Chocolate: A Love Story by Max Brenner is a cookbook filled with 62 unique recipes for the chocolate lover and connoisseur. It's a cross between a cookbook and coffee table art book. It's filled with a combination of photographs and artwork with an art deco avant garde look to them. They are definitely engaging and fascinating to look at. To be honest, the recipes are pretty fancy and not simple everyday baking. I think that you need to be a more experienced baker or adventurous chocolatier to take on the challenge of making some of the recipes. This would be a wonderful gift book for the true chocolate connoisseur.
I found this video which takes you into Max Brenners restaurants and shows some of his amazing chocolate concoctions:
*Thanks to Hachette for providing a copy of this book for review. I am an Amazon associate.
I follow Mrs-O.org - the web site that Mary Tomer created to chronicle Michelle Obama's fashion style. When I saw that this idea was turned into a book called Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy by Mary Tomer, I knew I had to have a copy myself. I find that Mrs. Obama is a First Lady with intelligence, style, class, strength and charisma. These qualities are reflected in her personal style and choice of clothing that is inspiring. I like that she combines high end designer labels with more affordable brands such as Gap, J Crew, and Liz Claiborne.
Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy includes over 120 beautiful photographs of Mrs. O and describes the back story related to her clothes and accessories. The photographs are stunning and bold and I enjoyed looking through them and reading about details related to the fashions she chose to wear. You get a true sense of her personal style. There are also interviews with her favorite designers which include Isabel Toledo, Jason Wu, Michael Kors, Maria Pinto and Isaac Mizrahi. The book opens with Michelle Obama's earlier years and even includes rare photos from behind-the-scenes of the presidential primary trail , the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the events of election night, the inauguration and early life in the White House. There are even drawings and opinions at the end of the book from Mrs. O's fans which was fun to read.
I found this video from Mrs-O.org that describes the book and you can see actual photos and details from the book. Check it out:
*Thanks to Hachette for providing a copy of this book for review. I am an Amazon associate.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney is the 4th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series that is very popular with elementary aged kids. That includes my son Andrew who is about to turn 11. He has read the whole series twice and this is definitely one of his favorite series. I've shared here before when I read and reviewed the other 3 books in the series that my son begged me to read the books and lined them up on my nightstand. How could a mom say no?! Well, I have to say that I understand why kids like the humor in these books but as an adult I can honestly say that I am tiring of them. It could be that Greg who is in middle school continues to experience the same lessons in different ways but doesn't seem to learn much about the lessons of life.
In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Greg is on summer vacation and is writing his experiences down in another diary but this summer, he prefers to stay indoors playing video games. His mother tries to find ways to coax him outside to the pool which he hates or on various family and outdoor adventures. There is usually a problem along the way and Greg gets into trouble. Greg often includes his friend Rowley in his antics and doesn't always treat him with the most respect and Rowleys parents don't like that. The comics accompany each story add a nice touch and are the highlight of the series for most kids. I did enjoy Greg's excursion to the beauty salon where his mother drops him off for a haircut and he gets involved in the ladies gossip, gets to read gossip magazines and wants to go back again.
As a parent, I would like to see Greg learn more from his actions and show more maturity and emotional growth as he gets older. As a kid, they love that he gets away with things and gets himself into hysterically funny situations that he can't get himself out of.
My son Andrew's thoughts: "I like that these books are funny and Greg has a good personality....he is kind of cool because he does funny stuff. I can't wait until the next book comes out!"
The first book in the series is: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you can read my review here.
The second book is: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick rules, you can read my review here.
I am a recent fan of Project Runway but I missed the season when Christian Siriano was the winner. It's a fun show to watch and see the contestants create amazing , unique and some off the wall and bizarre fashions. I like that the show encourages out of the box thinking and creativity. I am not a fashion diva but I can dream!
Christian Siriano was the youngest designer to win Project Runway in 2008. He is only 23 and has already made a name for himself in the fashion world. Now, he is also an author of Fierce Style, in which he shares his story and his philosophy about living a "Fierce" life and not allowing fear to stop you from creating your own personal style. The book is full of helpful fashion hints, behind the scenes photos and his personal experiences with famous people. One of my favorite pictures showed Whoopi Goldberg in a dress that Christian designed for her which highlighted her gorgeous legs. This is not a feature that Whoopi usually shows as she prefers more comfy clothes. Christian has a sense of humor, determination and boldness. He even has his own lingo of words which you find sprinkled throughout the book and a glossary in the back of the book with definitions. He also gives advice on creating your own personal style, building self-confidence and reveals his own list of fashion dos and dont's.
*Thanks to Hachette for providing a copy of this book for review. I am an Amazon associate.
**GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED**
~GIVEAWAY DETAILS~
Thanks to Anna at Hachette I have ONE copy of Fierce Style by Christian Siriano to give away to one lucky reader!
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Please remember to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Also, there are many ways to get extra entries, LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will be using random.org to pick the winners.
