The past three books I have read have been heavier novels, emotionally charged and deep in content. That's why I'm ready to read One Fifth Avenue, the latest from Candace Bushnell. I need a lighter read, yet one that's still smart and well-written, and I think this one will fit the bill.
Plus, the fall always reminds me of when I moved to New York City, 11 years ago. It all happened very fast...I had an interview Halloween weekend, and I moved into my apartment the weekend before Thanksgiving.
So, right now, I'm feeling like reading a good NYC novel. I love reading about the people, the streets, the restaurants, the particulars of the city I loved and called home for awhile.
It reminds me of one of my favorite New York movies, You've Got Mail, when Tom Hanks' character says, "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Review: Between Here and April
In Between Here and April, author Deborah Copaken Kogan delves into the psyche of mothers, focusing on the choices they make to protect their children.
While watching a performance of Medea, former war journalist Elizabeth Burns experiences a long-suppressed memory of her first-grade best friend, April Cassidy, who disappeared from her life with little explanation. One day, she was there at school...the next, she wasn't.
Determined to find out what happened to her, Elizabeth embarks on a journey that will cause her to re-examine her own role as a mother to two young daughters.
Her research into the mystery reveals newspaper articles that spell out the incident. April's mother killed herself, along with April and her sister, in what Elizabeth finds out is dubbed "altruistic filicide." In this case, "mothers who kill themselves and their children simultaneously...think their children will be better off dead, rather than spending the rest of their lives without a mother."
Elizabeth, now a television producer, decides to turn the story into a documentary. Yet, faced with varying accounts of what led April's mother to this horrifying point, she wonders how to relay this story, with few "hard" facts to tell, realizing that empathy, which is hard to imagine, is the only way to successfully capture the emotions behind the decision.
I think this book will resonate with mothers, whether they agree with the emotions or not, and even though I'm not a mother, it still had an impact on me. There were a few distracting storylines throughout that made me impatient for the author to get back to the heart of this novel, but I still sped through the book.
This book seems largely autobiographical for this author, with some creative license engaged to fill in the holes of the facts to make it a novel. One thing that caught my eye as I started was a note on the copyright page that the "who, where, when and how" of April's disappearance were based on real-life events in the author's life...and that the "why" was the product of her imagination. Beyond that particular element of the book, I got the sense that it was the author's own story in every other way, as well, from her marriage and family to her career.
It makes the book more chilling to realize how much based in reality the events actually are...yet knowing how closely it ran to reality took something away from this for me, as a novel, as well. Does that make sense?
While watching a performance of Medea, former war journalist Elizabeth Burns experiences a long-suppressed memory of her first-grade best friend, April Cassidy, who disappeared from her life with little explanation. One day, she was there at school...the next, she wasn't.
Determined to find out what happened to her, Elizabeth embarks on a journey that will cause her to re-examine her own role as a mother to two young daughters.
Her research into the mystery reveals newspaper articles that spell out the incident. April's mother killed herself, along with April and her sister, in what Elizabeth finds out is dubbed "altruistic filicide." In this case, "mothers who kill themselves and their children simultaneously...think their children will be better off dead, rather than spending the rest of their lives without a mother."
Elizabeth, now a television producer, decides to turn the story into a documentary. Yet, faced with varying accounts of what led April's mother to this horrifying point, she wonders how to relay this story, with few "hard" facts to tell, realizing that empathy, which is hard to imagine, is the only way to successfully capture the emotions behind the decision.
I think this book will resonate with mothers, whether they agree with the emotions or not, and even though I'm not a mother, it still had an impact on me. There were a few distracting storylines throughout that made me impatient for the author to get back to the heart of this novel, but I still sped through the book.
This book seems largely autobiographical for this author, with some creative license engaged to fill in the holes of the facts to make it a novel. One thing that caught my eye as I started was a note on the copyright page that the "who, where, when and how" of April's disappearance were based on real-life events in the author's life...and that the "why" was the product of her imagination. Beyond that particular element of the book, I got the sense that it was the author's own story in every other way, as well, from her marriage and family to her career.
