Suko's Notebook

Wondrous Words Wednesday: Words with Friends

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, while playing Words with Friends on my iPhone, I was asked what the word I had just played, awa, meant. I admitted that I did not know. All I knew at that point was that the word was accepted, and that I had scored many points for it. (The best thing about this game is that you can score a lot of points by making words; words may be worth over 100 points--it's a bit thrilling at times!) In this game, you can make all kinds of crazy, short words that you'd mostly likely never use in oral or written communication. I decided to feature some here for BermudaOnion's magnificent meme for logophiles, Wondrous Words Wednesday, although only a few, as I don't want to give away too many secrets (I do want to win the game once in a while). These words would also be good to use in Scrabble, a game I loved as a child (and still do), which may be played on a traditional board or online.

1. awa: away; departed; onward

It's as if the 'y' in away went awa. This word sounds like it belongs in poetry. Awa is an adverb that I will now be able to play with confidence.

2. qat: a tropical evergreen plant whose leaves are used as a stimulant

Qat is a great word to keep in mind and play, when you have a 'q' without a 'u'. The plural form of this word, qats, is also acceptable. In House Rules by Jodi Picoult, Jacob, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, lists some short words such as qat for use in the game Scrabble. (Words with Friends is very similar to Scrabble, and when I first started playing Words online a couple of months ago, I mistakenly called it Scrabble.)

3. ki, chi, qi: three excellent little words to play, which mean the vital energy or force in the body

When my ki is off, I don't feel up to par and fail to make high scoring words in Words with Friends. The plural forms of these words, kis, chis, and qis, are also acceptable.

What wondrous new words have you encountered in your reading recently--or while playing word games?

Mailbox Monday

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Like many book bloggers, I receive an extraordinary amount of books in the mail; I'll highlight just the most recent books for Mailbox Monday, a meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books, hosted this month by Alyce from At Home With Books.

From TLC Book Tours, I received All There Is, stories compiled by Dave Isay, for an upcoming blog tour. I've read StoryCorps before, and look forward to reading these love stories next month.

Simon and Schuster sent me Crazy Enough by Storm Large. I'm in the middle of reading this memoir now, and plan on reviewing it soon.

Yay! I found out today that I won a fabulous $25 gift card from Amazon on BookQuoter's blog, a thousand Books with Quotes. Thank you very much, BQ! I'll spend some of it to get Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, my third selection for The Jodi Picoult Project. After I reach my goal--to read and review three books by this author--I'll be hosting a giveaway, so be sure to stop by then for a chance to win.

What new books arrived in your mailbox, or otherwise, recently?

House Rules: Agony and Wonder

2012-01-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

We have rules in our house:

1. Clean up your own messes.

2. Tell the truth.

3. Brush your teeth twice a day.

4. Don't be late for school.

5. Take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got.

~House Rules, Jodi Picoult

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As I sat down at the computer to compose this book review, I got a bit nervous. What, really, could I say about the book I just finished reading, House Rules, published in 2010? I'm not a book reviewer for The NY Times (I wonder how the literati at The Times view book bloggers?). How will I convey my experience with the book, as well as its basic premise, with as few spoilers as possible? It's a lot to contend with, and sometimes I feel lazy, or not quite up to the task. What makes it even more difficult, in the case of a novel by Jodi Picoult, is that her well-researched works are quite long; this adds to the pressure. How forceful or thoughtful can I be in just a few paragraphs? Will I be able to do the book any amount of justice?

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Slowly, over the course of several weeks, chapter by chapter, I read House Rules, which is written from the perspectives of five main characters in the book: Emma, Jacob, and Theo Hunt, and Oliver Bond and Rich Matson. The format of the book worked well for me; due to time constraints, I'd read a few chapters at a sitting, and looked forward to the next session with the book. Short chapters, written from multiple perspectives (in varying fonts), made them easy to read, a bit at a time, day by day.

House Rules is a novel about the great toll Asperger's syndrome, and others' lack of understanding about it, take on the Hunt family, and subsequently their small community in Vermont. For years, Emma Hunt, Jacob and Theo's mother, has been struggling emotionally, working as an advice writer for the newspaper. Her husband, Henry, left the family many years ago, and started a new family. Emma is very dedicated to helping her son, Jacob, an 18-year-old with Asperger's syndrome. She tries to help Jacob by providing special foods and supplements, and hires a tutor to help him, Jess Oligvy. Life in the Hunt family revolves around Jacob, which takes a toll on his younger brother, Theo, who develops a bad habit of breaking into the homes of others and stealing small items. Although in some ways Jacob is absolutely brilliant, he takes things too literally and lacks the ability to connect and communicate with people, and his autism gets him into serious trouble. Because of his great interest in forensic analysis, along with his inability to communicate with others, Jacob is accused of murdering his attractive tutor, Jess.

Jodi Picoult is a very skillful writer, and her words brought her characters and the story to life. As I read this gripping book, I became anxious about a few things. First and foremost, I hated having to wait to find out the truth about what happened. I wanted to know, I needed to know, sooner rather than later (this was also the case when I read her novel, The Pact). I did not skip to the ending of the book, though, because one of my few "reading rules" is that I wait and delay my gratification. So, I continued to read--and hope. I wanted the truth to come out more quickly than it did, but I understand why it did not, could not (even though I was in agony).

Secondly, I started to think about Asperger's syndrome. My knowledge about Asperger's was quite limited before I read this book; I only knew that those afflicted were supposed to be highly intelligent. In the book, Jacob has Asperger's syndrome, which means that he is extremely smart, but also affected and afflicted neurologically in various ways, and his ability to communicate with others is severely restricted and limited. I think we live in an age of over diagnoses (including self-diagnoses) of conditions and syndromes, but I couldn't help wondering if I could be somewhat autistic myself; then I started to think about certain family members, and others who might also be (which soon led me to wonder if autism could develop later in life, well beyond the childhood years?). With regard to myself, though, I believe I'm too empathetic, social, and flexible to be autistic. But the book makes you think. If someone has an encyclopedic knowledge about a subject does that make them an "Aspie", or just someone with a profound interest in something? (Questions lead to more questions, and as I type this on the computer I even wonder if computer use could contribute or even create forms of autism?) I think, though, that the difference is a matter of degree and extremeness, and the book makes a good attempt to distinguish between what's "normal" and what isn't, although I still wondered about the line between the two at times. House Rules, like other books by this author, impels you to wonder and to question things.

I'm looking forward to starting a new novel by Jodi Picoult for this reading challenge soon, Sing You Home. If you'd like to join this challenge, feel free to grab the button. Please visit The Jodi Picoult Project Page I created for more details or to add your review link (if you don't have a blog, but wish to participate, please email me). As always, I welcome your comments, and thank you for reading.

Guitar Zero

2012-01-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

"Without music, life would be a mistake."
~Friedrich Nietzsche

For as long as I can remember, I've loved music. As a child I discovered that music had the power to brighten my outlook (O-o-h Child, Joy to the World) or move me to tears (ballads by The Jackson 5, The Rolling Stones, or Jimi Hendrix). As I matured, music became more important to me, and I learned that music could affect my mood or state of mind in a variety of ways, often indescribably so. Although I couldn't work up my nerve to try out for the glee club in elementary school, and didn't learn to play an instrument (except for the accordion, very briefly), I have a deep appreciation for music, and enjoy listening to all kinds of music. I was interested in reading Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning because of my profound appreciation for music, which continues to enhance my life.

Written by NYU psychology professor and author Gary Marcus, Guitar Zero will be released to the public on January 19, 2012. I felt quite fortunate to have the opportunity to be one of the first to read his new book. Guitar Zero is about the author's attempts to learn how to play guitar as he approaches his fortieth birthday. He initially wonders if it's possible to learn to play an instrument at his age. Does the brain possess enough plasticity to take on such a daunting task? Many people believe that learning an instrument, like learning a language, must be done at an early age. Guitar Zero (which gets its name from the popular video game, Guitar Hero) explores the world of music from the perspective of an older student, armed with a strong appreciation and admiration for great guitarists and musicians, and an eagerness to learn how to play the guitar.

Although I am not a music student per se, I enjoyed the insights in this book (it's packed full of them!) which are about music and life in a more general sense. Much of the book resonated with me, and I will give but a few examples here. The author talks about the need for good music teachers, and from my own experience his words ring true. Thanks to the unbridled generosity of my mother-in-law, each of my children has taken years of private music lessons on various instruments--piano, flute, violin, oboe, guitar--with a variety of teachers, so I know firsthand that good teachers are invaluable; I agree with the author that teachers with certain characteristics (such as the ability to encourage) are especially wonderful. A key point in the book is that practice may not make perfect when it comes to music, but practice (for most of us, anyway), is an extremely vital part of learning to play an instrument, perhaps the only way to train the fingers and the brain to play music (the author provides tips about what kind of practice works best). My youngest daughter, Angela, has taken Suzuki violin lessons for eight years, and although she didn't always feel like practicing, practicing or playing her instrument was precisely how she learned to play.

I enjoyed the references in the book to the band Rage Against the Machine, and specifically the incredible guitarist, Tom Morello, the twenty-sixth-greatest guitarist of all time (according to Rolling Stone magazine). My son, Oliver, introduced me to this band, and I find much of their socially aware music quite powerful, and the intense, layered sound of their music, especially Renegades of Funk and Bulls On Parade, gets my adrenaline going.

"Of course, making music is not just about control, or even about achieving flow; there's something deeper. Something that for me has made the whole quest--a massive investment of my scarcest commodity, time--worthwhile. Becoming musical has brought balance to my life."
~Guitar Zero, Gary Marcus

Guitar Hero is scientific and well-researched, yet written in a friendly and down-to-earth manner. At times I struggled with some of the music terminology specific to guitars (there is a glossary of music terms in the back of the book, though), but for the most part, it was understandable and interesting, and I felt inspired by the notion that we can learn something as complex as a musical instrument later in life.

Special thanks to Trish from TLC for sending me this fascinating book. This is the first review for the book blog tour for Guitar Zero. For more reviews, please visit the subsequent stops on TLC's Guitar Zero book blog tour.

Wondrous Words Wednesday: Words for the Year Ahead

2012-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Usually, I let BermudaOnion--Kathy--do all the work. On Wednesdays I visit her blog and read the vocabulary words she has garnered from her reading in a meme of her creation, Wondrous Words Wednesday. She presents her words in a clear and concise manner, and more often than not, I add these words to my growing list of new-to-me words. I also visit other participating blogs to read the words they've posted, and present a few words myself from time to time.

Today I bought a desk calendar, 365 New Words-a-Year. Each day defines a different word, and I expect to learn quite a few new words this year. I decided to feature a few words from the first days of January 2012 for Wondrous Words Wednesday.

1. ab ovo: from the beginning

All the words here are from this word-a-day calendar, ab ovo. (This one happens to be the very first.)

2. popinjay: a strutting, supercilious person

Nobody could stand the popinjay; he was pretentious and often wore a gaudy suit.

3. causerie: an informal conversation or chat; can also be a short, informal essay

She looked forward to their Friday causerie all week long.

2012 is here, and I have a calendar full of words. What wondrous new words have you discovered recently?

Really Random Tuesday #43: Cake

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for the gym!

Before the holidays, during the holidays, and after the holidays, there's no shortage of cake at our house. With many birthdays surrounding and infiltrating the holidays, eating cake becomes almost a daily event in our household. Along with festive holiday cakes, decked out with sparkles and frosting, we had several birthday cakes, including NY cheesecake, and chocolate cake with butter cream frosting.

I didn't bake any of these cakes, although I do have a recipe for an amazing carrot cake (originally from San Francisco, I believe) that I made for a birthday in October. If you bake this cake, your home will smell like heaven. I may make this cake again soon, for my daughter's upcoming birthday (more cake!).

CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
(about 12 servings)

2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup corn oil
4 cups finely grated raw carrots (8 or 9)

FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans for garnish, if desired
Extra-large pecan halves for top of cake, if desired

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour or spray a bundt cake pan. (Although it can be tricky to remove cake from a bundt pan--grease generously--I like to use this type of pan because the cake is already in sections for neat cutting.) Thoroughly stir together dry ingredients--flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon--and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy, then slowly beat in oil. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until smooth. Add grated carrots and blend. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake's center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then gently remove from pan, invert, and cool additionally on rack. While the cake's cooling, blend together the first five ingredients to make the frosting. Frost cake when cooled. Garnish with pecans if desired.

For another take on cake, please visit Lost in Fiction for Lucy Hannua's enchanting interview with Gaile Parkin, author of Baking Cakes in Kigali.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. Thanks for reading!

Really Random Tuesday #42: A Winner and a Wonderful Interview

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

(Photo courtesy of my daughter Angela)

Mugsy and I hope you had a lovely Christmas, and wish you a very happy New Year! Twenty twelve has a nice ring to it!

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Please congratulate Yvonne from Socrates' Book Review Blog and the Socrates' Cozy Café (the very title makes me wish I were curled up with a cozy mystery). Yvonne is the lucky winner of The CHICK-tionary by Anna Lefler. If you didn't win this time, please take a look at the other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.

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No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to make a dent in my to-be-read pile. But I was reassured a bit to learn that a very prolific author has a pile of to-be-read books on her own night table! Her novels center around the lives of women, feature magical realism and myth, and are read by millions worldwide. Please visit Lost in Fiction for a short but wonderful interview with Chilean author Isabel Allende by Lucy Hannau.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews.

Soul Clothes, and Some Thoughts on Poetry

2011-12-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

In the past, I've felt intimidated by poetry. In school, we briefly studied some of the work of Robert Frost, along with other poets, and I always thought that poetry, that understanding and writing it, were just beyond my grasp. For me, poetry was accompanied by a sense of mysticism, reflected in these lines by Robert Frost:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep"

It was no wonder that I'd picture the poet (or poetess, such as Emily Dickinson) dressed in black or grey from head to toe, wearing a somber expression, trudging through the woods reciting lines, seeing deeply and uncannily into nature and human nature.

Over the past few years I've changed my mind, at least a bit. As I've read more poetry (such as the prolific work of Sweta Srivastava Vikram, and Fiona Place, who incorporated pithy poems into her novel, Cardboard, adding another dimension to it), it's become more accessible to me. I also realized that my deep enjoyment of music, specifically song lyrics, which are a form of poetry, set to music, already assured me that I could appreciate and fathom the less literal beauty of poetry. In fact, I would welcome it whole heartedly! There are numerous similarities between poems and lyrics--repetitions and refrains, using words for their sounds, using words to convey feelings rather than exact meanings. And when you think about it, we go through much of the day speaking in short phrases--some of them might sound more than a bit silly--and poetry echoes this natural, relaxed speech pattern and the beauty of language, which is often like song.

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"You wear my purple turtleneck sweater
made of wool
looped with love, laughter, and laziness"
~Soul Clothes, Regina D. Jemison

Published in 2011, Soul Clothes by Regina D. Jemison is a bold and down-to-earth collection of poetry. The author is also a lawyer, which means she must be adept at precise writing, along with poetic writing. Her evocative poems run the gamut from the act of writing to love to breast cancer and AIDS, and express a strong sense of self, of sorrow as well as joy, and are a true celebration of words, and of life.

"I'm writin' my prayers
on stone tablets
legal pads
and blue skies, writin' the blues
away, writin' "
~Writin' My Blues Away, Regina D. Jemison

I read this thin book over the course of a few days, savoring the inventive and absorbing use of language. I knew while reading this work that I did not have to understand every detail in a hyper-literal way, but that poetry is an art form open to the interpretation of the reader, which enhanced my enjoyment of the book. I unequivocally recommend this heartfelt book of poems, even to those who believe that poetry is beyond their comprehension.

Special thanks to Victor from Modern History Press for sending me a complimentary copy of Soul Clothes.

The CHICK-tionary: Review and Giveaway

2011-12-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Can we increase our intelligence as we get older?

I enjoy reading the dictionary to learn new words or to study words I already know. On Wednesdays I often stop by BermudaOnion's Weblog to peruse her Wondrous Words Wednesday meme. Call me a geek or a nerd (or a logophile), but I love words, and routinely add new ones to my vocabulary list.

