Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Day One

It's finally here...the chance to celebrate book blogging and find out about others' blogs. My Friend Amy has done a great job organizing this.

The gloom and doom news tries to tell us that reading is dead, we say look at our addiction. We transform reading books from solitary activities to shared conversations through our blogs. We carve out extra time to share book club tips, interview authors, and learn about the technical aspects of blogging. Our blogs are like a part-time job and the only payment is the pleasure we get when someone takes us up on a recommendation.

To get us started...write a post thanking or highlighting the book blogs you love to read!

I know we all have a HUGE list of blogs we follow, and it's hard to narrow it down to just a few to spotlight. Like picking a favorite child (or, in my case, niece)...they all bring different personalities to the table, and you love them all.

Here are three that come to mind:

Lesa's Book Critiques: This is one of the first blogs I started following when I launched my own. This gal updates every single day, and she was so very helpful when I came to her with questions.

S. Krishna's Books: We share the same taste in books, and she's a very frequent updater, which I love.

Booking Mama: Again, same taste in books, and her blog is just fun to read.

Review: Tomato Girl

"I need to tell what I remember. I need to tell the story of a girl whose world unraveled like a torn scarf..."

In Tomato Girl, author Jayne Pupek explores the story of a girl who is caught between the issues of her age and those far beyond her years.

For a middle-school girl, Ellie Sanders has a full plate and a heavy load.

During her life, she and her father have dealt with her mother's mental illness together, balancing her mood swings and erratic behavior as a united front. But, in one instant, things take a turn for Ellie.

Her mother takes an accidental fall down the basement stairs when alone in the house one day. Meanwhile, her father, the manager of the town's grocery, has fallen in love with Tess, the store's "tomato girl," an epileptic, motherless young woman, with a knack for growing tomatoes, who lives with her abusive father.

Upon Ellie's mother's hospitalization, her father brings Tess into their home to live to presumably help out during the aftermath of the fall. Tess moves in like a hurricane, arranging the house as her own and demanding Ellie's father's undivided attention.

At once, Ellie loses her father as a teammate in helping with her mother and keeping the household together, and she is left to fend for herself, especially when her mother returns home worse than ever.

In a word, this book is Tragic (capital T intended). It seems that Ellie meets tragedy at every turn, as her heart is broken again and again during this novel. Just when it seems that the weight on her shoulders couldn't get any heavier, it does, and the burden is unimaginable.

That said, the book is also utterly compelling. On one hand, I almost hesitate to recommend it to others to read, as it's dark...and it gets darker and darker. So, be warned. But, I really want to recommend it, as the writing is amazing, especially for a debut novel, and the story is beyond engaging. I think I read this book in one single breath.

(Side note...I do think that the book's whimsical cover belies its serious nature.)

I know that several bloggers have this on their list, so I'll be interested in reading other reviews.

Sunday Salon: Catching My Breath

Happy Sunday, bloggers!

Last Sunday night saw our arrival home from the trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was a great vacation...beautiful weather, brand-new resort, fun friends, plenty of relaxation time. We flew back over Cuba just hours before Hurricane Ike stormed through that area.

I took several books with me (post here)...and I ended up reading Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs the entire time. It was a perfect choice...I'm not a great flyer, so I stick to lighter reading material, like magazines and beach books, so that I can keep my mind on other things, like helping the pilot fly the plane! :) And, we traveled with such a large group that what I read at the beach/pool needed to be something I could pick up and put down easily.

It's probably not something that I would have finished/enjoyed at home, but it was what it was...an easy vacation read.

I've got stacks upon stacks of books that came in while I was away, so my choices are almost overwhelming! But, it's a good problem to have, right?

I'll be finishing up Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek today...and maybe sneaking in a movie with my mom (The Women).

Couple of housekeeping notes...I'd love you to join in on "Waiting On" Wednesday, a weekly event that spotlights a soon-to-be-released book that I'm greatly anticipating.

Also, it's not too late to register for my giveaway of House & Home by Kathleen McCleary. Scroll down for details!

TLC Book Tour: Author Guest Post and Giveaway!

I'm so excited to host a guest post from Kathleen McCleary, author of House & Home, courtesy of TLC Book Tours.

I read the book back in July (review here) and dubbed its first page one of the best I've read in a long time.

Kathy suggested writing a post about obsession, one of the major themes of the book, and I readily accepted. I'm a classic first-child, Type-A personality, and, believe me, I do some obsessing over things...so I thought it was a great fit for my blog.

I'll let her take it from here:

One of the more controversial aspects of my book for some readers has been the main character’s obsession with her house. Some find it puzzling and inexplicable; others instantly relate; many understand that Ellen’s real obsession is with her husband and children, and the house is just a poor stand-in for her passionate need to create—and protect—a loving, close-knit family.

While I’ve never been obsessed enough with anything to consider arson, I certainly relate to Ellen’s obsession. I loved my house in Portland deeply, and was truly heartbroken when I had to sell it and move. And I was, to be honest, a little obsessed. I dreamt about it for almost a year after leaving. My obsession turned into a novel. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that obsessions fuel many terrific books.