It makes the book more chilling to realize how much based in reality the events actually are...yet knowing how closely it ran to reality took something away from this for me, as a novel, as well. Does that make sense?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday Salon: My Book Cup Runneth Over
Not that I didn't have enough on hand to read... but I logged into my library account earlier this week and had six books waiting on me. Sometimes I almost don't know where to begin. There's nothing like a stack of books calling your name and competing for your attention.
Between Here and April by Deborah Copaken Kogan
One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell
The English Major by Jim Harrison
The Road Home by Rose Tremain
The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
Goldengrove by Francine Prose
I have started Between Here and April...I'm buzzing through it pretty quickly, so I anticipate posting a review tomorrow.
Also: After suffering through Georgia's loss to Alabama last night, it definitely made me feel better to see that two bloggers, Mary at Bookfan-Mary and Avisannschild at She Reads and Reads, had honored me with an I Love Your Blog award. The love goes both ways! Be sure to stop by their sites and check them out...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tomato Girl giveaway!
The winner of Tomato Girl is...Ruth!
Shoot me an e-mail with your address and I will send it to you.
Congrats!
Shoot me an e-mail with your address and I will send it to you.
Congrats!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
"Waiting On" Wednesday: Never Tell a Lie
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
Never Tell a Lie 
By Hallie Ephron
Publication Date: January 6
A young couple are about to have their first child. A woman from their past shows up at their yard sale. She goes inside their house, and she never comes out. Relentlessly fast-paced and disturbingly creepy, Hallie's new standalone is a page-turning thrill ride about how well we know the people we love, and how far we are willing to go to protect the secrets of our past.
I'm not a huge fan of thrillers, but ever since I read the description for this one, I've been intrigued. Just the phrase "...and she never comes out" sucks me in...
Has anyone read her 1001 Books for Every Mood?
What's your "waiting on" pick this week?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Author Interview: Jayne Pupek + Giveaway!
After I read and reviewed the amazing novel Tomato Girl (review here), I contacted the writer, Jayne Pupek, to let her know how moving it was for me. She graciously agreed to an interview.
By way of introduction...Jayne is also the author of a book of poems titled Forms of Intercession. Her writing has appeared in numerous literary journals. A Virginia native, Jayne has spent most of her professional life working in the field of mental health. And...she's a blogger, too! Visit her here.
Okay, let's get to it...
What was your inspiration for writing Tomato Girl?
The novel grew out of a narrative poem I had written some time earlier. When I decided to write a novel, I turned to my poetry for an idea, and I was drawn to the characters in the poem, "Tomato Girl." I saw the skeleton of a bigger story and believed it was a good place to begin. I'd also have to say that my many years spent working in mental health inspired me. I care about the issues of mental health and child abuse.
This book deals with some heavy and emotional issues. How did this affect you during the writing process?
The heavy emotional issues weren't especially difficult for me. In part this may be because I knew that I would take care of Ellie, that I would find a way for her to survive and be loved. In that way, Ellie is fortunate; I have worked with many people who were not cared for as children, people who did not know the difference between love and abuse. My work in mental health introduced me to so many damaged and suffering people, and these are the lives that generally interest me, even as a writer.
This book is written soley from the perspective of Ellie, a pre-teen girl, which made the book so much more powerful to me than if everyone had their own narratives. How hard was it to tap into the mind and voice of someone her age?
I enjoy challenges, and maintaining Ellie's voice was certainly the challenge of this novel. I had to frequently pause and ask myself how an event would appear to a child. I generally enjoyed the process, though, because it was a way to revisit innocence and to focus on the things that most impress children. We forget what it is to see the world as a child sees it, and how the world can be both vastly wonderful and frightening all at once.
What's the one message you'd like readers to take from the book?
I hope readers will pause to remember that there are children like Ellie all around us. They may be disguised or hidden from view, but they are there nonetheless, and they are in need of care and kindness.
What's up ahead next for you?
I’m working on two poetry manuscripts and another novel that will be completed soon. I'm too superstitious to talk much about a work in progress. It's like opening the oven door while a cake is baking.
Guess what? Jayne has graciously offered an autographed copy of her book as a giveaway on the site. So, leave your comment below by midnight CT on Thursday, September 25, and I'll randomly pick a winner!