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The deadline to enter is November 30th at Midnight, EST
Towner Whitner is the narrator of The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry and she starts off recommending that we as a reader not believe her as she is not honest. Hmm..that is a big clue and gives you pause to start this story as it is a mystery to the end. The Towner women are from Salem, Massachusetts and are able to read the future in patterns of lace. Towner left home at a young age but comes back to Salem after the disappearance of her aunt. Towner is forced to confront the secrets of the past, the truth about the death of her twin sister, her parents and her family. As a reader we are taken on a bit of a roller coaster ride trying to separate the truth from the lies and unravel the secrets. At times I was confused reading through the events that got a bit bogged down with past details that were unclear. There is a major twist at the end that I didn't see coming which changes the story and makes for a satisfying ending. There are so many rich layers to The Lace Reader that I can't share anything more as I don't want to spoil the reading experience for those who have yet to read this book.
The Lace Reader definitely fits my description of Book Club Worthy. There is so much to discuss about this book and especially the ending! Add it to your list of books to choose from for your next book club discussion. There is a Reading Group Guide at the back of the book and you can also find it online here .
An Ex-Mas Feast is the first story of the short story collection in Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan.
This is the story of a poor, homeless family living in Africa in deplorable conditions. The family rely on their 12 year old daughter who turns to the streets to work and raise money to provide for her family. Her younger siblings including her 8 year old brother ,who narrates the story, also work the streets and beg and steal for money and food. My heart went out to this family trying to survive and the ways they do so is heartbreaking. This story emphasizes the the victims of the plight of poverty in Africa and how they survive. It opened my eyes to a lifestyle that is unimaginable but is reality in this world. I think it's important to read stories like this to open our eyes to what is happening in the world even though it's uncomfortable to read about and even though we may not personally be affected by it.
This is an Oprah Book Club Selection , here is a video with some thoughts Oprah shares about the first story.
*This book is my own personal copy. I am an Amazon Associate.
Have you given a moment to consider what would happen if gasoline prices doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled? You might be tempted to think that the effects would be limited to the types of vehicles you drive and consequently what you pay at the pump. Maybe you're thinking that electric cars will eventually become practical and so the problem is solved. If that's your understanding, then you would do well to read this book. What you may not be considering, and what Christopher Steiner points out, is that the entire fabric (literally) of our society depends on petroleum products. Polyester clothing, carpeting, countertops, roofing, asphalt, and everything made of plastic requires petroleum to produce. Consider too that all products, be they petroleum based or not, require gasoline to transport them from their source to our local retail stores. Of course this includes agricultural products as well, which end up on our grocery store shelves. Air travel becomes affordable only for the wealthy and Walmart prices skyrocket due to their reliance on cheap transportation costs.
Disrupt the flow of petroleum and our well oiled, petroleum leveraged, societal machine begins to crack at its seams. There seems little doubt of that, but the real question is can we adapt appropriately if and when that occurs. Christopher Steiner makes a strong case that it's really a case of "when" and not "if". Given that petroleum is a finite, non-renewable resource it's inevitable that production will peak and then steadily dwindle down to oblivion. The author also suggests that we are at or near that peak and that all of the easy to extract oil has already been extracted making it increasingly expensive to sustain our current appetite for oil. It's a sobering thought.
The chapters in this book are given titles such as $4 gas, $10 gas, $20 gas and reflect the consequences associated with the specific price. There's a spectrum here which includes the demise and decline of such things as the SUV, air travel, asphalt highways and roofs, living in the suburbs, imported goods, trash pickup, and all petroleum based products including the case for your iPod. The consequences are anything but mild.
However, the future may not be all doom and gloom, especially if we rise to the occasion with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. We'll learn how to conserve, make our processes more efficient. These measures will yield environmental benefits as well. We'll become more of an electric society where wind, solar, and nuclear power provide the bulk of our energy needs. Spending less time in our cars will also mean that more lives will be saved and a healthier populace as we spend more time walking and riding bicycles rather than driving to the local fast food chain. Christopher Steiner speculates the melting of the suburbs as it becomes more cost effective to once again live in the cities. We'll see the rebirth of trains as well as new subway projects which were previously unfundable. Our plastic products will be replaced with materials derived from corn and will decompose soon after they're buried in the landfill.
Whether or not all this will unfold just as Christopher Steiner claims is not completely certain as some of his tenets are better supported than others (some downright specious), but one thing is for certain, changes due to petroleum shortages are inevitable and will affect us in our lifetime. $20 Per Gallon offers us a clarion call to action. Now is the time to prepare, and some forward thinking companies such as UPS are already taking the right steps and will allow them to thrive in the future. In addition to the prognostication, what I like about this book is that it motivated me to take a fresh look at my own energy consumption habits and how they might be improved. For some, this could translate into refraining from purchasing a gas guzzling vehicle or it could be as simple as deciding not to purchase that cutesy piece of Chinese junk.
