fractured by civil war, and left the wounded president as the object of a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle for power—over his administration, over the nation’s future, and, hauntingly, over his medical care. A team of physicians administered shockingly archaic treatments, to disastrous effect. As his con­dition worsened, Garfield received help: Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, worked around the clock to invent a new device capable of finding the bullet.

Meticulously researched, epic in scope, and pulsating with an intimate human focus and high-velocity narrative drive, The Destiny of the Republic will stand alongside The Devil in the White City and The Professor and the Madman as a classic of narrative history.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Kept Secret

by Amy Hatvany

Another galley grab via Shelf Awareness, this one from Washington Square Press.

It wasn’t always like this. Just a few years ago, Cadence seemed to have it all—a successful husband, an adorable son, and a promising career as a freelance journalist.  But with the demise of her marriage, her carefully constructed life begins to spiral out of control.  Suddenly she is all alone trying to juggle the demands of work and motherhood.               

Logically, Cadence knows that she is drinking too much, and every day begins with renewed promises to herself that she will stop.  But within a few hours, driven by something she doesn’t understand, she is reaching for the bottle - even when it means not playing with her son because she is too tired, or dropping him off at preschool late, again.  And even when one calamitous night it means leaving him alone to pick up more wine at the grocery store.  It’s only when her ex-husband shows up at her door to take Charlie away that Cadence realizes her best kept secret has been discovered….

Heartbreaking, haunting, and ultimately life-affirming, Best Kept Secret is more than just the story of Cadence—it’s a story of how the secrets we hold closest are the ones that can most tear us apart.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
And finally,  I received a copy of a collection of short stories, many of them set in Vietnam.  This was a thank-you for participating in the War Through the Generations Vietnam reading group last year.  I'd almost forgotten that it was going to be coming, so it was a delightful surprise.

A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

by Robert Olen Butler

Review: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Author: J. Courtney Sullivan
Publisher Format: Knopf (2011), Hardcover, 400 pages
.....also audio - Books on Tape, 17 hours, 14 minutes
Narrator: Ann Marie Lee
Subject: Irish Catholic dysfunctional family relations
Setting: Boston, Ogunquit Maine
Genre: fiction
Source: public library audio download

This is not a novel about Maine, although the gorgeous beaches of Ogunquit form a backdrop for most of the story. It is a story of the Kelleher family, Irish Catholics who hailed from Boston and summered in Maine.  The matriarch Alice, is a recovering alcoholic, tautly holding on to every piece of tradition and superstition she inherited from her family, the Church, and society in general. 

The story gives us a summer when three generations-- mother, daughters (and daughter-in-law), granddaughters-- come together in bursting clashes of culture, expectations and memories of unhappiness past.  This is a family that takes the words dysfunction and grudge to new heights.  Alice is a grande dame who is epic in her ability to ignore everyone else around her. Since her husband died, she has returned to her alcoholic past.  Daughter Kathleen, who lives (in the unholy state of sin) with her partner in California raising worms for their excrement, has vowed never to interact with the family or set foot in Maine again.  She comes however in response to her daughter Maggie's cry for psychological help in the midst of a crisis with her own relationship.

The apple-polishing daughter-in-law, who fawns over Alice in hopes of inheriting the compound, is a personality guaranteed to produce finger-on-the-chalkboard chills in all who must interact with her.  Each woman has a secret she is holding onto.  Each woman holds a grudge that is standing in the way of growing.

It's a dazzling, bold, deeply involved novel in which the characters are well drawn, the individual stories and secrets crawl to a rather transparent (to the reader anyway) conclusion.  It is summer reading at its best.   As an audio, it's very well done. If  had one gripe, it's that the blurb doesn't really match the story.  Just ignore the jacket and read the book.  I was actually able to get the audio before I was able to get the print copy from the library. It's one that is going into my permanent collection shortly.

No matter your preferred format, don't miss it!

Cozy Time: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

Author: Ann B. Ross
Publisher/ Format: Harper Paperbacks (2000) 288 pages
also Audio: Books on Tape Inc. approx 9 hrs.
Narrator: Karen White
Subject: new widow's woes
Setting: small southern town in North Carolina
Series: Miss Julia
Genre: southern fiction
Source: public library
Rating: 3.8 of 5
Recommended? yes for lover's of the genre

The first in the series....I've read several, but wanted to come see how they all started. Sometimes I'm disappointed by early books in a series when I've read some of the later ones, but this one was well written and definitely sets up the characters and their motivations from the follow ons.

