tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39306288592911111702024-03-06T01:46:59.031-05:00Read.Eat.Think.Reviews, recipes inspired by books, and thoughts about words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-67594733547753024432016-07-27T08:08:00.000-04:002016-07-27T08:08:08.912-04:00Man - That's a Lot of Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are two times a year when I am guaranteed a good case of eye strain - in the spring when I start my bracket for the Morning News Tournament of Books, and again through late summer and early fall with the Man Booker Prize nominees.<br />
And today is the big day! They announced the <a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/fiction/news/man-booker-prize-announces-2016-longlist" target="_blank">longlist of nominees </a>for the Man Booker early this morning in London, and it's a great baker's dozen of reads.<br />
This year will be a tough one for me because I've only read one of the selections, <i>The Sellout, </i>which was part of the Tournament of Books. So that leaves me 12 books to get through before the short list of books is announced on Sept. 13, and the winner is named in October.<br />
Spoiler alert - I never finish all 13 before the short list, and there's usually a great gnashing of teeth when I realize that I've read some that didn't make the short list. But I'm never disappointed that I've read them all. Some of my most favorite books of all time have come from the Man Booker lists, books that I probably would not have discovered otherwise. Like the one that still haunts me today: <a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/search?q=pigeon+english" target="_blank">Pigeon English.</a><br />
If you'd like to follow along this summer, below is the current list of nominees. Or you can watch this space for my reviews and predictions. Now I'm off to buy the 13 - it's like Christmas in July!<br />
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<h3>
Man Booker Nominees</h3>
<i>The Sellout, </i>Paul Beatty (U.S.)<br />
<i>The Schooldays of Jesus, </i>J.M. Coetzee (South Africa-Australia)<br />
<i>Serious Sweet,</i> A.L. Kennedy (U.K.)<br />
<i>Hot Milk, </i>Deborah Levy (U.K.)<br />
<i>His Bloody Project, </i>Graeme Macrae Burnet (U.K.)<br />
<i>The North Water, </i>Ian McGuire (U.K.)<br />
<i>Hystopia</i>, David Means (U.S.)<br />
<i>The Many, </i>Wyl Menmuir (U.K.)<br />
<i>Eileen</i>, Ottessa Moshfegh (U.S.)<br />
<i>Work Like Any Other, </i>Virginia Reeves, (U.S.)<br />
<i>My Name Is Lucy Barton</i>, Elizabeth Strout (U.S.)<br />
<i>All That Man Is,</i> David Szalay (Canada)<br />
<i>Do Not Say We Have Nothing,</i> Madeleine Thien (Canada)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-71155185670624744822016-03-29T12:26:00.001-04:002016-04-07T23:46:18.622-04:00Turner House for the Win<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've done pretty well with our <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/" target="_blank">Morning News Tournament of Books</a> brackets this year. So a shot of overconfidence helped us decide to go all in early and predict the winner of the entire thing as we enter the Zombie Rounds. We're feeling pretty confident of our chances (which should scare us), so we're going to call it.<br />
In the Zombie Rounds, we're predicting <i>The Turner House</i> knocks out <i>A Little Life</i>, and we're fairly confident that <i>The Sellout</i> will put the smackdown on <i>Fates and Furies </i>(and I hope it hurts).<br />
That leaves <i>The Turner House </i>up against <i>The Sellout</i> - a terrific pairing of books that each examine race and economic issues with very different styles.<br />
Although we both absolutely love these two books, <i>The Turner House </i>has an edge for us. It has more depth and heart - hitting us right in the emotions with all the feels. <i>The Sellout </i>is more of a searing and sarcastic read, and while we loved its snarkiness, <i>Turner House </i>was a bit more accomplished and quietly compelling.<br />
What an amazing first novel from Angela Flourney! And that makes us wonder, how many first-time books have taken it all in the Tournament of Books? We'll have to ask the Rooster.<br />
And so we close out another month of March Book Madness with 16 fantastic books. It was especially fun having my daughter Aana join in on the calls this year! I may have to ask her to be a part of my fall predictions for the Man Booker Prize - if I haven't exhausted her with this whirlwind of a ride.<br />
Until next year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-45667893352991710152016-03-24T21:13:00.001-04:002016-03-24T21:13:29.477-04:00Zombies Ate My SemifinalistAs in any other game, when you play <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/">The Morning News Tournament of Books</a>, you win some and you lose some. And I've lost quite a few this year - I never thought <i>Bats of the Republic </i>or <i>A Spool of Blue Thread </i>(both books I like!) would make it as far as they did.<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwZlYjloEPNyEep-nxvGPQTw2lPVu1i3MOr_z1noLgv-wqYGiGDv-HGCnTvEnsuXx945giukfdACLo50RTvLTyXpjerWQ6SWSn-ujOgTPhhI3DA0vDhrD2cEqUSBJ0v2lOSIYVT4sd-G3/s1600/beware-of-zombie-sign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYwZlYjloEPNyEep-nxvGPQTw2lPVu1i3MOr_z1noLgv-wqYGiGDv-HGCnTvEnsuXx945giukfdACLo50RTvLTyXpjerWQ6SWSn-ujOgTPhhI3DA0vDhrD2cEqUSBJ0v2lOSIYVT4sd-G3/s320/beware-of-zombie-sign2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Aana fared better than I did, correctly predicting one more match to my selections. But I think we're both happy because 3 of our favorite books have made it to the semifinals. And we're moving into predicting those rounds. </div>
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Before we do that, I must caution you that the zombies are about to attack. No, I haven't been drinking - it's part of the fun of this tournament. WAAAAY back before the tournament even began, people were able to vote for their favorite books, just in case any of them were knocked out early. And the most popular books will be able to "rise from the dead" to compete another day.</div>