Published in 2011, The CHICK-tionary: From A-Line to Z-Snap, the Words Every Woman Should Know by Anna Lefler is a tongue-in-cheek collection of more than 450 words (and some phrases) in alphabetical order (like a regular dictionary). There were many terms in it that I'd never heard before, such as cankles, denim rage, Fauxga, and scrimmage marriage (popular in the state I live in, CA). I do feel smarter now, or at least more well-informed. I laughed out loud numerous times at some of the outrageous definitions. Anna Lefler skillfully uses exaggeration to make her book as humorous as possible (which helps to soften the sting of what she's describing).

The CHICK-tionary, noun
Droll and amusing source book for women of a certain age

Whether you're an alpha girl, bag hag, cougar, puma, or just a regular gal, contending with Aunt Flo, a baby bump, flapjacks, or just a below-average mood, this book will lift your spirits. It deserves a special place on the shelf near other reference books, or next to your chick lit.

Good news! The publisher, Adams Media, is offering a copy of The Chicktionary as a giveaway (US/Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PST on Monday, December 26. One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, December 27. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews, please visit the other stops on TLC's The Chicktionary book blog tour. To visit Anna Lefler's blog, stop by Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder.

First Lines Meme: 2011

2011-12-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Meme is meme is meme. While most memes are weekly, this special meme is done only once a year.

Can it be that 2011 is almost over? Cliché or not--tempus fugit--and I'm grateful to have recorded at least some of my reading life in this blog. About two years ago, I discovered a fun meme, created by Melanie from The Indextrious Reader, on Kate's Book Blog. In Melanie's words, the idea is "to take the first line of each month's first post over the past year and see what it tells you about your blogging year." While I wasn't certain that I'd repeat this meme, I always keep in mind what I learned in elementary school: "begin with a bang!" I decided to do this meme, for the third year in a row, skipping over quotes from books (and other sources), to form a collage of my blog this past year. To read more of any post, click on the month of the post.

January
Oprah is sagacious.

February
P ie c e s

March
Please be seated because what I'm about to reveal may shock you.

April
Usually I am not at a loss for words, but I'm not sure what to say about this book, Dancing with Gravity by Anene Tressler, published in 2010.

May
Is it possible?

June
Having read some poetry penned by Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Because All is Not Lost and Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors (during which I experienced a breakthrough and started to finally understand contemporary poetry better, and even attempted to write some of my own), I was excited to have the opportunity to be among the first to read Perfectly Untraditional, the debut novel by this author, published in 2011 in New Delhi, India.

July
Having very recently read The Wooden Tongue Speaks ~ Romanians: Contradictions & Realities by writer and publisher Bogdan Tiganov, I'm honored to have had the opportunity to interview the outspoken author of this original, often arresting work.

August
Should I change the name of this blog from Suko's Notebook to The Really Random Tuesday Blog?

September
Prehistoric fiction was new to me until fairly recently, and now it has me completely captivated.

October
I am such a slouch.

November
Lady Luck has chosen a winner!

December
Move over, Dr. Laura!

My blog truly is an eclectic mix! If you'd also like to create a collage that represents your blogging year, please feel free to do this meme. As always, your comments are welcomed.

Don'ts for Wives

2011-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Move over, Dr. Laura! I discovered this little gem of a book on Petty's blog, Pen and Paper, in September. Enchanted by her review of it, I immediately ordered Don'ts for Wives from Amazon, received and read it, and have kept it on my nightstand ever since, reading a couple of pages often before bed to refresh my memory. Written by Blanche Ebbutt and first published in 1913, it's a charming book to read and contemplate. In the preface of the book, the author states that it takes a "perfect artist" to remain married (that could explain the high divorce rate), and then gives us her best tips for a solid marriage in the body of the book. Each statement in the book begins with the word "Don't". While some of it is antiquated (it was written nearly 100 years ago, in the days before women had much equality, during an era when wealthier people had servants), it's also fun to read, and full of sage advice, such as:

"Don't nag your husband. If he won't carry out your wishes for love of you, he certainly won't because you nag him."

How true! Throughout my marriage, I've always tried to avoid nagging my husband. If I tell him something once, I try not to mention it again, unless I absolutely must, because I know he hates to be nagged or "pushed". (For example, if his mother or another family member calls, I will ask him to return the call, but I'll only say it one time.)

Don'ts for Wives would be the perfect gift book for married women or for women who are about to tie the knot. The author also wrote a companion book, Don'ts for Husbands.

Really Random Tuesday #41: A Beautiful Library, a Book Winner, and some Special Giveaways

2011-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

I was expecting a hole in the wall, a tiny, creaky library with few books, reached by a narrow row of steps. Instead, I was treated to grandeur. While in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, earlier this month, I visited the library, and was seized by its great beauty and charm. La Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende is a cultural center, where you can read, learn conversational Spanish (or English), linger with a cup of coffee or tea, or even watch a movie (I saw a very touching documentary, Buck). These photos are not as sharp as I wish they were, and do not do justice to this magnificent library, but at least they'll give you a sense of the place. I could spend hours in this library!

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Congratulations to Parrish Lantern, the randomly selected winner of Beyond the Scent of Sorrow, a new collection of powerful poetry by Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway--how would this blog exist without my faithful readers? If you didn't win this time, keep your chin up, as I have other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog, and a couple of brand new, generous giveaways to mention in this post.

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In February of this year, I reviewed Half in Love, a startlingly honest memoir by writer Linda Gray Sexton. Just recently, I was contacted about an upcoming giveaway for this book.

Half in Love Giveaway Contest

In celebration of the upcoming paperback release of Half in Love in January 2012, author Linda Gray Sexton is sponsoring a giveaway contest for signed copies of her book. Starting Monday, December 5th, readers who join the reader board on Linda's website to share their thoughts and stories will be entered in the giveaway. Winners who belong to a book club will also have the chance to meet the author for a club event in person, or over Skype, depending on location. Please stop by Linda's website for more details and to enter the giveaway.

This past April, I posted about The Note by Mike O'Mary, which was named Best Gift Book of 2011 in the Living Now Book Awards. The O'Marys would like to extend their thanks and appreciation this holiday season by offering free Note Project eKits to family and friends. Send free Note Project eKits to up to 10 people by visiting this Note Project page. Each eKit includes an e-book edition of The Note, along with free bonus gifts from Note Project sponsors. You don't have to sign-up or subscribe to anything to receive The Note (and you won't get any unsolicited email as a result)--simply download the free e-book and enjoy it!

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm. As always, thanks for reading!

The Pact: Intense Fiction by Jodi Picoult

2011-11-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

"There was nothing left to say."
~The Pact, Jodi Picoult

Whew! It took me forever to read The Pact: A Love Story, published in 1998, by Jodi Picoult. I started it about a month ago, and although I found the writing forceful, and read about fifty pages or so, I set it aside for at least a few weeks. It's a very intense book, and it was difficult for me to read it for any length of time. It would upset me greatly, and I had a hard time returning to it, even though I wanted to. Needless to say, suicide is not a light or pleasant topic, and this book, whose chapters alternate between the past and the present, revolves around an apparent suicide pact between two high school students, Chris Harte and Emily Gold. As Jodi Picoult states in the notes at the end of the book, she doesn't write books that are easy to read (or write, I'm sure!). The subject matter of this book is very disturbing, and as a parent it was even more harrowing for me to read. Still, that being said, I did eventually return to this book, and became thoroughly engaged and invested in The Pact, a story about two close friends who grew up together and grow to love each other in a romantic sense, which leads to tragic consequences. The families of Chris and Em were also very close, and although the relationship between the kids seemed desirable and inevitable, in hindsight there were grave problems caused by this very closeness, as well as from the outside world, and what happens is quite disturbing and profound. While reading, I knew that such a story could happen in real life, especially during the teenage years when every emotion seems to be greatly amplified. That is what is so frightening--this book is very realistic!

I wanted to know what really happened, I wanted to hear the truth, and I wanted Chris to have a chance to tell his side of the story, so I kept on reading, and was absolutely transfixed. Jodi Picoult handles many topics with aplomb--young love, ambivalent feelings, and taboo topics (in the book, Chris meets a remorseful young dad, Steve, in jail, who has allegedly shaken his baby to death in a moment of anger, an example of the author's ability to write honestly and sensitively about very difficult subjects)--and makes readers think deeply about tough questions, such as: how well do we know our own children, and who do we trust?

Kudos to Jodi Picoult! In spite of taking so long to finish reading this novel, I was rewarded by a book that is well-researched, believable, and full of suspense. The Pact is a must-read for tried and true Jodi Picoult fans, or for those who want a truly intense introduction to this prolific author, who writes so well that you are pulled into the story despite any initial resistance. I am now on a roll (well, sort of), and plan to read House Rules next for The Jodi Picoult Project. If you want to join this challenge, commit to reading at least one novel by this author before the conclusion of October 2012. Feel free to "grab" the button and use it on your own blog. I've just added a Page for this reading challenge, with a Mister Linky, so please submit any review links to that. Thanks!

As always, I welcome your comments.

Magpie Tales #93: Useless

2011-11-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Little red couch
Discarded
Left at curbside
Rejected by AmVets
Too shabby
Too dirty

Little red couch
Dropped at the dump
Homely and unwanted
Useless

Little red couch
Missing cushions
A loveseat
Haven for same sex lovers
Homeless vagrants in need of rest
Stained by Jack Daniels,
Bacardi 151

Little red couch
Under the overpass
Hidden from view

This poem was inspired by Tess Kincaid's Magpie Tales. Photo courtesy of Christine Donnier-Valentin. Your feedback is appreciated.

Speak Out

2011-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the day to "Speak Out". Hosted by Kristin from Wanderlust, the purpose of Speak Out is to bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence, which affects countless millions of people worldwide. Males as well as females can be victims of domestic violence.

Bloggers today around the world will post, tweet, share their own stories about domestic violence, and provide direct links to domestic violence resources. This event precedes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on November 25.

Please stop by Wanderlust for links to the posts of participating bloggers, or if you or someone you know needs immediate help from domestic violence.

Comments welcomed.

Beyond the Scent of Sorrow: Review and Giveaway

2011-11-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Beyond the Scent of Sorrow is the latest collection of poetry by award-winning writer Sweta Srivastava Vikram, published in October of 2011 as part of the World Voices Series. I've reviewed other poetry books by this author, interviewed her, and read her exquisite novel, Perfectly Untraditional, so I'm already acquainted with her and know that she's a very skilled wordsmith. Regardless, my goal was to "judge" this work on its own merits, as much as possible.

In this new collection, the author draws an interesting connection between nature and women. In the Alejandaro region of southwest Portugal, countless old eucalyptus trees--once considered protectors of the forest--are being removed and replaced by oak trees, depicting the unjust (sometimes violent) treatment of women, who are treated poorly in many parts of the world, merely because of their gender. Using the eucalyptus tree as a symbol, this poet creates many brilliant and powerful poems depicting the plight of women, as well as their strength and ability to endure. Sweta Srivastava Vikram's bold and vivacious style captured me as quickly and as completely as it has on previous occasions. Here are some lines from one of the author's favorite poems in this collection, Unholy Men.

"Like the cork oak
selectively stripped of their bark
every ten years of their lives
to quench a lover's thirst
for wine in Evoramonte, Portugal,
I am undressed
night after night
until my wounds mock
the myth of one thousand years--"
~Sweta Srivastava Vikram

While the author may be pro-woman, she is not anti-male, as she states in the Acknowledgements section of the book, where she specifically thanks her husband for understanding her position. I also think it's important to note that better treatment of women and more equality benefits everyone--not just women. And while the poems in this book are decidedly serious, they are not without glimmers of hope, mist that awakens and enables us to "walk away from the nightmare". I relished this collection of poems that features intense emotion and vivid images, and am thrilled to offer a copy of this book to a reader compliments of the publisher, Modern History Press (U.S./U.K./Canada).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PST on Monday, November 28. One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, November 29. Good luck to all!

Really Random Tuesday #40: Three Smart Winners and a Few Words

2011-11-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the hefty generosity of Algonquin Books, three intelligent women have won The Smartest Woman I Know, the new book by Ilene Beckerman:

Laura from Laura's Reviews,
Yvonne from Socrates' Book Review Blog,
and Zibilee from Raging Bibilomania.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Each of these women writes a thoughtful and entertaining book blog, and I urge you to stop by and read their reviews (if you don't already do so).

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Autumn is here in Southern CA at last, cooling our days and nights, and of course it's now darker earlier as well, tempting me to read in a cozy spot, my cats and dog nearby. It may sound like a cliché, but it truly is a sublime pleasure. Competing with my nighttime reading, though, is a game I play on my iPhone, Words with Friends. I play several games simultaneously with friends nearby and across the country. It's great fun, even when I make esoteric words, or two letter words such as HM. But I have to watch my tendency to play the game at night instead of reading. I've promised myself that I'll read more, so please stay tuned for new book reviews soon.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For another recent Really Random Tuesday post, visit Naida's blog, the bookworm.

Thanks for reading!

Really Random Tuesday #39: A Bad-Dog Book Winner and the Judicious Use of Exclamation Points

2011-11-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Lady Luck has chosen a winner! Please congratulate Zibilee from Raging Bibliomania, the randomly selected winner of a very funny book, Another Bad-Dog Book by Joni B. Cole. Zibilee, the author will be sending you an autographed copy of her book soon. Congratulations!

If you didn't win this time, please take a look at the other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.

Wednesday Update: All congratulations have been transferred to Carol N. Wong. I selected a new winner as Zibilee let me know that she received a copy of this book from the author because of her interest in it (and because her book blog is outstanding). Congratulations, Carol!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grammar and good writing are changing. The rules I learned in school seem "old school" at times, as written language evolves to reflect and include various electronic social media, such as texting, email, blogs, Facebook (which I prefer to capitalize and do, but that's a discussion for another day), and Twitter.

"Cut out all those exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own jokes."

—F. Scott Fitzgerald

I try not to use exclamation points too often in the book reviews I post here--that would be like laughing at my own jokes, chronically underestimating the intelligence of my readers. Additionally, when exclamation marks are overused, it lessens their value and impact. But, I use them more and more in comments I leave on other blogs, and frequently when texting or sending brief, casual emails. In short communications, they work well. Without exclamation marks, my pithy statements may sound flat and expressionless, whereas when I insert them, my words spring to life and become lively, animated. They become more compelling, instantly. Yes, exclamation points are a shortcut, but they help to quickly communicate interest and enthusiasm.

Sometimes, far less often, guiltily, I use multiple exclamation marks in informal communications--my limit is usually two or three. I'm also a fan of "?!", which I use occasionally. I've heard it disparaged by traditional grammarians but I employ this configuration to express a sense of surprise and (usually) admiration: did she really go to Kazakhstan?! I think you get the picture.

What about you? How do you use exclamation points in various forms of writing?

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, visit Avis' blog, she reads and reads, and Naida's blog, the bookworm. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

The Smartest Woman I Know: Review and Giveaway

2011-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up in NYC, I had wonderful friends, many of whom were Jewish. During my years in junior high school, I often accompanied my Jewish friends to their grandparents' apartments after school, where I was treated to delicious snacks such as ice cold grapefruit soda and pretzel rods. Although I was a Gentile, I was always made to feel welcome, especially by their grandmothers, who offered me encouragement as I grew into a young woman, and I began to wish I had my own Jewish grandmother. (My own grandmothers were Armenian; one was loving and the other was hypercritical.) The Smartest Woman I Know is an ode to Jewish grandmothers everywhere, and to one in particular.

"THIS STORY IS MOSTLY about Ettie, all 4'10" of her. She was one of the smartest women I ever knew, even though she never made it past the third grade."
~The Smartest Woman I Know, Ilene Beckerman

While growing up in the late 1940s, author Ilene Beckerman lived with her grandmother, Lillie, nicknamed Ettie, and her grandfather, "Mr. Goldberg", for six years, while her older sister, Tootsie, lived with them for a year (until she got married). During this time, Ettie continued to work seven days a week at Goldberg's candy and stationery store, and Ilene, called Gingy, experienced firsthand the guidance and practical wisdom of her grandmother (''what you put in your stomach will make you feel better than what a man with a beard and an accent tells you about your mother"), which is lovingly shared in this funny, charming book. The Smartest Woman I Know features clever illustrations and photos, and is a lighthearted tribute to the author's grandmother. It brought back good memories from my own school days in NY--I love the city and always will. In my neighborhood in NY, we had a popular candy store called Stein's (not far from the pizza shop), that I visited all the time for red licorice rolls, LifeSavers, chocolate wafers, and other goodies (memory's selective--I mostly remember the candy, but they also carried other items, maybe even stationery like the store in the book). This book felt familiar and warm, and I spent part of a leisurely afternoon savoring it, and thinking quietly about my own past.