It's a gorgeous sunny fall day in Ohio. I didn't take the picture above but it was taken in my area. Isn't it beautiful with the fall leaves changing and bright colors? That is what it looks like here. I was under the weather again with the stomach flu and that was why my blog was very quiet this week. I even missed a professional conference (that I had prepaid months ago) as I was so sick. That was really a bummer as I wanted to attend and had our schedules all arranged with my son and hubby. I've attended many conferences over the years and have never had to miss one due to illness. I did manage to finish reading several books as I was "resting" and that was the highlight of my week! My son Andrew was sweet and made me a homemade card...one of those that you treasure when they're older.
I finished reading:
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (I missed the live Book Club Girl discussion with the author): The ending was a stunner and I'm looking forward to listening to what the author has to say and I will be writing my review this week.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney : My son read it before me and devoured it. He's already re-reading the series again. Can you tell he's a fan?! Me, I'm getting tired of the series but am glad that he enjoys the books. We were just at Wallyworld this evening and noticed that this book was sold out! We'll be posting a review this week, hopefully!
The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stiegg Larson: My wonderful friend Ginny from our online book discussion group passed this book on to me...wasn't that nice?! We both loved the series and she was kind enough to send it to me and I'm passing it along to another friend in the discussion group. This book was action packed as well and dense with information. It definitely answers a lot of questions about the main character Salander. I need to write up my review this week as well. At Amazon, this book is not available until May 2010. You can buy it now at The Book Depository in the UK and they ship worldwide free.
What can be better than to read a book about Hawaii? Probably, to visit there which is my dream vacation and I hope to travel there someday. The next best thing was to discuss a wonderful historical fiction book related to Hawaii with my book club.
Honolulu by Alan Brennert captures the essence of Hawaii in the 1920's and 1930's and encapsulates the immigrant experience through the characters that emigrate there from different countries and cultures. At the center of Honolulu is Jin, a young girl who leaves her native country of Korea to become a "picture bride" to a man she has never met in Hawaii. She is led to believe that the roads are paved in gold and there are many more opportunities for women there. Girls are not valued in Korean culture and Jin was named Regret at birth. That broke my heart to read that girls lives had such little value and to label them with names that were so demeaning emphasized this. Thankfully, Regret changes her name to Jin when she arrives in Hawaii. Sadly she is not met with roads paved in gold but to find her husband-to-be a farm worker with a harsh and bitter character. The marriage is not a good one as he is horribly abusive and Jin is forced to leave and find her own way.
Jin travels to Honolulu and is able to find her way to change from a naive woman to a strong and determined woman. She finds a way to divorce and remarry a wonderful man and builds a family. She develops a strong connection to a group of friends that are also Korean picture brides and they help each other develop businesses and to survive and thrive. Along the way, they are faced with great prejudice and must deal with their own prejudices. Even the Hawaiian natives are treated poorly by American leaders who invade Hawaii.
This is a historical fiction novel and the author weaves a great amount of information that was interesting and fascinating but at times didn't flow smoothly. As readers we learn of Korean culture and the Japanese invasion of their country. We also learn a great deal about the history of Hawaii from the 20's and 30's through to the 50's which include sugar cane plantations, pineapple and carnation farming, strikes, surfers, prostitution, and the conflict between whites and and other cultures. Ultimately, the Massie Affair was brought into the story at the end which tied Jin and her family to the family of one of the accused.
In the end, Jin travels back to Korea to see the family she left behind and to make peace with her past and present. Jin was a woman of tremendous courage and strength and I admired her character greatly.
Additional Thoughts: I also read Moloka'i by Alan Brennert with my book club several years ago. I highly recommend this novel, it was one of my book clubs favorite books. It's also based in Hawaii and related to factual events. A young Hawaiian girl is sent away to a leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i and her life forever changes.
Book Club Views:
My book club met this week and we had a terrific discussion about Honolulu . We all liked the book but had different viewpoints on the story and how it was told. Several felt the book had too many story lines that were a bit choppy and didn't flow well. There was a lot woven into the story and others felt it flowed fine and needed to be taken down the different roads that it travelled to share the history of Korea, Jin's life and Hawaiian history. We all adored Jin and were happy that she was not referred to as Regret for very long in the book. We were all appalled at how undervalued women were and not allowed to be educated in Korea at this time. Many of us found ourselves researching and reading more about the Massie Affair and found it a sad and devastating part of Hawaiian history. We all agreed that Mr. Brennert did a wonderful job as a male author portraying a women's voice through Jin. All but one of us had read Moloka'i and we agreed that we liked Honolulu but preferred the story told in Moloka'i .
On to the food, my friend who hosted book club tied the appetizers and dessert she made to the Hawaiian theme and she did a fabulous job. She prepared a very special Hawaiian themed dessert of Chocolate Lava Cakes that were scrumptious. I didn't take a picture but it looked similar to this picture I found at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, you can even find a recipe there.
Next month, we are reading Blame by Michelle Huneven.
Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. In this fun meme, we share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. This is what arrived in my mailbox last week:
I was an avid reader as a young child and don't know how I missed the Betsy~Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. I would have loved these books and read them back to back if I had known about them. I am thrilled that I have been able to discover them as an adult and plan to share the discovery with my niece and friends who have young daughters. This heartwarming series is actually set at the turn of the century, over 100 years ago in the small town of Mankato, Minnesota. In the first book, Betsy~Tacy, Betsy is a young 5 year old girl wishing for a girl her own age to move into her neighborhood. Lo and behold, another family moves in across the strreet and they have a 5 year old girl named Tacy who is quite shy and bashful but the girls become the best of friends. Betsy and Tacy have many adventures, get into trouble, and have very vivid imaginations. They help each other adjust to life in kindergarten and dealing with sibling issues.
The story continues in Betsy~Tacy and Tib when a new girl named Tib moves into the neighborhood and their friendship broadens and they are 9-10 years old. Now, the three girls have many more adventures together and even start their own club. They have their share of troubles that they get into and I chuckled to myself at quite a few of them. They also must deal with life and death issues such as illness and the loss of a family member. I believe that the experiences Betsy, Tacy and Tib share are universal ones related to enduring friendships, sibling rivalries, parental authority etc. I believe that the Betsy~Tacy books can open up a world to young girls that can also teach them about compassion, sharing, generosity and so much more.
What I loved about Betsy~Tacy books was the simple and gentle approach to life, community and family. I would best describe them as wholesome, and they share a way of life that is different than our current modern lifestyles of today. There were no TV's, computers, cell phones to distract them away from the simpler things in life. I could relate to some of the girls experiences as I grew up in the 60's and 70's. I met my very first "best friend" in a similar way as Betsy when a new girl moved in across the street when I was between 3-4 years old. She was a year older and we became instant friends and loved playing dolls together. She was more of the bossy one who took charge and came up with the ideas that usually got us into trouble, similar to Betsy. I guess, I was more like Tacy who was a bit more shy and followed along with the "great" ideas. I also had red hair like Tacy as well. When my friend Robin was to go to kindergarten, she was not happy that I could not go with her as I was a year younger. She came up with a way for me to go with her to kindergarten. She gave me a dress to wear and I hid it in my closet. My father worked night shift and often was asleep around the time the bus would arrive and my mother was working. Robin told me to sneak out and get on the bus with her and then I could go to Kindergarten also. Well, it didn't work as my dad caught on to what we were doing just as I was about to get on the school bus. It's a family story that we still chuckle about today. Sadly, I've lost touch with Robin as we moved away and our lives changed. I loved cutting out paper dolls as a girl and so did Betsy, Tacy and Tib. They explored nature, built houses from wood, and were allowed some freedom to explore the world. These days, it is harder to trust our own world and society to allow our children to ride off on their bicycles or play unattended as for fear of predators and other dangers. I'm sure that there were issues in these times as well but we live in a different world now. There were also no TV's, computers, cell phones to distract them away from the simpler things in life. I think it would be enriching for more children to read the Betsy~Tacy books (especially books 1 & 2) today and give them some wonderful ideas as to how to "play" without the use of all of the electronic media that they "think" they so desperately need to survive! In my opinion, as a mom and as an occupational therapist by profession, kids have lost some of the natural curiosity and ability to play easily and simply and many have to be taught imaginative play. I know that we are fortunate to have our electronic gadgets and it would be hard to live without them if we were to have to give them up. On the other hand, if we don't have all the "stuff" or limit it and have more of a balanced life, our children can live a simpler more imaginative life. I think it would be enriching for more children to read the Betsy~Tacy books which can open up a whole new world to a child, to me, that is the beauty of reading and books!
The artwork was beautifully illustrated by Lois Lenski. There were wonderful black and white sketches throughout the books. They added charm and a way to imagine as a reader, what the girls worlds were like in Minnesota. I also enjoyed reading Maud Hart Lovelace's forward, notes and photos and sketches at the end of each book where she explains that much of the books are related to her real life. There is also a website dedicated to the Betsy~Tacy books called the Betsy~Tacy Society.
The exciting news for Betsy~Tacy fans is that Harper CollinsPublishers recently released and reiussued new double-volume editions of the final six books in the series and all of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy Tacy books are back in print.
There are reissue celebrations scheduled in the following cities:
I recently reviewed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the first book in the Millenium Trilogy. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson is the second book in the the series. I found this second book, even better than the first which says a lot as I described the first book as spellbinding. The Girl who Played with Fire held my interest from start to finish as it was such a powerful and engrossing story. I find these books very hard to review so bear with me as I don't want to give away the storyline or any spoilers. To me, this is the kind of series that you need to dive into and not know what comes ahead.
