Summer Reads

I am not sure what else I will 

read this summer,

but I feel confident in saying,

THIS one is my 

favorite of the summer.  

This is a multi generational family saga,

ranging from the 1930s to present time.

The author moves from time period

to time period often and with

great effect.

The story is about secrets,

American privilege, entitlement 

and prejudice.

I love the author's elegant writing style.

The themes of privilege and prejudice

struck a cord with me in light of

our own current political atmosphere

right now.

Have you given much thought about 

racial prejudice in other cultures?

This book struck a strong note

of how prevalent it is elsewhere,

namely in South Korea.

This book follows 

four generations of 

a Korean family living in Japan

after Korea was annexed by Japan

in the latter half of the 20th Century.

The theme of the family's

 constant and never-ending 

situation as despised "outsiders"

also caused me to 

consider the situation of many

people in America today.

This book is  the epitome of  a

summer, beach read.

Not a lot of substance,

kind of like watching a movie

on the Hallmark Channel.

(Remember when Hallmark movies

were thought provoking, well done,

REAL movies???  I digress....)

This is a story about divorce, its effects,

a tragic teenage accident and growth.

So so.

I do not purposely search out and read 

"Christian" fiction,

and that theme seemed a little forced to me.

This was an interesting

story about second chances.

It deals with some ugly

people and situations.

The main character

is complex,

but I found the story

a little predictable.

I just finished this one yesterday,

just in time before seeing the movie

when it's released next week.

This is a dog story, what's not to like?

It is told from the perspective of

and in the voice of Enzo, 

whose owner has more hardships

to deal with than anyone should ever have.

That being said,

Enzo is such a wonderful 

representation of all dogs,

the story is good.

His perception of life

is so right and true, 

you cannot help but love this dog.

Make sure you have some hankies handy.

You will need them.

How do I choose what to read?

I am an audio "reader"

so the first criteria is that 

a book be available in that form

from my library.

After that, I keep an eye out 

for recommendations from

friends on social media

and on most Sundays

I go through the paper's list

of new releases.

If it sounds interesting,

I add it to my queue.

What are you reading this summer?

I'm always open for suggestions!

50 Shades of..."Oh my..."

What do you think of when you think of a knitter?

(Real knitters need not answer...

you already know you're a vital, vibrant

and exciting woman!)

Sadly, many people conjure up an image

somewhat like the one above when

they hear the word "knitter."

I spent this Sunday afternoon sitting on my porch,

Walkman ear buds firmly fixed in my ears,

knitting, of course.

Do you see me above?

Here's the rub --

I've been listening to the

50 SHADES trilogy.

(I'm actually about mid point of the second book.)

You cannot have missed the hype about these books:

NY Times bestsellers,

labeled "Mommy Porn,"

explicit sex scenes,

dominant/submissive relationship,

etc., etc., etc.

So, combine your image of a knitter

with someone listening to those books.

It makes a funny picture, doesn't it?

Here's my take on it.

When reading these books you've got to

remember to separate fantasy from reality,

DO NOT expect Jane Austin,

and prepare to be...

"Oh my..."

(I will never be able to hear that expression again 

and feel the same way about it.)



From My Book Shelf - LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE

If I were an eloquent writer,

whose thoughts were focused, clear and sharp,

this is the book I would like to have written.

Pulitzer Prize winner, Anna Quindlen's,

LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE,

is a memoir written from her perspective

as a sixty year old woman.

(Perhaps that's one of the reasons it

resonates so well for me.)

In it she covers most of the big topics

in her/our lives:

relationships, family, career, balancing it all,

spirituality, faith and religion,

culture and

aging.

This book should be required reading for any woman,

midlife or older,

any young woman about to embark upon

career and/or her own family,

and finally all men,

to give them a real woman's perspective.

I "read" it as I often do using my

Walkman and the audio version,

read by Quindlen herself,

and it was excellent.

However, I was so touched by this book

I believe I'm going to have to buy it

in hardback, just to have a copy to dip

back into from time to time for its wisdom.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Other books you might like by Anna Quindlen:

BLESSINGS

BLACK AND BLUE

ONE TRUE THING



From My Book Shelf -- Two Books for Your Inner Foodie

GARLIC & SAPPHIRES by Ruth Reichl

is not a new title.

It was published in 2005.

(I find I'm having a hard time lately

getting new titles in audio format.

I think my local library is putting all their

funds into titles for eBooks and Kindles.

Thus my selection of this older book.)

I first knew Ruth Reichl's name when she was

editor in chief for GOURMET Magazine.

This book is about her stint as the

restaurant critic for the NEW YORK TIMES,

1993 TO 1999,

just before she went to GOURMET.

Her intent was to open up

the range of food critiques,

and bring attention to some of the

excellent ethnic restaurants in NYC.

In order to get a true picture

of a particular restaurant,

she becomes a master of disguises,

and is able to visit many

high profile eateries, anonymously.