Miss Julia is actually Mrs. Wesley Lloyd Springer, recently widowed, filthy rich, and with the subtle encouragement of her family friend and lawyer Sam Murdoch, and faithful family retainer Lillian, she is gradually emerging from the shell of fragile Southern womanhood in which she was dominated by her husband during their 44 years of marriage, and beginning to think for herself.

In this delightful kick-off to the series, she is confronted by her husband's heretofore unknown infidelity in the person of Wesley Lloyd Springer II (called "Junior" by his less than socially acceptable mother) at the same time she is obliged to fend off a greedy, grasping, duplicitous pastor who wants to have her declared incompetent so he can become her "guardian" and manage her money (and who really wants to put up a new building for the church).

There is a cast of not quite stereotypical southern crazies and a plot that moves right along. I was pleased to see how it all began and will definitely continue reading several more of the series whenever I want a "southern veranda" iced tea break. These are not scholarly tomes, but there is enough good writing to make them an entertaining read and leave you feeling that you haven't wasted your time.

Cozy Time: Finger Licking Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher/ Format: St. Martin's Press, paperback, 308 pages
   also Audio: BBC Audiobooks America, 6 hrs, 18 min
Narrator: Lorelei King

Year of publication: 2009
Subject: fun and mayhem - capturing bail skippers

Setting: New Jersey burbs
Series: Stephanie Plum Novels
Genre: mystery
Source: public library Overdrive download
Rating 4 of 5
Recommended?: Oh yes.

It's been years since I read any of these fun stories about the incredible (mis)adventures of bail bondsman (or chaser of those who skip out) Stephanie Plum. The usual cast of characters reigns: retired "WO" Lula, crazy nutso Grandma Mazur, Joe Morelli the stud muffin cop, Ranger the dark and mysterious alternate stud and knight in black clothes, and the normal collection of abnormal, less than brainy clients of Stephanie's uncle Vinnie the bail bondsman.

Nothing really new, but it was so easy to slip back into the hood and enjoy the current episode of unusual and hilarious antics. Stephanie's mom is still making pot roast and stuffed cabbage, her family is still fighting over the single bathroom and cars still manage to be totalled with appalling regularity. The mental picture of Lula's butt being stuck in the real window of Ranger's Porsche was worth the entire read.

I "ear-read" this one while working out in the pool, and several people swam over to ask what on earth I was chuckling about. I think I should get a commission from Amazon and Overdrive for the number of water-proof Ipod armbands I sold that day, and the number of new library users signed up.

If you've never read Evanovich, you must. If you're a regular fan, this one shouldn't disappoint, and if, like me, you've been away for awhile, get back on the horse. Life's too short to waste these laughs.

Cozy Time: Repair to her Grave by Sarah Graves

Author: Sarah Graves
Publisher Format: Bantam Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages;
. . . . .also  BBC Audiobooks America - 9 hrs, 24 mine
Narrator: Lindsay Ellison
Year of publication: 2001
Subject: lost treasure; restoring old houses
Setting: Eastport Maine
Series: Home Repair is Homicide
Genre: cozy mystery- amateur detective
Source: public library
Rating: 3.5 of 5

Back in 1999, I read the first in this series "Dead Cat Bounce" and made a note to read more about financial counselor turned innkeeper Jacobia Tiptree and the much-in-need-of-repair Bed and Breakfast Inn she purchased in Eastport Maine.   This one is #4, and I'm definitely going to read several more of these as years go by.  It was one of the first I read for my summer cozy-thon, and I picked a good one for kick-off week.

Notice I said "Good" not "Great".  It was lots of fun, but there were times when the author left the reader dangling trying to figure out where she was going with her story; there were minutes of head-scratching while I tried to fit who went with whom.  Motivation of characters was a bit light at times. In addition, one of the main characters really demanded I check my need to believe literally at the door.

In this one, the searches for missing persons, buried treasure maps, and secret compartments all loosely hinge on finding a "missing" Stradivarius violin that may or may not exist. When no one else seems interested, Jacobia, as all good amateur sleuths are supposed to, leaps into the void to find that which was/is lost. A tad mixed up, but still a pleasant enough read for a lazy summer afternoon.

The home repair parts were actually the most interesting - finding out how the layers of plaster were deployed in old homes was, to me anyway, really fascinating. Who knew the true meaning of the phrase "lathe and plaster?" If you read this one, you definitely will. I'm looking forward to reading at least one more of these to see if Sarah Graves can develop into a more coherent author, but I also look forward to being entertained by the dry DownEast humor. Ayuh.