My favorite storyline and character from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was Lisbeth a twenty-something pierced and tattooed young woman with a horrible past full of secrets. She is intriguing and mysterious and her mind works at a genius level including her computer hacking abilities. In this book, Lisbeth is the focus and the heart of the story as you finally learn much more about her childhood, her family and what her life was like growing up. Her story is haunting and it's amazing that one can survive through such trauma in one lifetime. Mikael a political and financial journalist who runs and co-owns a magazine called Millenium is now tracking a story that exposes the sex trade industry in Sweden. He discovers ties to members of Swedish society, business and even government. When he is closer to exposing this, murder and mystery ensue. Lisbeth is linked to the murders and Mikael is the only one who believes in her innocence. Lisbeth is drawn into this through her own curiosity and hacking skills once again and she is finally forced to confront details from her past.
There are definitely disturbing parts to this book as in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that are graphic and violent in nature so be forewarned if this is something that bothers you. The storyline was so amazing and intelligent that these dark aspects didn't destroy my opinion of the book. As in the first book, there was a lot of violence towards women and it seems excessive. The author tends to focus on human interest stories in which women are dealt with in underhanded and evil ways. I believe that his intent was to bring attention to this issue of the sex trade/trafficking issue as it is a global one.
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the third and final book in the Millenium trilogy. It is to be released in paperback in the U.S. at the end of October but it is unclear as to its availability. If anyone has any information about this, please share in the comments section. I am very anxious to read this final book in the trilogy even though I hate to see it end.
I recently reviewed Solving Zoe by Barbara Dee, an entertaining look at middle school life through the eyes of Zoe, a 12 year old girl who is in 6th grade at a private gifted school in New York. The story is funny, entertaining and the characters are drawn with a depth and complexity that don't make them just superficial characters. The story itself is one that the reader can learn about ciphers and cryptanalysis in which the author presents in an interesting fashion. I highly recommend Solving Zoe for middle school readers and adults...it is a fun book to read!
Barbara Dee kindly sent me 6 Solving Zoe Bookmarks to give away to my blog readers. Thanks Barbara!
To win one of these cool bookmarks, just leave a comment and make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you. I will choose a winner randomly using random.org, ends October 15th. Open Internationally!
Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. In this fun meme, we share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. I didn't post a mailbox last week so I'll be sharing what I received the past two weeks.
I used to read more mysteries than I do now and I am so glad that I picked up a copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is a hard review to write as I don't want to give too much away as to spoil the story for those who haven't read the book yet. This book has a slow start, a few friends warned me that the first 150 pages would be slow and it was. It was filled with lots of information but I still found it interesting and wasn't tempted to put it down. So, if you're reading it and find the beginning slow...don't give up, it gets SO much better!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoowas truly spellbinding to me...it pulled me in and I couldn't put the book down near the end. This book covers it all including murder mystery, family sagas, family secrets, love story and financial intrigue and mystery. There are several story lines within the book that I didn't have a problem balancing as I read. There is the storyline of Mikael a political and financial journalist who is charged with Libel. He runs and co-owns a magazine called Millenium, thus the series is referred to as the Millenium series. Mickael is hired to investigate a missing person case and the woman has been missing for over 40 years.
My favorite storyline and character is Lisbeth a twenty-something pierced and tattooed young woman with a horrible past full of secrets. She is intriguing and mysterious and her mind works at a genius level including her computer hacking abilities. Her social skills are limited and this causes her a lot of problems. Her past gets intertwined into the story as she teams up with Mikael to help him solve the missing person case.
There are definitely disturbing parts to this book that are graphic in nature so be forewarned if this is something that bothers you. I usually don't tolerate graphic abuse very well and there are definitely squeamish and violent scenes in this book but the storyline was so amazing and intelligent that these dark aspects didn't destroy my opinion of the book . There was a lot of violence towards women in this book and it seemed excessive. The ugly side of human nature shines through loudly. I can understand why the title was originally called "Men who hate women" when it was first published in Sweden.
Sadly, Stieg Larsson was a Swedish writer and journalist and died before the Millenium Trilogy was published. There are two other books in the trilogy The Girl who Played with Fire (which I just finished and will have a review posted shortly) and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest which is to be released in paperback in the U.S. at the end of October.
I am so pleased to welcome Joanne Rendell , author of Crossing Washington Square to Redlady's Reading Room today. I was fortunate to read and review Joanne's wonderful first book, The Professors' Wives Club last year. I was thrilled and honored that she asked me to read and review her second novel as well. Joanne is the kind of author that is very generous in reaching out and connecting with her readers. You can read my review from yesterday of Crossing Washington Square, here which is another wonderful book of contemporary women's fiction.
Joanne has kindly shared some of her thoughts about
How did you first get the idea for Crossing Washington Square?
The idea for this book evolved over a few years. As someone who has lived the academic life (I have a PhD in literature and now I’m married to a professor at NYU), I’ve always loved books about the university – books like Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim and Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys. But what I noticed about such campus fiction was the lack of female professors in leading roles. Even the female authors like Francine Prose and Zadie Smith, who’ve written campus novels, they too focus on male professors. Furthermore, most of these male professors are disillusioned drunks who quite often sleep with their students! I wanted to write a novel with women professors taking the lead and I wanted these women to be strong and smart and interesting – instead of drunk, disillusioned, and preoccupied with questionable romantic liaisons!