By way of introduction...Jayne is also the author of a book of poems titled Forms of Intercession. Her writing has appeared in numerous literary journals. A Virginia native, Jayne has spent most of her professional life working in the field of mental health. And...she's a blogger, too! Visit her here.
Okay, let's get to it...
What was your inspiration for writing Tomato Girl?
The novel grew out of a narrative poem I had written some time earlier. When I decided to write a novel, I turned to my poetry for an idea, and I was drawn to the characters in the poem, "Tomato Girl." I saw the skeleton of a bigger story and believed it was a good place to begin. I'd also have to say that my many years spent working in mental health inspired me. I care about the issues of mental health and child abuse.
This book deals with some heavy and emotional issues. How did this affect you during the writing process?
The heavy emotional issues weren't especially difficult for me. In part this may be because I knew that I would take care of Ellie, that I would find a way for her to survive and be loved. In that way, Ellie is fortunate; I have worked with many people who were not cared for as children, people who did not know the difference between love and abuse. My work in mental health introduced me to so many damaged and suffering people, and these are the lives that generally interest me, even as a writer.
This book is written soley from the perspective of Ellie, a pre-teen girl, which made the book so much more powerful to me than if everyone had their own narratives. How hard was it to tap into the mind and voice of someone her age?
I enjoy challenges, and maintaining Ellie's voice was certainly the challenge of this novel. I had to frequently pause and ask myself how an event would appear to a child. I generally enjoyed the process, though, because it was a way to revisit innocence and to focus on the things that most impress children. We forget what it is to see the world as a child sees it, and how the world can be both vastly wonderful and frightening all at once.
What's the one message you'd like readers to take from the book?
I hope readers will pause to remember that there are children like Ellie all around us. They may be disguised or hidden from view, but they are there nonetheless, and they are in need of care and kindness.
What's up ahead next for you?
I’m working on two poetry manuscripts and another novel that will be completed soon. I'm too superstitious to talk much about a work in progress. It's like opening the oven door while a cake is baking.
Guess what? Jayne has graciously offered an autographed copy of her book as a giveaway on the site. So, leave your comment below by midnight CT on Thursday, September 25, and I'll randomly pick a winner!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday Salon: 9/21
What a great week of reading this has been!
I reviewed two excellent books: Tomato Girl (review here) and The Distance Between Us (review here). These are must-adds to your reading list.
I contacted the author of Tomato Girl, Jayne Pupek, after reading her amazing novel, and she agreed to an author interview. Given the intense nature of the book, I'm really interested in hearing the thought process behind it. Look for that coming up one day this week.
New books in my pile this week include:
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Belle in the Big Apple by Brooke Parkhurst
Godchildren by Nicholas Coleridge
Looks like some good reading ahead! What were new arrivals to your stack this week?
P.S. Don't forget to stop by on Wednesday for my weekly event, "Waiting On" Wednesday, to see what much-anticipated pre-publication book is in the spotlight.
I reviewed two excellent books: Tomato Girl (review here) and The Distance Between Us (review here). These are must-adds to your reading list.
I contacted the author of Tomato Girl, Jayne Pupek, after reading her amazing novel, and she agreed to an author interview. Given the intense nature of the book, I'm really interested in hearing the thought process behind it. Look for that coming up one day this week.
New books in my pile this week include:
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Belle in the Big Apple by Brooke Parkhurst
Godchildren by Nicholas Coleridge
Looks like some good reading ahead! What were new arrivals to your stack this week?
P.S. Don't forget to stop by on Wednesday for my weekly event, "Waiting On" Wednesday, to see what much-anticipated pre-publication book is in the spotlight.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Review: The Distance Between Us
"Nothing in my life has ever mattered more to me than my musical ability. Not my parents, not my children, not even Arthur. And I'm only beginning to understand the cost of this, for each of us."
In The Distance Between Us, author Bart Yates takes readers inside the mind and life of Hester Parker, a sharp-witted, 71-year-old retired concert pianist with a mansion in an Illinois college town, an estranged husband, two equally distant children, and a new boarder in her attic apartment.
When Alex arrives as Hester's new tenant, he discovers a woman whose humor he can't quite understand, but it is in this emotionally charged house that he chooses to live with his secrets.