Review: Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Author: Alice LePlante
Publisher /Format: Atlantic Monthly Press (2011), Hardcover, 320 pages
Subject: murder, aging, alzheimer's disease
Genre: murder mystery
Source: e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 4.8 of 5

Brilliant! A murder mystery interwoven with a look deep into the mind of an Alzheimer's patient.  I've read several other books about demetia this year, so I think I was expecting more same old same old, but Alice LePlante has definitely written something fresh and provocative.  As a mystery, it's first rate and as a treatise on mental illness it's not far behind.

As Dr. Jennifer White, a renowned orthopedic hand surgeon drifts in and out of periods of coherent thought, we take a journey with her through well-remembered long -term memories of childhood, early adulthood and raising her children, her early career, her marriage, and then through the terrifying lapses of short-term memory - of not knowing who these familiar looking faces are, of waiting for visitors who will never come, of escapes from her care-giver, and ultimately of her confinement to a more secure facility.  We see the patient from within her warped and failing brain synapses, and from the view of her daughter, her son, her mentor, and the detective investigating the murder of Jennifer's life-long friend, found dead with four fingers of her hand surgically removed.  Did Jennifer kill her? If she did, could or should she be tried given her current mental state?  Can she remember?  If she didn't, who else would have had the surgical skills to amputate fingers that cleanly?

It is a fascinating study, a thrilling murder mystery with a stunning surprise ending, and a work that definitely makes the reader anxious to see what will follow this fantastic debut.

Many thanks to Atlantic Grove for making the ARC available through Net Galley.

Hull Creek - The Winner

I'm very excited to be able to announce the winner of our giveway for Hull Creek.

It's Amy!!!

entry #22 of 71. 

We have sent her an email, and as soon as she gets me her snail mail, I'll get the book sent out to her.

In the meantime, those of you who missed this chance, the book is now out and available at all traditional outlets. It's a great summer read.  Our local author and publisher (Down East Books) have a winner on their hands.

The Social Animal by David Brooks

The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement

Author: David Brooks
Publisher Format: Audio - Books on Tape 16 hours,
also Random House  Hardcover, 448 pages
Narrator: Arthur Morey
Year of publication: 2011
Subject: psychology, neuroscience, sociology,
Genre:  non=fiction
Source: public library audio download
Rating 5 of 5


I first became exposed to David Brooks from his weekly appearances on the PBS News Hour on friday nights.  I find his commentary to be balanced, nuanced, and entertaining, especially given the state of what often passes for "news reporting" these days.  So I was drawn to look at this book even though I would normally not have been interested in delving into the subject matter, particularly in the lazy days of late spring and summer.

Social Animal is a deep and thought-provoking book.  That said, it is not a difficult book to read, but the ideas presented are so interesting that it took me longer to read this book than any I've read in the past two years.  It was so interesting, I had to read (or listen because I had both versions) to a segment, and then go away and let that sink in.

Brooks gives us two individuals, Harold and Erica, whom he follows from pre-conception to death, showing us how their genetics, their environments, and their life choices influence how they think, relate to others, and ultimately succeed or fail in various phases of their lives.  It is fascinating reading, so much so that although I borrowed this from the library, I have it on my "to buy" list, waiting until the paperback comes out so I can mark it up with all kinds of comments, like a college text book.

There are so many concepts presented that it might have been a confusing mishmash, but Brooks' singular ability to weave them together in a coherent, flowing narrative is the true strength of the book. That same bombardment of new (to me) ideas makes it difficult for us non-sociologists to write a cogent review.

We follow Harold and Erica as we learn how much babies know at birth, as Brooks explains humans' inheriting a flow of information, which he characterizes into patterns:

• from deep in our evolutionary past = genetics
• from thousands of years ago = religion
• from hundreds of years ago =  culture
• from decades ago = family
• and from years months, days, hours ago = education and advice.

He posits that high school is the time of sorting out relationships, and labels this the real substance of high school life.

The people in the executive  suite believed that the school existed to fulfill some socially productive process of information transmission, usually involving science projects on poster boards,  but in reality of course, high school is a machine for  social sorting.  The purpose of high school  is to give young people a sense of where they fit into the social structure.

I found his portrayals of today's parenting types and techniques amusing and evocative.  He uses phrases like

"Bourgeois mommy wars," "uber boobers," "play date queens (Sancta mommies)" and the "Mopey martyr mommies".  Each of these brought mental pictures of prams, nannies, and post Betty Friedan parents.  He compared these to single parents (mostly female) and the stresses they faced trying to provide the same kinds of opportunities for their children that came so easily to the Sancta Mommies.

