NYC Book Girl

Reminder: I've moved!!!

2011-05-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that I've moved blogs. You can check out my ramblings over at:

Have a wonderful day!

Kapitoil - Teddy Wayne Author Interview

2010-09-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

Check out my new blog, A Library of My Own, for an interview with Teddy Wayne, author of Kapitoil (check out my review).

Here's a little bit about the author:

Teddy Wayne is a graduate of Harvard and the Writing Program at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also taught fiction and creative nonfiction writing. The recipient of a 2010 NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, his fiction, satire, and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Vanity Fair, Esquire, McSweeney’s, The Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He lives in New York.

Kapitoil - Teddy Wayne

2010-09-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

Check out my new blog A Library of My Own for my review of Teddy Wayne's novel Kapitoil. It's become one of my favorite books this year. Tomorrow I will also be posting an author interview with him so stick around!

A Small Death in the Great Glen - A.D. Scott

2010-09-12T16:15:00.000-05:00

Check out my new blog A Library of My Own for my review of A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott.

Please follow me and/or subscribe via Reader to my new blog. Thank you!

Sunflowers - Sheramy Bundrick

2010-09-10T16:21:00.000-05:00

Check out my new blog A Library of My Own to read my review and recommendation of Sheramy Bundrick's novel Sunflowers: A Novel of Vincent van Gogh

Dracula in Love - Winner!!

2010-08-28T14:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry all for my delayed announcement of the winner of Dracula in Love. I absolutely loved your answers on what vampire stories you love and why you want to read this. My winner said:

Yes, me!! I love Bram Stoker's Dracula and just wrote a review on Dracula The Un-Dead, so I'd love to read another "perspective" of it! I've heard so much about this novel and am ready to take it on -- there's just something about the "real" Dracula story that just gets me going, and I was such a fan of The Historian as well, that this book would be right up my alley!!

Woohoo! I love when people refer me to books I have not yet read. So my winner is:

Coffee and a Book Chick

Congratulations and I can't wait to see what you think. Enjoy!

****I am no longer a New Yorker and have moved over to my new blog A Library of My Own. I will still be posting book reviews for a short time on this blog but if you want my full ramblings and photos, head on over! Thank you!

Dracula in Love - Karen Essex (Giveaway!)

2010-08-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

Book: Dracula in Love

Author: Karen Essex
Paperback (ARC): 384 pages
Publisher: Doubleday
Published Date: August 10, 2010

I love Karen Essex. Let me just put that out there right now. I read Leonardo's Swans a while back (my review) and fell in love with the story and her writing. She has this way of writing historical fiction that stays true to historical facts, something I love in an author. So when I heard she came out with Dracula in Love I immediately requested an ARC copy and jumped for joy when I received it (my post on the gorgeous cover). I also have to tell you that I've read Bram Stoker's Dracula quite a few times and also love that book.

Karen Essex's novel is from Mina's perspective as she tells the true story of her and the Count. It is a Victorian Gothic story of love, possession, betrayal, and of course some erotic scenes so yes, there is a bit of sex. But what I found fascinating is how Ms. Essex spun Mina's tale. The story starts off with Mina explaining how this was the true story and not Stoker's more popular fictional tale. Mr. Stoker even makes a cameo in the story which I thought was pretty cool.

While I adored the story and Ms. Essex's writing, I do have to warn you that it does have some a strong women's perspective from a very constrained Victorian society who deemed women as sort of a lesser class than men. For instance, once married most women did not control their property or money. It also shows an interesting spin on the asylum where Van Helsing is employed. **Side note: I had recently watched the Leonardo DiCaprio movie Shutter Island and found it's portrayal of the asylum very much like the one in this book. Very interesting.

My only gripe with the book is towards the end. I thought her explanation for the Count and Mina's attraction to each other was kind of, well, out of the blue. But it didn't detract my enjoyment of this highly Gothic love story. I've noticed another Mina/Dracula book out there called Dracula, My Love by Syrie James. I am really curious to see how the two compare. I will try hard and get my hand on a copy of that novel.

Now on to the giveaway!!

I asked Maxwell Brown at Random House if I could PLEASE have a copy to giveaway and he sent one to me ASAP! Woohoo! So I have a special ARC available to one lucky reader. Again my giveaway is open internationally. Here's the deal:

1) Please leave a comment with your email address (or blog address) telling me why you want to read this and if you are a fan of Stoker's version or any other vampire stories/movies/etc. Come on, talk to me!

2) I will give you an extra entry if you comment on my new blog A Library of My Own. If you only comment on my new blog I'll give you two entries as well.

3) Contest is open until August 17th when I get back from my trip to Alaska. Good luck!

Kentucky Stroll

2010-07-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

Head on over to my new blog A Library of My Own to see photos of my Kentucky Stroll.

** I am no longer a New Yorker so please update your readers! I am still posting reviews at Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker but I am posting much more over at my new blog. Thanks!

31 Bond Street - Ellen Horan

2010-07-15T02:22:00.004-05:00

Book: 31 Bond Street
Author: Ellen Horan
Hardback: 368 Pages
Publisher: Harpercollins
Published Date: 3-30-2010

Awhile back I was asked to join the TLC Book Tour for 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan: A Novel of Murder, Innocence, and Power in New York City. I love historical fiction and I have a specific fondness for the 19th Century so I thought why not? I'm not sure if it's was because recently I've been Netflixing the series Bones (forensic anthropology helps solve murders) or what, but I totally absorbed this book in just a couple of days.

Here's the story:

The setting is 1857 in New York City. A real crime happened: a dentist, Dr. Burdell, was found gruesomely murdered in his home. The main suspect is a young widowed lady, Emma Cunningham, with a couple of daughters who lives with him (as a tenant) and claims to be his wife. Suspicion is out whether or not they were married and if she murdered him. A brilliant defense attorney, Henry Clinton, puts his career at stake defending her of this crime.

I thought this story was absolutely fascinating. The story is told from various perspectives, mainly flipping from Henry Clinton's point of view as the trial proceeds, to Emma Cunnigham's view as she meets the Dr. Burdell and the events leading up to his death. Sometimes I can figure out in a crime book who the culprit is, but in this case I had absolutely no clue. Since this was a real life murder, I also refrained from looking it up on Wikipedia as I sometimes end up doing. I know Ellen Horan had to employ creative license while writing the fictional parts but I thought she did a fabulous job doing a "what if" to this real life crime story.

I just have to mention that I loved the book's setting in NewYork City. In her acknowledgements and explanations at the end of the book, she mentions that New York City was definitely a character in the book. I loved seeing the city from this historic perspective - before the high rises, before the Civil War and abolition of slavery, and before women's rights. Even the forensics I thought was interesting, like how they knew back then it had to be a left handed person. I especially thought it was bizarre when they mentioned the crime scene was painted, not photographed. This was before photography was used in a crime scene. I just thought she did a wonderful job bringing this era and old New York City to life.

I visited the website for 31 Bond Street and found this cool book trailer:

Ellen Horan previously worked as a freelance photo editor for magazines and books in New York City. She has a background in painting and visual art. 31 Bond Street is her first novel.

Connect with Ellen:

On her Website

On her Facebook

On Twitter

Ellen Horan's TLC Book Tour Stops:

Tuesday, July 6th: Word Lily

Wednesday, July 7th: Rundpinne

Thursday, July 8th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Monday, July 12th: Simply Stacie

Tuesday, July 13th: Novel Whore

Wednesday, July 14th: Ask Miss A

Thursday, July 15th: Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker

Monday, July 19th: The 3 R's Blog

Tuesday, July 20th: Scraps of Life

Wednesday, July 21st: A Few More Pages

Thursday, July 22nd: Novel Whore- Gabriella

Friday, July 23rd: Starting Fresh

Monday, July 26th: Caribousmom

Tuesday, July 27th: The Tome Traveller

Wednesday, July 28th: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!

Thursday, July 29th: Bibliofreak

Monday, August 2nd: A Bookworm's World

Tuesday, August 3rd: Jen's Book Thoughts

Update on Blog

2010-07-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!

I am just popping in to tell you all to move on over to my new blog A Library of My Own. I will still post book reviews here at Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker through the end of August.* But if you want my entire blog in all it's glory, just head on over there:

http://libraryofmyown.blogspot.com

Oh, and as an incentive, I have a nice long photo post of my time in Paris years ago as part of Paris in July - hosted by Book Bath and Thyme for Tea. Go check it out!

* Publishers and Publicists: If you've sent me a book to read and review and want to make sure I post it at Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker, please let me know: libraryofmyown@gmail.com

The Queen of Palmyra Giveaway Winner!

2010-07-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry for my delayed announcement of the winner of The Queen of Palmyra. I had asked everyone to name a book that had totally absorbed them. I received a number of new to me books, a few of Michelle Moran's books like Cleopatra's Daughter, and a couple of my favorites (The Art of Racing in the Rain and Pride and Prejudice). A few of you, including the winner, mentioned The Help.

And the winner....

Archana!

I've sent you an email so please email me your snail mail address so I can ship it out to you.

Thanks everyone for entering the contest!

How to Knit a Love Song - Rachael Herron

2010-07-08T13:37:00.001-05:00

Book: How to Knit a Love Song

Author: Rachael Herron

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Avon A (April 1, 2010)

A little while ago I read a knitting romance book by Rachael Herron called How to Knit a Love Song. I received the book from Harper Collins and thought it was such a cute book. I had no clue that there was a whole genre of knitting novels out there. I have to say it's something that I could get into since I recently took up knitting.

Here's the story:

Abigail is running away from her old life and towards a new beginning. Her mentor and friend, Eliza Carpenter (famous in the knitting circles) recently passed away and left Abigail a home on her California property. Abigail's dreams are put on hold though when she shows up and finds Eliza's angry but attractive nephew living there.

Eliza apparently left Abigail the cottage on the property while Cade, the nephew, gets the property and the main house. Cade is angry that the land he's made prosperous during his aunt's absence has been usurped by a city girl.

So yeah, this is a romance novel and normally I wouldn't be too big into it but I absolutely loved the knitting part. I also have to admit that while not insanely original, the story was pretty cute and not too romantically annoying. It also helped inspire me to knit more on my own. There's even a pattern for a sweater, which is what Abigail is working on, at the back of the book. I also loved that each chapter started with a pearl (or purl...sorry, had to do it) of wisdom from Eliza Carpenter. This is one of those books I sent on to my sister to read and enjoy.

Speaking of knitting and sisters, here's what I made after I read this book.

It was my first attempt at a cable stitch. I love this cool green color for a scarf. I used Lion Brand's Nature's Choice Organic Cotton because it is so soft. I hate itchy things around my neck:

I call it the sister scarf. I made my sister the green one to match her hazel eyes and I am making myself a creamy white one. If you want the pattern, head over to Lion Brand and search for Harbor Scarf. You can also check out my Ravelry site (username: libraryofmyown) :

For more info about Rachael Herron's book, you can check out her blog Yarn-A-Go-Go.

Book Club Girl also interviewed her so go over and check out their show.

Also reviewed by:

Booking Mama

Bermudaonion's Weblog

The Language of Trees - Ilie Ruby

2010-07-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

Book: The Language of Trees

Author: Ilie Ruby

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Avon A (July 20, 2010)

A while back I saw Ilie Ruby's novel The Language of Trees on Shelf Awareness and requested an ARC to read and review. I think the main reason was because of it's gorgeous cover but also because it takes place in the Fingerlakes region of New York and involves Native American themes. I thought it was a beautiful novel with touches of a mystery and romance with a supernatural twist.

Here's the synopsis:

Grant Shongo is part Seneca and has returned to his home town by Canandaigua Lake. He's running away from a failed marriage and needs some time to repair his life. By chance, he runs into his high school sweetheart, Echo, who's also come home to check on her adopted father, Joseph, who's health is ailing. However, Joseph has other things on his mind. Local town legend, Melanie Ellis, a young mother, has gone missing.

Twelve years earlier, Melanie Ellis was just a young girl when she took her young brother and sister, Maya and Luke, on a midnight canoe trip, through the pouring rain to Squaw Island. No one knows what happened but after the storm subsided, Luke was gone. Now Luke's spirit is haunting certain members of Canandiagua and long buried secrets will have to be resurrected.

I hope that made some kind of sense as I usually like writing my own synopsis. For the most part, I liked this book. The way Ilie Ruby made the Fingerlakes area come alive was beautiful. For instance, this blurb by author unknown at the beginning of the book is a running theme to the whole story:

Trees are the most trusting of all living creatures because they trust enough to put their roots down in one place, knowing they'll be there for life.

Ilie Ruby made all the characters multi-dimensional and I loved that not all problems were resolved at the end. The story wasn't just narrated by Grant and Echo, but by almost all of the characters involved in the story. It was a beautiful and sad story: bittersweet. While I enjoyed the supernatural touches, it wasn't overly supernatural to make it unbelievable. The only problem I had with it was sometimes it got a little over descriptive which can make me skim a bit too much. But that might just be my problem, not the author's.

I noticed a review over at TLC Book Tours which states that it's a "healing tale of redemption" (Elizabet Rosner) which describes it exactly.

I was going to find photos of Canandaigua Lake on Google Images but found that Ilie Ruby has a section on her website of photos of the area. So go over there and check it out.

Mailbox Mondays

2010-06-29T15:56:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd do a Mailbox Monday even though it's Tuesday. For more Mailbox Mondays, check out The Printed Page's Tour Schedule.

Normally Harper Collins gives me all the love but this week I've received two books by Random House:

The King's Mistress by Emma Campion - Comes out in July, about the Mistress of King Edward III

and

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex - Comes out in August, about Dracula's muse Mina. I've been dying to read this since one of my favorite books is Dracula by Bram Stoker and I love Karen Essex (read my review of her previous novel Leonardo's Swans). By the way, I'd love to own Mina's dress on the cover. How gorgeous is it?

The Lacemakers of Glenmara - Heather Barbieri

2010-06-22T12:20:00.002-05:00

A while back I had read some reviews of Heather Barbieri's book The Lacemakers of Glenmara and was dying to read it myself. So when I was asked to join the TLC Book tour for this book I jumped at the chance. I'm currently on vacation to see family in Colorado and read half the book on the plane and the other half the next day. This is a perfect summer read.

The story:

Kate Robinson's mother always told her bad things happen in threes. So when her mother passes away, her boyfriend leaves her for a skinny model, and her new clothing line bombs, she just has to get away.

She decides to take a journey to her family's ancestral homeland of Ireland. She manages to wind up in the small untourist town of Glenmara by the sea. Some of the women there take Kate under their wing and she joins their lace making society and starts to learn the trade. Kate also has the wonderful idea creating beautiful lingerie with the lace patterns. And then there's Sullivan... But everything doesn't go as planned. Not all the townsfolk of Glenmara approve of Kate and many have deep secrets of their own.

I totally enjoyed this novel. It helped that it wasn't just narrated by Kate but also by various people of Glenmara. Each character had their own struggles, problems, and concerns but Kate's arrival changes each one of their lives. Also, since I'm a newbie knitter, I enjoyed reading about the lace making itself. I really wanted to see the patterns they were creating and love to know how to do it myself. And I"m just a sucker for anything Irish, so this book was the perfect vacation read.