What was the most fun scene in your book to write?
Crossing Washington Square is a story of two very different women and their very different love of books. Rachel Grey and Diana Monroe are both literature professors in the old boys club of Manhattan University. While this should create a kinship between them, they are very much at odds. Rachel is young, emotional, and impulsive. She wrote a book about women’s book groups which got her a slot on Oprah and she uses “chick lit” in her classes. Diana is aloof, icy, and controlled. She’s also a scholar of Sylvia Plath who thinks “beach” fiction is an easy ride for students. But as is often the case, it’s a man that truly divides the two women. Smooth-talking Carson McEvoy, a visiting Harvard professor, has his sights on both Rachel and Diana and gets sparks truly flying!
If your book were to become a movie, who would you cast?
Crossing Washington Square loosely echoes Austen’s Sense and Sensibilty – with one professor being led by her sense, the other by her sensibility. I love the Ang Lee adaptation of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet playing the two very different Dashwood sisters. Therefore I’d love Emma and Kate to play my professors!
Who’s your favorite character and why?
That’s a tough one! My knee jerk response is to say Professor Rachel Grey because, out of the two female leads, I identify most with her. Rachel teaches chick lit in her classes and has to defend her work and the genre to her stuffy colleagues who think only the classics and literary fiction should be studied. As a grad student, I would be reading classical literature and poetry by day, but then secretly read popular women’s fiction at night (Bridget Jones’ Diary, I have to say, is one of my all time favorite books!). Rachel is also flawed and emotional, yet good and honest and brave. I like that about her.
Every time I revisit the book, however, I like Professor Diana Monroe more too. She’s super smart and has great poise and grace as a teacher. She’s the kind of uber-professor that every academic secretly wants to be. She’s also pretty darn scary in her austerity and brilliance. But she has a vulnerability too and her life started out pretty tough and therefore, every time I revisit the book, I like her more.
Have you had a "rock star" moment regarding your writing career? If so, what was it?
My first novel was The Professors’ Wives’ Club. A couple of months after its release, a woman contacted me and said she’d read and enjoyed the book. She told me she was a professor’s wife and after a few emails, she revealed that she was the wife of a very distinguished professor of cultural studies whose work I’d read, who I’d seen giving keynotes talks at conferences, and whose work greatly influenced the writing of Crossing Washington Square. Not really a “rock star” moment, but still exciting to know the wives of influential professors (professors I really dig!) read my book.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I have a six year old son who is homeschooled, so that’s what I’m mostly doing when I’m not writing. Although, “homeschool” is somewhat a misnomer as we spend a relatively small amount of time schooling at “home.” We live in New York so are lucky enough to have an amazing array of fun and educational places on our doorstep. Benny and I, together with his homeschooled friends, are always out on trips to the Met, the Natural History Museum, aquariums, zoos, galleries, libraries, and parks. When we’re not out and about, Benny and I love to read – either together or separately. I’m so thankful he loves books like I do!
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on final edits for my third novel which was bought by Penguin last fall. The novel tells the story of a woman who thinks she might be related to the nineteenth century writer, Mary Shelley. On her journey to seek the truth and to discover if there really is a link between her own family and the creator of Frankenstein, Clara unearths surprising facts about people much closer to home – including some shocking secrets about the ambitious scientist she is engaged to. The book is told in alternating points of view between Clara and the young Mary Shelley who is preparing to write Frankenstein.
For each entry, please leave a seperate comment, this will make it easier to draw a winner as I won't be able to go back and count each entry. Also, make sure that you include your email or that your email is in your blog profile. If I have no way of contacting you by email, your entry will automatically be withdrawn.
For One Entry: Leave a comment and with a way to contact you.
For a Second Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, Blog about this giveaway and share a link(posting in your sidebar is fine).
For a Third Entry: In a SEPARATE comment, Twitter about this giveaway add @Bonnieredlady and share a link, if you can.
This giveaway is ONLY open to US and Canada.
I'll use random.org to draw a winner and the contest will end on October 9th , 2009 at Midnight EST. Good Luck!!
Joanne Rendell, author of The Professors' Wives Club takes readers back to the fictional university of Manhattan U in her second novel Crossing Washington Square. This is not a sequel but a stand alone novel that follows two strong, independent and highly different professors, Rachel and Diana. Diana is highly respected, serious, and gives off an air of superiority but poise and grace to those around her. Her main scholarly interest is in Sylvia Path's writings and she has a comfort and ease with students. Rachel is young, passionate, emotional and less experienced as a professor. Her scholarly interests are in contemporary women's fiction and how they relate to classics such as how Jane Austen's books relates to Bridget Jones Diary and The Devil Wears Prada. The two women have differing viewpoints as to the relevance and importance of popular women's fiction compared to literary fiction. I found this theme of contention between Rachel and Diana's views of literature relevant today as there are differing viewpoints among many readers as to the value of "chick lit" vs. "women's fiction" vs. "literary fiction" and "classics". Ms. Rendell's writing challenges the reader to analyze these differences and points out that there is much more substance and relevance to the lighter chick lit or women's fiction novels than what appears in a title or a cover.