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The winners of this week's semifinal rounds will each square off in head-to-head competition against a zombie, so I hope they have their best zombie weapons (whatever those are). The judges have already let us know that <i>Spool</i> won't be one of them, but Aana and I think we know who the zombies will be, so read on.</div>
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<b>Semifinal Match #1</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>Bats of the Republic</i> vs. <i>The Turner House</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Turner House, </span></b></i>by Angela Flournoy</div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> We both liked <i>Bats of the Republic</i>, we really did. We both thought it was innovative, unique, creative, and engaging. But neither one of us thought that it was developed enough to compete with some of the other heavyweights in this competition. The fact that it beat <i>The Sympathizer </i>still blows Aana's mind. She says: "I'm bitter! Bitter enough to vote against it - I pick <i>Turner House</i>." While I agree with her selection of <i>Turner </i>to win, I actually chose <i>Turner House</i> because I think it really is the better book. Both of the competitors are complex, but <i>Bats</i> relies a bit more on flash and tricks, and <i>Turner</i> is a more mature and resonant story. If you want two great books to read, though, you can't go wrong with either one. It still astonishes me that they are first books for both authors.<br />
<i>TOB match to be decided March 25.</i><br />
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<b>Semifinal Match #2</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>The Tsar of Love and Techno</i> vs. <i>The Sellout</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">Split decision by the judges!</span></b></i></div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> Okay, this is one of the toughest matches in the competition for both of us. These books are two of our favorites in the entire tournament and choosing between them is like selecting a favorite child. The differences between them are interesting: One is about a culture very different from our own, and the other is about specific aspects of our own culture that cause us the most strife. One is a subtle interweaving of stories from different characters' intriguing perspectives and one hits you in the face with its blatant messages on racism. Aana predicts <i>The Tsar of Love and Techno </i>will win because she found it enthralling, but she also says she would be happy no matter which one wins. I deliberated for a long time over this match, and I have to say that I think <i>The Sellout</i> has the edge. Maybe it's how resonant it is to our current political and social issues, but its razor-sharp wit and almost-too-uncomfortable spotlight give it a win by just a hair.</div>
<i>TOB match to be decided March 28 - and we'll see which judge is a better judge.</i><br />
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<b>Zombie Predictions</b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Aana Says: </span></b><br />
1. <i>The Sympathizer </i> - this was easily my favorite book out of all of them, and I still can't believe <i>Bats of the Republic </i>beat it.<br />2. <i>The Whites -</i> this book was so intense and I felt like it didn't get the chance it deserved. <br />As long as John Irving doesn't come back, we'll be okay. That would be like the "hideous bloated zombie in the well" scene from <i>The Walking Dead</i>.</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Cheminne Says: </span></b></div>
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1. <i>The Sympathizer </i>- I really couldn't believe this book dropped out of competition in the first place. It was one of my favorite books of the year.</div>
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2. <i>Fates and Furies, </i>although I want it to be<i> A Little Life -</i> I was NOT a fan of <i>Fates</i>. As I said in my initial review, reading it felt like I was watching a couple pick and bicker for an hours-long dinner and I literally threw it down when I finished. But I suspect there are a lot of fans out there who voted for it. I actually voted for <i>A Little Life.</i> It hooked me from the first word, and I was surprised by the vehement reaction of the judge who knocked it out of competition.</div>
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And ditto Aana's John Irving diss. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-73058802854792650422016-03-21T10:43:00.000-04:002016-03-21T10:43:12.154-04:00Down to the Quarterfinals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There were some major upsets over the last week in the sports version of March Madness, causing consternation in a lot of brackets. In reviewing <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/" target="_blank">The Morning New Tournament of Books</a>, we've already had a couple of upsets, too.<br />
I think the biggest one so far would be the loss of Fates and Furies, a book that many predicted would win the whole tournament. It is not one of my favorites, but I think it's safe to say that book will be back in the tournament's Zombie round, when two selections are chosen to "rise from the dead" to compete again. We'll see those zombies storming in just before the championship match.<br />
But this week, it's all about the quarterfinals. So it's time for Aana and I to give you our predictions for who will advance to the semifinals. I correctly predicted 7 of 9 regular-play matches, but Aana predicted 8 out of 9, so she's feeling smug.<br />
This week, we both selected the same books to win. Let's see what we predict will happen:<br />