As a side note, Heather Barbieri mentions a few books in her novel - favorite books of Kate's and others and I kept wanting to write them down so I could read them in the future. When I went to Heather's website, I noticed she had a link to her favorite books. How cool is that?

For more reviews for Heather Barbieri's book, check out the TLC Book Tour:

Tuesday, June 22nd: Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker
Thursday, June 24th: Books and Movies
Monday, June 28th: Bookalicio.us
Tuesday, June 29th: Drey's Library
Wednesday, June 30th: The Tome Traveler
Friday, July 2nd: Redlady's Reading Room
Wednesday, July 7th: Raging Bibliomania
Thursday, July 8th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Monday, July 12th: Bloggin' 'Bout Books
Tuesday, July 13th: Chefdruck Musings
Wednesday, July 14th: My Two Blessings
Thursday, July 15th: Diary of an Eccentric

1001 Update - The Thirty-Nine Steps

2010-06-17T09:58:00.001-05:00

Earlier this year I decided to read John Buchan's classic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps. Apart from it being on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, it is also a Broadway show that the hubby and I had wanted to see before we left NYC. I'd like to say we got the chance to see it, but we were a day late. They had closed down for a period as they were moving venues. Sigh.

But! PBS had a showing that weekend of a newer BBC version of the movie (more about the films below) so we still got our date night.

But you want to know what the book's about, right? Here's how it starts out:

"I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life."

Richard Hannay has just returned to London after being in Rhodesia. It's May 1914 and Europe is on the brink of WWI. However, Richard is bored:

"Here was I, thirty-seven years old, sound in wind and limb, with enough money to have a good time, yawning my head off all day."

After returning home one night, a man approaches him at his apartment door and basically invites himself in. This man, Schudder, lives upstairs, is an American from Kentucky, and has learned a bit too much of European politics. Schudder tells him:

'Pardon,' he said, 'I'm a bit rattled tonight. You see, I happen at this moment to be dead.'

They sit down and Schudder tells him some things, secret things involving a German conspiracy to kill the Greek Premier. Schudder's life is in danger and he's had to fake his death to get away from the bad guys. He also has to stop the conspiracy. Richard Hannay, while not sure if this man is crazy or not, decides to help him. However, a few days later, Hannay returns to find Schudder dead in his apartment. Unable to call the police for fear of being accused of Schudder's death, Hannay takes Schudder's notebook, flees the scene, and must elude Schudder's murderers, stop the German conspiracy, and basically save the day. Oh, and you'll just have to read the book to figure out what the 39 steps refers to.

I absolutely loved this little spy story. I read the book for free online over at Project Gutenberg. This is the first of five novels about Hannay. They are short but chock full of adventure. Hannay also kind of cracks me up since he's so obviously not your normal hero.

On to the movie: The new BBC version was very very good. I love that Rupert Penry-Jones was cast as Hannay:

If you've seen the newest version of Jane Austen's Persuasion (my review), you'll recognize Rupert. I've got a slight crush on him because of that...and he's in the BBC MI-5 (also called Spooks) series which I also love. Side note: If you like Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Rupert Penry-Jones, or Richard Armitage - check MI-5 out.

The book and movie both have all those lovely little spy elements that I love. Apparently Alfred Hitchcock thought so too. He made a movie version of The Thirty-Nine Steps in 1935. I haven't watched his version yet.

I love how the modern BBC version reminded me of the old classic spy movies. Notice the lovely plane scene in the modern version:

Doesn't this remind you of the 1959 movie North by Northwest with Cary Grant...also a Hitchcock film?

One of the things I love about blogging is that while writing posts, I find the most interesting posts on other blogs. Check these out:

Lights, Camera, History - Post on BBC film version (one of my favorite blogs on period films)

Redtree Times - Post on Alfred Hitchcock version

Bloggy Stuff

2010-06-15T20:22:00.000-05:00

So I've been tinkering around with a new blog since, well let's face it, I am no longer a New Yorker. I need all your help. Will you check it out and give me any feedback?

A Library of My Own

I always love constructive criticism. I'm still working on it so take that into account. Also, if you have a blog of your own, do you have any tips or thoughts of what works well for your blog? If you are a reader of blogs, what do you like to see?

Second Chance - Jane Green

2010-06-05T12:27:00.002-05:00

I've had Jane Green's novel, Second Chance, on my bookshelf for a while now and I thought now was the time to read it. I needed something girly to read. I won a box of books a while back from Reading Group Choices and this was one of those books.

I've never read anything by Jane Green before and for some reason I thought her books would be a little too fluffy for me. I am so glad I picked Second Chances up. It was the perfect read for me right now.

The story:

Holly, Olivia, Paul, and Saffron are mourning the death of their close friend Tom. They were all close friends when they were school mates in London, but now they are in their late thirties and are all in various stages of life and relationships. Most of them haven't seen each other in years and had mainly kept in contact with each other through Tom.

Holly is fairly wealthy, has two adorable kids, and an unhealthy relationship with her distant lawyer husband. Olivia is single after dating a man for the better part of a decade and runs an animal shelter. Paul is married to the beautiful and successful Anna, but they have been unable to have children which is making Anna miserable. Finally, Saffron is becoming a successful movie star and is moving on up, but her relationship with a very famous star who is married could bring her ruin.

Tom was always there for each one of them and because of his death, they are all reuniting once again. And maybe because of Tom, they will all get their second chance at happiness.

--------

I loved that this story was set in England for some reason. While the story rotates around all the friends, it does center the most on Holly. While she is a character that I sometimes want to slap, I am still very sympathetic. I enjoyed reading about each character. Each character appears to have the perfect life, but each character is going through their own struggles. This book made me think a lot and ultimately be insanely thankful for my own lovely husband and marriage.

I WOULD normally do a giveaway for this book, BUT I'm seeing my beautiful sister later this month and want her to read it first.

**Has anyone read this or other Jane Green books? Did you like them? I have to say I adore this book cover and noticed that her other covers are similar. The photo doesn't do the shimmer of the green justice.

**I keep trying to picture, if this was a movie, who would play each character. Please pitch in any ideas you have. Here's what I have so far:

Holly (Rachel Wiesz or Kate Beckinsale)

Saffron (Sienna Miller)

Olivia (Emily Blunt)

Couldn't find any reviews of Second Chance in my Google Reader so here's a couple reviews of her other books:

S. Krishna's Books - Dune Road
A Novel Menagerie - The Beach House

Small Knit Project

2010-06-04T13:59:00.000-05:00

So remember a while back when I said that I was learning to knit? Well, I've been creating some more little things. I actually have two beautiful projects going but can't tell you about them just yet as one is a gift for my sister. She tends to read this so, I can't spill the beans just yet.

But here's a little something that I found and whipped up:

It's a heart mug rug that I found over at FaveCrafts. It's super easy and great for beginners. By the way, the mug featured was made by Brainella the Librarian. Go check out her Etsy shop to buy your own. She's also got these awesome owls that I adore and would snatch up had I a job and some extra money.

Here's the front and back of the mug rug:

I'm on Ravelry (name ahack025) so if you knit or crochet, come and be my friend. Do you do any crafts and do you blog about them or share photos? If so, let me know!

NYC - The Cloisters

2010-06-04T12:24:00.002-05:00

Before I moved from New York City, I visited a few favorite places and saw a few things that I had always meant to see. One of those later ones was The Cloisters - a museum dedicated to medieval Europe. I can't believe it took me so long to visit since I lived fairly close to the museum. So my husband and I decided to take a day off from packing and walk down to The Cloisters.

If you've never heard of The Cloisters or have never been, it is a must-see on my list of things to do in Manhattan. Some people never see it though since it is a fair trip on the Subway since it is on the northern part of the island. Although I think a half an hour subway ride is totally worth the trip (Take the 1 Train local or A Train express).

The Cloisters is run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and if you pay to see the Met then you can also pop up to The Cloisters for free that day. Keep in mind that the Met and The Cloisters have a suggested fee but can also be payed by donation - great for students or the unemployed when money is tight, although if you have the money...pay the full amount as it is definitely worth it.

The Cloisters is located in Ft. Tryon park which is a beautiful, wooded and very hilly area. You can see now why they call these part of Manhattan "the Heights".

My husband and I went in March so the trees are still bare. However it was one of the first beautiful Spring days so we were lucky. As we were walking we caught sight of this little guy in a tree. Very odd.

The Cloisters is housed in a beautiful castle looking building which are actually pieces of five different French cloisters reassembled together (thanks Wikipedia!). It is just beautiful. Warning: Since Cloisters are religious buildings, please treat with respect and do not chew gum - a lesson I learned. You can also take photos but just no flash.

Here's the inside of the building with my husband looking at one of the many huge tapestries. I absolutely adored all the beautiful windows in the building:

Most of the doorways have actual arches from various Cloisters and medieval buildings. Beautiful.

I love the stained glass windows:

I found these ladies and thought that, while they look very regal, are also a bit creepy in their decapitated state:

I have no idea who this is but the little green goblin he's stabbing made me laugh. Not sure why.

One of the main purposes of the visit to The Cloisters were to see their famous unicorn tapestries. They are housed in a fairly dark area so they don't fade the fabric but I still managed to snag a photo in the dark:

I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful they are in person and how large! I also had no idea how many of them there were. You can go to the Met website and check out more about these lovely pieces.

They have other tapestries as well. This one is from a series of tapestries called The Nine Heros. There are the Hebrew heroes: Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, the Christian heroes: Charlemagne, Arthur, and Godfrey of Boullion, and the pagan heroes: Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar. I kept on imagining these guys as the super heros of their times. I believe this regal man is Julius Caesar...although he does look exactly how I'd picture Arthur.

Here's the entrance to a pretty solemn area with various burial statues.

Isn't the windows in here just awesome?

And another one:

Here's an interesting guy. I noticed a lot of them had their pets under their feet.

For some reason I just liked this Madonna and Child. Don't they look happy?

My husband really liked this piece of stained glass. There was a whole series of them but this one is pretty interesting.

This lady was my favorite piece in the place. The tapestry had some 3D aspects, like her fuzzy red dress which I loved.

The Cloisters also had a lot of illuminated manuscripts on display which is one of my favorite aspects of medieval art. I wasn't able to take photos of those though. Afterwards, we headed outside to soak up some of the lovely sun.

I so wish I could see this when it is all in bloom.

Isn't this amazing? They had a couple of plants like this. I can't imagine how much time and effort they went into making this look exactly so.

If you go, you'll have beautiful views of the Hudson.

We were obviously not the only ones who were enjoying the sun that day:

There are all sorts of areas with fountains. Again I wish I could have seen these when they were all in bloom.

Isn't this architecture just awesome?

They were starting to grow some beautiful plants inside. Doesn't this one just look delicious? I want one.

So, if you are ever in Manhattan and have never seen The Cloisters, it is definitely well worth it.

Thanks for touring the museum with me!

The Mighty Queens of Freeville - Amy Dickinson

2010-06-01T15:51:00.005-05:00

I was asked a short while ago by Nicole from Bookreporter, if I wanted to read and review the book The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson. I jumped on the chance because I've heard Amy Dickinson on my favorite NPR podcast, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. She also replaced Ann Landers for the Chicago Tribune and writes the famous advice column Ask Amy.

The subtitle of this book is "A Story of Surprising Second Chances" and what a wonderful little memoir this is. Amy tells her story of getting married, divorced, becoming a single mom of young daughter, moving and living in London, D.C., and Chicago, and often going back home to Freeville, New York where she is surrounded by the strong women in her family who help her through it all.

The book is just over two hundred pages and is the perfect length with the perfect amount of humor and heartache. I gobbled it right up. I've never had a baby or been through a divorce, but this summer, after moving from NYC to Kentucky, trying to find a job and supporting my husband going back to school, this was exactly the type of book I needed to read. This book made me laugh, want to cry, and wish I had my own Freeville.

For more info, you can check out her site My Second Chance Stories .

The Chicago Tribune and Amy Dickinson are also asking for people to write in their Second Chance stories. Head on over to their website if you want to participate.

Amy Dickinson is also on Facebook and Twitter if you'd like to know more about her.

Cumberland Falls - Kentucky

2010-05-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

This past week I got the chance to go camping with a few friends. We wanted to miss the Memorial Day crowd so we went on Thursday to Cumberland Falls in Eastern Kentucky. I thought I'd share some photos of my new state.

I went with three of my friends and their new rescue pup, Doc. They blame our little family for their new acquisition. Doc is the third dog we've influenced people on getting. He's still getting used to people and noises but he loves other dogs and children.

Cumberland Falls is known as the "Niagra of the South" and I can see why. It is a beautiful waterfall.

I always love finding beautiful flowers. We met some elderly ladies who were wondering what type of tree this is. Does anyone know?

Doc also loves water but the water was running a bit too fast to let him off leash.

I love the coves on the river. I always imagine this is where a treasure might be hidden.

We then took a short hike to Eagle Falls. It was only 1.5 miles but it was straight up and down. Kind of like this:

I loved the overhanging rocks on the hike.

Eagle Falls is another beautiful waterfall:

Doc got to get in the water again. I have to admit I was a bit jealous. After hiking in the humid heat, a splash in the water would have been wonderful.

We also saw a crazy tree with a huge knot.

While hiking to Eagle Falls, we got to see Cumberland Falls from the other side. It's amazing how noisy a huge waterfall is.

The main purpose of the trip though was to see the famous Moonbow.

We went close to mid-night and waited and waited for the full moon to peak out of the clouds. And I saw it! It was a beautiful white bow. I had help setting my camera and with and ISO of 800 and an open shutter for two minutes I caught these photos:

Next time I will try and do less time to see if I can get it to look more like the white band. Have you ever seen a Moonbow?

The Queen of Palmyra - Minrose Gwin (Giveaway!)

2010-05-27T10:45:00.014-05:00

I was asked to join the TLC Book Tour for Minrose Gwin's novel The Queen of Palmyra. I'll have to admit that I was a bit hesitant because this is not normally the type of book I choose to read. But since I moved to the sort-of-South, I thought I'd broaden my horizons in reading. All I can say is Thank Goodness I did because this is an amazing novel. I sucked it right up and immediately gave it Five Stars on GoodReads.

The Queen of Palmyra takes place that fateful summer in 1963 in Mississippi when temperatures got to record breaking highs, JFK and Medgar Evers were assassinated, and the country's racial tensions were at an all time high.

Florence Forrest is a young white girl and it is the summer between her fourth and fifth year in school. However, she is way behind in studies because for the past year, her father and mother have been on the "lam" as she calls it, traveling around while her father unsuccessfully tries to hold one job after another. They finally return home to Millwood, Mississippi and that's when things start to crumble.

Florence's father, unbeknownst to her, is part of the Klan which is something her mother abhors. However, her father is a bit of a terror and as their marriage slowly crumbles, he tries to keep Florence close by telling her stories that have deeper darker meanings. Her mother manages a quite successful cake business but Florence starts being pawned off more and more on others, mainly Zenie, her grandmother's black housemaid. That summer, Zenie's college student niece, Eva, comes to stay with them. Florence is made a witness to all and must finally grow up and choose for herself which path she must follow.