By presenting us with two people from different cultural backgrounds, (Harold is from a two parent WASP family, Erica is the product of a single oriental mother and hispanic father) he is able to weave in theories of cultural differences in physical ailments, brain patterns, geographic languages (e.g., "raise your right hand" vs. "raise your hand east") and myriad other tidbits of learning, bombarding us with notions that make infinite sense, and produce "AHA" moments many of us never spent any time dwelling upon.

Here are a few of his other intellectual gems:

"A brain is something that exists within a single skull, a mind exists within a network of interactions and relations. It is important not to confuse brains with minds."

In a discussin about how modern man thinks, he uses the analogy of  clocks and clouds -

 "Clocks can be taken apart into defined pieces, studied, put back together...Clouds are irregular, dynamic and idiosyncratic - hard to study - they change constantly....The  temptation of modern  research is that it tries to pretend that every phenomenom is a clock that can be evaluated using mechanical tools and regular techniques."

"Nations don't clash only over land, wealth and interests, they fight to compel others to see the world as they do...One of the reasons the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been so stubbornly unresolved is that each side wants the other to accept its historical narrative."

"Most people either inherit their party affiliations from their parents, or they form an attachment to one party or another early in adulthood.  Few people switch parties once they reach middle age."

And finally one of my favorites, when he was describing a politician aiming higher up the pole.

"He'd spent the first part of his life defining himself by his career rank.  He'd developed the social skills useful on the climb up the greasy pole:  The capacity to imply false intimacy, the ability to remember first names, the subtle skills of effective deference.  He got elected to the Senate, and had come to master the patois of globaloney:  the ability to declaim for portentous hours about the revolution in world affairs brought about by technological change, environmental degradation,  the fundamental decline in moral values, had achieved fame and a spot as chairman of the senate's foreign relation committee and was often talked about as a presidential hopeful."

The story of Harold and Erica as they  meet, fall in love, marry, climb the corporate ladder, branch out on separate career paths, and ultimately retire together, is enchanting, challenging, interesting, and one that is sure to make the reader stop and think.  Social Animal is a work that bears reading and re-reading.  It may not be a life-changer, but it is certainly going to be a life-enhancer for many.

"Globaloney" !!  Don't you just love it?  It's a word I have tucked away to soothe me through the next 17 months of campaigning.

Let's Celebrate a Birthday!

source: coolholidaygraphics.com

It's that time again....summer is here and it's time for tourists, parades, cookouts, beaches, and reflection on the miracle wrought by those brave signers of the Declaration of Independence some 235 years ago.

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful, fun-filled holiday as you recall the many blessings we all celebrate here on our nation's birthday.  And let's not forget the incredibly brave young men and women who are serving in our country's uniform both here and overseas.  Without them, we might not have a chance to look forward to the 236th celebration next year.

Comments by CommentNation.com

It's time for Winners!

To kick off the holiday weekend, congratulations are in order for two of my very loyal long time followers.  I love it when Random.org picks people who enter time after time.  Wonder Girl will be winging its way to

Holdenj

and

Anita

as soon as they send me their snail mail addresses.  They have until Wednesday July 6th to let me know.  If I don't hear from them, I'll have to pick other winners.

Bring on the Brain Candy !!!!

As I've been hinting, I'm going to spend July and August reading many of the cozies (mostly mysteries) I've collected over the past years. I tend to pick these up at book sales, or borrow them from my sister, so I'm going to treat myself for awhile and lay back from more SERIOUS reading to relax and enjoy. I'll be giving you some mini-reviews, but mostly I'll just be posting about a few of my in progress reads, and 'hafta' reads for book club, and the rest is going to be come what may.

I already have 42 stacked up and will probably have to use Random.org to help me choose where to start!

I do plan to finish reviews of the ones I'm currently reading/listening to (see widgets on the sidebar) and will always have one non-fiction "deeper" read going since one can o-d on too much candy. And I do have a houseful of company coming this weekend, and some serious work needing to be done in the garden now that summer (such as it is) has finally arrived on the coast of Maine.

However, today is the First of July, so bring on the Brain Candy!!!

Last day to enter for Wonder Girl

Wonder Girl

Contest closes tonite!

Don't forget to enter the great giveaways being offered by various publishers.  Click on the covers in the sidebar at the left to go to the entry form.  The contest for Wonder Girl, the great bio of Babe Didrickson Zacharias ends tonite at midnite.  Don't miss your chance to win this great one!