Terrific news! The publisher, Algonquin, is very generously offering a giveaway of this book to three lucky readers (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For one more chance at winning, tell us about a smart woman you admire in your own life.

Enter by 5PM PST on Monday, November 7. Three winners will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, November 8. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews, please visit TLC's book tour for The Smartest Woman I Know.

Really Random Tuesday #38: A Giveaway Winner and Something New

2011-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Darlene from Darlene's Book Nook, the winner of A Small Fortune by Audrey Braun, and Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed. These books were written by the same person; this author used a nom de plume for her first book, A Small Fortune (please refer to my interview with this author if you want to find out why). Darlene has an ample supply of great reading ahead!

If you didn't win these two books, "check out" the other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog. There's a plethora of book giveaways thanks to the generosity of many bloggers, authors, and publishers, so if you're a bonafide bibliophile or an empty-bellied bookworm, you might try your luck again.

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I wonder how many of you have switched to the new Blogger interface? I am trying it for the first time today, right now, a bit nervously, learning on the spot how to do things as I type up this post in a larger rectangle than previously (yay!). The new Blogger interface includes some nice, new features, such as underlining, which comes in handy for book titles (instead of inserting HTML code, the cumbersome method for underlining). You can also preview your post on your blog, to see how it will appear, so there are less surprises. At first, I was reluctant to use the new interface, because the old way is familiar and comfortable after using it for three years (even the different font throws me off, slightly), but I must admit that Blogger has made some terrific changes. (I felt the same way about the updated StatCounter, a bit wary initially, but it took me very little time to get used to it.) At this point in time, I'm still using both interfaces, switching back and forth. Hopefully, I'll learn all the ins and outs of the new interface before too long. Have you tried it out yet?

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Appearing on random Tuesdays (and Thursdays, once in a while), Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For another recent Really Random Tuesday post, visit Naida's blog, the bookworm. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

As always, thanks for reading!

Aloha Friday

2011-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Aloha readers! I discovered a new-to-me meme on Ann's Reading Corner today, Aloha Friday, hosted by Kailani from An Island Life. It's not a meme solely for book bloggers, but it caught my eye and I not only decided to try it, but added it to my Memes page as well. The idea is to take it easy on Friday, the start of the weekend, which is usually a time to relax. In keeping with this, the premise of this meme is to pose a simple question (one that doesn't require a lengthy response), and also to visit other participating blogs. For more details, and to read Kailani's post, please visit An Island Life.

Because this is a book blog, my question relates to reading. My question is (besides, how do I select a simple question?): how do I carve out some reading time when I know my weekend will be very busy in a social sense?

I'm sure I'm not the only book blogger or reader with this problem. I have some great reading to begin this weekend for my challenge, The Jodi Picoult Project--I just received my copy of The Pact in the mail and I can't wait to start reading it--but I'm not sure I'll be able to read much as this will be a very social weekend in a house full of people. I think I'll have to "play it by ear", to find moments when I can sequester myself and read for a bit (which is often how I manage to read, anyway). Or, I may have to postpone my reading for a few more days. Maybe my question is not that simple after all! If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Another Bad-Dog Book: Review and Giveaway

2011-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

"At some earlier point in time, I remembered liking my speech, but now it seemed silly and trite, an Up-With-People message, only I was the opposite of a perky, talented teenager. I could just see it now: a room full of three-hundred Winning Women, all pretending to listen to me, but secretly multitasking. Five minutes into my fifty-minute talk, the organization's president would usher me away from the podium."
~Another Bad-Dog Book, Joni B. Cole

What can I say about the fifth book by Joni B. Cole, Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior, published in 2011? For starters, but perhaps most importantly also, it made me laugh. This collection of twenty-eight personal essays is filled with numerous observations and anecdotes, and much of this book resonated with me. I could really relate to it! I have kids who shun me sometimes, I've felt not quite good enough or up to the task at hand, and like so many other women, who are, shall we say, getting older, I want to look and feel good--and young. At times, I found myself surprised at how similar to the author I am, and I felt a kinship with her. The author's honesty is wonderful--honesty is one of the things I look for in any kind of writing--and her voice is down-to-earth and real. And although the author pokes fun at herself, I discovered a sensitive and smart woman who is passionate about her profession as a writer, teacher, and speaker, as well as her family, including her "bad-dog", Eli.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The only niggle I had with it was the part about "Super Joni", in the first story. To me, it seemed just a bit out of place, a little too cutesy for the rest of the book. Hopefully, that's not the author's favorite part of the book.

Good news! The author is generously offering a giveaway for a signed copy of Another Bad-Dog Book to a lucky reader (U.S. only).

To enter this giveaway for this book, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, October 31. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, November 1. Good luck!

Special thanks to the author for sending me an advance review copy (ARC) of this book. Because the passage I've quoted is from an ARC, it may change in the final version.

Really Random Tuesday #37: The Jodi Picoult Project

2011-10-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am such a slouch.

My first Jodi Picoult book, My Sister's Keeper, which I read and reviewed on my blog in June of 2009, was quite a touching novel for me. After I read the book I went to see the movie (which differs from the book in some ways), and I cried throughout the film, much to my embarrassment, anticipating the sad events that would occur. I vowed to read more books by Jodi Picoult, who writes about contemporary subjects--but I haven't. Recently, I discovered that my teenage daughter has read more Jodi Picoult novels than me! As for reading challenges, I'm also a slacker; I'm reading challenge challenged, and often opt to read the minimum number of required books: one. With this in mind, I created a reading challenge for the purpose of "catching up" with my daughter and reading more than one book for a challenge, The Jodi Picoult Project, during which I plan to read three novels by this author, who writes so well about many of the issues most relevant to our times. I've already ordered two books, House Rules and The Pact, to get started, and will add a third title, probably Sing You Home (due out in paperback later this month). If you want to join in, commit to reading at least one novel by this prolific author. This reading challenge will run from October 2011 through October 2012. Feel free to "grab" the button below (subject to revision) and use it on your own blog.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays (and occasional Thursdays), Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For another recent Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

Thanks for reading!

A Conversation with Author Deborah Reed, and a Giveaway

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome, Deborah! I've just finished reading your books, A Small Fortune and Carry Yourself Back to Me, both published in 2011. I'd read an earlier version of A Small Fortune, and I must say that the newer version is even better than the first. Wow! Your writing is exceptional, and I enjoyed reading both books very much. Your first novel, A Small Fortune, is suspense fiction, which I found thrilling, while your latest book is literary fiction, which held my rapt attention. Why did you decide to write books in two different genres?

DR: I've been writing literary fiction for years and never tried my hand at mystery or any other genre. But in 2009 the publishing industry was in complete flux with most of the houses imploding and it was so difficult to get published as a new writer, especially in fiction. After reading an article about genre books weathering the recession, I decided on a whim to try my hand. I'd enjoyed books by Kate Atkinson and Benjamin Black and Lisa Unger, to name a few, so I gave it a shot. The result was A Small Fortune, which came to me very quickly and is, coincidentally, about a book editor who has gone from editing literary novels before the recession, to having to edit romance novels, as this is the only work she can find. As for Carry Yourself Back to Me, this is a novel long in the making, and a large piece of my heart.

2) Why did you write your first book, A Small Fortune, under a pen name (or nom de plume--it sounds so elegant in French), Audrey Braun, instead of using Deborah Reed?

DR: Originally, I used a pen name in case the book was a flop. That way no one would know it was me. Silly, for so many reasons, I know, but thank goodness the sales are doing great. And now that I have two books out in two different genres the pen name helps to differentiate between the two. A reader knows what to expect when they see Audrey Braun has written the book, and the same goes for Deborah Reed, who writes (now I'm writing about myself in third person--this can get a little confusing) character driven stories in a more careful prose style with a bit of southern Gothic thrown in.

(Deborah, your fears were unfounded. You can't go wrong with passages like this one in A Small Fortune :

"I've been an ungrateful, neglectful wife to Jonathan. A resentful mother to Oliver. They'll never know how sorry I am, how much I wish I could make it up to them. I'll never be able to tell them how in that moment my love for them wrenches my insides more violently than the fear of what might happen next.")

3) Of course, I usually assume that female protagonists are at least partially based on the character of the writer who brought them to life. How is Celia Donnelly from A Small Fortune like you? How is Annie Walsh from Carry Yourself Back to Me like you? Both characters are real and likable and strong women, and I rooted for them throughout the books.

DR: Celia Donnelly from A Small Fortune is like me in the sense that we're both raising a teenage son (I already have a former teenager out the door) who can be a challenge at times, and who wears ear buds all the time and plays the drums. I know all too well the stresses she feels while juggling being a mother and a wife and a professional. But I'd like to think her lack of self-awareness is not something we share. I do like how she takes the reins in this story and kicks some butt. I could do that. I think I could. I've also spent time in Puerto Vallarta and Zurich, and of course, I live in Portland, not far from where Celia used to live in the story.

As for Annie Walsh in Carry Yourself Back to Me. Oh, Annie. I love her. She is in so many ways, the me who went in another direction. The one who followed her love of music and stayed in Florida after all. She is very much me from an emotional standpoint. Her sense of loss and melancholy, her take on nature and love and music. All of those things are a huge part of me. But I would also add that most of the characters in this novel are a part of me too. Flawed, fumbling, trying to do better, asking for forgiveness. That's me, but I guess it's all of us, too.

(I think you're right, Deborah. Like your protagonists, we fumble and we stumble, and we keep on trying.)

4) Which genre did you prefer writing, if either?

DR: Both are pleasurable in their own ways. Suspense is way more fun in the sense of entertaining myself. My imagination runs wild and I don't have to hold it back. It's great fun and the writing comes quickly. Literary fiction, however, is a lot harder to write. It's more time consuming, and painful, trying to get at the truth of something in a more meaningful way. It's more character (instead of plot) driven, and requires very close attention at the sentence level. But it is also more satisfying. The intent is that all the hard work should create something beautiful and meaningful and illuminate a truth or two. At least that is what I strive for.

(Your writing in Carry Yourself Back to Me is beautiful. Here's an example from early in the book:

"Cold fog quiets the birds and shifts like hot steam above Lake Winsor in the east. Minutes earlier hailstones sliced past Annie's bedroom window and skipped off the ground like pearls on concrete, escaping in all directions. The timer on the coffee pot had already gone off, and Annie dressed quickly in a fleece and jeans, her red rubber boots with the knobby black soles. She emerged onto the porch as if from a cave, coffee sloshing down her wrist, Detour stumbling at her heels the way old dogs do, scared old dogs, with no direction."

Gorgeous prose. I'm compelled to accompany literary fiction with a generous helping of ambiance, a cup of tea or cinnamon-scented coffee, a lit candle, and a pet or two nearby for quiet company. And when I read literary fiction, it incites me to improve my own writing.)

5) I think what made both books work for me is your exquisite attention to detail, which brought the characters and situations to life, but never became tedious. How did you achieve this?

DR: One of my favorite aspects of writing is portraying a sense of place. I love to immerse myself in the detail of the scene. I travel a lot and have lived in many different places in the world, and the detail of place always inspires me--the sounds and smells and sights--I try to make a point of absorbing it all in real life for my own satisfaction, and then recreating these things in my writing for the reader's satisfaction. And since I don't get to travel as much as I'd like, spending time in other places inside my head can be the next best thing.

6) Do you have a writing schedule or certain portion of the day or night allotted for writing? Are you a disciplined writer? Please share a photo of your work space with us.

DR: I'm an extremely disciplined writer. Mornings are best for me. My mind feels ready to go from the moment I wake up. It's a deeply ingrained habit to sit down with a cup of coffee and go. My mind and body expect it and respond to it as a natural part of the day. In fact, when I don't write I get a little cranky, and the whole day feels thrown off.

Deborah's work space is clean and classic, with a mid-century design. According to the author, it's no coincidence that the Swiss bank lobby in A Small Fortune features some of her favorite furniture designs. The dog you can see a bit of here always seems to get into Deborah's photographs. His name is Lou. Lou Reed.

7) What advice do you have for aspiring writers, particularly women?

DR: I wish someone had told me long ago that it's alright to write horribly. That most of what initially comes out isn't very good. I would have stopped beating myself up sooner. My advice is, let it out and then shape it into the thing you want it to resemble more closely. Rewrites are key to getting the manuscript right. Also, perseverance. It takes a long time to learn this craft and even when you're halfway decent there's still more to learn. Be a student of writing, always, and read, read, read.

(As for the second part of the question, Deborah didn't address my query specifically about women writers. In her words, "I tried to, but it just kept getting longer and longer. I could write an entire essay on that one, which says to me that it's best for another interview on such a hot button topic that fills me with frustration. In other words, don't get me started...;)")

8) Is there a new book in the works, and if so, can you can tell us something about it?

DR: There are two new books in the works. My Audrey Braun novel is close to finished. It's about the same characters in A Small Fortune, several years later. This one takes place in the south of France--a place I just went to for the first time earlier this year. The story focuses on Benny, Benicio's nephew. The novel is due out next year, but we'll see. I need to hurry up with it! The other project is a literary novel by Deborah Reed, and, like Carry Yourself Back to Me, it takes place in Central Florida, where I used to live. It's the story of three generations of estranged women and how an incident decades earlier changed the lives of everyone in as many ways. Family secrets, a cantankerous grandmother, and two adorable little sisters figure prominently in this one.

I'd hoped there' d be a sequel to A Small Fortune! And more literary fiction sounds wonderful! Thanks very much for doing this interview with me, Deborah. I truly enjoyed our conversation, and think my readers will, too.

Exciting news! The author is very generously offering a giveaway for a signed copy of both books, A Small Fortune and Carry Yourself Back to Me, to one reader (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway for both books, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For one more chance, answer this bonus question: what is your favorite genre (or genres), and why?

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, October 17. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday, October 18.

Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to Deborah and Jessica for providing advance reader copies (ARCs) of these books. The passages quoted above may differ slightly in the final versions of these novels.

Really Random Tuesday #36: A Book Winner and a Pretty Dwarf

2011-09-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Please congratulate Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea, the randomly chosen winner of Creating an Orange Utopia by Patricia Ortlieb and Peter Economy. Thanks to all who entered the giveaway, and special thanks to everyone who helped publicize this giveaway. If you didn't win this book, which tells the story of Eliza Lovell Tibbets, please take a look at the others I have listed on the right side of my blog, and stay tuned for more giveaways to be featured in the near future.

In honor of Eliza Tibbets, and in celebration of Patricia's birthday, I recently planted a dwarf navel orange tree on our property. This is our first navel orange tree, and I've named her Eliza in honor of this pioneer, who changed the course of history in Southern California. With any luck, Eliza will bear fruit within a few years.

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In the book department, I've been busy reading lately, instead of posting on my blog. (Some of you book bloggers are incredible; you read an enormous amount of books and manage to post quite frequently!) I've just finished two terrific books, A Small Fortune by Audrey Braun, and Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed. I'll be posting an interview with the author (yes, she is one person!) as well as a special giveaway for both books this Friday, September 30. Currently, I'm savoring a little gem of a book, Don'ts for Wives by Blanche Ebbutt, published in 1913, which I learned about on Petty's blog, Pen and Paper. My nightly reading has been a soothing antidote to the stress of my days. The bookmark featured in the photo is a handmade creation from BookQuoter. :)

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm, and Avis' blog, she reads and reads. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

As always, thanks for reading!

Creating an Orange Utopia: Review and Giveaway

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you savor the sweetness of California navel oranges (look Ma, no seeds!), you have Eliza Lovell Tibbets to thank.

Eliza who?