I found this to be such an absorbing novel. I normally don't choose to read novels with such obvious serious topics. In the past, I normally tried to read lighter books for an escapism type of enjoyment. But I'm finding that more and more I'm steering toward books with tougher topics. This is definitely one of those novels.

Florence is such an interesting character because of her obvious lack of understanding but she observes everything and tries to figure out what is going on. She's such a neglected character. She is left to fend for herself often and goes long periods of time without food, a bath, or a a change of clothes.

I have to say that all the other characters were so well written as well. Her father, though while a terrifying character, is flawed and realistic. Her mother refuses to stand up and chooses to escape. Zenie and Eva were my favorite characters. Zenie, named after Zenobia the Queen of Palmyra, tells Florence stories about the Queen. While a good influence on Florence, Zenie views the care-taking of Florence as just another job and often refers to the girl as "it". Eva...well you'll just have to read the story to find out about Eva.

I keep wanting to blab about the book so I think this would make a perfect Book Club book. While I've never read The Help, I have read The Color Purple and Their Eyes Were Watching God.

***Would you recommend any books like this that are all absorbing?

The TLC Book Tour Stops:

Tuesday, May 4th: five borough book review
Wednesday, May 5th: The Bluestocking Society
Monday, May 10th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, May 11th: Natty Michelle

Wednesday, May 12th: Pam's Perspective

Wednesday, May 12th: My Reading Room
Wednesday, May 19th: Staircase Wit
Thursday, May 20th: Lit and Life
Tuesday, May 25th: Dolce Bellezza
Wednesday, May 26th: Take Me Away
Thursday, May 27th: Life and Times of a “New” New Yorker
Monday, May 31st: Green Jello

Tuesday, June 1st: Crazy for Books

More reviews:
Devourer of Books

This is Herbert Schmalz's 19th Century painting of the Queen of Palmyra.

You can also listen to Minrose Gwin talk about her book over at Book Club Girl

Now for the giveaway: I have an extra copy of The Queen of Palmyra. All you have to do is leave a comment, a way to contact you, and answer the question is asked just above. The giveaway is open through June 11th and like always, my contest is open international so good luck!

Life After Yes - Winner!

2010-05-26T20:26:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for entering my contest for Life After Yes. And now for the winner:

Vivienne from Serendipity!!

Woo hoo! I love Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, if you've never checked it out before. She's a wonderful blog lady from the UK, and is currently trudging through Wuthering Heights. Hang in there!

Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann

2010-05-25T23:06:00.006-05:00

Last night I finished reading Colum McCann's novel Let the Great World Spin. It won the 2009 National Book Award and I can see why. When I first heard about this book with it's NYC setting, I wanted to get my hands on it. So of course when I was asked to join in the book tour for TLC Book Tours I was ecstatic.

Let me start my synopsis by quoting a piece from the novel: It had never occurred to me before but everything in New York is built upon another thing, nothing is entirely by itself, each thing as strange as the last, and connected.

I love this quote. It depicts New York City AND the novel so very well. Most of the book takes place or focuses on NYC, 1974. We start the story centered around two Irish brothers in the Bronx. The story then skips perspectives, darting around the city but each story is somehow connected to each other. Pivoting in almost each story is the August event of Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers.

When I first heard about this book, I thought it was going to be a series of interconnected short stories. That's not really what it is. It's a full novel with various perspectives. Front and center is the story of Corrigan, an Irish man of God who moves to the Bronx to work with people in need. Think of Corrigan as an odd modern Francis of Assisi. Corrigan's story is mainly told through the eyes of his brother but we hear from nearby prostitutes as well. Then the story skips to others: an Upper East Side wife, a wealthy judge, a single black mother who's lost her son in Vietnam, an artist who's fifteen minutes has come and gone, and many others.

I can't tell you all the voices in the story without giving away some of the pivotal story, but it's all interconnected. Just like the city. I remember living there and even though there are so many many people, the city hummed as one. If it was a bleak rainy day, everyone was bleak. If it was a beautiful sunny Spring day, everyone perked up. But what intrigued me was looking back into the past life of NYC and it's people. This glimpse in 1974 is not pretty. People were used to being mugged, seeing prostitutes on street corners, and drugged up people daily. I remember hearing stories from my neighbors about heroin needles on the street and the drug running from Jersey. While NYC today is a much cleaner and safer place to be, living there I often turned a blind eye to the darker aspects of the city. I remember one winter's day, seeing a homeless man on the subway going around stealing the coats of other homeless people sleeping on the benches. He had about five coats and was picking up his sixth. But what do you do? I'm not proud to say what I did (turn a blind eye) and what Corrigan would have done is not the same thing.

Was this book good? Yes. Was it a difficult read? Yes. Does it make me think? Yes.

I'll end this review with something Colum McCann wrote at the end:

The world spins. We stumble on. It is enough.

Colum McCann's TLC Book Tour Stops:
Monday, May 3rd: Stephanie's Written Word
Tuesday, May 4th: S. Krishna's Books
Wednesday, May 5th: The Literate Housewife Review
Thursday, May 6th: Savvy Verse & Wit
Friday, May 7th: Luxury Reading
Monday, May 10th: She is Too Fond of Books
Tuesday, May 11th: My Friend Amy
Wednesday, May 12th: The Brain Lair
Thursday, May 13th: Diary of an Eccentric
Friday, May 14th: Lit and Life
Monday, May 17th: Book Club Classics
Tuesday, May 18th: Beth Fish Reads
Wednesday, May 19th: Book Chatter
Thursday, May 20th: Evening All Afternoon
Friday, May 21st: Brunette on a Budget
Monday, May 24th: Ready When You Are, C.B.
Tuesday, May 25th: The New Dork Review
Wednesday, May 26th: Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker
Thursday, May 27th: Nonsuch Book
Friday, May 28th: Caribousmom

BEA Week

2010-05-25T19:43:00.005-05:00

This little post goes out to all the people in NYC today who are talking about books, books, and more books. That's right, the annual BookExpo America is this week and I am so jealous that I am missing it this year. I can't complain too much because I did get a chance to go last year.

If, like me, you are unable to go this year, head on over to Armchair BEA where you can still participate. You may not be grabbing totes of goodies at the Javits Center, but Armchair BEA will be doing some giveaways.
For those of you AT the BEA, I hope you hit The Strand and Housing Works Book Store (my favorite). Quick tip: Should you be near Union Square, home of the beautiful Barnes and Noble and near The Strand, head over to Fish's Eddy - a fun little dish/kitchen store. They have THE BEST mugs and dishes w/ Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines. They also have fun little Alice in Wonderland dishes. (Photos are not mine.)

**HINT HINT: If you stick around this week, I'll be giving away a piece or two from Fish's Eddy.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

2010-05-23T11:58:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite books I read last year was Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I am an unabashed Gaiman fan. I even participated in the Dream King Challenge. So you can imagine how unbelievably excited I was when I won a limited edition copy of The Graveyard Book from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist. If you've never checked out Pat's website, I encourage you to do so. Even if you aren't a "fantasy" genre reader, there are so many interesting books listed you'll probably find a ton of new books to read.

Anyway. On to The Graveyard Book. I actually read the story online as an E-book from the library. I really didn't want to mess up the limited edition book so after I read the story I went back through and checked out all the lovely artwork.

If you haven't yet read this wonderful story, I'll give you a little synopsis. The story opens up to an assassin who enters a family's home and kills the entire family...well almost. He doesn't kill the youngest Owen. The baby is spirited to a nearby graveyard where the ghosts become his guardians and he is dubbed "Nobody Owens." He learns tricks and stories from these ghosts but eventually he must grow up, leave the cemetery and find out who killed his family and why.

I loved this book. Bod, as Nobody is dubbed, is so curious and smart and I just fell in love with him. The ghosts are amazingly well portrayed. It's one of those books where the words combined with the few illustrations make it just visually stunning. I could imagine all the scenes just as if I was watching it.

Which made me excited to go to my illustrated version. How gorgeous is the cover?

The front flap opens to show Bod as a baby walking down the assassin's knife. Loved it.

I loved how Bod was drawn. I thought he looked pretty much how I envisioned him.

Each chapter heading has a beautiful two page illustration:

This edition was made by Subterranean Press. I get their email newsletters. They do some gorgeous work. It looks like The Graveyard Book edition has been sold out but they have a limited edition of Smoke and Mirrors.

If you haven't read this Newbery Award winning book yet, please go out and read it.

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure

2010-05-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

I just had to post this after watching the entire speech. A friend, Rachel from A Bohemian's Book Reviews posted this on Facebook and it was something I definitely needed to hear today. Hopefully it might be something someone else needs to hear too.

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure | Video on TED.com

Poor Anna

2010-05-20T12:47:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting here today at my computer trying to write a cover letter for a job position. We found a new desk for me for only $35 at a garage sale. How cool is that! Anyway...it's thundering outside and going to rain AGAIN. I totally forgot that the South (is Central Kentucky considered South or??) rains all the time. At least this summer it is. Our dog Anna Bear HATES thunder (and fire crackers). She would be the worst hunting dog. So she found a new place to lay down.

Life After Yes - Aidan Donnelley Rowley (and giveaway!)

2010-05-17T23:00:00.006-05:00

Last year I was asked to read book called Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley. Since it wasn't published yet, I was asked to wait to review it until a much closer publication date (May 18th). Then I heard TLC Book Tours was promoting this book and I asked to be part of the tour since I wanted to review it as well.

The story revolves around Quinn (actually Prudence Quinn O'Malley) who is a young attorney living in New York City. She is living the life and is dating an attractive man who whisks her away to Paris. He then proposes, she accepts...and then she starts to doubt.

Now let me say right here that this is not normally my type of book. In fact, after the first page or two I was asking my self "Why did I decide to read this? It's so cliche!". But then something odd happened. Quinn thought the same thing. And that got me interested in the story. I wondered what was going to happen to a woman who supposedly has everything she should wish for but who suddenly doubts it all.

While I didn't always like Quinn and often wondered why in the world she was doing the things she was doing, I was sympathetic. I mean, I was never one to imagine my wedding day or dream about bridal dresses so I kind of understood her fight or flight reaction. Another interesting thing is that the story takes places just after 9/11 and Quinn's father was one of the casualties that day. I had lost my father almost ten years before I was married, but I think it's always one of those things a girl will think about: the fact that her father isn't there to walk her down the aisle.

So this wasn't a typical romance/chick-lit type of book. It had it's dark moments but there was a surprising amount of fun moments as well such as the witty best friend (cliche as well but hey...).

**Side note: Harper Collins asked me and Nicole from Linus's Blanket to come and chat with Aidan Donnelley Rowley and other Harper employees who had read the book. Aidan was a wonderful host and answered all our questions and chatted away with us. She was born in Manhattan, is a lawyer, mom and also has a great blog called Ivy League Insecurities if you want to check her out more.

**Another side note:
I have an extra copy to give away to one lucky winner. The giveaway is open internationally through May 25th and all you have to do is:
1) Leave a comment with your email or blog for contact purposes
2) Tell me what about this story interests you.

For more reviews check out the TLC Book Tour:

Tuesday, May 18th: Life and Times of a “New” New Yorker
Thursday, May 20th: Confessions of a Bookaholic
Monday, May 24th: Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, May 26th: Luxury Reading
Thursday, May 27th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, June 1st: Crazy for Books
Wednesday, June 2nd: Cindy’s Love of Books
Thursday, June 3rd: Write Meg
Tuesday, June 8th: Heart 2 Heart
Wednesday, June 9th: Thoughts From an Evil Overload
Thursday, June 10th: Book Club Classics!

More reviews:

Confessions of a Real Librarian

Linus's Blanket

The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno - Ellen Bryson

2010-05-14T17:09:00.006-05:00

A little while back I heard about Ellen Bryson's book, The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno, on Shelf Awareness and requested an advanced reader's copy. The book comes out this June. Look at the cover, doesn't it just look gorgeous? This is one of those books that I enjoyed from beginning to end and got me out of my reading slump. I still can't believe this is Ellen's first novel.

The story revolves around Bartholomew Fortuno, dubbed "THE WORLD'S SKINNIEST MAN" in P.T. Barnum's museum in New York City. P.T. Barnum is the same guy from Barnum and Bailey Circus. It's 1865 and the Civil War has just ended and President Lincoln has just been shot. But this story isn't about Lincoln or the Civil War. It's about the Curiosities (the freaks and oddities as they were called) who actually lived in the Barnum's museum.

Bartholomew Fortuno is considered a True Prodigy, one who was born with his "gift." But his world is rocked when a mysterious veiled lady arrives under cover and is rumored to be a new act. From that moment on, Fortuno's life will never be the same.

I absolutely loved this story of Bartholomew Fortuno. The entire time period and feel of New York City and the Museum comes alive, but it's Fortuno's story, as well as the other Curiosities, that I fell for. Fortuno struggles with past and with his future as he grows in character and as a man.

I had briefly heard about P.T. Barnum's odd museum which later on burned to the ground. A few years ago, some CUNY students recreated the museum online in a wonderful interactive site. If you've never checked out the Lost Museum website, I urge you to go check it out.

I loved that Ellen took pains to include authenticity into the book. For example, every once in a while there are hand written letters or Notices for the museum performers. Here's an example:

**Ok. I normally try to end these reviews on some sort of note, but I have no clue this time. Just read this book. And then tell me what you think. Yeah? Ok. Deal.

Miss Fortune Winner!

2010-05-12T11:53:00.004-05:00

A big thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for Sara Mills' mystery novel. And the winner is:

Mystica!

Of course my giveaways are normally international, Mystica, so just email me your snail mail address and I'll ship it out to you.

Kentucky Home

2010-05-11T12:03:00.004-05:00

I took a couple pictures of our new home with my husband's phone. We're still in the process of moving it all in, getting a new bed, and looking for a new couch and all that fun stuff.

The pups are enjoying their new home too. Here's Charlie Dog on the back porch.

Miss Fortune - Sara Mills (and Giveaway!)

2010-04-29T11:34:00.007-05:00

A while back I won a fun mystery book from one of my favorite blogs, Favorte PASTimes. Miss Fortune by Sara Mills is the first in a series based on Allie Fortune, private detective. I have to say that I've always loved this genre of detective stories. You know, the Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett kind of stuff. This is like that, only instead of Bogie being the detective, you've got Bacall.

The novel takes place in New York City a couple of years after World War II. Just like all the books in this type of genre, there is a knock at the door, a shaken client, and a case to solve. But what I liked about this series is that I really fell for Allie Fortune. She wasn't a P.I. Princess, even though that was her nickname. Instead, her character is level headed and quite human.

The reason why I'm going to keep reading this series is that Allie has her own personal mystery to solve. I don't want to tell you any spoilers but there is an interesting little love triangle and a couple of mysterious disappearances which are going to make me pick up the next novel, Miss Match.

Judging by this first book, the series isn't a gritty, dirty detective series that, say, Alan Furst may write, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Have any of you all read this series?

Which brings me to.......a GIVEAWAY!

I found a paperback copy at the New York Public Library's sale shelf so I'd love it if someone read this book and told me how they liked it.