She learns some interesting lessons

in her alternate personas.

After relaying the details

of particular visits to restaurants,

she often includes the actual critique

that appeared in the paper.

Gabrielle Hamilton's, more current book,

BLOOD, BONES & BUTTER,

is a much grittier, unglamorous,

look at the food world.

Hamilton is the chef and owner

of "Prune," in NYC.

Not only is she an accomplished chef,

but has an MFA in fiction writing

from the University of Michigan.

This book is about her cooking education,

not at a culinary school, but rather in life.

She gained her food expertise beginning

in her French mother's kitchen,

in numerous kitchens as part of the wait staff,

as a private caterer, and while traveling.

She's very honest about her experiences,

from numerous arrest at the beginning

of her years in NYC

to some of the disgusting jobs

the owner of a restaurant must perform.

Of the two books, this is the one

that moved me more

because of that honesty.

Bon appetit!

FALL OF GIANTS...in my opinion...

I've just this week finished Ken Follett's

FALL OF GIANTS.

This is a sweeping historical epic,

the first of a new trilogy.

Beginning in 1911, it spans

World War I and the years leading

up to it, including

the Russian Revolution.

Sorry, but there were just way too

many words here for me.

If I had not been listening to this novel

as a recorded book, I doubt I would have

gotten through it.

I wish the author had concentrated a

bit more on the characters' stories

and less on the political intrigues.

I found the love story between Lady Maude,

a rich British society woman,

and Walter, a German military attache,

the most compelling parts of the book.

My other big complaint is that there were just

too many convenient historical coincidences.

True, there are characters from Wales, England, Russia,

Germany, France and America, but how could

each of them always be at the forefront of

significant historical events?

Follet has set the stage for the trilogy's next

chapter which will deal with World War II.

Not sure if I'm up for it...

A Good Read for Halloween

Google Images

Just this morning I finished this book and it occurred to me how timely it was to be reading it now.

I first read about Justin Cronin's THE PASSAGE at the beginning of the summer.

It was on some one's reading list as "the must-read" for the summer.

I usually choose the "slice of life" novels, but this one sounded like it was right up my daughter's alley.

She's a fantasy, LORD OF THE RINGS, HARRY POTTER, kind of girl.

So, I recommended it to her and she read it right away.

Her response was, "Mom, you've got to read it so we can discuss it."

Well, I couldn't let that pass me by.

I will admit, I listened to it as an audio book, rather than read it.

It's scary, dark, gory, and deals with vampires (not the romanticized ones we've come to know and love in the past few years).

In other words, the perfect read at Halloween time.

THE PASSAGE takes place in the not too distant future.

Multiple wars, coupled with government experiments which have gone horribly amuck, fast forwards life as we know it into an apocalyptic world where civilizations crumble and the survival of the human race is questionable.

I can't imagine this isn't going to be a blockbuster movie not too far in the future.

"Read this book and the ordinary world will disappear." Stephen King

Here's an interesting video I found to whet you appetite...

Google Images

Book Recommendation

I've just finished, THE WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah. I listened to it as an audio book on my Walkman. When it first starts, the story seems a bit trivial, but it builds into a very compelling story. It's a contemporary story of two adult sisters, who have always felt unloved by their seemingly cold mother. At their father's deathbed, he makes them promise to make their mother tell them her "fairly tale." The book develops into a story-within-a-story as the mother tells her story, which is actually an account of her life as a young woman in Leningrad during the siege of Stalin. I recommend it.

One of My All Time Favorite Things

"One of my all time favorite things..."

is my Sony WALKMAN Media Player. I listen to audio books on it. It's how I manage to keep current with books I want to read. My local library has a wonderful downloading program. The first requirement is that you have a library card. Everyone already does, right? Next, you download the library's software called "OverDrive Media Console. This gives you the ability to download audio books onto your computer. Then you transfer the audio book onto your media player and voila! you're ready to listen to a book. The library's selection is quite vast, including everything from current bestsellers, classics, nonfiction and much more. You create a list of titles you want and as they become available, the library notifies you via email, you "check" it out and it's yours for two weeks. At the end of that time you must delete it from your computer and it's then available for someone else to hear. Some books are read by the author themselves, but the majority are read by first rate professional readers or actors. It's great for someone like me who spends long stretches of time at the sewing machine or knitting (multi-tasking at it's finest). Some outstanding audio books I recommend are THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett, THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak and SARAH'S KEY by Tabiana de Rosnay.

Audio book lover that I am, that doesn't mean I've stopped reading real "paper and ink" books. Right now I'm in the midst of Wally Lamb's, THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED. This is a big book, 700+ pages, but his characters and dialogue are so real, I cannot put it down.

What I especially like about reading a book is that it lets me do one of my other most favorite things on a pretty afternoon in May. You can find me on the porch for the rest of the afternoon...