A casual conversation with her granddaughter, Eleanor, led Patricia Ortlieb (my lovely stepmother-in-law) on a quest that would change her life in a profound way, and which should also change the presentation of California history. While working on a fourth-grade project, Eleanor asked Patricia about Eliza Lovell Tibbets' role in CA history, and Patricia started researching the life of her great-great grandmother with a new zeal and purpose. Eleanor's inquiry led to this highly-readable, informative book, and with the help of writer Peter Economy, Patricia became the author of Creating an Orange Utopia: Eliza Lovell Tibbets and the Birth of California's Citrus Industry, published in September of 2011.

Well-written and thoroughly researched (Patricia visited many of the places where Eliza had lived, and uncovered numerous official records and documents, as well as personal correspondence), this is a wonderful book for students and others interested in learning about the beginnings of the citrus industry in Riverside, CA, and about a great woman who was an ardent American Spiritualist and abolitionist. Creating an Orange Utopia pays tribute to a very important person in California history, especially with regard to Riverside and surrounding areas, Eliza Tibbets (1825 - 1898).

In 1873, Eliza Tibbets brought the first seedless navel orange trees, originally from Bahia, Brazil to Riverside, CA, and fostered the beginning of California's citrus industry. Given two young saplings from a friend at the United States Department of Agriculture, Eliza cared for the trees, watering them with leftover dishwater, as irrigation was not yet available. From this very humble, uncertain beginning, the trees flourished, the citrus industry grew tremendously, and soon Eliza became known as "the mother" of this industry.

"Once the navel orange was introduced to Riverside, the acreage devoted to the fruit expanded rapidly. In 1880, Tom Cover alone reported having budded seven hundred trees to the navel orange. Between 1880 and 1893, California's acreage devoted to navel orange production exploded from three thousand to more than forty thousand acres. "
~Creating an Orange Utopia, Patricia Ortlieb and Peter Economy

Patricia Ortlieb took on the task of researching Eliza's life in depth--I appreciate all the years of hard work and research that went into Creating and Orange Utopia--and the result is a book that's educational and a pleasure to read. What makes the book especially involving and intelligent are the bits of personal correspondence woven seamlessly into the book. It's difficult to ascertain events from the past, but through the use of letters and records the authors do a terrific job, and I was able to get a good sense of this pioneer. (I'd love to see a movie made about her life, using this book as a basis.) The book also includes some black and white photos of Eliza and family members.

It's time that Eliza Tibbets is recognized for her great contribution to CA history (women are so often overlooked or ignored altogether in history; we are not seen as contributing in any real sense; we are not explorers nor inventors nor conquerors nor kings). But, in the case of Eliza Tibbets, due to her desire to find a marketable crop for her family and Riverside, due to her vision and diligence, and due also to her "feminine" ability to nurture living things--in this case little tree saplings--she altered the course of history in a positive and lucrative manner. Navel oranges brought great wealth to Riverside, and the citrus industry expanded into new towns such as Redlands, Tustin, Corona, and Pomona, dramatically changing the landscape and the course of CA history. Creating an Orange Utopia is the first book I know of about the life of Eliza Tibbets, and I'm thrilled to offer a copy of this book as a giveaway at the conclusion of this post.

In addition to writing this book, Patricia has also highlighted the contribution of Eliza Tibbets in other ways.

Patricia is a talented artist. Here, she's pictured with the giant orange she painted to commemorate her great-great grandmother, called Eliza's Journey. This brilliantly-colored orange was part of a larger exhibition in 2006 of 32 oranges painted by various artists, and is on permanent display outside of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum in Southern CA.

Patricia helped bring an 11-foot bronze statue of Eliza Tibbets, Sower's Dream by artist Guy Angelo Wilson, to downtown Riverside, near to the elegant and historic Mission Inn in August 2011, the first public sculpture honoring a woman in Riverside.

In celebration of Eliza Tibbets and the publication of Creating an Orange Utopia, I'm having a giveaway for a copy of this book to a reader (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, September 26. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday, September 27. Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Really Random Tuesday #35: Winner of Zan-Gah Books, and BBAW

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Prehistoric fiction was new to me until fairly recently, and now it has me completely captivated. I believe that Patti, the lucky winner of a set of three Zan-Gah books by Allan Richard Shickman, Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, and Dael and the Painted People, will feel the same way. This set of books is unique and very enjoyable to read. Congratulations, Patti!

If you didn't win these books, you may be tempted to enter the other book giveaways listed on the side of my blog.

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Book Blogger Appreciation Week is here, September 12 - September 16. I haven't done much in this regard yet, except to read a few of the related posts of others. To be honest, I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging, and am having a hard time catching up. But, BBAW is a great way to meet new book bloggers, and to show appreciation for "old" book blogger friends as well (make new friends, but keep the old. . . ). I know a great deal of effort went into the planning of BBAW, and I'll hopefully participate in an activity (meme?) or two this week. What are your favorite activities during BBAW?

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, visit Avis' blog, she reads and reads, Veens' blog, Giving Reading a Chance, and Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

As always, your comments are welcomed.

Really Random Tuesday #34: The Gap Year Winner, and BBAW 2011

2011-08-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Tiffany Drew, the winner of The Gap Year, a new novel by Sarah Bird that I thoroughly enjoyed. My daughter (who chose the winning name from a hat) is reading the book now, and she seems to really like it as well.

If you didn't win this book giveaway, don't despair! I have other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog, and many more on the way.

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Two, four, six, eight
Who do we appreciate?

You may have noticed the banners on various book blogs recently. Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) is almost here! Created in 2008 by Amy Riley from My Friend Amy, this year it will be held from September 12 - September 16. BBAW is a chance to meet other book bloggers who share a love of books and the joy of reading. It only takes a few moments to register for BBAW, and there are numerous activities planned, such as giveaways, interviews, guest posts, awards, and more. It should be a lot of fun.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. For other recent Really Random Tuesday (and Thursday) posts, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews, Avis' blog, she reads and reads, Naida's blog, the bookworm, and Leslie's blog, Under My Apple Tree. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

Thanks for reading! Your comments are welcomed.

Dael and the Painted People: Review and Giveaway

2011-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Their song could not continue; it was too dangerous to do anything that might draw the attention of enemies.
~Dael and the Painted People, Allan Richard Shickman

Think you have problems? Imagine a primitive world of warriors and hunters, teeming with wild animals such as bears and boars, a time of fierce competition for the basic necessities of food and shelter. Imagine the need to huddle outdoors with others in makeshift beds at night for warmth, and to always be vigilant. This is the world that author Allan Richard Shickman presents in rich and vivid detail. The new book in the Zan-Gah series, Dael and the Painted People, focuses on Dael, Zan-Gah's tormented twin brother, who is haunted by Hurnoa and his past actions, which have all too often stemmed from his uncontrolled fury. Accompanied by Sparrow, his new, quiet companion, they embark on a journey and discover a land of red rocks and crimson people, and things slowly start to change.

Wow! It will be difficult to convey even one tenth of my enthusiasm for this book--or this series. I read Dael and the Painted People with rapt attention over the course of a day. Initially, I didn't expect to be enthralled by books set in prehistoric days, but once again, I was absolutely (and willingly) transported back in time to a way of life stripped down to the bare essentials--food, shelter, and a touch of friendship and love. These books have enormous appeal to me (maybe I would be happy camping out in the wilderness). Imaginative and brimming with action and emotion, life here is presented as a daily struggle for survival, although in this book, cooperation and trust begin to supplant mere brawn and aggression. Although these books are for young adults, older readers should also enjoy them--I certainly did!

Does the prehistoric world of Zan-Gah also sound appealing to you? Earthshaker Books is generously offering a set of these three books, which includes Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure, Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, and the newest book, available to readers August 30, 2011, Dael and the Painted People, as a giveaway to one lucky reader in the U.S.. (Aren't book bloggers lucky? Frequently we're invited to read new books, sometimes before they're even published.)

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, September 12. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday, September 13. Good luck!

Special thanks to Bonnie from Earthshaker Books for sending me this book.

The Gap Year: Review and Giveaway

2011-08-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

"Adolescence is perhaps nature's way of preparing parents to welcome the empty nest."
~The Good Stepmother, Karen Savage and Patricia Adams

Written in alternating perspectives, a mother and daughter reveal the events, thoughts, and feelings they experience over the course of about a year in The Gap Year, a novel by Sarah Bird, published in July 2011. As the mother of teenagers who drive me crazy at times (and vice versa, I'm sure), including a daughter who'll start college at the end August, I was interested in reading this book, in which a mother worries about her college-bound daughter. But I didn't know much more about the book or the author, and I had no idea if I'd truly enjoy reading this new novel.

Without further delay, I'll come right out and say that reading The Gap Year was a wonderful experience; I read most of it while in flight from NYC to San Diego recently. Instead of fretting about periods of turbulence, I was immersed in the worlds of the likable main characters, Camille Lightsey, a single mother and lactation consultant, and her daughter, Aubrey, a 17-year-old high school senior who's starting to become more independent. People talk about perfect beach reads, but for me, this book was the perfect airplane read.

In fact, I was so engrossed in the book that my 14-year-old daughter, sitting to my left on the plane, took note and turned her head to also read it (and told me to hurry and finish it, so that she could read it soon, by herself). Later during the flight, the man in my row by the window, whom I'd conversed with only briefly and perfunctorily (don't bother me, I'm reading), also noticed my intent reading and said that he wanted to read this book as well. The Gap Year is touching and funny (I laughed out loud more than once) and realistic, and I simply basked in it. In addition to my appreciation of the author's wit and fluid writing style, this book also made me decide to react more sensitively toward my teenaged daughters. Time and experience have toughened me up a great deal, but I certainly remember the overly sensitive days of my (boy-crazy) youth, and the extreme self-consciousness that was sometimes paralyzing; I realized while reading this that my daughters (and daughters everywhere) are struggling to become independent, to become themselves, and that I should respect their feelings and efforts, and back off some. Based on my enjoyment of this book, I'd really like to read more of Sarah Bird's work, which consists of eight novels.

Great news! Alfred A. Knopf Publishers is generously offering a copy of The Gap Year as a giveaway to a lucky reader (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, August 22. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday, August 23. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me an uncorrected proof of this book. I did not quote from the book for that reason (sometimes I do bend the rules a tad, but in this case I chose not to). For other reviews of this novel, please visit the other stops on TLC's The Gap Year book blog tour.

Scene of the Blog

2011-08-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm investigated on Scene of the Blog, a feature that spotlights the creative spaces of book bloggers around the world, created and hosted by Cathy from Kittling: Books. Please stop by and "check out" my blogging space when you get a chance. Thanks very much!

Really Random Tuesday #33: The Lake Winner, Carlo's Bake Shop, and the Case of the Missing Followers

2011-08-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Should I change the name of this blog from Suko's Notebook to The Really Random Tuesday Blog? Because I've posted little else lately! Soon, though, I'll return to more serious bookish things (such as reviews), so please bear with me. In the meantime, here are my random bits.

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The randomly chosen winner of The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto is Hira, from Chronicles of an Enamored Soul. Many congratulations, Hira! I'll be sending you a hardcover copy of the book very soon, compliments of Melville Publishing of Brooklyn, NY. (I was prepared to send this book out of the country if necessary, but my daughter drew a name close to home.)

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While in NYC recently on vacation, visiting with family, we also ventured to Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ. Although I only recently discovered the TV show that made this Italian and American bakery famous (during Memorial Day weekend 2011), I was charmed by Cake Boss, and promised my daughters that we'd try to visit the shop on our trip back east. In order to visit this world-famous bakery, we woke up very early and took the PATH train from NY to Hoboken (a quick, pleasant ride), and arrived at the shop at about 7 AM, when the bakery opens for business. We waited outside the bakery on line (my two daughters are pictured at the end of the line) and were handed a number, and before we knew it, we were inside, and treated to appearances by both Grace and Frankie. I even high-fived Frankie after he waved to the crowd in the shop (pictured), because he was right in front of me and posed to do so. Of course, we bought a few treats (including my morning coffee, pictured) and T-shirts, and then sat outside the store enjoying them before walking around Hoboken, a picturesque city with a waterfront view of NY. This excursion to Carlo's Bake Shop was great fun.

Click on photos to enlarge them.

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Oh where, oh where have my Followers gone? Or where, oh where can they be? Their tiny square photos have been missing on my blog, although they're visible when I view my blog on my iPhone, adding to the mystery of this case. I think this may be a Blogger problem--is it affecting other fellow bloggers? (Other images, on older posts, are missing as well, and this is rather annoying, as I spend a lot of time working on posts.) Please, Blogger, get this resolved--I hate these occasional glitches--and I hope to be able to see my Fantastic Followers (and other images) again soon.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm, Avis' blog, she reads and reads, and Leslie's blog, Under My Apple Tree.

Really Random Tuesday #32: Breaktime

2011-07-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

When I crave a break on hot days, I brew some iced coffee. Last summer I rediscovered coffee, mostly in the form of iced coffee, after a long break from it. If you like the flavor of coffee, iced coffee is a delicious summer treat. I add unsweetened soymilk or coconut milk and lots of ice to strong coffee for an energizing drink.

About a year ago, we bought a Keurig machine (which has an iced coffee setting) and I really love it (although I recently acquired a small French press which I also enjoy using). Sara from One Cup Connection contacted me recently about some great deals on K-Cups, brewers, and accessories, because she had read a past post in which I mentioned my wonderful Keurig machine. They even have a deal on my favorite K-Cups, Newman's Own Special Blend, a bold, organic coffee.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Did you know?

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth.

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I won't be posting (or visiting other blogs) again until next month. I'm taking a short blogging break to spend time with family, but I'll be back to announce the winner of The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto in early August, and will post a new review and giveaway for The Gap Year by Sarah Bird, so please stay tuned.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Veens' blog, Giving Reading a Chance, and Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews. Veens is the talented designer of my new, snazzy button, which I adore.

Thanks for reading!

Really Random Tuesday #31: Congrats to. . .

2011-07-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Veens from Giving Reading a Chance is the winner of my button contest. This is the gorgeous button she designed for me. Isn't it spiffy? Congratulations and thank you, Veens! I think it's perfect for this meme (although I'm not quite ready to retire my "vintage" logo, but will include both in these posts for a while). Veens has won a $25 Amazon gift card. (I still love Amazon, even though I am no longer an Amazon Associate. Amazon terminated its contracts with CA residents, because Gov. Jerry Brown and his peeps decided that online retailers need to collect CA sales taxes--as if we don't all pay enough taxes already. Anyway, I read in the newspaper today that Amazon is seeking a referendum to get CA voters to decide on whether to overturn this new law, which sounds more fair to me.)

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. I use this meme frequently to announce giveaway winners. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

I have quite a few Really Random posts to mention here. Most are from last Tuesday, but a few are from today. I know you'll enjoy each of them, listed here in random (naturally) order. Please visit Avis' blog, she reads and reads, Leslie's blog, Under My Apple Tree, Sam's blog, Booked On a Feeling, Naida's blog, the bookworm, Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews, Veens' blog, Giving Reading a Chance, and Raimy-rawr's blog, Readaraptor, for other recent Really Random Tuesday posts. As always, thanks for reading!

The Lake: Review and Giveaway

2011-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Having recently lost my mother, this book struck a chord in my heart immediately. As I began reading I had an uncanny sense that this was exactly the book I was supposed to be reading, to help me with my own grieving, and to help me sort out my feelings about my mother's death--and her life. My blog is dedicated to the memory of my mother (I may add a formal dedication at a later date); I've connected my mother to my blog since its inception (she was a great supporter and even left a few comments, incognito), and she was, up until her illness, cancer, overwhelmed her entire being, always positive and encouraging about this endeavor.

"Now that I was back in the real world, the dream didn't seem so sad. The sense of my mom, of her presence, kept radiating warmly through my chest, though I still didn't feel any affection for the town where I'd grown up."
~The Lake, Banana Yoshimoto

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto was originally published in Japanese in 2005, and was translated into English by Michael Emmerich in 2011. The book is the story of a young woman, Chihiro, who moves to Tokyo after the death of her mother. She is deeply saddened by the loss, but also feels at the age of twenty-nine a sense of freedom in a new city where she's unknown and works as a muralist. At the beginning of the book, Chihiro, the protagonist, states that she has just had a dream in which her deceased mother spoke to her, enveloped in a beautiful haze. (I dreamed my own mother was in a small, white car the other night, and I hope to see her in another dream soon.) After the mention of the dream the narrator reminisces about her mother's hospital stay and romance with her father, and other events central to her mother's life. This novel made me miss my own mother, but also brought to mind her lasting presence and influence in my heart and mind.