The contest is open through May 10th. Please leave me a comment with a way to contact you if you win AND tell me if/how/and why you are a fan of this type of detective genre. For instance, my favorite Bogie/Bacall movie is The Big Sleep. Actually it's tied with Dark Passage.

Also Reviewed by:

Favorite PASTimes and Author Interview: Part One and Part Two

Born to Read

2010-04-28T10:38:00.004-05:00

Hello all!

Well, I am on the last leg of our trip and should be back in Kentucky the first of May. We are enjoying visiting with my husband's family in Texas and letting the puppies swim in the nearby lake.

Speaking of families, my lovely aunt sent me this photo of me and my older brother. I thought I'd share since it looks like I've always loved reading. Do you all have fond memories of reading when you were a child?

From the Road...

2010-04-17T10:42:00.005-05:00

Hello all!

I'm just popping in to say hello from the road. My husband and I have driven from Kentucky to Texas. Our goal: to see some beautiful National Parks, take pictures, relax, and camp. So far we've been to Guadalupe N.P., Carlsbad Cavern N.P., Big Bend N.P. and are heading out to see a band play at a Texas dance hall.

We've been listening to some fun books on CD while we drive. We finished a funny detective story by Jasper Fforde called The Big Over Easy.We're currently listening to The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss.
Sporadically I'm reading the new Brunonia Barry novel The Map of True Places. I just love her writing.Here's my husband and I in Carlsbad Cavern which is in southern New Mexico. A very cool place if you've never been. And no...I did not see any bats. Phew.

I should be back and close to regular scheduled postings in May. Thank you to all my loyal readers for sticking around while I've been M.I.A.!

Hello from Kentucky - And a Winner!

2010-04-03T12:35:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry I've been a bit lax in my posts lately. Right now I am sitting on a friend's porch in the sun, cows are next door mooing away, dogs are on long leashes staring at the cows, and I'm enjoying a nice cup of coffee. Quite different from the New York City life.

After doing a bit of searching, it looks like we found a place to rent for a while and will be moving in May 1st. I can't wait to show you all photos of our new place. Hint: There is a fireplace and a tree growing in the middle of the porch. Too cool.

What am I reading? It's been slow but steady and I'm loving this book called The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno. It takes place in New York City in Barnum's (yep, the circus Barnum) Museum. Bartholomew is "the world's skinniest man" and his friends are all other other interesting characters living and working in the museum. It comes out this summer.
But my main news is to finally tell you all (or ya'll) the winner of the book Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein.

Without further ado, the winner is:

Margie

Congratulations!! I'll send you an email right now for your snail mail address.

Thanks everyone for entering! I have a couple more giveaways lined up and will be posting some fun Kentucky pictures (including one of Charlie Dog barking at the cows).

New Books

2010-03-17T13:21:00.006-05:00

This past Monday I was invited by Harper Collins to meet and check out a new-to-me author Jo Nesbø, a crime writer from Norway who's books follow Detective Harry Hole.

He's become critically acclaimed in Europe and his books are now being translated into English. He's won the Glass Key Award in Europe and his book Nemesis was shortlisted for the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Novel.

I have to say I love the Edgar Award. Does any one know of a cool Edgar Award book challenge?

Anyway, I think these are going to be great books for my upcoming road trip. What do you think?

News and such

2010-03-12T10:51:00.007-06:00

Hello all!

Sorry I've been so MIA lately. I have big news I want to share. My husband has decided to go back to school for his Ph.D. so we are going to be moving out of New York. Yikes!! I have to say I am so happy he's finding something he wants to do and perhaps place him in a teaching position or something along those lines. I am hopefully going to be in a position to finally get my foot in the library arena. I've recently received my Library and Information Science degree and can't wait to get my dive in.

So where are we going? Looks like I will be a new Kentuckian (is that how you say it?)!! We'll be near Mammoth Caves N.P. and pretty close to Nashville, Tennessee so I am very excited about all that. And our pups will hopefully have a back yard! We'll be leaving here late March and will be going on a little road trip to some fun National Parks and through Texas to see family. I will hopefully be posting photos as we go along. I also have a box of books to keep me company so I'll definitely be posting reviews as well.

What does this mean for this blog? I will keep posting here until probably sometime in May or June. Then I'll be switching over to a new blog. For those of you want to still keep up with whatever I am doing and reading, you can follow me over. If you want more NYC fun stuff, I'll make sure I point you to some great bloggers I've found.

I've noticed I have some new followers so to all my old and new friends, hello and welcome!

I want to give a big thanks to Al from Publish or Perish who gave me the Sunshine Award. If you don't know Al, he's a wonderful Australian blogger who takes amazing pictures of his place in the world and who's book Veiled in Shadows I am anxiously awaiting publication. Keep up the good work Al!
Put the logo on your blog in your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blogs.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I have so many great people who constantly comment and say such encouraging remarks. I love reading their blogs as well so here's my list of people you should go check out.

Heather at Age 30+ a Lifetime of Books - A wonderful book blogger and mother who shares my love of the Wheel of Time series. Thanks for chatting with me the other day at That's How I Blog on Blog Talk Radio!

Jen at Devourer of Books - A wonderful book blogger who also joined in the chat. Thanks Jen!

She at A Book Blog. Period. - A prolific book blogger and an awesome commenter. Good luck with all your studies!

Vivienne at Serendipity - I love her beautiful blog and wonderful reviews. She always makes my day brighter with her comments.

Dennis the Vizsla - Dennis and his fun crazy family are always a treat to read about. Anna Bear and Charlie Dog say hello!

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea - Love her reviews. Go read her blog now.

Brainella the Librarian - I love her brainy blog design and she never fails to crack me up. Got to love librarians!

Amy at Passages to the Past - A wonderful historical fiction blog who adds TBR books to my list all the time.

Aarti at BookLust - A gorgeous book blog with wonderful posts.

Andi at Estella's Revenge: Tripping Toward Lucidity - A teacher and book blogger who has a little one on the way.

Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity - Also a librarian science student living in Tennessee. Hey! We'll be neighbors soon!

Stacy's Books and Movies - A great blog combining two of my favorite things: books and movies.

This isn't even close to everyone I want to mention, so a big "Thank you!" to everyone who make me smile as I read your blogs and comments.

Raven Stole the Moon - Garth Stein (Giveaway)

2010-03-11T13:13:00.008-06:00

A short while back, I was asked to read and review Garth Stein's book Raven Stole the Moon. I thought it was his new novel but it is actually a reprint of a book he wrote some thirteen years ago. Since my husband and I really enjoyed reading The Art of Racing in the Rain (our joint review here), I jumped at the chance.

I don't want to have any spoilers so here's the story:

While vacationing at a resort in Alaska, Jenna and Robert Rosen lost their only young son in a boating accident and his body was never recovered. Two years later, back in Seattle, Jenna is still unable to come to terms with the guilt and grief over his death. After an angry fight with Robert, Jenna spontaneously drives to Bellingham where she catches the ferry to Alaska knowing she must deal with his death in her own way.

Jenna arrives in Wrangell, the home of her Tlingit grandmother who passed away years earlier. There she meets a few characters who help her search for answers to her son's death and disappearance including Eddie, an injured fisherman who develops quite the crush on Jenna. While searching for answers, Jenna becomes more and more a believer in the Tlingit lore and legend surrounding kushtaka spirits: shape-shifting otter spirits believed to steal the souls of lost people.

I am having a hard time deciding how I like this book. I liked it. I didn't love it. There were too many hard topics to make it really enjoyable but I was sucked into the story anyway. My husband said it's not as engaging as The Art of Racing in the Rain, but we both devoured the story anyway. When I wasn't reading the book, he was.

I think the biggest thing to note is that this is an older book of Garth Stein's and it shows in the writing which is not as fluid as The Art of Racing in the Rain. But I completely loved the Alaskan setting and the Tlingit spirit lore. Garth Stein is part Tlingit and I loved that he really put work into the Alaskan setting.

The hard part about reading this book is the topics of death, grief, and guilt and how they can wreck, ravage, and pull apart a family. It was a great book for discussion between my husband and I though. I found that I had more sympathy with the husband and thought Jenna was insanely selfish while my husband felt they were both mildly awful in their selfishness.

I searched around the web and found a Tlingit image of a kushtaka:

Here's the original cover of Raven Stole the Moon. I definitely like the newer one much better:

***An now for a GIVEAWAY!

Sarah at Terra Communications is letting me give away a copy of Raven Stole the Moon to one lucky U.S. or Canada resident. The contest is open through March 19th so good luck!

To enter, please post a comment with your email address or blog so I know how to get a hold of you.

Also reviewed by:

All About {n}

The Tome Traveller's Weblog

The Literate Housewife

Minds Alive on the Shelves

A Bookish Way of Life

Planet Books

Book Chatter

Booking Mama

Year of the Bookwormz

Caribou's Mom

Estella's Revenge

Bibliophile by the Sea
Bart's Bookshelf

Buckets of Snow

2010-02-26T13:33:00.006-06:00

It's snowing buckets of snow today in the city. Schools are all closed but yes, I am still at work. So I snagged a couple of photos on my phone during the day.

This is my lovely walk, remember? I couldn't go my normal shortcut up the stairs because they were covered.
Even the sidewalks were covered so I had to walk on the street:
Here's the view from the window during one of the crazy whiteouts:
Here's a slightly less snowy time. I love the snow tiers on the tower behind St. Barts:
I love that we are right next to Waldorf Astoria. Actually, my company owns it which makes it nice when we have our Christmas parties there:
I posted more work window photos back in 2007 here.

Well, today is my last day of work here in NYC. I'll tell you more about it soon!

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

2010-02-24T09:54:00.007-06:00

I stumbled upon a HarperPerennial blog a while back called The Olive Reader. If you recall, I mentioned that they are starting their own book club called English 101. You can check out my post on that here. Anyway, they asked if I wanted to review any of their books and I picked The Bell Jar, a classic novel by Sylvia Plath. I had read probably twenty pages back in high school or college but never finished it. I thought I'd give it another chance...that and the Olive Edition with the purple cover is just too cool.

The story starts out with Ester Greenwood, a young, fairly attractive woman, who is spending the summer interning in NYC at a magazine. I'm assuming the time frame is the early 1960s. Sounds fun, right? Not really. She comes across as kind of glum or complacent. While her friends are going out to parties and being fairly promiscuous, Ester is just kind of going along with the flow but not really a part of it. Actually, many of her experiences are pretty terrifying, including a weird almost-rape scene at a party. Oh, and she's also engaged to a sickly guy who she isn't particularly interested in.

Returning home, she applies to attend a school for writing but is turned down. What proceeds is her spiral into depression. Concerned, her mom makes her see a psychiatrist who gives her electric shock therapy. Yeah. Apparently her depression isn't a symptom of her environment but of faulty wiring in her brain. Obviously the treatment doesn't work well and she becomes suicidal and is institutionalized.

I'm going to leave the story there.

Before picking up the novel, I knew somewhat what the book was about. I kept thinking about the movie Girl, Interrupted. While this book sounds incredibly depressing, it actually wasn't. Well maybe just a bit. Instead, it just made me think. I thought about what makes people go crazy or depressed. How I don't think I would have been a very sane person during that time period. How society puts so much pressure on people then and now that it's amazing that more people don't lose it.

I also thought, just maybe, Ester wasn't that crazy. But then again, maybe she was. The story is through her perspective but I never felt that I really knew what she thought or felt. I couldn't quite grasp what her depression spiral stemmed from but maybe that's just me.

While it is an interesting and thought provoking novel, I think it's notoriety comes from being the only novel by Sylvia Plath. It was published in the early sixties under a pseudonym. Apparently the novel is semi-autobiographical and shortly after it was published, she committed suicide. So yeah, this novel stirred up some notice.

**Have you read this novel? What did you think? Have you read any other books similar to this, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or others?

Also Reviewed by:

The Roaring 20s

P.S.

I really like the Olive Edition's cover and particularly the spine of the book. Here's a picture:

I also remember the first time I noticed The Bell Jar was in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You - Kat is reading the book at home on the couch.

That's How I Blog

2010-02-23T08:19:00.007-06:00

I have something really cool going on tonight. Nicole from Linus's Blanket is going to be interviewing me for That's How I Blog, an on air show where we talk and anyone can participate as well. The show is tonight, February 23rd, at 9:00PM EST. Here is the link for you to call in to participate. How exciting! (Side note: I am a bit terrified of public speaking so come and help me out!)

I've been meaning to post this earlier so you'd have extra notice but I've been a pretty bad blogger lately so I apologize. But, lots of cool things are going on so you might want to check out the show.

For instance, we'll be discussing a book we are reading by Dan Simmons called Black Hills about a Sioux named Paha Sapa (Black Hills) and the ghost of Custer. So far I am really enjoying this book, although I haven't finished it yet. Eek! I read and reviewed his book The Terror and loved it.

Also, I have big big news that is going to be affecting my blog. You'll be the first to hear about it!

Go check out the That's How I Blog website and see the schedule! You can always hear the recordings of past shows.

Quick questions:

Is there anything you would like me to discuss? If so, email Nicole at nicole [at] linussblanket [dot] com.

Have you listened or participated in any of the past shows? If so, what did you like or dislike?

Discussing a Book

2010-02-20T12:30:00.005-06:00

Here's just a few photos from our night out discussing Swimming Inside the Sun. This place makes great caprianas and yummy chips and dip.

Of course I have to play with my camera settings. I love the Canon's color accent setting:

Here's Robb writing down notes:

Swimming Inside the Sun - David Zweig

2010-02-19T10:04:00.014-06:00

A couple of months ago, Doreen from Second Guess Media contacted me about reviewing the book Swimming Inside the Sun. Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

On the verge of success, struggling New York City musician Daniel Green has his life’s dream snatched from him. Despondent, Dan seeks solace and answers from the comforts of women, great thinkers from Marx to Kierkegaard, and the security of rice milk. Suffering from a darkly comical state of extreme self-consciousness, Dan begins to lose his grip on reality, and in a meta-fictional twist, the narrative shifts from first to third-person as his depersonalization peaks. All the while, the signs of his existential dilemma become, literally, the writing on the wall, as his studio apartment is increasingly taken over by The Notes he can’t seem to stop writing. Battling loneliness and a mind that can no longer discern between fiction and real life, Dan’s only hope may be the redemptive force of music. In a culture obsessed with tales of winners’ ascensions to the top, Dan Green’s story, defiantly, irreverently, is about what happens when you fail and the roads you take to figure out what next?

Actually, Doreen asked if my husband and I could both read and give our thoughts on it. I have to say that this book is such a wonderful book for discussion, especially with mixed genders. We both read the book and went to our neighborhood restaurant for caprianas and margaritas to discuss. What follows is a rough synopsis.

First of all, did you like Dan Green as a character?

AMANDA:

I didn't like him. His character is so extreme. For instance, while walking on the streets of New York, he sees different beautiful women and in his head, calls them "~~wifey~~" (I was mistaken, he calls them "wife"). Then they walk on and he is sad but knows there's another "wife" just around the corner. That whole thing bugged me. It is like he wanted a wife but didn't want to work to get one. Then, as a guitarist, he has an album that is produced but then shelved so he gets depressed and never picks his guitar back up. That annoyed me too. It seemed so unrealistic. I thought with that type pessimistic character flaw, the guy probably would have never learned how to play the guitar in the first place. And then he stops working all together. He was very self absorbed and egotistical, but then again I don't think he was written to be likeable.