As a reader, we get a glimpse into academic life among the departmental politics and relationships between professors as peers and between professors and their students. We get to see two strong female academic professors grow and develop and challenge their own core beliefs about literature and how to present their differing views in an academic setting with respect. There's also a little spice added to the story as Diana and Rachel are both attracted to the same man who appears quite handsome and alluring to them both. This adds some fun twists to the storyline.
Crossing Washington Square was an enjoyable novel to read that truly exemplifies women's fiction. It has strong characters, a story that challenges you to think about popular vs. literary fiction in a way that is fun and entertaining. I found these discussions some of the most enjoyable parts of the book as they made me think about differing viewpoints about literature and preconceived notions about genres. As readers, we can miss out on a vast amount of worthwhile books if we write off a whole genre (such as chick lit) without judging it for ourselves and being open minded.
Book Club Worthy: Absolutely! Crossing Washington Square would be a fabulous choice for a book club as it would facilitate great discussions about popular vs. literary fiction, academics, women's dynamics and relationships in the work environment, college students, life as a professor etc. There is a list of discussion questions at the back of the book as well as a conversation with the author. You can find all of this and more at Joanne Rendell's website, here.
Joanne Rendell was born and raised in the UK. She has a Ph.D. in literature and lives in New York City with her husband, a professor at NYU, and her son.
Last month, I reviewed Flourishing with Food Allergies by A. Anderson. As many of my readers know, I've shared here that my 10 year old son Andrew has major food allergies and the worst offenders for him are life threatening anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. This subject is near and dear to my heart and one that I have great passion for. As a mother, I want to protect my child from dangers and I also have the responsibility to teach him personal responsiblity and independence. When you are dealing with food allergies, it is a challenge to keep in balance. For me, the hardest situation is preparing for the new school year going back to school and ensuring all plans are set into place and that my son is in a safe environment. There are no guarantees and that is the scariest part for parents of children with life threatening food allergies. You have to prepare, cover the bases, educate and set up action plans so that your child and the teachers, students, staff, bus drivers, support staff are all aware. Each year, there is more awareness in my son's school district but there are always challenges and bumps along the way.
In reading Flourishing with Food Allergies, Ms. Anderson's older son had just finished kindergarten and was entering first grade. I was interested in hearing her perspectives from her school experiences with her son and to share them with you.
Here is an interview with Ms. Anderson that answers some of those questions:
How have you handled the school situation and do you have any further thoughts and experiences?
Before school started, I brought my son in for a “challenge test” where he drank milk at the doctor’s office. We decided to do this because while his skin prick test was positive, the blood test for dairy came back negative. Further, I felt that after five years I really needed to know if he would actually react to drinking or eating dairy. The results of the test where that when milk was placed on his lips there was no reaction, but, when he was given ¼ teaspoon he developed a hive on his lip area and started to feel uncomfortable in this throat which manifested in his clearing his throat repeatedly. This reaction occurred within about one minute and the doctor administered epinephrine. This reaction was devastating to me, as I had hoped he had outgrown his dairy allergy. But to react to such a tiny amount of dairy really saddened and worried me a great deal.
I immediately called the nurse at the school, as the first day was approaching. I explained the situation and the results of the test. She called a meeting with the principal and my son’s school teacher so that we could all decide how best to keep him safe. We agreed that he would use a tray on which to eat his snacks and lunch to avoid unnecessary contact with allergens and also spilt milk--literally. We also agreed that he would sit at the peanut-free table so that he didn’t have any unnecessary exposure to peanuts or tree nuts (hopefully) since we have not given him either of these in the hope of fending off an allergy by introducing them when his digestive system has healed and matured. He was also placed in a peanut-free classroom with a teacher trained on health issues and administering Epi-Pens, who agreed to never allow him to have any food other than that brought from home.
Although I was emotionally drained from the worries of my son entering kindergarten, he was thrilled and thrived in school. My other worries about his not attending pre-school, were apparently unnecessary, because his teacher reported that his academic skills, attitude and social skills were all excellent and he was a pleasure to have in class. I remember feeling so pleased when she told my husband and me that every morning when she asked him how he was today, he would respond, “Great!”
But there were a few issues that did arise.
The first was the school bus. My son desperately wanted to take the bus. Since he was too little to carry and administer an Epi-Pen himself, we did not ask for permission that he bring his Epi-Pen Jr. onto the bus. We felt it could also endanger other children if it was taken from his person. So I began to question the emergency procedures of the bus. My questions included: Does the bus driver know how to administer an Epi-Pen? How long would an ambulance take arrive at the bus if there was an incident? Would the ambulance have an Epi-Pen Jr.? Would the ambulance emergency personnel know how to administer it? If there was a first responder (police or fire) would they have an Epi-Pen Jr. and know how to administer it?