Windows are important in this book--perhaps they represent the barrier or pathway between inner and outer life, or something of that nature--and Chihiro gazes out her window at a young man she has grown to like, who is also gazing back at her just as often. From their respective windows, they very slowly begin a sweet romance. Chihiro finds Nakajima quite beautiful (in an offbeat way). His mother is also deceased, and Chihiro knows he misses her love.

"And I could see that no one else in the world would ever be able to love him the way his mother must have loved him."
~The Lake, Banana Yoshimoto

Gradually, Chihiro and Nakajima fall in love and begin to spend more and more time together. When Nakajima wants to take Chihiro to the lake to meet two of his friends, Mino and Chii, who live in a tiny, tidy house, Chihiro senses that this is a very emotional event for Nakajima, which may help her to understand him better. At the shimmering lake, Chihiro is captivated by Nakajima's unusual friends; she understands how special they are, and greatly appreciates the wonderful tea Mino brews for her, a simple yet great pleasure.

Unpretentiously written in plain language, this reflective book is about our relationships with the important people in our lives--parents, significant others, friends, ourselves. The author's characters are quirky and reflective and likable. Banana Yoshimoto once again demonstrates a beautiful simplicity of expression, even of the most profound subjects: death, love, and friendship.

Good news! Melville House Publishing generously gave me an extra copy of The Lake to offer as a giveaway. Because I have readers around the world, this giveaway is international.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For an extra chance, name a simple pleasure you enjoy.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, August 1. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, August 2.

This is my first review for the Japanese Literature Challenge 5, created and hosted by Dolce Bellezza. Special thanks to Nathan from Melville House Publishing for sending me these books.

An Interview with Author Bogdan Tiganov

2011-07-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

"You're telling us how everything's rosy and how we're the best but I don't see that on the table. My table's empty and I'm hungry. The electricity's gone off. We light some candles. The walls start shaking and so does the floor."
~A Personal History of a City Called Brăila, The Wooden Tongue Speaks, Bogdan Tiganov

Having very recently read The Wooden Tongue Speaks ~ Romanians: Contradictions & Realities by writer and publisher Bogdan Tiganov, I'm honored to have had the opportunity to interview the outspoken author of this original, often arresting work. I must admit that I worried that my questions for Bogdan would not be edgy enough--and they probably weren't--but he kindly completed the interview for me. I should also admit that my knowledge of Romania before reading The Wooden Tongue Speaks was scant; now I feel as if I at least have a sense of the people of Romania, garnered through this author's lucid and evocative work.

1) Welcome, Bogdan. Your book, The Wooden Tongue Speaks - Romanians: Contradictions & Realities is a collection of short stories as well as poetry, set in post-Ceaușescu and post-Cold War Romania. Often startlingly honest, your words depict life in Romania in a realistic way, rather than giving readers a sugar-coated, watered-down version of it. Please tell us something about your background, and the inspiration for this unique collection of prose and poetry, published in 2010.

BT: I was born in a totalitarian state and then spent eleven years as a refugee. Life wasn't easy and hard work and dedication were the only way to get through the hardships my family and I endured. I experienced communism first hand and also went through the exile experience.

As a writer, I'm not interested in sugar-coating anything. There's enough sugar and spice to be had by telling it like it is. I don't want to patronise people through my writing, I just want the writing to affect them. I don't want a neutral reaction to my work. I don't do beach reads.

2) The first story in the book, A Personal History of a City Called Brăila seems at least partially autobiographical and captures the character of a Romanian city most of us know little about. The very next story, An Interview, is about a young woman, Darina, who wants to apply for a job as an au pair in America, and subsequent stories are about a variety of characters with different perspectives (a 43-year-old man who wants to get married to alleviate his loneliness, an old woman trying to apply for disability). Was your goal or intent to bring many everyday Romanian people to life, men and women of all ages?

BT: My goal was to go beyond clichés. Most people know very little about Romania, apart from what a right wing media might focus on (gypsies, orphans, thieves etc). Most of the stories in this book are written from experience, or based on stories I heard from others, showing the character of Romanians, the problems they face, their spirit and humour.

And if it's grim, or upsetting, well that's just the way it is. For millions have left and are leaving Romania in order to earn a living. The old are left behind to deal with their loneliness, middle-aged people are lost in wild democracy, the young dream of instant riches and Western goods.

Another goal was to deliver the literature equivalent of the Romanian New Wave cinema, which has gained positive reviews around the world. The story of the old woman applying for disability allowance, for example, shows the absurdity of a system grounded in deceit, mini dictators in every establishment just waiting to abuse their power.

3) The Poet of A Thousand Love Poems, features a supporting character named Bogdan in it. Are you making a cameo appearance in your own story?

BT: No, I'm not. Bogdan is a popular name in Romania. The story is actually about my childhood best friend, whose name is also Bogdan.

4) Tremendous frustration with life is a recurring theme in your stories. Men anger quickly, curse freely, and resort to alcohol abuse, and violence, domestic and otherwise, often ensues. What social, economic, and/or historical factors created or contributed to this sense of frustration, which you depict so vividly, in your stories?

BT: Romania was an extremely closed off country, more so than other communist states of the Soviet era. Nevertheless, the infrastructure was such that certain individuals had built up their future investments before the Iron Curtain dropped (see Kapitalism Our Improved Formula: http://www.alexandrusolomon.ro/kapitalism-our-improved-formula-2/#more-152). So when the Revolution of 1989 happened and Ceaușescu conveniently wiped out, a certain imbalance grew to an unimaginable scale. This is a country in which important people never stand trial. Never. No matter what they do. Here you buy your jobs. When you go for an interview you'd better have lots of money ready. And there is a certain amount of sentimental yearning for the old days, while, at the same time, cheap television programs blast confusion and fantasies into the minds of desperate individuals.

Romanian society is very patriarchal. Alcohol abuse is very common. And when you mix the two you get domestic abuse. The mental health system is extremely poor. Care of the elderly is practically non-existent. These are the themes I dissect in The Wooden Tongue Speaks.

5) Do you think conditions for both men and women have improved in Romania since you wrote this book? Is life less harsh today for Romanian people?

BT: If anything, life is worse. The financial crisis has hit Romania hard. Now the struggle to find jobs has reached a new level of mania. Words like "hope" are brandished far too easily around in the UK. It means nothing to your average Romanian. It's just another word, a linguistic exercise. People there are used to working for nothing. Work in itself is better that sitting around being bashed over the head with expectations from family.

(How sad! That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for your continued frankness, Bogdan.)

6) Poetry also plays a part in The Wooden Tongue Speaks. Some of the stories are formatted in an unusual, poetic manner, and the last section of this book consists solely of poems. Below is the first stanza of HOME, which I can imagine being set to music (in other words, it has rhythm):

Home's like, home's like this
Walking down streets gypsies on
Street corners chasing me
Wanting a lock of hair for good luck.

Here are a few lines from another poem in the book:

ALL MY LIFE

Been sticking my neck out
For truth,
Only to be lying
All day long.

Why did you decide to include poetry in this collection?

BT: Originally, this book was two separate collections and the poetry was a full length collection in itself. I first published this book in 2008 and the publishers at the time suggested that combining the two might work best. Being a fan of Bukowski's sprawling works, I agreed and felt that the poetry added something to the stories. A few more angles to the subjects I dealt with. Also, I've written poetry for many years and feel it's one of my strong points as a writer.

(Yes, the poems are excellent, and add another dimension or layer to your work.)

7) Tell us about your company, Honest Publishing, a British independent book publisher, and your philosophy of publishing "uncompromising raw voices".

BT: Having been around publishing since the age of fourteen, I worked out soon enough that publishing, like any other business, is market driven. I realised that rejection wasn't necessarily about not being good enough but about not fitting into a certain program. Not ticking the big sales box. The edgy, independent stuff wasn't edgy enough or agenda free enough for my liking. So I got together with a couple of friends and decided to do something about it.

Honest Publishing is a very small company and we rely on help from volunteers and word of mouth. But we believe in what we stand for. Writing with an edge, distinctive voices that you won't read anywhere else. Stuff the big boys shy away from. We're currently working on our fifth book, Homegirl! by Ryder Collins, and we're looking to sign up a few more writers this year.

8) Bogdan, is there a new book or project in the works, and what are you willing to tell us about it?

BT: There are several projects that I've started in the last couple of years. At present, though, I'm spending time on the publishing rather than on my writing (except for the occasional blog post on the Honest Publishing site). One day I hope to mix the two in a more even fashion.

I'll give you an idea of the stuff I've been working on:

Colour poems - I have about thirty colour poems done in which I explore the relationship between colour and words
Memoirs - mainly of my time spent as a refugee - I want to write a refugee book that's far more rounded than others I've read
Novel - got a few ideas for a novel, the issue is which one will prove to be strongest

Thank you for doing this interview, Bogdan. I enjoyed working with you. Your answers are truly thoughtful and informative, and your ideas for future projects sound exciting, worth the diligence they'll require. And, of course, best of luck with Honest Publishing!

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Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Really Random Tuesday #30: Another Book Winner, an Angel Cat, and a Button Contest

2011-06-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Nancye is the randomly chosen winner of Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz. Congratulations, Nancye!

If you didn't win this time, please don't despair because there are other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog, and more on the way.

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Really Random Tuesday is a good venue for pet pictures.

Mugsy with Angel Cats book

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BUTTON CONTEST

Help! I could use some design help. I don't have Photoshop, so I quickly designed a logo for this meme with CoolText many months ago. But, as I've mentioned before, I'd like to have a button for this meme. I will award a $25 Amazon gift card to the person who designs the best button for Really Random Tuesday, preferably one which reflects the random, eclectic nature of the meme and includes my blog URL on it, suko95.blogspot.com, if possible. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, July 12, and feature the button in future Really Random Tuesday posts. Please email your button artwork by Monday, July 11 to me: suko95(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks! (If I don't get any suitable entries, I'll continue to use the current logo.)

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Really Random Tuesday #29: Book Winner and The Lake

2011-06-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Please congratulate Zibilee from Raging Bibliomania, the winner of Thoughts Without Cigarettes by novelist Oscar Hijuelos. I think you'll enjoy reading this thoughtful book, Zibilee. Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway. I have many other current book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog, so be sure to take a look and enter the ones that interest you.

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Other bookish "news": I won four (!) books from a thousand Books with Quotes. Thank you, BookQuoter! I'm currently reading The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto for Dolce Bellezza's Japanese Literature Challenge 5 (behold the gorgeous button, below). But why should you care what I'm reading? After all, I'm just a two-bit book blogger. Well, hopefully my review of The Lake will give you an idea of what the book's about and whether this book interests you. And Melville House Publishing generously gave me an extra copy of the book to give away, so please stay tuned for my review and giveaway.

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Unfinished Business: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

"There were signs in these boxes that there had been a better me: a more curious, adventurous, and compassionate individual who had taken risks to do the right thing. Too often, though, my fears had taken over, creating the unfinished business that kept holding me back."
~Unfinished Business, Lee Kravitz

Ten boxes of stuff that have been stored for thirteen years lead to a unique and fulfilling year for Lee Kravitz, a workaholic who has just lost his job as editor-in-chief of Parade magazine. As he goes through the contents of the boxes, his trip down memory lane leads to the realization that there is more than a bit of unfinished business he needs to take care of, in the present day. Letters from relatives and assorted items remind him of the people and events from his past, and he decides to take action. He starts by visiting his Aunt Fern, who he has not seen in fifteen years, which is a heart-warming experience. After meeting with Fern, Lee Kravitz meets with many of the other people who were important to him from his past, and he describes these encounters in a clear and candid way in this book, which was published in 2010.

I enjoyed reading Unfinished Business: One Man's Extraordinary Year of Trying to Do the Right Things. This book is a good reminder that life is short and that the time to act is now. Reach out to others before it's too late, make amends, send notes (or email), reconnect. With all the means we have today, including social media, it's easier than ever to find the people we've lost touch with. (I try to do a lot of what's covered in this book already, on a regular basis, because I don't like to be weighed down by unfinished business.) Lee Kravitz's book is honest, touching, and inspiring.

Good news! The publisher, Bloomsbury USA, is generously offering a copy of Unfinished Business as a giveaway (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For an extra chance, describe some unfinished business you'd like to take care of.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, June 27. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, June 28. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of this book, please visit the other stops on the TLC's Unfinished Business book blog tour.

Really Random Tuesday #28: Book Winners and Baked Greens

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've chosen random winners for my two most recent book giveaways. Leslie from Under My Apple Tree has won A Game of Character by Craig Robinson, and Amy from The House of the Seven Tails has won Perfectly Untraditional by Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Congratulations to both of you! I hope you'll enjoy reading these books as much as I did.

If you didn't win today, please take a look at the other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.

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Baked greens, anyone? The traditional way to cook Southern greens is to boil or simmer them slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time until they are very soft and no longer bitter. My friend, Eriko, told me how to bake them. I know--this has absolutely nothing to do with books. Zilch! But they are delicious and easy to make, and you can munch on them while reading, if you want a connection to books (however tenuous). To make them, you'll need mixed greens. I found a huge bag of turnips, mustard, collards, and spinach from Trader Joe's (for a bargain price, only $2.29!). They aren't organic, but if I ever see an organic version I'll get it, even if I have to pay a bit more. Rinse the greens (even though they are prewashed) and pat them dry. Spread greens on a pan and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over them (not too much or they will become soggy), mix them for a moment to spread the oil, and then sprinkle them with salt (and pepper and other spices, if desired). I use Himalayan pink salt crystals, also from Trader Joe's (one of my favorite grocers). Bake at 350º for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are somewhat crispy, turning them occasionally and making sure they don't get too brown. They are wonderful! They taste kind of like crisp seaweed, so if that flavor appeals to you then you will enjoy these.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please also visit Avis' blog, she reads and reads, Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, and Naida's blog, the bookworm. These terrific book bloggers "make my Tuesday" whenever they do my meme. Thank you, ladies!

Thoughts Without Cigarettes: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

"Now if you had met me during my adolescence, when I'd finally started hanging around with the other kids, you probably wouldn't have noticed any anguish in my face, and if anything, you might have judged me a pensive and bespectacled young man, prone to a somewhat nervous joviality. Still, I was an unsettled soul. Scared of heights, I'd go up to our rooftop, some six stories above, and hang over the edge, always clutching my glasses, to get over that fear. (It never took.)"
~Thoughts Without Cigarettes, Oscar Hijuelos

Operating on the principle that it is better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission (is it really?), I quoted from my copy of this book, although I'm not really supposed to, because it's an advance uncorrected proof. So, the above passage may be altered in the final version of the book, or may not even be included. I hope it is included, just as it is.

While I haven't read any of Oscar Hijuelos' eight novels (furthermore, I should admit that I never even heard of him before being approached about this tour), Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir sounded interesting to me because the work of this internationally bestselling author is highly acclaimed, and because I also grew up in NYC. Born in 1951 in Morningside Heights, Manhattan to Cuban immigrant parents, Oscar Hijuelos is the first Hispanic (or Latino) to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, in 1990, for his second novel, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. In 1992, it was adapted for the film The Mambo Kings, and as a Broadway musical in 2005. In 2000, he received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature. Credentials like that are hard to ignore.

One of the first things that I noticed and appreciated about the book is that it is full of parenthetical remarks. I like to read them, and I like to employ them, too, in my own writing. They add another level to writing, a subtle undercurrent of thought or feeling, and/or they make you feel as if the author is confiding in you. (I wonder if young aspiring writers learn about or use parentheses much today? Hopefully, yes.)