ROBB

I did not like him overall but I knew who he was and from where he comes. He had a little bit of that "Every Guy" characteristic. Every guy at some point has dealt with or asked himself the same things Dan deals with and it was interesting to watch the him process and bounce along. He is not an unbelievable character by any stretch which made the story stronger.

How did you like the style of writing?

AMANDA

I did really love the way the book was written. You are really inside the character's head and it is engaging. The realistic dialect and the vivid depiction of New York City really kept me absorbed in the story despite the annoyance of the whines and gripes of the main character.

ROBB

I think the rambling narrative reflects how we talk and think. Dan Green may be an unreliable narrator because it might not be a 100% factual narration of the events but then again who does not embellish for the sake of the story? Because every event and action was being narrated, you could really get involved with that particular part of the novel. So, yes, I did like the style in the way it was used to build the character.

How did you like the New York City setting?

AMANDA & ROBB

We both thought it was very stereotypical of a New York City story. Though the idea of a proud but depressed artist living in the East Village is a bit cliched. The only way it could be more cliched was if it was about a sad hipster in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But the story was told as a typical New Yorker would tell, from an introspective viewpoint and a lot of name dropping (people, places, streets, etc). As a whole the setting seemed too staged, but to a New Yorker it is plausible: financial safety net and rent controlled studio apartment. In that situation someone can take time off from the working realities. We could see maybe doing this a month or two but not for as long as he did. It would be slightly more realistic if he was living further out in Brooklyn or Queens.

What did you think about the depiction of the New York City art scene?

AMANDA

I thought his character was just too lucky that it became a bit unrealistic. From the various artists I've met here, it takes a lot of hard work with often not a lot of results. He literally just walked into favorable situations and he never really worked for any of it.

ROBB

In it's perverse way, the book does reflect what I consider to be the NYC Art Scene. Specifically what is considered "art" and the varying forms of accepted mediums. Without giving too much of the story away, Dan's reaction to the praise is very entertaining however a mild let down for the role the post-it notes on his wall played. Music, as an art form, was dialed into NYC because you will always find an audience for anything different, interesting, progressive, etc, in this city.

Overall, how did you like the book? What were the best and worst aspects?

AMANDA

Best: I really like the writing style. It was engaging and vividly depicted New York City. I liked when I knew the bars, streets, and places he went to. While a lot of Dan Green's character was egocentric and unlikeable, there were aspects I did relate to regarding his personal struggle and I dog eared a bunch of sections. I think regardless of whether or not you like the book, it definitely provokes a strong reaction.

Worst: The length of the book is about 450 pages which I thought was way too long. While I liked the writing style, being stuck in an egotistical and often whiny head got to be too much. For example, I didn't need to know, for the fifth time, his obsession with alternative milk products or what he's thinking about in his apartment while he's waiting to have a bowel movement. I think the book would work better if it was shorter but then, like Dan Green, maybe David Zweig wasn't willing to compromise his art.

ROBB

Best: Overall, I think the best part of the book is the writing itself. Just because I did not like the main character does not mean the book is a bad read. The author created a real person who is tangible, and as a reader I could follow. He also wove a story with a realistic and plausible origin and ending. My expectations going into reading this were slightly misdirected based on the back cover; I was waiting for the great big answer to fall out the sky. Answers are rarely that easy to find and I think David Zweig does a great job getting that "fact of life" across, we never know where we will end up.

Worst: In five words: abrigded edition.

Thank you Doreen for letting us read and review Swimming Inside the Sun! We had a great time discussing the book in our own little husband and wife book club.

**For my readers, what do you all think about this book and our discussion?

**Do you and your significant other share books or discuss books? If so what?

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

2010-02-18T10:14:00.016-06:00

I finished re-reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte last night. The first time I read this book was in high school and I hated it. I gave it one star on GoodReads which is basically unheard of for me. But all I remembered was that the main characters were ugly, self-destructive, and it was NOT your typical love story.

I am struggling to come up with a good plot summary and it's tough! This story is about Cathy and Heathcliff. Cathy and Edgar Linton. Love. Death. Anger. Jealousy. Revenge. Lots of revenge. It's basically what you get when you take two families, throw them out in the middle of nowhere among the moors and heath, throw in an angry and jealous orphan (Heathcliff). Oh, and of course there may (or may not) be a ghost (or two).

It sounds chaotic but it really isn't. The whole story is narrated by Nelly, the loyal housemaid who retells the story to Mr. Lockwood, a new tenant. I still wonder what a different book this would be if the story was told from Cathy or Heathcliff's perspective.

I've been in a reading funk lately but this was the perfect story to get me out of it. I loved it. While many of the characters are ugly and unsympathetic, I was absorbed in the story. It's definitely like watching a train crash or a Jerry Springer show, and I'm normally not a big voyeur. Wuthering Heights is now at five stars on GoodReads.

Go read it and don't stop until you read Chapter 34 (my favorite chapter).

For those of you who have read it, what do you think? Here's my rambling thoughts:

I understood Heathcliff. I didn't like him or excuse his behavior but I did feel sorry for him and I kind of understood why Cathy liked him (the younger him, not the older him).

Edgar. Come on. Who doesn't like Edgar. I mean, poor Heathcliff really didn't stand a chance. Although, oddly enough, I like the tall, dark, handsome look so I'd have probably liked Heathcliff.

Cathy. Eh. I thought she was kind of a brat and kind of wondered why everyone fawned over her. These kids seriously needed summer jobs.

The ending. LOVED it.

Favorite description of Heathcliff:

The light flashed on his features as I spoke. Oh, Mr. Lockwood, I cannot express what a terrible start I got by the momentary view! Those deep black eyes! That smile, and ghastly paleness! It appeared to me, not Mr. Heathcliff, but a goblin; and, in my terror, I let the candle bend towards the wall, and it left me in darkness.

Of course, I couldn't end this without pictures. What a portrait Emily paints of the moors and heath:

Funny thing, I read Wuthering Heights mostly on my iPod touch using a cool app called 101 Classic Novels and it's free!
So the photo at the top is the cover I always associate with Wuthering Heights. I really like this newer one from Penguin but it kind of makes Cathy seem timid, which she is definitely not:I was so addicted to the story I starting watching the newer movie version staring these two:But I'm going to have to go back and watch some of the other versions. Like this 1992 version with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche:
Or this 1939 version with Lawrence Oliver. Seriously, Lawerence Oliver was cast as Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff, Orlando, Maxim de Winter...and those are just the ones I've seen.

I can totally see how Wuthering Heights can be a love it or hate it book. Obviously not all of the characters were written to be likeable or loveable. But the story of jealousy, revenge, love, and hate just sucked me in and I loved it.

Also Reviewed by:

Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books (her 2009 movie review)

Books I Done Read

Becky's Book Reviews

Books 'N Border Collies

Book Bath

In Spring it is the Dawn

The Raucous Royals (2009 movie review)

Walk to Work

2010-02-16T07:40:00.001-06:00

This was my view on my way to work this morning. Our neighborhood looked so lovely with the new falling snow.

Interesting book...

2010-02-12T11:08:00.003-06:00

I thought I'd just share this intersting tidbit I learned today.

I was commuting to work this morning and listening to my favorite podcast, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! from NPR on my new iPod Touch (man is this iPod cool) when I learned about this book:

This is the blurb from Harper Colliins:

In Sneaker Wars, journalist Barbara Smit reveals the dramatic, character-driven story of these two power-houses. Started in their mother's laundry room in Germany, Adi and Rudi Dassler's shoe business was an instant success, their spikes worn by Jesse Owens in the Berlin Olympics. But a vicious feud soon pulled them apart: by the end of World War II, the brothers split the company, dividing their family and hometown.

What a bizarre true story! Did any of you know this weird fact about Puma and Adidas? I am going to have to pick this book up.

Eugenie Grandet - Honore de Balzac

2010-02-10T14:19:00.007-06:00

The last book I read in 2009 was a short novel by Honore de Balzac called Eugénie Grandet which was written in 1833. I needed a short novel to be my 100th book of 2009 and this Balzac novel is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so I thought, why not.

Here's the story:

The story takes place in a small town in France where Eugenie is the heroine. Her father was a cooper who has become wealthy but miserly. Think of him as a French Scrooge but with a wife and daughter. Terrifyingly horrid thought.

One day, Eugenie's cousin, Charles Grandet from Paris comes to town. He is a dandy, foppish, and cute. Eugenie falls hard. However, bad news follows in Charles' footsteps. His father has gone bankrupt and has taken his life. Charles must leave to earn his own way and try to earn money to gain back his family's reputation. Poor Eugenie is left to pine for his return.

I'm going to leave it there. I don't want to spoil the ending or what happens to these two star-crossed lovers. I thought it was amazingly realistically portrayed. I was trying to think what stands out in Balzac's writing and I think the word is "humanism." Beware that this is no ordinary simple love story. Things don't always go as plan or turn out right. But I just really felt for Eugenie and her evolution as a character.

Honore de Balzac wrote a collection 95 finished pieces of work (essays, novels, etc) of interlinking novels for a collection he called La Comédie humaine or The Human Comedy. It is divided up into sections and Eugenie Grandet fits into the section called Scenes from a Provincial Life.

I am absolutely fascinated by this massive undertaking of Balzac's and how his novels and works really dig deep into humanity with realistic characters. I'll definitely be reading more of Honore de Balzac's works.

I read Eugenie Grandet online at Online Literature.

\

Snowy Day - View from Office

2010-02-10T08:38:00.005-06:00

This is a view from my office of the Waldorf Astoria towers. I've noticed that New Yorkers love to talk about the weather. I figure that everyone has at least one thing in common - we all have to deal with the weather.

Longitude - Dava Sobel

2010-02-09T07:58:00.003-06:00

Let me just say right now that I love Dava Sobel. She is an amazing author. Back in 2008 I read her book Galileo's Daughter (my review) and just loved it. I have heard her other books are just as good so when I saw Longitude at the library I had to read it.

I love this book. I ended up buying this book so my husband could read it.

Longitude is actually subtitled: The True Story of the Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. This is non-fiction history at its best. It's a short book but it is thorough without being boring.

Here's the plot:

Throughout history, when people sailed the seas, they usually had to hug coasts to know where they were in the world. Then they figured out Latitude and people like Columbus could pretty much set a course based on Latitude and head on over to America. Or wherever they were going. But the problem was Longitude. No one at that time know how big the world was.

I don't want to give more away but the solution to the problem is fascinating. But I won't tell you who came up with the solution because that is the best part. I can't wait for my husband to read it so we can talk about it. This is one of those books you just want to discuss with someone.

Here's the cover of the version I bought:

I had no clue there's an illustrated version! My copy had some photos in the middle but I'm going to have to check this out too:

And there's a movie with Jeremy Irons!?! Oh the things you find when you Google search.
You can check out Dava Sobel's website for more information on Longitude and her other books.

Have you read anything by Dava Sobel?

Also Reviewed by:

Age 30+: A Lifetime of Books

Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

2010-02-08T13:54:00.007-06:00

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Oh what to say about Mrs. Dalloway....

Let me warn you first that I've been in a weird reading funk this year. This is also my first foray into the works of Virginia Woolf, and while I didn't like Mrs. Dalloway, that doesn't mean I won't try again with a different work.

Here it is:

Mrs. Dalloway is the central figure of this story. The whole book takes place in a single day and starts off with Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway heading out to get some flowers for a party she is throwing that night.

It follows Mrs. Dalloway out into the city and there skips around in narration. The central figures are Clarissa and Peter Walsh (an old flame) who comes back from India and stops to see Clarissa. Other characters are Sally (a past best friend), Elizabeth (Clarissa's daughter), Richard (Clarissa's husband), and a few random park people. The story ends with Mrs. Dalloway's party.

Honestly, I loved the writing. Once I got used the rhythm I really enjoyed it. I was a little confused at the beginning because I had no clue how old Mrs. Dalloway was supposed to be. A bit into the book we find out she's 52 years old. But I guess I was thrown by the spunk of her character and the cover of the novel.

But halfway into the book I got bored. I lost interest in Clarissa, Peter, Richard, and the whole bunch. I really didn't care. The most interesting characters were Elizabeth, which we didn't hear much of, two very side characters of a ex-military man and his Italian wife, and a snippet of Clarissa's past friendship with Sally. Actually, had this book only been about those people, I'd have enjoyed it. I really just couldn't stand Clarissa or Peter.

In all honesty, I would never have finished this book besides the fact that I had signed up over at Sarah's blog for Woolf in Winter. That and I knew I'd never pick this book back up again...well at least not in the next couple of decades. I wonder if I'd like it more when I'm closer to Clarissa's age. Or maybe not. I guess I just felt that Clarissa and Peter just seemed so childish.

If you've read this and like it, or didn't, let me know what you thought! I'm off to read some reviews.

Also Reviewed by:

BookBath
What we have here is a failure to communicate (and more)
A Striped Armchair
Regular Rumination
It's all about me (time)
Books, the Universe, and Everything
Book-a-rama
Rhinoa's Ramblings

Christmas Photos

2010-02-05T14:59:00.010-06:00

I've been in a picture posting mood lately. Ok, a belated picture posting mood. So I thought I'd post our Christmas photos. Yeah. I'm not kidding. This what we did that day in our tiny New York City apartment. We cooked ourselves a feast. Ok. So that sounds really overindulgent of us. Believe me when I say we are STILL eating leftovers thawed from the freezer. And boy does it make for some great soups.

Ok. Here we go...

This is our little living room with our stockings and tree. I found some fun New York City Christmas ornaments at Duane Reade (and proceeded to break two of the four but that's ok). Forgive our wonky broken shades. We also used my husband's mechanical engineering drawings as wrapping paper. As he says, got to save those paper trees.

Here's a bigger version with our pups' stockings as well. And yes, we are recycling a tin can by putting a candle in it.
A Christmas tradition is to drink eggnog. I love eggnog and this is my favorite cup, made by the wonderful Brainella. Go check out her blog and Etsy shop for more fun stuff.
Of course we let the puppies open their stuff first. Here's Charlie with his new toy.I take more photos of Charlie because, well he's mine, and he's so photogenic. Look at those big brown eyes. Poor Anna. I think Robb is just taunting her with the toy.Finally she gets it:Charlie loves to sit or lay on my feet. I got a good picture of him giving me the crazy eyes look:
Then of course, like siblings do, they proceeded to fight over one of the toys while we finished opening up presents:Then it was on to the cooking. My goal was to make home-made cranberry sauce. I used the recipe I found over at She is Too Fond of Books. Absolutely delicious. I urge you to make this ASAP.