I’m in the middle of reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight right now. Clearly, Bella and Edward are mega-obsessed with each other. This year I’ve also read Anna Karenina (another major love obsession story), as well as Emily Giffin’s Love The One You’re With (old boyfriend obsession). Lisa See’s Snowflower and the Secret Fan, which I read with my book club, covers many obsessions, from the passion in 19th-century China for foot binding to the intensity of female friendship. In Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book, an ancient manuscript is the obsession at the center of the novel. Even minor obsessions can make for memorable storylines or characters; witness Cornelia’s obsession for old movies in Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos.

It seems to me that the reason obsession lies at the heart of so many novels is because it is, by definition, about wanting something you can’t have. That desire—and the attempt to fulfill that desire—lies at the heart of the human condition.

Who has not longed for something— a house, a man, a child, a pair of shoes—that was just beyond reach? The people, places, and things we love and the ways we attempt to get or keep those loves is the stuff of great stories.

What’s your obsession? What’s your favorite book about obsession? Thanks so much for letting me share mine.

Guess what? Leave a comment in response to Kathy's question, and you'll automatically be entered for a giveaway of her book. You have until midnight CT on Monday, and I will post/contact the winner on Tuesday, September 16th.

Booking Through Thursday: Villainy

Today's BTT question ties into the anniversary of the September 11 tragedy:

Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.

And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?

Honestly, I never really read Clancy-type books before 9/11, so I can't answer from that perspective. I typically lean toward women's fiction, and while I wouldn't say that my choices are "frothy," I do enjoy a feel-good book.

However, I read Andre Dubus' Garden of Last Days recently, which focused on a Florida strip club and its various inhabitants, including the fictional perspective of one of the terrorists in the last days before that fateful Tuesday. As you're reading, you know what the book is heading toward...and there was a knot in my stomach anticipating the final events. I remember thinking, "I can't believe this really happened."

What are your thoughts?

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Millionaires

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Millionaires: A Novel of the New South

By Inman Majors

Publication Date: January 26

From Amazon:

A brilliant novel of new money and old manners, crossing The Great Gatsby with the spirit of Tom Wolfe.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but when I read the pre-pub alert in Publisher's Weekly, it immediately made my TBR list.

What not-yet-released book are you anxiously awaiting?

Off to Jamaica!

I'm off to Jamaica (via Atlanta overnight)!

Hopefully, we'll dodge any tropical storms/potential hurricanes out there (stay away Ike and Josephine!) .

Here's what I'm taking with me...I know, it's a lot, but you never know, between beach time and flights/airports, I need options!!

I'm currently reading City of Refuge, so I'm taking two choices to start once I finish that. I have heard so much about American Wife...but then, Just Breathe seems like a perfect last-beach-read-of-the-summer choice. I'll read both...it's just a matter of which one first!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Hour I First Believed

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Hour I First Believed

By Wally Lamb

Publication Date: November 11

From The New York Times:

"The novel begins with a married couple moving to Littleton, Colo., in 1999 to take jobs at Columbine High School, where the wife ends up cowering in the library the day two students go on a shooting rampage. In the aftermath the couple moves to the husband’s family farm in Connecticut. She tries to recover, while the husband stumbles on a series of family secrets."

Lamb's latest release comes 10 years after the wildly bestselling She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True. At 700+ pages, you'll want to set aside a good chunk of time to delve into what is sure to be one of the best books this fall.

Want to participate? Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave a link in the comments section!

Inside the Readers' Studio

In a "getting to know you" post, Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog decided to "borrow this questionnaire from my good buddy James Lipton (love him!) at Inside the Actors Studio," so I thought I'd participate.

What is your favorite word? Y'all

What is your least favorite word? Ya'll

More on this here.

What turns you on (creatively, spiritually or emotionally)? Well-read people

What turns you off (creatively, spiritually or emotionally)? People who, amazingly, profess openly not to read...at all

More on that here.

What sound or noise do you love? The sound of my three young nieces calling my name

What sound or noise do you hate? Leaf blowers!! Why oh why is it that every time I go outside to read, every single homeowner in my neighborhood fires this contraption up for what seems like forever?

What is your favorite curse word? S*it...more precisely, preceded by "piece of..." (Not at my husband, for clarity's sake! It's just what I most commonly use to describe anything or anyone I don't like.)

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I would love, love to be a librarian. Also, and this may sound strange, I've always wanted to be a postman (woman?) for a day.

What profession would you not like to do? Nurse...I'm so glad there are people out there that can/want to do this. God love 'em...

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Welcome. You deserve to be here.

Musing Mondays: ReReading

Miz B at Should Be Reading poses this question:

Do you ever reread books? Do you have any favorites that you like to reread over and over, maybe once a year? What are they? What do you think you get out of rereading a book? Why do you do it?

I can honestly say that I'm not a re-reader, even if it's one of my favorites.

In fact, I remember one morning a few years ago when my mother-in-law was having outpatient surgery...I got ready to leave with her for the hospital and realized I was in between books with nothing on hand to read. I grabbed a favorite book on my way out the door...and found myself unable to read past the first few pages, even though I had hours at my disposal in the hospital waiting room.

Once I read a book and know how it's going to go and end, that's it for me. I can't read it again with fresh eyes, and I feel no need to read just to re-visit my favorite passages.

That leads me to my next reason...any phrase that I love in a book makes it into my book journal, so the best of that book lives on for me in those pages.

Finally, now that I'm book blogging and more serious about my TBR list, the stack of books that constantly begs for my attention leaves no time for rereading!

What about you?