Oscar Hijuelos is a natural. (Do we say that about writers?) The writing in this memoir seems effortless, organic (is that the right word?), although I know of course it must have been anything but during the actual process. ("Effortlessness" is deceptive--actors who make acting look easy are actually very talented and skillful, and the same is most likely true for writers.) Based on the naturalness of the prose in this book, I am certain that Oscar Hijuelos is a gifted novelist, able to bring people and places to life, as he demonstrates in his memoir with his family and various friends (starting with a friend who began smoking cigarettes at the age of seven or eight). While reading the book, I could understand what he experienced/experiences as a writer--a lot of work that's accompanied by intense joy. I consider myself fortunate to have read this memoir, which is full of anecdotes about the author's life growing up in NYC, as well as thoughts about writing and his career as a writer. I think anyone with an interest in this author or writing would truly enjoy reading this memoir.

Exciting news! Penguin is generously offering a giveaway for a copy of Thoughts Without Cigarettes (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, June 20. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, June 21. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of this book, please visit the other stops on TLC's Thoughts Without Cigarettes book blog tour.

A Game of Character: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
~Michael Jordan

I am always eager to learn more about President Barack Obama. In the early days of my blog, I read and reviewed two of his books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. When I found out that the President's brother-in-law, Michelle Obama's older brother, college basketball coach Craig Robinson had written a book, A Game of Character, I was immediately drawn to it. Additionally, this book, a memoir published in 2010, is a NY Times bestseller which is touted as inspirational, so I was definitely not going to miss reading this one. Since childhood, I've enjoyed reading books about successful people, and often find them fascinating and inspiring, stocked with ideas that I try to incorporate into my own life. A book by the First Lady's brother was required reading, as far as I was concerned.

"To the best of my knowledge, my parents never consciously set out to develop a game plan for educating their children as to the importance of character. Nor, for that matter, would Marian or Fraser claim to have had any special knowledge or inherent parenting gifts for creating what I believe was the greatest start in my life that my sister and I could ever have wanted. And yet, the more time passes, the more amazed I am by how much they really did seem to know what they were doing."
~A Game of Character, Craig Robinson

Craig Robinson is an articulate narrator who talks honestly about his life and how he became involved with basketball, first as a player and later as a coach, and how the game of basketball continued to shape and refine his character. Born in 1962, he grew up in the Southside of Chicago, and learned about the importance of education, hard work, and discipline from his loving parents, Marian and Fraser. He excelled academically and in sports--basketball in particular--and attended Princeton University in the 1980s. Using basketball as a backdrop in his book, he discusses valuable life lessons, in chapters such as Meet the Home Team, Learn the Game, Not Just Your Position, and Luck Is Just Another Word for Hard Work, and infuses the book with intelligence and wisdom (which seem to go hand in hand). It truly is a brilliant book.

Having read A Game of Character, I now know that I'd sincerely enjoy meeting the Robinson family and the Obama family. In a sense, I do feel as if I've "met" them, due to this book, which is written in a friendly and down-to-earth manner, and features some family photos. I relished hearing about the Robinson family's initial impressions of Barack Obama, who had begun dating Michelle; they approved of our future president, who played basketball "with guts", right from the start. It's wonderful and reassuring to know that there are such caring, incredible families and people around, because strong family and personal values are at the core of character, on and off of the basketball court. Even if you don't know the "x's and o's, the nuts and bolts", of basketball, there is so much to learn from this book, and so much to be inspired by, that it shouldn't make any difference at all. Coach Robinson uses his life's passion, basketball, to talk about the development of character, and he does so in a very thoughtful and organized manner, making this a thoroughly enjoyable memoir!

Exciting news! Penguin is generously offering a giveaway for a copy of A Game of Character (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, June 13. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, June 14. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of this book, please visit the other stops on TLC's A Game of Character book blog tour.

Perfectly Untraditional: Review and Giveaway

2011-06-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Having read some poetry penned by Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Because All is Not Lost and Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors (during which I experienced a breakthrough and started to finally understand contemporary poetry better, and even attempted to write some of my own), I was excited to have the opportunity to be among the first to read Perfectly Untraditional, the debut novel by this author, published in 2011 in New Delhi, India.

Perfectly Untraditional is the narrative of a young woman, a daughter, Shaili Kapoor, who has grown up in India. As the title suggests, there is something untraditional about Shaili, the protagonist, although her Indian name means 'tradition'. The book begins and ends at Pashan Lake in Pune, India. In this novel, Shaili, a 37-year-old writer based in NYC, returns to India because her mother, Meena, has drowned herself in the lake. When Shaili was younger, the lake was a favorite destination for Shaili and her mother, who would often go there together, without the knowledge or company of her father, Suresh, or her younger sister, Tanisha.

"Shaili had dreamed of chopping off her father's tongue and arms one night when he was asleep. She stormed out of the living room and sat on her bed grumbling. Mrs. Kapoor followed her inside while Tanisha stood uninterestedly int he kitchen speculating if her arms needed waxing."
~Perfectly Untraditional, Sweta Srivastava Vikram

At Pashan Lake, Shaili meets her father in an attempt to comprehend her mother's suicide and to work toward a reconciliation with her father. Armed with two friends, Supriya, a longtime Indian friend, and Leila, a Persian friend from NYC, Shaili confronts her father for the first time in many years. It is a meeting fraught with tension and emotion. All along, she has had problems with her father while growing up, as she hated his treatment of her mother, which became brutal whenever he drank too much. The book goes back in time, and tells Shaili's story in the third person, although I felt as if I were experiencing Shaili's journey with her, and I rooted for her happiness and success.

Throughout the novel, Shaili is finding out things about her family and herself that were previously hidden. This process, as we know, is not always easy and often murky. In the book, Shaili has mixed feelings about marrying Sadhil, an extremely handsome Indian man her father has "found" for her to marry. Although Sadhil is very nice and would provide Shaili with an exciting new life in NYC, something does not feel quite right to Shaili. Her parents don't exactly force her to marry Sadhil, yet Shaili struggles intensely with her feelings and balks at the idea of marriage to this seemingly ideal man--and she is not sure why.

Sweta Srivastava Vikram presents a sensitive portrait of a young woman who is discovering who she is within and beyond the context of her family. The Kapoors are a traditional family in India, and Shaili herself is traditional in certain ways. For example, she expresses her love through food and cooking, which is especially important to Indian women. But, in other ways she is decidedly untraditional, and as she realizes that she's different, she also realizes that a traditional life is not in store for her.

Perfectly Untraditional is an enthralling, passionate novel about a young woman from a country and culture that I enjoyed learning about. I read it quickly over the course of a few nights, and recommend it to those who like character-driven fiction with strong female characters.

In celebration of the release of her first novel, the author is graciously offering an autographed copy of Perfectly Untraditional as a giveaway to a reader (U.S. only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For yet another chance, mention why you'd like to read this new novel.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, June 13. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, June 14. Good luck!

Special thanks to Sweta Srivastava Vikram for sending me her novel.

It Wasn't Me!

2011-05-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

At last! When my daughter's friend, Analisse, announced that her book, It Wasn't Me!, was published this May, I knew I wanted to get a copy to review on my blog. While I don't review many children's books here, I do present a select few. I've been following the publication of this book on Analisse's blog, Publishing 101, for several months.

Scotty is a mouse with a past. But what does his future hold? Can he change his wayward ways?

Written by Analisse Reyes when she was twelve years old, the words in this picture book rhyme and tell the tale of a mouse named Scotty, who won't admit that he steals and lies and cheats. Colorful, skillful multi-media illustrations by Lauren Filzenger are perfectly suited for the prose. I've never seen mice drawn quite like this before--they're adorable and full of expression--and on the whole the illustrations are lovely. I think young children will get a kick out of Scotty, who is more than a bit naughty, and they'll adore Scotty's mom, who wears pearls. This book is a real charmer!

Analisse has a bright future as an author, and Lauren shows great talent for such a young artist. This book is geared for children between the ages of two and seven, although older kids and adults should also enjoy it. Like me, my daughter loved It Wasn't Me!, and I look forward to sharing this book with my young nephews soon.

Special thanks to the Reyes family for giving me a copy of this book.

Really Random Tuesday #27: Armchair BEA and Eton Mess

2011-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another edition of Really Random Tuesday. This week, I don't have any giveaway winners to announce, but as usual, I have some giveaways on the right side of my blog, so be sure to take a look at them.

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In terms of book news, the buzz is about the BEA. I know many book bloggers are attending the BookExpo America (BEA) in NYC this week, May 23 - May 27. But others, like myself, are not able to travel to NYC for this event. For us, there's an Armchair BEA, hosted by Tif, Chris, Michelle, Chrisbookarama, The1stdaughter, Emily, Florina, and Pam, a virtual convention for book bloggers with discussions, numerous giveaways, memes, and more! I registered with Armchair BEA today. (The adorable buttons shown here were designed by Sarah from Puss Reboots and Emily from Emily's Reading Room, left to right, respectively. I'd really like to learn to design buttons like these, and create one for Really Random Tuesday.) If Armchair BEA sounds like fun to you, stop by and sign up.

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Please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, for another Really Random Tuesday post. In her post, she mentioned diving into a bowl of Eton Mess at a recent book club meeting. Not knowing what Eton Mess was, I looked it up on Wikipedia, and found the following photo and description:

Yum!

Eton mess is an English dessert, a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue, and cream, which is served at Eton College's annual cricket game against Winchester College students. According to Wikipedia, the word mess may refer to the haphazard appearance of the dessert, or may be used in the sense of "a quantity of food", or "a mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together". I think mess is part of the name because the dish looks a bit messy, although a mess hall is simply a building or room used for serving and eating meals (which is probably messy, though!). Anyway, there are several recipes for this dessert online, including one by Nigella Lawson, if you are interested in making it. (I'm not sure if I'm interested in making it, but I am interested in eating it.)

Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For another Really Random post, also visit Veens' blog, Giving Reading a Chance.

Thanks for reading!

Montezuma Intrigue

2011-05-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you read a series of books the quality of them seems to diminish as you read further into the series. The first book mesmerizes you, but subsequent books are just not as good. The characters become, well, boring and predictable and even annoying after a while, you don't really care about their antics anymore, and may even decide to quit while you're ahead--and stop reading. It's a bit sad. But Linda Weaver Clarke has done it again. I am charmed by her new book, Montezuma Intrigue: The Adventures of John and Julia Evans, which will be officially released on June 1, 2011, and is part of a larger series which includes Anasazi Intrigue (2010), Mayan Intrigue (2010), and Desert Intrigue (coming soon).

"Machiavelli chuckled under his breath. They were adorable girls, but they weren't saying a word about where they were going. He needed to know their plans. He needed to get his hands on the map." ~Montezuma Intrigue, Linda Weaver Clarke

In the latest book by Linda Weaver Clarke, Montezuma Intrigue, the mysteries continue as this author entrances us with life-like characters and electrifying adventures. The search for Montezuma's treasure is both exciting and memorable. This time, the story took me on a rugged, outdoor adventure with the Evans family in search of Montezuma's treasure, through canyons and ravines and caves, aided by an antique parchment map found in an old wooden chest in the attic. There are also a few romances, and some surprises as well, which kept my reading pleasurable and lively.

This story focuses mostly on the daughters of John and Julia Evans, 19-year-old twins Sharlene and Faith, and 21-year-old April. I think Linda Weaver Clarke's experience raising her own six daughters (truly an amazing feat in this day and age!) has been very beneficial to her in creating strong and lovely female characters who are a pleasure to read about. Additionally, I enjoyed the adventure and suspense in her latest novel, which kept me reading well into the night. The author's writing flows smoothly, and is natural-sounding rather than hoighty-toighty. I also relished the story-telling which takes place inside of this story, which further emphasizes the importance of telling our stories (and hopefully also recording them), keeping them alive for future generations (isn't that why we write?).

In celebration of her new book, the author is graciously hosting a special book giveaway from May 23 - May 31, so be sure to stop by Linda Weaver Clarke's blog for details and to enter.

Special thanks to Linda Weaver Clarke for sending me her book to review. Your comments are appreciated.

The Lake: Thinking Ahead to the Japanese Literature Challenge

2011-05-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Dolce Bellezza, the Japanese Literature Challenge is one of the first reading challenges I ever did, as well as one of my favorites. Goodbye Tsugumi and Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto were my first tastes of Japanese literature. I'm looking forward to participating in the challenge again this year, and I plan on reviewing another book by this talented author, The Lake, which has been recently translated into English by Michael Emmerich. Published in Japan in 2005, The Lake has received many terrific reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and I think it would make a perfect choice for Bellezza's Japanese Literature Challenge 5.

The 9.0 Tōhoku earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, 2011 triggered one of the worst natural disasters of our time. Melville House will donate a portion of the proceeds from The Lake to Japan disaster relief, in a program called Banana for Japan.

Really Random Tuesday #26: Tips on How to Win a Book, and the Winner of "The Mom Book"

2011-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

If I can do it, so can you! In yesterday's post I mentioned all the books--and a pair of earrings--that I've won online recently. I didn't mean to brag about my winnings, and I hope I wasn't too obnoxious. I was actually trying to encourage other people to try to win books online. It's fun to win something, and books are no exception to the rule. There are always numerous book giveaways online (including many that I post in my sidebar), and it really isn't terribly difficult to win a book. It's even easier if you have a blog, or an account on Facebook or Twitter. To maximize your chances of winning, there are a few simple "tricks" you should know about. (Experienced book bloggers may want to skip the next paragraph.)

Many book bloggers host book giveaways. There are also sites dedicated solely to book giveaways, such as one of my favorites, West of Mars - Win a Book!. Once you've found the giveaways that interest you, pay close attention to the rules. Often you will get extra chances at winning a particular book by posting about a giveaway on--you guessed it--your own blog, Facebook, or Twitter account. Helping to spread the word on a social network will often give you an extra shot at winning, which is only fair as you will also increase the competition for the book. If you become a Follower of a blog, you may also earn an extra chance. Be sure to mention the fact that you're already a Follower if the post asks you to do so (a bit of diligence pays off here). If the post has any sort of bonus question you may opt to answer that for an additional chance as well. Each book giveaway is different, so be sure to read carefully and follow the rules.

Please congratulate Laura from Laura's Reviews, the winner of Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay. Although she was chosen randomly, Laura earned extra chances in this giveaway because she mentioned that she's a Follower, and answered the bonus question. I think Laura will really enjoy this book. I know I did.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm, Avis' blog, she reads and reads, and Vivienne's blog, Serendipity.

Thanks for reading. Your comments are always welcomed.

Mailbox Monday: Feeling Fortunate

2011-05-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

You win some, you lose some. Lately, it's been "you win some" for me with regard to books, and it's hard to keep track of them all (this blog helps). I've been feeling very fortunate, book-wise.

I won the book The Paris Wife by Paula McClain on one of Laurel-Rain's blogs, Creations by Laurel-Rain Snow. I also found out that I won two other books, Star Gazing by Linda Gillard on Carol's blog, Dizzy C's Little Book Blog, and a "mystery" novel by Georgette Heyer on Laura's Reviews; these wins are quite recent and I haven't received the books yet.

On Natalie's blog, Pioneer Writer, I won the gorgeous turquoise tiger eye earrings more easily seen in the close-up picture above (photo from Natalie's blog) than in my first photo. Natalie made these earrings! They are quite stunning. She's very talented and has her own Etsy shop. I also "won" two books from authors, Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda, and Perfectly Untraditional, the first novel by writer Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Last but certainly not least, I received A Game of Character by Craig Robinson (Michelle Obama' s older brother!) from TLC for a June book tour. I didn't win this book, although it kind of feels like I did.

Catch some of this book luck and enter my giveaway for Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay , if you haven't already done so (I will announce the winner tomorrow in a Really Random Tuesday post), or enter one of the other giveaways posted on the right side of my blog.

During the month of May, MariReads is hosting Mailbox Monday, a meme created by Marcia from The Printed Page (now called A girl and her books). What new books have you recently added to your shelves?

A New-to-Me Meme: Cover Art Weekend Blog Hop

2011-05-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

"You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but they are sure fun to look at."
~Yvonne, Socrates' Book Review Blog

Cover Art Weekend Blog Hop is hosted by Yvonne from Socrates' Book Review Blog, and gives book bloggers a chance to display a book cover--or several. I realized that I had roses that were similar to the one on the cover of The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, a book I read and reviewed a few months ago, so I added them to this shot, along with a bit of mail. To join the fun, visit Yvonne's book blog.