You take fresh cranberries: I had to take a close up:
Mix it with apples, pears, cinnamon stick, sugar, juice, etc: Boil it down and you get this yummy concoction. It was gone in about a day or two. Seriously yummy stuff.We also made green bean casserole. A must have for every holiday. In our fun little ethnic hood we couldn't find the traditional French's fried onions so Robb made home-made ones. For Christmas I treated myself to a set of mixing bowls I found at Urban Outfitters. Last time I cooked I had to use extra pots and pans as mixing bowls. So sad. But aren't the colors fun?Robb also made home-made stuffing. I know. We wanted to do it all home-made.Meanwhile I worked on the mashed potatoes (can you believe I'd never made them before?):And of course I made my favorite pie - apple. I make a mean apple pie: Go ahead, you can drool...We made ham AND turkey. I only managed to snap a picture of the ham. We thought, hey, while we are just cooking for us let's do it all so that if we mess up, it's won't be when we are entertaining friends and family. But they both turned out great! I love the turkey bag. That is a must.So this whole thing we managed in our tiny little kitchen. Seriously, when you open the fridge, it only misses the counter by a fraction of an inch. Here it is:Finally, dinner:

I hope you enjoyed our Christmas day pictures!

Duel Review Coming Soon

2010-02-04T08:44:00.006-06:00

My husband and I are currently working on a duel review of a book called Swimming Inside the Sun by David Zweig. We thought it would be interesting to give a guy's and girl's perspective of this book. Does this sound interesting?

Here's the synopsis from the back of the book:

On the verge of success, struggling New York City musician Daniel Green has his life’s dream snatched from him. Despondent, Dan seeks solace and answers from the comforts of women, great thinkers from Marx to Kierkegaard, and the security of rice milk. Suffering from a darkly comical state of extreme self-consciousness, Dan begins to lose his grip on reality, and in a meta-fictional twist, the narrative shifts from first to third-person as his depersonalization peaks. All the while, the signs of his existential dilemma become, literally, the writing on the wall, as his studio apartment is increasingly taken over by The Notes he can’t seem to stop writing. Battling loneliness and a mind that can no longer discern between fiction and real life, Dan’s only hope may be the redemptive force of music. In a culture obsessed with tales of winners’ ascensions to the top, Dan Green’s story, defiantly, irreverently, is about what happens when you fail and the roads you take to figure out what next?

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-03T08:25:00.017-06:00

I woke up this morning to the lovely sounds of scrape scrape scrape. Yep, it snowed in NYC last night. I love walking to the subway, the sun is just peeking in the sky, and the world is covered with a new layer of pure white snow.

Back in December I asked you all what you'd like to see in NYC during Christmas and winter. A few of you responded and since I am so belated, I thought I'd take the time to post a few photos.

I took this batch of photos before Christmas the day after our first huge snowstorm. I also had some Christmas shopping to do so I grabbed my camera and headed out.

If you're in the city during Christmas, head over to the outdoor shops. This one right near Central Park at 59th Street. Obviously they hadn't shoveled yet. It was funny to see people manouver around the piles. I myself tripped a couple of times:
After snagging a few gifts, I headed into the park (I hope you enjoy some of these Real Librarian!).That is the main road where people jog and bike. I love that once you step into the park the city goes very quiet. Well, relatively quiet.Since this was the first big snowfall, the park was very crowded. This happens on our first nice sunny and warm day in the Spring too.

It's a bit hard to see with the lighting, but there were kids (and some adults) crawling all over these rocks:

I had to snag a photo of these two taking photos. I loved their matching Santa hats: I absolutely adored all the little children sledding that day. I've been searching and searching through Google Reader trying to figure out who else took pictures that day. They said that NYC gave out free hot chocolate and sleds that day. I think I read that. Anyway, isn't this adorable?
One of the things I love about Central Park is the bridges. I don't know why. I just love them. You can just see the horse drawn carriges going over this one:There was this Dickens dressed character with cape and top hat singing Christmas carols underneath. I didn't have any change so I didn't want to take a closer picture:
This is one of my favorite ones. This is the back of the bridge:But if you go around, you get one of my favorite photo stops in the park (Al, I hope you like this frosty pond photo): Once over the bridge, you can head down to the pond. I love this pond. There were these adorable little poofed up birds in the trees. It was so cold I felt bad for them but it looked like they had a nice fluffy coat to keep them warm:And I just love the lamp posts in the park. Although you really have to watch coming up and down the snowy stairs:I was starting to get chilly so I headed back into the city.I grabbed some breakfast and coffee at Cosi and took a few photos with my phone. I just loved the streets with the piled snow on the sides:I find that New York has some gorgeous decorations during the Christmas season. This gate was open so I popped in briefly to snag a photo: I thought this building was awesome with the huge candy cane:

I ended up meeting my husband over at Union Square where there is another Christmas market. I took this as the sun was starting to set:Hope you enjoyed some of thes photos!

**Thank you to all who gave me advice in what to take photos of. I'll try to keep taking more and will keep you all updated.

A Real Librarian asked for "wintry Central Park pics"

Al from Publish or Perish asked for "the pond in Central Park on a frosty morning"

Salinger - What to say...

2010-02-02T14:20:00.007-06:00

I know I'm a little bit delayed in putting my two cents into the life and death of author J.D. Salinger. Like almost everyone and their mom, I read Catcher in the Rye for a high school literature class. I'll state here that I loved that book then and I still love it now.

Of course, I owned (and still do) a battered copy of the old red cover version:

I wish I knew where my old paper was that I wrote on it. I compared (I think) Holden's life to my own and I believe I came up with a lot of similarities. Which is odd...because reading a few other people's opinions, it doesn't seem that a whole lot of people still resonate with this classic. But I did. Yes, a teenage girl who played basketball and who lived in Alaska could relate to a fairly affluent Upper East New York City boy.

I think it's because we all hit that growing-up period when you realize that you are at a point of no return. Growing up is scary. One minute you are a fairly intelligent and innocent kid and the next you are one of them. One of those idiotic adults who do stupid things like work at awful jobs for too many hours, or cheat on you wife/husband, or all those mindless things we do as adults. Not that I've DONE those specific things, but you know what I mean.

I think I was smarter as a teenager than I am now. I can only imagine what today's teenagers think of us adults. Being an adult is almost like a descent into madness. Is that what Holden felt? Like we either need to go mad or not, but watching the descent is the terrifying part. How do you stop it?

Anyway, like it, love it, or hate it, The Catcher in the Rye made an impact on a lot of people. I was even more fascinated with J.D. Salinger's removal from the public eye. I never understood that.

That is until recently.

I was asked to read and review a book called Salinger: The Classical Critical and Personal Portrait by More Than Twenty of His Contemporaries...
At first I thought (after wondering about the extremely long subtitle), "Wow, that was fast!". They've already published a book on Salinger. But then I looked closer. This is a reprint from 1962 BEFORE J.D. Salinger removed himself from the public eye. And I thought, "No wonder!". I would retreat too! Can you imagine publishing a few short stories and one novel and then this comes out? A whole book of your contemporaries critiquing you. And not just your work but a CRITICAL and PERSONAL portrait. Wow. No wonder.

So I have yet to read this but will let you know what I think about everyone's critical and personal portraits of one of my favorite authors. And here's to you, J.D. Salinger...I hope you had a wonderful and full life. And thank you.

"That's the whole trouble. You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write "F*** you" right under your nose." - The Catcher in the Rye

“I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” - Franny and Zooey

"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's." - J.D. Salinger

Jack Absolute - C.C. Humphreys

2010-02-01T08:05:00.003-06:00

The other night my husband and I watched the movie, The Patriot on blue-ray DVD. He had never seen it before and was totally engrossed in the story. I love books and movies that take place during the American Revolution and even earlier during the French and Indian War. So when I saw C.C. Humphrey's book, Jack Absolute, at a library book sale, I had to snatch it. And I love the subtitle: Officer, Mohawk, Lover, Spy. O yeah.

Based on the character from Richard Sheridan's play from 1775 The Rivals, Jack Absolute is a soldier in the British army during the American Revolution. He had made a name for himself years earlier during the French and Indian War and has sort of adopted himself with the Mohawk people.

The story starts off in London where, to Jack's horror, his reputation as a lady's man is made infamous in Sheridan's play. Jack is then roped into a duel over a lady's honor and wrangled into joining the British army in America as they try to vanquish the rebels. During the voyage to America Jack finds a love interest, of course, and upon reaching America, is enlisted to uncover a spy in the King's army.

This was such a fun book. While there is a bit of comedy in the duel and Jack's reputation, not to mention the love story, what kept me interested was the setting and history. There are quite a few battle scenes, intrigues, spies, and twists in the plot making it very heavy on the history which is something I love in historical fiction. But there is a lot of humor and the scenes are so vivid. I think that's because C.C. Humphreys is an actor by trade and has, in the past, played the character of Jack Absolute in Sheridan's The Rivals, so he knows Jack's character very well and it shows.

Side note: My favorite side character is Ate, Jack's Mohawk friend/brother. He's always reading novels and quotes Hamlet all the time. I'd love to see his character more or maybe have a series all his own. I envision him as Uncas from The Last of the Mohicans, one of my all-time favorite movies.

This is the first book in the Jack Absolute series and I'm definitely going to be reading the rest.

The Good Plain Cook - Bethan Roberts

2010-01-26T13:27:00.004-06:00

The cool thing about reviewing books online is that sometimes I get sent random books to see if they are something I am interested in or not. The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts was one of those books. I had never heard of it before but thought it sounded interesting and for some reason I really liked the homey cover.

Set in the 1930's, nineteen year old Kitty Allen answers an add in the newspaper for a position as a "good plain cook" for a wealthier household. Interesting thing, Kitty Allen doesn't really know how to cook that much. Even more interesting is her employers: wealthy Ellen Steinberg, her live-in lover/poet George Crane, and Ellen's teen daughter Geenie.

The book is about relationships. There's some triangles: widowed Ellen, George, and George's wife (yep, he's married). Then George sees a muse in innocent Kitty so there's another triangle. Then there's the gardener who is interested in Kitty but is he glamorous enough when there's a poet in the house? Last but not least, George's daughter Diana comes to stay and becomes friends with Geenie (not really a triangle there but they were my favorite characters).

And that's about it. I have to say one thing: Bethan Roberts can write. It felt like a classic. My problem: I'm not a big fan of those types of classic. While it kept my interest and I loved the writing, I was half-way through the book when I realized not much had gone on. And then when I got to the end I had the same feeling.

So it's really what type of reader you are that will decide if this is a good book or not. I loved the writing and I really enjoyed the side-story of Geenie and Diana. But at the end of the day, for me, it wasn't a bad novel, just slightly forgettable.

**Thank you Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, Inc. for the chance to read and review this book!

I didn't find any other reviews, but Medieval Bookworm reviewed her book The Pools and found it to be a "stunning book".

Love my hubby

2010-01-22T16:17:00.005-06:00

I'm just going to take this moment to acknowledge my husband. He's an amazing guy, has great taste in music, does the laundry, got us dance lessons for Christmas, and is just wonderful. Oh. And he reads my book recommendations, how amazing is that? He even read my favorite, The Count of Monte Cristo...unabridged from cover to cover. Wow.

Right now he's out getting groceries so he can make us chicken parmigiana and picking up a movie. AND he signed me up for a walking/photo tour of Central Park tomorrow. Yippee!! I LOVE YOU!

Nephew News

2010-01-22T10:38:00.007-06:00

If you've been reading my blog for awhile you may have seen a few posts about my amazing little nephew Cameron. I usually post something on his birthday like here and here.

The first time I wrote anything about him, I mentioned that he has a rare form of diabetes called Monogenic Diabetes (also called Neonatal Diabetes). He was born premature and was so tiny he just ate and ate and wasn't gaining much weight. But he was so happy and alert we had no clue. Here's a photo I took when he was a baby:

Finally, when he was a few months old, he crashed and it was discovered he had, what we thought, was Type 1 Diabetes. So poor little guy got had to get shots all the time and pricked to test his blood sugar level ALL the time. But my sister just didn't think things were right. So after some detective work (you can read more in depth on my other post and his bio on the Monogenic website) it was discovered he had a rare form of diabetes which is caused by a genetic mutation. And now he just has to take the pills a Type 2 person would take. Amazing!!

Oh, I should also mention that my sister and her family live in Anchorage, Alaska. A little while back, Cameron was asked to participate in the Guns N' Hoses hockey event where the New York Fire Department pared off against a team of Alaskan police and firefighters. The proceeds of the event went to the Anchorage chapter of the American Diabetes Association and the Scotty Gomez Foundation.

So here's a photo of my nephew at the event. I am so proud of him:

***Side note: This past summer my sister and I attended the first Neonatal Diabetes Day in London and got to meet the doctors from the UK who first discovered this genetic mutation and how to correct it. They are still working on Cameron's specific type of mutation. His type is even rarer and causes developmental delays.

Here's my sister with Dr. Fran Ashcroft and Dr. Andrew Hattersley

For more information, here's a few links:

An article about Lily Jaffe, the little girl with Monogenic Diabetes who's article my sister read and decided to see if Cameron had the same thing. Lily's Law in Illinois now requires physicians to report certain information to the Department of Public Health if a child is diagnosed with diabetes before 12 months of age. Here's another article about Lily's Law.

A YouTube video about the breakthroughs in Monogenic Diabetes.

An article about a life transformed by this breakthrough.

An article about another life transformed. My sister and I met Niona and she is a wonderful lady.

***Please, if you know anyone who has been diagnosed with early childhood diabetes, have them be checked for Monogenic Diabetes. This research is fairly new and many lives have been changed and improved.***

1001 Update: Persuasion - Jane Austen

2010-01-21T11:32:00.012-06:00

I read Jane Austen's Persuasion back in December and haven't reviewed it. I was a little lost for words since it is such a great classic and I can't believe I had never read it before. But then Alaine reviewed it over at Queen of Happy Endings and I thought, man up Amanda, just review it!

For those Persuasion newbies, here's the story:

Anne Elliot is 27 years old and unmarried. Agast! Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, has fallen upon hard times and is forced to rent out their nice home and move to a more modest abode in Bath. And who should rent their home, but the sister and husband of Anne's former flame, Captain Wentworth.

When Anne was 19, the Captain proposed and although Anne loved him, she was persuaded (get it?) by a family friend to turn down his offer. Scorned, she has not seen him since then. The Captain has made his fortune abroad and now is considered a fine catch. When the two finally cross paths again eight years later, he totally ignores her and pours affections on other (younger) women. Apparently hell hath no fury like a scorned man.

I was going to say, "Move over Pride and Prejudice, I've found a new favorite" but that's not entirely true. I still adore the wit and characters of P&P, so Persuasion is running a close second place. It doesn't help that I watched the movie shortly before I read the book. And wow. I think I've found a new crush. So yeah...move over Colin Firth as Darcy, I've found Captain Wentworth:
O yeah. The 2007 version has good eye candy. BUT...both the movie AND the book make me just want to slap these two characters. I mean. Anne is so passive and the Captain seems so heartless towards her. But I guess that makes the book enjoyable. The type of book you want to throw (but in a good way) and then pick it back up and continue reading until the hopefully happy ending.

So yeah, I loved both the book and the movie.

**Note: I read my version online at Online-Literature.com. I just love the Penguin version's cover above.

**Another note: I've only seen the 2007 movie but heard that the older 1995 version is really good. Have you seen either one or both? Thoughts?