As I began to question, I found the answers to my questions through the local fire department chief. She was pleasant and very responsive to my questions. She asked for time to work through the issues, the plan and to discuss the execution of an emergency process involving an allergic reaction with her school and bussing company counterparts. The process took a few months, but she identified the problems, carried out discussions at the regular meetings and developed a solution along with the means for improvements to the process as required by law. Specifically, while the ambulance would have the Epi-Pens and trained personnel, there was a communication gap that existed between the first responder and the school: There was no private channel over which to communicate with the school so as to ascertain which children had health issues on a particular bus that is in an emergency. So she budgeted a few thousand dollars to purchase this private channel so they would be in compliance with HIPPA privacy laws. She also set forth an interim solution until that channel was in place.
I am providing the details of the bus emergency plan that she worked up on my blog at Flourishing With Food Allergies. It is important for me to state that if parents ask these questions of their own town, that they do so respectfully. A parent’s concern for their child should not manifest into anger at the town officials or school employees. Patience is important as well. This process took several months--but it was well worth the effort and the peace of mind it gave me. The fire chief even thanked me for being patient and nice--which leads me to believe that people often get impatient and angry over issues such as these.
The second issue that arose during the year was in December, when a friend of mine who volunteered at the school, advised me that my son was sitting alone at the peanut-free table, because the teachers moved him to the end of the table to avoid the other children at that table who were eating diary. This made my friend feel sorry for him and made my heart ache. Because my son had no reactions at all over the first four months of school and showed an ability to understand and comply with his allergy, my husband and I decided that he should be moved to the regular lunch table. But the nurse at the school was not pleased about this decision, as she felt he was safe where he was sitting.
Even so, I persisted with this change and explained that I had to be concerned not only with my son’s physical well being, but with his emotional well being as well. My pediatrician strongly concurred with me and sent the nurse a note stating that my son should be fine at the regular lunch table since he was not sensitive to dairy by touch or through the air. It took about four weeks to get the school to agree to move our son. During this time, I wrote two letters requesting the move, the pediatrician faxed in his note, the nurse and I had two ten to twenty-minute phone conversations. The nurse also requested that I come in for a lunchroom meeting with the principal, cafeteria manager, teacher assistant and her to see the “chaos” of the lunchroom. Finally, she requested that I sign a waiver. Only then was everyone agreeable that our son could sit near people eating dairy at the peanut-free table. If that went well, then he’d be moved to the regular lunch table after a few more weeks. During the entire year he ate his lunch on a tray to avoid spills and to serve as a reminder to others that he has food allergies. (He said he liked eating on the tray.) Once he moved to the regular table, he seemed quite happy and there continued to be no reactions.
The third issue that occurred was in his peanut/tree nut-free classroom. One time when I was emptying his backpack, found his brown paper bag that contained his snack had a “NUT BAR” in it. One of the other children had brought these in and the teacher sent one home in each child’s back pack. This nut bar had both peanuts and milk. I was perplexed and disappointed with this decision. I asked the teacher why she did this, via email, and she replied that she thought someone in our house might enjoy it. I disagree with this decision and kindly let her know my preference for the future. On another occasion, she advised me that she planned an experiment where the children were to make butter from shaking heavy cream in a jar. When I expressed my concern to her and offered other science experiments that I found on the Internet, she decided not to do the “butter-making” experiment.
In summary, the issues for us involved:
Confirming the school bus, town emergency and school personnel had a school bus emergency procedure in place that took food allergies (and other health issues especially asthma) into consideration;
Starting off at the peanut-free table at lunch, then migrating to the regular lunch table half way through the year, when no reactions occurred; and
Communicating with the classroom teacher about candy bars and experiments in the classroom.
Has it changed your perspectives on school that she wrote about in the book?
I don’t believe so.
I feel that not sending my son to preschool was a good decision for him. He was ready for kindergarten both academically and socially. His spirit was good. He had no issues regarding separate from me. In fact, he once told me he didn’t miss me at all, then he thought about what he said, and added, “Well maybe a little mom…” I think in an effort to make me feel better. The only con to this decision is that I was less prepared than I could have been. Specifically, I was not used to others caring for my son so I felt quite worried when he entered kindergarten.
I feel that doing the challenge test was necessary to confirm my son’s reaction to dairy for him to know, for me to know and for the school nurse and teacher to know. Although the results were terrible, and made me feel worried, I also felt somewhat vindicated that my careful avoidance of dairy over the past five years was necessary and that I hadn’t been overreacting or “crazy.”
In summary, I feel it was important for me to think through each concern carefully and question various school and bussing procedures. I also feel that being proactive and initiating communication was important to alleviate worries and obtain answers. Further, reconsidering previous decisions such as the best place for my son to sit during lunch is something that I think is reasonable. Also, being patient, kind and respectful is important for everyone involved, but mostly for the sake of the child’s health and happiness.
Thank you to Ms. Anderson for sharing her hearfelt and personal experiences. You can read more information on her website Flourishing with Food Allergies.