A Favorite Meme: The Book Blogger Hop

2011-05-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from May 13 until May 16. The Book Blogger Hop is one of my favorite memes because it's such a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs. If you'd like me to hop by your blog, please leave a comment.

Each week, Jennifer poses a different question for book bloggers. (Last week I went a bit crazy with the question, even though I didn't officially participate in the Hop. Please forgive me, Jennifer!) This week, she asks: Are you going to Book Expo America (BEA) and/or the Book Blogger Convention (BBC) this year?

I wish I could, but I am going to neither. I will miss all the books, all the book people, all the fun. I do visit NYC regularly because I have family there, but I will not be going this month. However, I look forward to reading posts about the BEA and the BBC.

As many of you know, yesterday Blogger was not working properly for part of the day. Today Blogger is back to normal, although all the comments on my last post have disappeared.

Update, May 24: The comments which were lost have reappeared!

My Two Wives and Three Husbands

2011-05-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Loud activists may command the news, but it is the everyday gay people living openly who bring about real change and acceptance."
~My Two Wives and Three Husbands,
S. Stanley Gordon

Many present-day memoirs are dark and difficult to get through. They may be interesting, but let's face it, all that honesty can become rather dismal and depressing. I know that life is not always rosy, but I battle daily to retain a degree of optimism in my thinking and outlook, and I sometimes grow weary from reading about relentless misery and pain.

Although My Two Wives and Three Husbands by S. Stanley Gordon is candid, it is--whew!--also upbeat and positive. Published in 2011, the author wrote his book as he was approaching his eighty-eighth birthday. In this memoir, the author tells his life story, with more than a touch of humor and an infinitude of zest. The book chronicles the events in his life, including his career in optometry and as a theatrical producer in NY and London, and his marriages to two women and three men.

From a young age, even perhaps before he knew he was gay, the author thought that same sex marriage should be permissible. He openly discusses his feelings as a boy who realized that he was attracted to boys, and describes how he went from leading a double life to being honest about his sexual identity. Although the author struggled at times with his sexuality during a period when there was much less acceptance of gay people, ultimately the book conveys the author's great energy, happiness, and joie de vivre, as well as his strong belief in love and marriage. In fact, this book is primarily a story about love, both platonic and romantic. Despite the difficulties he encountered--and maybe to some extent because of them--the author seems truly grateful and content with his life. S. Stanley Gordon's zest for life is genuine and charming, and I read My Two Wives and Three Husbands in just a few sittings.

I've wanted to participate in Amanda's GLBT reading challenge since I first read about it, but it required a larger commitment than what I had time to read--until now. Thankfully, you're no longer required to read a certain number of books, and can join the challenge at any point during the year; it's become a reader-friendly challenge. The GLBT reading challenge was created by Amanda from The Zen Leaf in 2009, but is currently hosted by Christina from Reading Thru The Night, and co-hosted by Natazzz from For the roses. Next, I hope to read Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin for this challenge.

Special thanks to S. Stanley Gordon and Bostick Communications for sending me this book to review.

(For some reason, the comments to this post were lost while Blogger was not working. This is upsetting, and I hope they will be restored.)

Update, May 24: Yay! The lost comments have been restored.

Mom ~ A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps: Review and Giveaway

2011-05-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Why hadn't I heard about this before?

Are you familiar with StoryCorps? Prior to reading the introduction to Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay, published in 2010, I was completely unaware of StoryCorps. Even though I listen to NPR on a fairly regular basis, I didn't recall listening to any StoryCorps interviews on the air.

Launched in 2003 in Grand Central Terminal in NYC, the basic idea of StoryCorps is that pairs of people interview each other and have their stories recorded. Since its inception, StoryCorps has recorded many thousands of interviews with people at recording booths throughout the United States. Participants receive a DVD of the interview, while another copy goes to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In this manner, Americans across the country tell their stories in interviews that have been recorded for present and future generations--and given some permanence.

When I picked up this book of interviews and started reading it, I discovered two things. The first thing was that I have another book in my bookcase by StoryCorps, Listening Is An Act Of Love, waiting to be read (which I would've neglected for a lot longer, most likely, had it not been for "the Mom book").

The second surprise was my unexpected emotional reaction to the interviews and stories in this book. I was extremely affected by them, and many of them brought me to tears. Each interview is unique, and the relationships in this book are varied, which make the book textured and original. The book features interviews such as:

A mother talks to her son
A son interviews his mother
A sister talks to her sister about their mother
A sister talks to her brother about their mother
A daughter interviews her father about his mother
A woman talks to her same sex partner about her mother

I didn't list names here, but the names of the participants--real people--are given in this book. Different people tell different stories. The interviews feel like heart-to-heart talks, and the book goes beyond stereotypes and features Americans from all walks of life, creating a truer, broader picture of motherhood and related relationships. Personally, as a mother I cannot stand being stereotyped, and some of the appeal of this book to me is precisely because it presents a myriad of mothers and relationships.

The focus is on the numerous, dynamic roles of mothers, on capturing some (no longer) fleeting moments, of sharing memories and feelings and stories of "ordinary" American people. Each interview is dated, and includes the city where the interview took place. Interviews are short, just a few pages, and feature a small photo of the participants at the conclusion.

To say that I enjoyed reading Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps would be an understatement. I loved this book, marvel at the concept of StoryCorps, and plan on reading my other StoryCorps book soon.

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, Penguin, the publisher, is graciously offering a giveaway for Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps (U.S./Canada only), in celebration of this holiday!

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For yet another chance, answer this bonus question: If you were to do a StoryCorps interview with someone (not necessarily a mother), who would you choose? Or would you want to be the one interviewed?

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 16. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 17. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of it please visit the other stops on TLC's Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps book tour.

Children's Books Needed

2011-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Donate a box of books for children, and the postage will be free!

I don't post press releases or that sort of thing, but I received some news worth publicizing this morning from Mitchell Silverman, co-founder and CEO of The Giving Effect, a NYC startup that represents 1,300 charities nationwide. Operation Kid Equip (OKE) will host its first mail-in book drive for at-risk children in Detroit, in partnership with The Giving Effect. As unbelievable as it may sound, many of these children do not have a single book in their homes--and books in the home are integral to literacy and future success. So please, take a look in your overstuffed bookcases or elsewhere and see what you can contribute; you'll make a true difference in the life of a child. Between now and May 14, when you donate new or gently used children's books to OKE, the postage will be free. For complete details and to donate books, please visit The Giving Effect. Thank you!

Really Random Tuesday #25: Short and Sweet

2011-05-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Is it possible?

This week marks my three-year blogiversary. It's hard to believe that I started Suko's Notebook in May 2008. During my first year of blogging, I got little traffic and few comments (blogging is not for the thin-skinned), but I didn't give up. No one knew about my blog, except for a few family members and friends, but I kept on reading and posting. I had a lot to learn--and still do. Gradually, I "met" book bloggers from all over the world. Eventually, I started to hear from authors, agents, and publishers, and had the opportunity to review books and interview authors.

My book blog is constantly changing and evolving, and I hope that it will continue to grow and improve and be a site that's worth visiting. I appreciate all of my readers, and thank you for reading!

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Une vidéo livre douce (a sweet book video):

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I often mention giveaway winners in my Really Random Tuesday posts. In fact, that's one of the reasons I created this meme, in order to have a "place" to announce them. The winner of the $25 Amazon gift card is Carrie from In the Hammock Book Reviews. Congratulations, Carrie!

If you didn't win this time, don't be too upset, because I have many other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog. Click on the covers of the books that interest you for details and to enter the giveaways.

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Thanks for reading!

The Friday 56: Mom

2011-04-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't done The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, in quite a long time.

Here are the rules:

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56.
Select a sentence or two to post.
No linky this week, so just leave a comment or link on the host's blog.

I chose to highlight a few lines from the book Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, introduced and edited by Dave Isay. When I received this book from TLC, I had no idea what StoryCorps was all about.

In the book's introduction, I learned that StoryCorps began in 2003 in Grand Central Terminal in NYC. StoryCorps has conducted nearly 30,000 interviews with more than 50,000 people across the United States. It's a collection of diverse voices who interview each other and tell their individual stories. I realized that I have another StoryCorps book on my shelf, not yet read, Listening Is An Act Of Love. Without further ado, here is my "56" from Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps:

Jennifer: I wasn't your shadow anymore. That was the beginning of my independence.

Diane: Hallelujah!

Please stay tuned for my review of this book, which will include a giveaway.

Really Random Tuesday #24: The Note Project Giveaway Winner, and a Question

2011-04-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Please congratulate Zibilee from Raging Bibliomania, the randomly selected winner of a Note Project Starter Kit, compliments of the O'Marys. Zibilee has a prolific book blog and posts thoughtful, detailed reviews on a wide variety of books, so be sure to visit her blog. I think she'll enjoy the kit, which includes a hardback edition of The Note by Mike O'Mary, a DVD video based on the book, and a set of three premium-quality thank you cards.

It's not too late to visit the Note Project and make a pledge to write a note of thanks. (I'm feeling kind of guilty. Although I made a pledge two weeks ago on the Note Project to write a thank you card to someone, I haven't done so yet. I've considered a few possibilities, but haven't made a decision. I am ruminating. I am vacillating. I am being indecisive, which is not really like me. Should I thank the Eagle Scout Troop who put bag dispensers for dog waste throughout a local park? Should I thank a teacher? Should I thank a relative? Should I thank a friend? Or should I go on a thank you binge and write several cards?) As I mentioned in my other post on this subject, the Note Project will donate to at least 12 literacy projects in 12 countries in 12 months, through GlobalGiving and GlobalGivingUK, so it has another important dimension to it.

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Followers

Is a book blog a social network? I raised this question recently, casually, in a follow-up comment to a post. As I've stated before, I was reluctant to put a Followers gadget on this blog, and didn't add one until after I'd been blogging for over a year (and had but a handful of followers). I felt that a book blog was not a social network, was not a test or measure of popularity, but I did eventually add the Followers gadget to my site because I saw it on numerous other blogs, and I thought it would give my blog a degree of credibility, at least in appearance. After all, if a blog has followers--who really should be called members or friends--it must have some value. I also felt that it might help build community and loyalty, evolving, difficult-to-define concepts in a virtual world. What are your thoughts about this? I'm very interested in hearing what you think about this topic, and welcome your comments.

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Easter Hop and a Giveaway

2011-04-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

I can't resist saying "hoppy Easter"! Hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books, this brilliant BOOK PARTY lasts from April 22 until April 25. It's a fun way for book bloggers to socialize, connect with other book lovers, and discover new book blogs.

Each week, Jennifer presents a question from another blogger. This week's question is from Christina from The Paperback Princesses: If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?

I certainly do. If I love a book, if I truly love the style or content or characters of a book, I will look for other books by that same author. This started many years ago, when I first read J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and then Franny and Zooey, and continues to this day.

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In celebration of having more than 500 followers, I'm hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Because I have readers around the world, my giveaway is international.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, May 2. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, May 3. Good luck!

If you're a Hop participant and would like me to stop by your blog, please let me know. If you're entering the giveaway please indicate that in your comment. Happy Easter!

Really Random Tuesday #23: A Book Winner, and Dorothy Parker Quotes

2011-04-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

First things first. The winner of Dancing with Gravity by Anene Tressler is dogboi. Congratulations! I hope you'll enjoy the book as much as I did.

If you didn't win this time, don't despair! There are many other giveaways listed on the right side of this blog, so why not try your luck again?

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By chance, I stumbled upon this quote, which appealed to my snarky side:

"This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."

I had just discovered an inimitable writer.

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), American author, poet, and satirist, was a legendary figure in the New York literary scene, who wrote sketches and short stories. Many of them were published in The New Yorker, and her column, 'Constant Reader', was very popular.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

~Dorothy Parker Quotes~

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."

"I've never been a millionaire but I just know I'd be darling at it."

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue."

"The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity."

I didn't know she was responsible for these pithy sayings:

"Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone."
"Men seldom make passes
At girls who wear glasses."

On Mel's blog, The Reading Life, I found some links for online short stories by Dorothy Parker. I enjoyed reading A Telephone Call, which showcases her talents as a writer of short fiction.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Raimy-rawr's blog, Readaraptor!.

Thanks for reading!

Mailbox Monday: Eclectic Reading

2011-04-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Although it's been ages since I last did Mailbox Monday, I'm only going to mention my most recent acquisitions. Here are the latest books that I received in the mail.

Montezuma Intrigue by Linda Weaver Clarke
Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay (for a TLC tour)
Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir by Oscar Hijuelos (for a TLC tour)
The Wooden Tongue Speaks - Romanians: Contradictions & Realities by Bogdan Tiganov

As you can tell, I have some eclectic reading in store. Please stay tuned for my reviews.

During the month of April, Amy from Passages to the Past is hosting Mailbox Monday, a meme created by Marcia from The Printed Page (now called A girl and her books). What new books have you recently added to your shelves?

Really Random Tuesday #22: Giving Thanks: The Note Project Giveaway

2011-04-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten my promise. In appreciation of having reached my goal of 500(+!) followers, I'll be hosting an international giveaway soon, so please stay tuned. Of course, this giveaway will relate to books in some fashion. Thank you, faithful followers and steadfast readers, for showing your support, for including me in your blogrolls, and for sharing your enthusiasm for books and reading.

In the meantime, I do have a wonderful giveaway to offer, compliments of Mike O'Mary, publisher of Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera, a candid, powerful memoir that I read last autumn. Mike has written a book called The Note, published in 2009. In the book, Mike receives a note that touches him deeply.

"Every note you send matters more than you can imagine."
~The Note, Mike O'Mary

A simple, heartfelt note of gratitude led to Mike's book, and to the creation of the Note Project. The Note Project is about expressing appreciation, and will attempt to collect 1 million pledges for thank you notes. You can participate in the Note Project by pledging to send a sincere note of appreciation to someone who has made a difference in your life.

In the thanks department, I think I'm pretty well caught up myself (although I'm not such a goody two-shoes that I don't owe a couple of folks thank you notes). I try to remember to send out hand-written thank you cards to people when I receive gifts, and in this electronic age, I savor the art of writing them with a pen. It's become second nature to me to compose notes of appreciation, and I visited the Note Project as soon as I heard about it and pledged to write a note. I was thrilled to discover that the Note Project will donate to at least 12 literacy projects in 12 countries in 12 months, through GlobalGiving and GlobalGivingUK! Please stop by the website when you have a few moments for more details, and to make a pledge (it doesn't cost anything).

Something else to be thankful for! Kathleen and Mike O'Mary are generously donating a Note Project Starter Kit as a giveaway. The kit includes: 1) a hardback edition of The Note, 2) a DVD video based on the book, and 3) a set of three premium-quality thank you cards.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, go to the Note Project and pledge to write a note. Then return here and indicate that you've done so in your comments.
For another giveaway entry, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, April 25. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, April 26. This is a worldwide giveaway. Good luck!

Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant (the "Thank You" Song)

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Please congratulate Melanie L., who has won a paperback copy of The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate in this giveaway. If you didn't win this time, there's an assortment of giveaways listed on the right side of this blog. If you're entering the giveaway for the Note Project Starter Kit, be sure to leave a comment at the conclusion of this post.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For other Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, Kim's blog, Page after Page, and Avis' blog, she reads and reads. I appreciate that these lovely ladies do this meme at least as often as I do, and I hope that others will join in, too.

Thanks for reading!

A Conversation with Author Anene Tressler

2011-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

1) Welcome, Anene! I absolutely loved reading your debut novel, Dancing with Gravity. It's freshness, originality, and intelligence are extraordinary. Please tell us about your background and the inspiration behind your book. Why did you choose a priest, Father Samuel Whiting, as the protagonist?

AT: Oh Susan, thank you! I’ m thrilled that you enjoyed my book. And what’ s more, your questions show a really thorough and sensitive reading of the text...for which I am very grateful. Thank you for the attention and effort you’ve put into my review. As for my own background: It certainly informs the book. My family moved around a good deal as I was growing up. And while my own childhood was nothing like the one that Whiting experienced, the idea of frequent relocation found its way into his story. I am also an RN by background, and worked some ten years in a hospital setting (so that was also very familiar to me). As for making Whiting a priest: While I was studying for my MA in creative writing, I wrote a short story with Whiting as the central character. He really needed to be a priest in that story (he was called to officiate at a memorial service). But I fell so in love with him as a character that I wanted to place him in a novel. Although he is an individual and certainly not a stand-in for all priests, I wanted/needed him to be literally unavailable for certain life choices because of his calling. His identity as a priest made that automatic. As an aside, I’ve just received a review on Amazon from a Methodist minister who writes that she also identified with Whiting because, as a minister, she must function as “ an outsider” (her term) and cannot enter relationships in the same way that many of us take for granted.