The 2007 Persuasion movie:

The 1995 version:
1001 Books to Read Before I Die Challenge

1% Well-Read Challenge (I'm at 33 books, I had no clue!)

Also Reviewed by:

Queen of Happy Endings
Stacy's Books
Fyrefly's Book Blog
Books. Lists. Life
Shelf Love
Book Nut
Book Bath 2007 Movie
Stacy's Books 1995 Movie
Blogul cu umbrela. The Period Drama Addict 1995 Movie

Creed of Violence Winners!

2010-01-21T09:24:00.004-06:00

Thank you to all who entered my contest and promoted it via twitter. My husband just saw this book in our bookshelf yesterday and snagged it up. It's definitely a great read.

So without further ado, here's the five winners of the autographed copies:

Dawn M.
Sue
Jessica
tetewa
Deedles

Congratulations!! I'll be emailing you all for your addresses so Jim over at Kelley & Hall can get them out to you. Happy reading!

**PS. Tetewa -- I don't have an email for you so please email me at: nycbookgirl at gmail dot com Thanks!!

Olive Reader's English 101 Bookclub

2010-01-21T09:05:00.006-06:00

I was reading the Weblog of Harper Perennial called The Olive Reader when I noticed that they are starting a little book club for 2010 called English 101. How cool!

They will be reading a book a month rehashing past favorite classics and some never read. January's book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- which has been on my TBR list for way too long. I'm on chapter six and am already loving eleven year old Francie. Any girl who sits on her tree enshrouded fire escape while reading books from the library...well, yeah, she's already an all-time favorite character.

If you want to join in, here's the schedule for the year:

January - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
February – Brave New World
March – Poisonwood Bible
April – So Big
May – Daughter of Fortune
June – To Kill a Mockingbird
July – The Sheltering Sky
August – One Hundred Years of Solitude
September – The Golden Notebook
October – Native Son
November – Unbearable Lightness of Being
December – Their Eyes Were Watching God

Random NYC photo

2010-01-15T15:41:00.002-06:00

I finally found my photo stitch program. This was taken at Central Park after our first big snow fall in December. You might have to click on it to see the whole photo.

Learning Patience in 2010

2010-01-13T14:25:00.004-06:00

There a ton of pictures and posts I've been meaning to do but our Internet service is mysteriously down in our apartment. Time Warner...why do you hate us!?!? Just kidding...it's probably something silly like pressing an "on" button or plugging something in. Until then, here's a couple pictures of my snow bunny-dog.

**Disclaimer: Photos were taken a few years ago in Southern Utah (Brianhead). We've gotten some snow here in New York but not THAT much!

Fun NYC Apartment

2010-01-11T08:59:00.003-06:00

While I was writing my review of How to Save Your Own Life, I mentioned that my lovely apartment is currently having a HUGE mold problem which is driving my allergies, asthma, and eczema crazy...for like a year! We knew there was a leak over above our apartment which was supposedly fixed, but it wasn't until I moved our Christmas tree box from the closet that I knew something was awry.

Exhibit 1
The leak in our bathroom. The super kindly offered to fix it by painting the wall. I think that's how 99% of NYC apartment problems are fixed...just shellac over it with a huge coat of latex paint.

Exhibit 2
The culprit which was hidden by our tall Christmas tree box. The box actually stuck to the wall. So gross.

Exhibit 3

Robb got a mold test kit from Home Depot. This was just left sitting open in our living room for a bit and then closed. A few days later....even more disgustingly gross. I can't believe we are breathing and living in this air!!

Well, at least I've learned some lessons:

1) Super's don't really ALWAYS know what they are doing.
2) My allergist is HORRIBLE. (My derm doctors plain just told me they didn't know. Helpful.) I asked a YEAR ago if my problems could be due to mold and she told me no...it's probably a food allergy. Uh huh. After eliminating most food, living off chicken and rice and my problems got way worse...I Googled allergy symptoms of mold and Ta Da!!
3) Go with my gut. I thought it was mold and was talked out of it. While there are some amazing doctors out there, many are still just in it for the money. Thousands of dollars later, I have learned this important lesson.
4) My body doesn't just plain hate me, which is what I was starting to think. A new year and moving on to being healthy and happy.

The Jewel Trader of Pegu - Jeffrey Hantover

2010-01-07T08:41:00.005-06:00

A long while back I was asked by Harper Collins to read and review The Jewel Trader of Pegu by Jeffrey Hantover. I was excited because it was already on my TBR list. I feel really bad that I haven't reviewed it earlier. It's quite an interesting novel.

Here's the plot:

It's 1598 and Abraham is a Jewish jewel and gem trader from Venice on his way to Pegu to buy and trade for his family. Pegu, now called Bago, is the capital of Burma (Myanmar) in Southeast Asia. In this exotic country, Abraham is faced with new people and new customs. Back in Venice, the Jewish people were forced into living in segregated ghettos and forced to wear certain clothing designating them as Jewish people (sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it?).

Now in Pegu, he is treated as just another foreign trader. And foreigners are faced with interesting customs, such as this one: It's custom and an honor for brides to spend the first night with a foreigner.

As an upstanding Jewish man, Abraham is appalled. But his Pegu guide is appalled that he won't perform this honor for his people. Then Mya enters his life. Before she can become a wife she becomes a widow. And Mya shows Abraham that there may be things he's been missing from his life.

This was such an interesting novel. Abraham's story is written as a series of letters from Abraham to his cousin back in Venice. Interspersed are short chapters on Mya's thoughts. I thought this was a very personal and interesting way of presenting this story. My only problem is that I thought it was too short -- I wanted more! It made sense when I learned that the author, Jeffrey Hantover, is a cultural journalist. I felt that this novel worked more as a cultural study than a pure character driven novel. But I still liked it! Although, I do admit there were a few sections depicting some of the wedding night acts that made me blush and hope that no one was reading over my shoulder on the subway.

I love the books that have the P.S. section in them, such as this one. I learn so much and really enjoy reading the back-stories and extra information.

You can check out Jeffrey Hantover's website for his backstory to The Jewel Trader of Pegu as well as an excerpt.

**Thank you Danny at Harper-Collins for letting me read and review this book!

Also Reviewed by:

Devourer of Books
Booking Mama
Linus's Blanket

Creed of Violence - Giveaway!!

2010-01-06T11:30:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a happy new year! To kick off this year, Jim over at Keeley and Hall told me that they have FIVE copies of the awesome book The Creed of Violence by Boston Teran. Wait...I meant to say five SIGNED copies!

I am pretty jealous. I love that Boston Teran's identity is unknown so having a signed copy is pretty cool. That and I really liked the book. AND it's going to be adapted into a movie!

Here's the deal:

1) Leave a comment with your email address or a way to contact you.

2) If you blog, tweet, Facebook, etc. about this, I'll give you an extra entry.

3) Open to U.S. or Canada residents (Sorry my international followers!!)

4) Contest is open through January 18th.

That's it!!

Check out my review of The Creed of Violence by Boston Teran
Check out my review of Giv: The Story of a Dog and America by Boston Teran

How to Save Your Own Life - Michael Gates Gill

2010-01-05T13:22:00.008-06:00

A little while back I was asked by TLC Book Tours if I wanted to read and review Michael Gates Gill's latest book How to Save Your Own Life. I had heard of his first book, How Starbucks Saved My Life -- a type of "riches to rags" sort of memoir but I had never read it.

So I said, sure I'll read it! Later though I wasn't so sure. I mean, I'm not really the "self-help" type of book reader although it is fairly short, around 200 pages. Surprisingly, this book came along for me at the perfect time.

If you haven't heard of these books, here's the gist:

Michael Gates Gill had been working for over twenty-five years as an ad agency director. He was born into a life of privilege and being in the Yale crowd, pretty much given his job and that was that. In one fail swoop -- he loses his job, his marriage, has a child outside of his marriage, and is diagnosed with a brain tumor. I mean...wow. And sometimes I think I have it hard! Down and out, he manages to get a job at Starbucks and his eyes are opened to a world where deadlines and blackberries are out, and being happy and helpful are in.

Honestly, the first two chapters were the best ones for me. For some strange reason, this book fell into my lap at the best time. Right now, my husband and I are contemplating a lot of changes. My husband has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and after working in the field for some years, he just has never enjoyed it and usually just plain hates it. So he's thinking about going back to school for something he actually wants to do. How scary but exciting! Actually, yesterday he put in his two weeks at work.

We are also in the middle of trying to move out of our apartment, even though our lease isn't up until this next summer. I've been pretty sick for about a year now with allergies and eczema. My doctor thought it was a food allergy but I am convinced now that it is due to a ton of mold in our apartment. I didn't have proof though until I pulled our Christmas tree box down from our closet and it was stuck to a ton of mold on the wall. Yeah. That is disgusting. So we are changing it. Getting out so we can get healthy and happy.

So when Gill wrote that if you are less than thrilled about what you are doing...change it!! -- well, that just spoke right to me. Don't wait until something drastic, like a brain tumor, makes you change how you live. We decided that while it's extremely scary to change our life to be happy, it's definitely more scary to stay where we are. One of his chapters or "lessons" is "Leap...With Faith", and that is just what we are going to do.

The rest of the book was, I thought, a nice memoir-ish about what Michael Gates Gill has been through and what he's learned. I especially enjoyed the sections on learning from your father and mother. His father was a writer for The New Yorker and just seemed like such a character. Even though his father passed away a few years ago, he is still continuing to learn from his example. I loved that. My husband and I both lost our fathers to cancer but I still think my father was an amazing example of what a husband and father should be. And our moms, well, they are just amazing ladies.

I don't know what I would have thought about this book had I not been in this place in my life. All I know is that I am glad I read it when I did.

Here's Michael Gates Gill at his new job:

Michael Gates Gill's TLC Tour Stops:

Monday, January 4th: Mid-Life Bloggers

Tuesday, January 5th: Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker

Wednesday, January 6th: Books on the Brain

Thursday, January 7th: The Written World

Tuesday, January 12th: TexasRed's Books

Wednesday, January 13th: It's All a Matter of Perspective

Thursday, January 14th: A Novel Menagerie

Friday, January 15th: Nanny Goats in Panties

Tuesday, January 19th: Confessions of a Book-a-holic

Wednesday, January 20th: Thoughts of an Evil Overlord

Monday, January 25th: Silver and Grace

Tuesday, January 26th: Inventing My Life

**A big thanks to TLC Book Tours for letting me read this book and to Michael Gates Gill for coming out with this book at the perfect time for me.

Non-Fiction Challenge - Complete!

2009-12-30T12:37:00.006-06:00

Yay! I've completed another challenge, Trish's Non-Fiction Challenge. Ok...sort of. It ended in September so I'm a tad bit late...but who's counting. Not me!

The books are definitely not the ones I thought I was going to read. It's funny because these were all sort of humorous memoir type of books. Totally a new subject area for me.

Here's the list:

1. When You are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris (Finished May 19, 2009)
2. The Red Leather Diary - Lily Koppel (Finished May 07, 2009)
3. Julie & Julia - Julie Powell (Finished August 25, 2009)
4. A Man Without a Country - Kurt Vonnegut (Finished December 28, 2009)
5. Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris (Finished December 30, 2009)

**Apparently I'm also reluctant to review these, although I will. Maybe because I find it hard to critically review someone else's personal life. Hmm...

Red Leather Diary Winner!

2009-12-24T10:35:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season! For those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve. Right now I'm at work. Yeah. Seriously.

So I thought I'd announce the winner of The Red Leather Diary.

The winner is...

SUSAN!!!

She mentioned that she had just read the book Forever Liesl: A Memoir of the Sound of Music
I love that movie!

I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Just two photos

2009-12-23T10:20:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who put in suggestions for taking NYC photos! Last Sunday after it dumped 10 or so inches on us, I took my little camera and went walking. Central Park was so beautiful and everyone was out walking and sledding. I'll post those pictures as soon as I get them uploaded.

In the meantime, here's a couple that I took with my phone.

I was definitely glad I wore my winter boots. Look at all that slush!

After walking through a bit of Central Park I grabbed coffee and breakfast at Cosi.

**More to come soon!

Your choice! - NYC photos

2009-12-17T15:53:00.006-06:00

Today is cold here in New York City. It finally feels like winter. I haven't been much in the Christmas mood but with Christmas a week away, it's about time I get in the spirit of things. Hopefully you all can help me!

This weekend I'm going to bop around the city, picking up last minute gifts...and I want you all to enjoy the site of the city during Christmas...my favorite time of year.

Tell me what you want to see. Do you want to see the Rockefeller tree, Bryant Park ice skaters, outdoor Christmas markets, or fancy office Christmas trees?

Just fill out the form below and let me know! Please at least put your name so I can acknowledge whoever gives me ideas. Hopefully I can show you some fun Christmas in city photos and you can help me get in the Christmas spirit.

**This photo is my mom and me last winter in Times Square -- it was so so cold.
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Thursday's Tunes

2009-12-17T14:22:00.005-06:00

Thursday's Tunes is something I graciously stole from S. Krishna's blog. She's got a great taste in music so go check her tunes out!

Yesterday, my husband and I went to see one of my favorite bands, Stellastarr*. I first saw them five years ago in Colorado when a little up-and-coming band called The Killers opened for them. How cool is that? I love the lead singer's voice and the bass player's name is Amanda, so obviously I'm a fan. They are a New York City band so it was cool to see them her at the Bowery Ballroom (my favorite venue in the city).

Here's a few videos:

The first song of theirs that I loved. The video is so cute:

Love this artsy video:

This song gets stuck in my head all the time:

Hope you enjoyed the tunes!

Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

2009-12-16T08:23:00.006-06:00

I had heard so much about Audrey Niffenegger's book Her Fearful Symmetry, that I had to check it out at the library. After I had read it, I won a copy from the book's Facebook page. How cool is that? A long long while back I had read The Time Traveler's Wife and like it. A bit sad but it was good.

But what to say about this one? I'm so torn. There are good things about the story but I think I was a bit overwhelmed by what I didn't like. That didn't stop me from devouring it though.

(Side note: I was reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman at the same time, just by chance, which was weird since they both center around Highgate Cemetery in London. Neil even acknowledges Audrey at the end of his book. Pretty cool!)

The short and sweet of it:

It's all about twins. At the beginning of the book, Elspeth, who is living in London dies. Her estranged twin, Edie, lives in America with two daughters (twins) of her own. Elspeth's will designates that her 20-year old nieces, Julia and Valentina, stay for a year in her apartment in London. The London apartment is near Highgate Cemetery and has a couple other tenants including Robert, a cemetery researcher and Elspeth's lover. It's about graves, ghosts, twins, mistaken identities, love, obsession, possession, desire....relationships. A good psychological ghost story.

Highgate Cemetery is written as almost the central character. It's got such a history, some famous deceased, and just beautifully creepy decor. I don't want to use photos without permission so just Google for some. So cool. Here's one of the entrance to the Egyptian Avenue in the cemetery (from wikipedia).
Her writing is outstanding. I really feel like I've been to the Highgate. Definitely read this book during the fall/winter months.