Hester is in the struggle of her life, wondering where it all went wrong. When her brilliant career abruptly ended after a wrist injury in her prime, Hester turned to raising a family, two musically talented sons and a daughter, a gifted child in nearly every way...except in music. Now, years later, her family is as broken as her body.
Her husband, having recently left her for his mistress of 15 years, is threatening to take away her beloved home, and her children can barely stand to speak to her, holding her accountable for nearly anything and everything they can think of.
Hester and Alex form an unlikely friendship, sharing more in common than they would like...an older woman estranged from her children and a young man estranged from his parents. The two will soon need each other to weather the storms ahead of them.
While it is Hester's quirky, eccentric personality that sucks you into the book, it is soon evident that her humor, usually aided with a healthy amount of alcohol, is a mask for her immense pain. I was immediately drawn to her candidness and felt protective over the woman whose once-promising life had turned out so tragic.
I'm going to go ahead and call it...this book has a sure place on my list of the best books of the year. This is the story of a family at their very worst...and a book with writing at its very best. Alternately funny and unbearably sad, it is ultimately redemptive.
In The Distance Between Us, author Bart Yates takes readers inside the mind and life of Hester Parker, a sharp-witted, 71-year-old retired concert pianist with a mansion in an Illinois college town, an estranged husband, two equally distant children, and a new boarder in her attic apartment.When Alex arrives as Hester's new tenant, he discovers a woman whose humor he can't quite understand, but it is in this emotionally charged house that he chooses to live with his secrets.
Hester is in the struggle of her life, wondering where it all went wrong. When her brilliant career abruptly ended after a wrist injury in her prime, Hester turned to raising a family, two musically talented sons and a daughter, a gifted child in nearly every way...except in music. Now, years later, her family is as broken as her body.
Her husband, having recently left her for his mistress of 15 years, is threatening to take away her beloved home, and her children can barely stand to speak to her, holding her accountable for nearly anything and everything they can think of.
Hester and Alex form an unlikely friendship, sharing more in common than they would like...an older woman estranged from her children and a young man estranged from his parents. The two will soon need each other to weather the storms ahead of them.
While it is Hester's quirky, eccentric personality that sucks you into the book, it is soon evident that her humor, usually aided with a healthy amount of alcohol, is a mask for her immense pain. I was immediately drawn to her candidness and felt protective over the woman whose once-promising life had turned out so tragic.
I'm going to go ahead and call it...this book has a sure place on my list of the best books of the year. This is the story of a family at their very worst...and a book with writing at its very best. Alternately funny and unbearably sad, it is ultimately redemptive.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Booking Through Thursday: Autumn Reading
Here's this week's question:
Autumn is starting, and kids are heading back to school–does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?
No matter the season, I'm always going to set aside time to read.
One of my favorite warm-weather reading spots is in the front of our boat anchored down in the middle of the lake...but I can just as easily change that spot in colder weather to right in front of the fireplace.
(Note: College football does put a dent in my fall Saturday reading time.)
As far as content, I probably let some books slide through in the summer that I wouldn't other times...that is, I'm much more likely to pick up a lighter read for the beach/pool/lake, one that may not have made my list any other time of year.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Day Three
As part of BBAW, festivities-host My Friend Amy posed the following questions today:
What is one thing you wish you knew about blogging when you started or what advice would you give a newbie blogger?
When I started my blog, it was for purely personal reasons. I was reading so many books and then not able to make good recommendations when asked by friends because everything started to run together. I started the blog to put my thoughts down on paper, which has ultimately made me a much more thoughtful reader.
I had absolutely no idea about the amazing book blogging community that existed. It is a welcoming, supportive group that truly makes me feel like I'm surrounded by very well-read friends.
What is your best blogging tip?
This may sound obvious, but...make time to read. It's so much fun to read everyone's blogs (I myself can spend a couple of hours reading the Sunday Salon), but remember that it's important to stay true to yourself, and that is that you're a reader first...so read, and then share your finds with the rest of us!
Only a few people I know can actually post reviews every day (how do they do that?), so it's also important to have a few events that you join in to supplement your reviews. I try to have two book reviews up a week (although that's not evident lately, with two relatively back-to-back vacations!), and I supplement my posting by participating in events such as Booking Through Thursday and Sunday Salon.
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