2) Along similar lines, what gave you the idea for the Little Flower Circus in the book, and in having Father Whiting bless the circus and have increasing interaction with the circus and its performers?

AT: I've always been intrigued by the circus. It requires so much athletic ability and showmanship. The costumes are often very beautiful and exotic. And the lifestyle of the performers is so unlike what most of us ever experience. Circus people are “ set apart” as Whiting himself is. And since his mother was also an entertainer, he would have had a visceral reaction to the circus. It would have been both appealing and may also have evoked a certain longing. We have a St. Louis circus, called Circus Flora. Some years ago, my husband and I both spent a few summer months volunteering as ushers and general hangers-on. I took notes. I listened. I watched. I found a life that seemed at once inside and outside the community. They (circuses) have their own communities, much like portable small towns.

As for the blessing: Catholic parishes (at least here in St. Louis) often offer a blessing of the animals on Oct. 4th each year (the day of St. Francis). And it’ s not uncommon for a priest to bless a new home. So the idea of a blessing seemed the perfect way for Fr. Whiting to get involved. Then too, Whiting is a Pastoral Care provider...so it would be an easy fit for him to stay involved with the circus after the blessing, in order to minister to the spiritual needs of the circus troupe.

3) Although Father Whiting is devoted to his mother--he calls and visits her regularly--their relationship is strained. He has other relationships that are also not quite right, with his secretary, Carla, and his friendship with his longtime friend, Jerry, who has cancer. Whiting acknowledges that he struggles in his relationships and even considers the possibility that he may be autistic (to an extent). But I have felt that way myself at times, that my relationships are draining and/or puzzling. Aren't many human relationships inherently difficult, especially to a sensitive person?

AT: Exactly! Relationships are difficult. And they are a challenge to Whiting just as they are trying to all of us. But on top of that, he’ s a shy man. He’ s painfully aware of his loneliness...and he lacks the life experience that many people his age would naturally have had. That is a common burden for most priests (Catholic) to accommodate as they try to serve their communities. Another note: I ended up taking that reference to autism out of the book just before it went to press. I revised some dates in my novel to better capture the period of upheaval in Central America, and so the reference didn’t work. (I was actually citing the memoir of a real-life person, Temple Grandin, who wrote a book about her autism. With the new dates, I couldn’t use the reference, because Grandin hadn’t yet written her book.)

4) Father Whiting develops a fierce crush on Sarah James, who is working alongside him on the circus project. The experience brings him to life and he feels alive rather than "asleep in his own life". How did you go about developing this aspect of the story?

AT: Whiting is lonely. He lacks life experience and is therefore vulnerable to Sarah’s attention. He is heading towards a perfect tempest. Again, this is his very particular reaction to the situation. (For example, I’ m sure that if Jerry Stemple had been in Whiting’ s position, he would have had a very different reaction to Sarah.) Whiting’ s relationship with Sarah serves as his motivation for much of his interaction with the circus, but it also helps reveal the complexity of his personality. Whiting progresses from a cordial work relationship to a raging crush...then a deep hurt...and, ultimately, wisdom.

5) Although your book is written in the third person, it is about the innermost thoughts of Father Whiting. He is a very sensitive man. I think I may call him a highly sensitive person (HSP), a term I read about many years ago. As I remember, an HSP may fall in love more easily than a "regular" person. What do you think about this idea?

AT: I hadn’t heard that idea about highly sensitive people falling in love more easily. It’ s intriguing. But that reminds me of an anecdote I heard years ago (although I can’t recall the source). Supposedly, if a person is deeply, madly in love, their brain waves look very much like those of someone suffering a mental illness such as schizophrenia. Again, I have no idea whether that’ s true, but love—in all its forms—is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.

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Thank you for answering my questions about your book, Anene. Next are a few questions about writing, a photo, and because I cannot resist, a single question about music.

6) After you had the basic idea for your book, how long did it take you to write Dancing with Gravity, from start to finish? Are you a disciplined writer?

AT: I feel as though I’m living that refrain in the Beatles’ Paperback Writer: “ Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?/ It took me years to write, will you take a look?” I’ve been working on this book for years. Literally. But there were VERY LONG periods of time—many months at a stretch—when I didn’t touch it. So no, I have not been a disciplined writer of my own work. In part, that may be because I make my living as a freelance writer. And I am very disciplined about that. In part, that was pragmatic: I needed to earn a living. And client work resulted in a check, while fiction might not. But I think part of my behavior was also due to fear. I’ m exposing myself and what matters to me in my own creative work. That kind of risk and resulting vulnerability can be tough....and painful. The photographer Ansel Adams used to take portraits of school children to support his own work and he spoke about the difference between work that comes from the outside (client work) and work that comes from the inside (your own). You approach the client work with integrity. You want to do it well. But it’s not the same. Work I do for clients belongs to them...and I take their direction in making it just right. This book is mine. It’s a completely different universe.

The author's writing space looks warm, inviting, and organized.

7) Usually I ask authors to share some writing advice, but today I ask you this question with a twist. What was the worst writing-related advice that anyone gave you?

AT: The VERY WORST advice I ever received (and as you may note by my capitalized words— it makes me angry still) is the kind of precious and self-satisfied advice that a writer once gave me when I asked for encouragement: “ It’ s not a question of whether you “ can” write (read: have the talent to write) but whether you MUST write.” I mean really, what does that mean? It’s an absurd comment. Breathing. Food and water. Shelter. Those are essential. But writing is not in that category. Worse, that type of comment is designed to exclude. To keep an aspiring writer out of “the club". Well…ignore them. Ignore anyone and everyone who wants to get in the way. If writing matters to you, then write. It’ s hard work. There are no guarantees. And in that, it seems very much like life.

8) Your book is funny, sincere, and offbeat. If Dancing with Gravity were made into a movie, what would you include on the soundtrack?

AT: Oh Susan...what a surprising question....I love it! Well...let me first direct you to the book trailer, which has a combination of more traditional circus music as well as a bed of music—in several different styles—that supports the text.

I can't take credit for those selections, but I like them. I'm also delighted that the range of emotions I tried to convey in the book came through to you as a reader. In a perfect world, the music in a film would underscore the action and support the overall tone of the film the director envisioned. And because of the range of events and settings in the novel, I think the opportunities for visual and musical interpretations could be stunning and wide-ranging—with or without lyrics. Imagine the fanfare and drama of musical possibilities with the circus performance, or something a little unsettling and lonely under Whiting's drive to the Motherhouse in the fog to say Mass. Think what music might underscore the night of the fireflies or the scene after the storm when the circus men are trying to calm the horses. When I think of music I might associate with Fr. Whiting, my mind turns to the bittersweet. There was a little film called Once a few years back. It had the loveliest songs. There's one called "Falling Slowly" that feels right for Whiting. But actually, now that I think of it, there are several songs from that film that have the tone and lyrics that would be wonderful. And we haven't even talked Bob Dylan. He has a song, "What Was It You Wanted?" that always makes me think of Nikolai. But before I float away on fantasies of the red carpet, I suggest we make a pact: if anyone ever makes a film from Dancing With Gravity, let's both go to the world premier! (See...I REALLY am getting carried away with this dream!)

(Me, too, Anene! I'd love to attend the premier. And may I suggest a great-sounding song from the 1970s, Tight Rope by Leon Russell, which I think would fit the film perfectly?)

9) Please tell us about your next writing project.

AT: If you had asked me this question the day after I turned in my manuscript to my publisher, I’d have told you that my fantasy is to be Harper Lee: Write one book that becomes a classic and never write again. But my memory about the demands of writing a novel is short. So I am planning another work. I have several things I’m considering...and I’ve been keeping ideas in a notebook. I’ve given myself the artificial date of June 1st as a starting date for the new work (which makes this sound very much like my annual New Year’s Resolutions). But one thing I’ve promised myself: I WILL write every day. Because the best advice I can give myself, having lived through the way I did things in Dancing With Gravity is this: a novel is big. It’ s more complicated than I thought. And it takes a lot of organization and energy. Writing it, putting it away for months, and then trying to go back to it, is a very tough route to take. I don’t advise it. And I promised myself I wouldn’t put myself through that sort of unnecessary torture again.

Thank you very much, Anene. It was a pleasure to read your first novel and to get to know you through this interview.

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Please visit the Anene Tressler's blog for additional information, or my review. Your comments are welcomed. Thanks for reading!

Dancing with Gravity: Review and Giveaway

2011-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

'Father, I want you to take on a special, temporary assignment. I want you to bless the circus.'
~Dancing with Gravity, Anene Tressler

Usually I am not at a loss for words, but I'm not sure what to say about this book, Dancing with Gravity by Anene Tressler, published in 2010. I decided to read it because it was listed as literary fiction (whatever that means; I assumed it was better than your average, "non-literary" book). But a debut novel about a priest didn't sound particularly scintillating. And there's a circus in the story, the Little Flower Circus--oh, really? Kind of like Sister Wendy and painting, I supposed (incongruous perhaps, yet worthwhile), but not on my must-read list by any means.

But something happened, during the first chapter, luckily. I recalled numerous clichés I'd heard to describe books, such as:

"It engaged me."

"I stayed up half the night reading."

"I couldn't put it down."

These clichés became something meaningful in this case. It was engaging. I stayed up late reading. I couldn't put it down. In short, I absolutely adored this book, which is set in St. Louis. I loved reading the innermost thoughts of Father Samuel Whiting, the shy, sensitive, and surprisingly sensuous main character in the story.

" 'The piercing arrows of love.' Even as he said these words, Whiting realized how strange they must sound to Mother Frances. His response was a mystery even to him. But he wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he experienced an almost physical sensation of being caressed. He half closed his eyes and gave himself over to it."
~Dancing with Gravity, Anene Tressler

I felt for Father Whiting, who dreads Carla, the secretary of Pastoral Care, and falls for another co-worker, Sarah James. I rooted for and identified with him. In fact, I became him, to the extent that that's possible, for the duration of the book. I'm not sure how the author did it (her exquisite writing helped), but she temporarily transformed me into a circus-loving priest.

Cast aside the book you're reading (but not really enjoying), and pick up Dancing with Gravity instead. Even if it's not what you'd planned on reading, one thing's for certain: it's truly spectacular!

Here's a chance to win a copy of this book. Blank Slate Press, the publisher, is offering a copy of Dancing with Gravity as a giveaway (U.S./Canada only, or a .pdf copy to anywhere!).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, April 18. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, April 19. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me an advanced reading copy of this book. (I've taken slight liberties in this post by including two quotes from my copy of the book.) For more reviews please visit the other stops on TLC's Dancing with Gravity book tour. For further insight into the book, please stay tuned for my upcoming interview with the award-winning author, Anene Tressler.

The Postmistress: Review and Giveaway

2011-03-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

"We think we know who will die and who will live, who is a hero, who will fall in love with whom; but every story--love or war--is a story about looking left when we should have been looking right."
~The Postmistress, Sarah Blake

Often as I read a book it resonates with me in an uncanny fashion. As I was reading The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, a NY Times bestselling novel that focuses on the importance of letters, my daughter and I were anxiously waiting to hear from the last of the colleges she'd applied to. Would there be a small envelope, a rejection letter, or a large envelope, an acceptance packet, in the mail for her? On Saturday afternoon I heard our mail carrier pull up to our mailbox. A few minutes later, I dashed outside to check the mail.

The Postmistress is a story that revolves around three woman, two in Franklin, MA (a fictitious town), Emma Fitch, the doctor's wife, and Iris James, the postmistress, and Frankie Bard, a female radio journalist stationed in London during World War II. While there are male characters in the story as well--Dr. Will Fitch, Jim Tom, and Harry Vale, to name a few--this novel, published in 2010, centers on the lives of these three women. Each had a different career in 1940, a time when roles were just starting to change for American women. Emma, young and tiny, adopted the most traditional role of the three, as the doctor's wife (and mother-to-be). The other women were responsible for communication in two distinct ways, highlighting the power of written and spoken words. Iris, red-haired and tall, was the careful, orderly postmistress of Franklin, and Frankie Bard was a striking pioneer as a radio announcer at a time when women were scoffed at because they didn't "belong" on the radio with their "high voices". All three of the women are connected because of the war.

From a feminist's point of view, I appreciate that these women are portrayed as strong and capable. We take it for granted today that American women can choose any career they wish for, but the book reminds us that this was not always the case, and that it wasn't easy to be taken seriously. In the book, though, even Emma, who was a housewife and looked as if she needed protection, was stronger than she appeared, and she wasn't portrayed as less important than the other two women merely because of her traditional role.

The Postmistress is richly detailed and beautifully written and brought certain aspects of World War II to life for me. I felt as if I, too, were running and hiding from bombs in London, or riding the crowded, dank trains described in the book--the only possible way to escape from the war for many people. It's not that I want to relive the war, or the persecution of the Jews, but the presentation of events in this book, which includes Frankie's on-the-spot recorded interviews with refugees, is a brilliant way to present the human side of this devastating war. I enjoyed the bits of romance throughout the story, although the war destroyed the relationships in various ways. The Postmistress kept me spellbound, and I wanted to linger on nearly every page of this novel.

But back to my own story, about Saturday's mail. Our mailbox had a large envelope in it, which I excitedly presented to my daughter.

More terrific news! The publisher, Berkley Trade, is generously offering a newly released paperback copy of the book as a giveaway (U.S./Canada only).

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
For yet another chance, describe a time when you were waiting for something important in the mail.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, April 11. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, April 12. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews please visit the other stops on TLC's The Postmistress book tour.

Really Random Tuesday #21: CSN Winner, iPhone Fun, and a Mad Housewife

2011-03-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Royalegacy, the winner of a $60 gift certificate to CSN stores! Royalegacy, I will contact you very soon by email with all the details you need to redeem your prize. You 're now able to get the Kalorik 4 Slice Toaster you picked out, or something else from CSN. Special thanks to Jamie and CSN for offering this very generous giveaway.

If you didn't win this time, don't despair! I have many other terrific giveaways posted on the right side of my blog, and I'm thinking about hosting a special giveaway after I reach my goal of 500 followers, so please stay tuned.

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Recently I got an iPhone 4. Slowly but surely, I'm learning how to use it. I've mastered the basics of calling and texting with a touch screen. The iPhone has an excellent camera, and I find myself photographing all kinds of things. The camera is ready to shoot almost instantly. My old phone camera took forever to set up for a photo, and as a result I took very few pictures. This shot I quickly took at Trader Joe's. I wandered into the wine section because a colorful display caught my eye.

Although this housewife looks sophisticated and calm (she could even have a secret identity as a book blogger), the label calls her mad. (Is she mad simmering angry, or mad off her rocker crazy? If she's mad crazy, is it because of her lot in life or because of the wine--or both?)

I have a few, select applications or "apps" on my iPhone, including Dictionary.com, which features a word of the day. Here are a couple of words that I recently discovered on this app.

hypnagogic: inducing sleep; of our pertaining to drowsiness
Does this post have a hypnagogic effect on you, dear reader?

puckish: whimsical, mischievous, impish
My Really Random Tuesday posts tend to be puckish.
I love this word and hope to use it in conversation soon (hopefully I will be understood).

In the future, I may use words from this app for Bermudaonion's Wondrous Words Wednesday. Another really fun app is Scrabble. I can play to my heart's content on my iPhone. I had this app on my iPod touch but the graphics are sharper on the iPhone. Scrabble is a wonderful way to pass the time when you're waiting for someone or for some event to start. I feel a bit geekish at times sitting and staring into my phone, moving around letter tiles, but it is so much fun, and being a word nerd isn't the worst thing in the world.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post.

For other Really Random Tuesday posts, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, and Kim's blog, Page after Page. Kim has even designed her own logo for this meme, which looks lovely on her blog.

Thanks for reading!