Oddly enough, even though this book revolves around a cemetery and ghosts...that wasn't the creepy part of the book. The relationships in this book where SO creepy. First: the whole mystery with why Elspeth and Edie are estranged....yeah weird. Then Valentina becomes romantically involved with someone, I won't tell you who. But VERY creepy. Finally, Valentina and Julia's relationship is creepy. Actually, Valentina and Julia are just creepy in general. Although they are 20 years old, they sound, act, and dress like they are five. The other cover of the book shows them in their typical creepy white garb:
So while the writing and the cemetery is amazing, the characters are just so creepy and irritating. The only character I really liked was the other apartment tenant, Martin, who's OCD tendencies were bizarre but in a weird twisted way, more normal than the rest of the characters' odd quirks.

I think I would have ranked this book higher but I just did NOT like the end. After the slow descriptive pace of most of the book, the ending was WHAM WHAM WHAM: The End. Amazingly, the creepiness of the ending surpassed all the previous creepiness of the book.

I also shouldn't have been reading The Graveyard Book at the same time because I LOVED that one. Maybe I am judging this book to harshly.

Also Reviewed By:

Stuff as Dreams are Made On...
BookBath
It's All About Me (time)
FyreFly's Book Blog
BookFinds
Book-A-Rama
Monniblog
Bibliolatry at Pajiba
Books I Done Read
At Home With Books
The Literate Housewife Review
S. Krishna's Books
A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore
All About {n}
Tales of a Capricious Reader
Books on the Brain
Devourer of Books
Stainless Steel Droppings
The Book Lady's Blog
The Book Design Review

Tales of a Capricious Reader - Author Interview
The Book Lady's Blog - Audrey reads

The Red Leather Diary - Lily Koppel

2009-12-14T09:34:00.006-06:00

I was asked earlier this year by Danny Goldstein of Harper Collins to read and review The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel. I read it back in May and can't believe it's taken me this long to review it, mainly because I loved it that much. The minute I finished it I wanted to open it back up and re-read it. You can browse the book over at Harper Collins website.

True story:

Lily Koppel is a writer for The New York Times who lives on the Upper West Side. One day as she's leaving her apartment, she sees a ton of old steamer trunks sitting on the curb for removal. (Side note: I love love looking at all the gems you can find on trash day in the city.) The apartment building had a ton of old trunks sitting in storage for decades and was finally getting rid of them. The one that struck Lily's fancy, though, was open and had some beautiful vintage clothes and an old red leather diary. She saved the trunk along with the diary. The following book is the story behind the woman who wrote in the diary from 1929 to 1934.

Here's a photo of Lily with some of the old trunks:
The diary isn't just any old diary. It's a diary that is meant to span five years. Each day of the month has a page. Each year has a couple of lines on that page. (Side note: I love this idea for a diary. That way you aren't required to blab on and can look back on the years and see what was going on in your life on that day.)

The diary was written by a young teenage Florence Wolfson. Lily tracks down Florence and finds the 90 year-old still alive and well today. Using the diary as a guide and Florence's memories for filler, Lily Koppel paints a beautiful tribute to a young girl living her life to the fullest in New York City.

Here's Lily and Florence:
Why did I love this book so much?

-Lily's writing. I feel like I could see what Florence's NYC was like. The sites, sounds, everything was so vivid. While reading the book on the subway and bus, I would look around the city and marvel how much things have changed...and how much they've stayed the same.

-Florence. What an amazing and accomplished woman. She was a writer too and her short lines on her everyday life are so insightful and beautiful. She tried and experimented everything. Some she failed while others she succeeded but it never stopped her from trying. She even experimented in love, both men and women (which was, I thought, pretty darn scandalous reading for back then.) She met and knew some pretty famous people as well, creating a literary salon of sorts. (Great post on her salon over at this blog.)

-The photos. I loved that the book included photos of Florence, the people she loved and knew...just a great part of the book.

-Her European tour at the end of the book. I am SO jealous. Just this part could be made into a movie. A young American girl going touring Europe, which is on the brink of war, while young European men, including an Italian Count, fall madly in love with her. Sigh.

I want to re-read it because there are so many quotes from Florence's diary that I just loved. I need to go back and write them all down. And then buy my own red leather diary because who knows, someday someone might find my little life interesting.

Here's Lily with the diary:
I wish I had reviewed this a long while back when it was all still new and fresh in my head. But I'm sort of glad I didn't, because I found the hardback copy of this book at a library sale. That means I am giving away my paperback copy!

To enter the giveaway:

1) Provide email, blog...a way of contacting you.

2) Have you read any interesting biographies or want to? If so, who?

Giveaway is open to all and through December 22nd. Good luck!

Here's the cover of the copy I'm keeping. Don't you love it?
Also Reviewed by:

Peeking Between the Pages
She is Too Fond of Books
Booking Mama
Confessions of a Real Librarian
Caribou's Mom
Bibliophile by the Sea
A Girl Walks into a Bookstore
Library Queue
Book Club Girl

Gourmet Rhapsody Winner!

2009-12-14T07:49:00.003-06:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Without further ado, the winner of the audio copy of Gourmet Rhapsody is:

Ladytink_534

In response of what other foodie books are good, Ladytink_534 said Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series.

Sounds interesting, I'll have to check them out! I loved Chocolat the movie.

On another note, I never heard back from the winner of The Art of Racing in the Rain...

So the next winner is:

Aik

Thanks for entering the contests!

Photographing Fairies - Steve Szilagyi

2009-12-11T09:24:00.007-06:00

I read Steve Szilagyi's novel Photographing Fairies back in May and thought it was about time I wrote about it. I found the book at a library book sale. I think it has a pretty cool cover. Wish I could say the same for the contents of the book. Sigh.

Here's the plot:

Charles Castle is an American photographer living and working in London. He's kind of a slacker. His assistant does most of the work while Castle kind of lets things slide. One day, a Constable from a small town come to see him and shows Castle a photo of what he believes to be fairies. The Constable says that there's a couple of girls in the town who can see the fairies and can take photos of them. Obviously Castle thinks the Constable is a bit nuts but the photograph is compelling. Somehow (I don't quite remember how or why) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who is quite a spiritualist himself) believes the photo is authentic. Seeing an opportunity to make money and make a name for himself, Castle heads off to the small town to take photos of the fairies.

Interesting, right? What I like it that the story this novel is based on, the Cottingley fairies. Back in 1917, a couple of girls said they had photographic proof that fairies exist. Here's a few of the photos:

Many people, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, believed that these photos were of real fairies. It wasn't until the 1980s that the ladies came forward and said it was a hoax.

So if this book had strictly been a novel regarding the whole thing, I probably would have liked it. Instead, the book starts out with Castle in prison for murder. It starts that way! So he's looking back on the events that landed him in prison. The entire time I'm trying to figure out how a simple and touching story of a man trying to photograph fairies turns into a murder mystery. Who did he kill? Why? On top of that, I really didn't care for Castle at all. The ending was muddled, crammed, and I plain just didn't like it.

Anyway, there's my review.

Here's an alternate cover:
On a different note, there IS a movie based on this book that I wanted to see staring Toby Stephens as Castle. It's appealing because I really enjoy Toby Stephens as Gatsby, Mr Rochester, and Duke Orsino among others.

Here's the movie poster (a bit too trippy for me):

And just because, Toby Stephens. Check out his actors spotlight over at Lights, Camera...History!
**Has anyone else read this book or seen the movie? Thoughts?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2009-12-09T09:45:00.007-06:00

I had heard so many good things about Mary Ann Shaffer's book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society that when I saw it at the library, I just had to pick it up. Doesn't it have the LONGEST title ever? I'm a sucker for WWII novels so I thought I'd like it. And I LOVED it. It's going on my top ten favorites for this year. It's one of those books I'd go out and get my mom, grandma, and sister to read.

Here's the plot:

London, 1946 (post-WWII)
Juliet Ashton, a somewhat comedic writer for a newspaper is promoting her new book when she gets a letter from a person in Guernsey (an island in the English Channel). He has a book that once belonged to her and they both share a mutual affection for the writer, Charles Lamb. Through this correspondence and more, Juliet becomes aware of what happened to the people on Guernsey during WWII (the island was occupied by the Nazis) and how and why a few of these people developed the Literary Potato Peel Pie Society - which is an odd name for a book club. She decides that their story may make a great subject for a new book, so she goes to Guernsey to get to know these people.

The entire book is written as a collection of letters, sometimes written by Juliet, her publisher, her friend, and the people of Guernsey.

I loved the way this book was written. The letters made it all more personal and the story develops bit by bit because you are delved out the information along with the recipient of the letters. I also LOVED Juliet Ashton. She has such a fun wit and writing style. And the Guernsey people are just beautiful and loving. I could see how and why Juliet becomes entranced by their stories. I immediately Googled Guernsey to see photos of the beautiful island.

Of course, there is a love story which was so sweet (totally safe for moms and grandmas). I'm not telling you anything more though. You'll have to read it for yourself.

**I must be the LAST person to have read this because it's Also Reviewed By:

Shelf Love
Book Nut
Monniblog
She is Too Fond of Books
Tales of a Capricious Reader
Books on the Brain
Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books
Maw Books Blog
Becky's Book Reviews
Hist-Fic Chick
A Novel Menagerie
S. Krishna's Books
The Book Nest
Under the Dresser
Serendipity
The Tome Traveller's Weblog
It's all about me (time)
Book Chatter and other stuff...
Never Not Reading
Books, the Universe, and Everything
All About {n}
Planet Books
Ticket to Anywhere
Books I Done Read
Pop Culture Junkie
Booking Mama
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
At Home with Books
Obsessed with Books
Devourer of Books
Historical Tapestry - Kailana & Marg
Historical Tapestry - Ana T.
A Reader's Respite
Library Queue
Fizzy Thoughts
Bibliophile By the Sea
Maggie Reads
Medieval Bookworm
You're History!
Reading Adventures
A Garden Carried in the Pocket
Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover
HistoricalFiction.com
Caribou's Mom
A Girl Walks into a Bookstore
BookBath

The Information Officer - Mark Mills

2009-12-08T13:27:00.004-06:00

The Information Officer by Mark Mills is another book I won from LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. It's a part serial killer/murder mystery/love story/WWII novel set in Malta.

Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean just south of Italy. Before this novel, I had never heard of the Siege of Malta. During WWII, it was pretty much the most heavily bombed place ever. Wow. The Allies were stationed on the island and were helping to fend off the Germans and Italians from invading.

Enter the Information Officer, Max Chadwick, a British officer in charge of, well, information. Obviously with all the bombing going on, morale can be quite low. So Max is in charge of keeping certain information hidden that might hurt the campaign, while promoting the heroism and valor of the Allies and Maltese.

On top of all that, Max is called in to check out the body of a young girl who was found dead, murdered. In her hands is the scrap of a officer's uniform. The coroner believes she was not the first victim. Obviously Max is in a bind: he can't let the Maltese people know that one of the Allied officers may be killing their girls. Creepily, some of the chapters are narrated by this unknown killer providing the reader with a disturbing glimpse into the killer's mind.

On top of all that, Max is in another predicament. He's been seeing one lady while he's fallen in love with someone else.

So this seems like a lot of stuff going on, but Mark Mills handles it wonderfully. The picture he paints is so vivid. Imagine constantly being bombarded day and night. Often, people just go up on roofs to watch the current wave of bombs. People have bomb shelters but they also hide in various tunnels throughout the island. They don't drive because the dust kicked up becomes a prime target. But life goes on.

I think the setting is what I loved about this book. I'm big into the history part of historical-fiction. The murder mystery is an added bonus. The only part of the book I didn't quite like is the love story part. I don't want to have any spoilers, but it was one of those things where you felt for Max but he kind of shot himself in the foot on this one (figuratively, not literally).

Here's a different cover of the book (beautiful!):

**The edition I read will be available February 2, 2010.

Gourmet Rhapsody - Muriel Barbery GIVEAWAY!

2009-12-07T14:00:00.005-06:00

Ok. This is going to be a doozy of a review.

I won a copy of Muriel Barbery's novel Gourmet Rhapsody through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Wait. I won an AUDIO copy of this book. And that's where this gets tricky.

I rarely listen to audio books. My mind tends to wander and I end up rewinding a bunch. And then there's the issue with the narrators. A bad narrator can ruin a good book. Thankfully that was NOT the issue with this audio book. I loved the various narrators' voices. I just had other issues...mainly my own.

First of all, I tried listening and doing things on the Internet. Bad idea. Then I decided to sit and knit while listening. Better idea. Forgot to turn the shuffle thing off iTunes. Bad idea. So I listened to about half of the book in shuffle mode. Yeah.

Anyway, here's the gist:

Gourmet Rhapsody takes place in the same affluent apartment building as The Elegance of the Hedgehog (read my review). This book, however, revolves around an elderly food critic, Monsieur Arthens, who is on his deathbed. The story flip flops between the food critic desperately trying to remember a specific food or taste while he revisits old memories of his lifetime. The rest of the story is narrated by the various people in his life: wife, cat, children, etc. Some of them liked him and some absolutely loathe him. (Almost every section of the audio book is narrated by someone else with a lot of flashbacks, so you could see how I might not have known it was on shuffle.)

At first I did NOT like the food critic. Pompous. Vain. Wordy. But as I sat and knitted, I just started to salivate. I wanted to curl up with a glass of wine and listen to all the foods. (My husband just laughed at that because I am not what you'd call a foodie person.) And then I started to like ol' Monsieur Arthens. He's just on his deathbed remembering fond tastes and smells and experiences while all around him family and friends are judging him.

Anyway, there you have it. I did like it. Even after all my technical difficulties. I want to re-read it (not listen) because there are so many things said that I loved. No dog-earring with audio copies.

***Would you like my Audio (CDs) copy of The Gourmet Rhapsody?

To enter:

1) Tell me your favorite foodie book. I mean one that makes you want to eat whatever they are.

AND

2) Your email. Or your blog. Or however I can get a hold of you.

Contest is open world-wide and open through Friday, December 11th. So hurry up and enter!

Also Reviewed by:
Medieval Bookworm

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

2009-12-07T09:41:00.004-06:00

I have to say that I am loving Europa Edition books. Besides their cool covers, I've found some great little gems. I LOVED Margherita Dolce Vita, and enjoyed The Girl on the Via Flaminia. So a while back I went to the library and checked out Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is originally written in French and has been translated into English.

I liked it.

The story revolves around the lives of a few people in an affluent apartment building in France. It flip flops narration between an insanely smart but suicidal young girl, Paloma, and Renée, the intelligent but frumpy concierge lady.

Both are very smart but hide what they are from the wealthy people around them. That all changes when a handsome and intelligent Japanese man moves in and helps them open up.

I really enjoyed both Paloma and Renée. Their transformations were what made the book. Sometimes overly smart kids can be a bit annoying in books and movies, but Paloma surprised me. Although she is contemplating suicide, it's not really because she's sad or depressed, but more about her own logical reasoning. But Renée was what made me like the book. Watching her open up and blossom was my favorite part.

It wasn't amazing but I liked it.

**Have you read any Europa Editions? If so, what did you think?

Also Reviewed by:
She is Too Fond of Books
Five Borough Book Review
Caribou's Mom
Books I Done Read
Books, the Universe, and Everything
A Bookish Way of Life
The Boston Bibliophile