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<b>Quarterfinal Match #1</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>Bats of the Republic</i> vs. <i>The Sympathizer</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Sympathizer, </span></b></i>by Viet Thanh Nguyen</div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> Both of us liked both of these books, they were both creative and well written. But <i>Bats</i> didn't have the depth of feeling or the completeness that The Sympathizer did. The story in <i>Bats</i> was complex, almost too complex to understand at times. And while that makes it unique and interesting, it doesn't necessarily make it the best book in this contest. On the other side of the coin, it's the characters in <i>The Sympathizer </i>that are complex, reeling you in bit by bit until you're completely hooked. Like <i>The Americans </i>- a fabulous show on FX that just started a new season - you find yourself rooting for a protagonist who isn't entirely good, or entirely evil. So we're pulling for the Communist mole living in the US after the Vietnam War, trying to keep his identities straight while secretly sending information back to his Communist best-friend-slash-handler in Vietnam.<br />
<i>TOB match to be decided March 21.</i><br />
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<b>Quarterfinal Match #2</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>The Turner House</i> vs. <i>Our Souls at Night</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Turner House, </span></b></i>by Angela Flournoy</div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> This was a close one for us. <i>Our Souls</i> is a sweet book about two elderly neighbors who decide to go against convention to create their own way to find comfort together. <i>Turner House</i> is more like their boisterous neighbors, a big family that scraps and loves at top volume while trying to decide what to do about their mom and their family house. Ghosts, literal and figurative, are stirred up as they work through their past and present squabbles. And maybe that's part of the charm, that they are more alive somehow in their book, or maybe <i>Our Souls</i> is just a bit too quiet (Aana found <i>Our Souls</i> to be bland). We give <i>Turner House </i>the slight edge, but we also realize that <i>Our Souls </i>has steam in this tournament and could be the judges' choice.<br />
<i>TOB match to be decided March 22.</i><br />
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<b>Quarterfinal Match #3</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>A Little Life</i> vs. <i>The Tsar of Love and Techno</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Tsar of Love and Techno, </span></b></i>by Anthony Marra</div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> Another very close call, at least for Cheminne. She was in love with <i>A Little Life,</i> which was meant to be an allegory, but was for her just a distracting, disturbing, and terrific read. However, <i>Tsar</i> was even better - and for both of our judges was one of the most beautifully crafted books we've read in a long time. Although it's listed as a book of short stories, they are each intertwined and linked in such a way that it's more like a novel that moves seamlessly between characters and decades without losing its emotional grip on the reader. The setting is Russia, from the Soviet era to modern-day Chechnya, with politics the center of some stories, and character actors in others. But it's the writing that stands out, with sentences woven together like a tapestry of rough and soft threads: lyrical, painful, and tightly bound. This is one of our picks to go all the way.<br />
<i>TOB match to be decided March 23.</i><br />
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<b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Quarterfinal Match #4</b></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>A Spool of Blue Thread</i> vs. <i>The Sellout</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Our Pick: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Sellout, </span></b></i>by Paul Beatty</div>
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<b>Why this one?</b> What an interesting matchup, or mis-matchup, to be honest. <i>Spool</i> is a lovely book, written by the amazing Anne Tyler who is at her best here. It's an ordinary story about ordinary people, but brought to life with Tyler's gift for spinning a tale. <i>The Sellout,</i> on the other hand, is a swaggering satire, strutting out all loud and proud to deal knock-out punches left and right. The key here is that <i>The Sellout</i> is clever and wry, with a topic that stabs a fork into one of society's rawest nerves. It's brave, bold, and hilarious, so it's our pick in this match.<br />
<i>TOB match to be decided March 24.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-33344709267505564992016-03-14T09:59:00.000-04:002016-03-14T10:40:43.972-04:00Round Two: Shoot and Score<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's round two for our prognostications for <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/" target="_blank">The Morning News Tournament of Books,</a> and we're going into it feeling kinda frisky. We ended last week with a perfect score - calling 4 out of 4 matches. But the books this week are a little harder to call, so we aren't letting those on-target wins go to our heads. </div>
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I'm the only one crazy enough to have read all of the books on the list, as I try to do every year, but this year I didn't give Aana enough time to finish them all, so there are two below that I'll call on my own.</div>
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Aana is known for regularly finding 4- and even 5-leaf clovers, so I'm going to hope that her luck rubs off on us and lets us call a perfect game, or bracket as the case may be.</div>
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So let's play ball!</div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>The Game of Life<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>A Little Life</i> vs. <i>The New World</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Cheminne Picks: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">A Little Life, </span></b></i>by Hanya Yanagihara<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks:</b> <i><b><span style="color: red;">A Little Life, </span></b></i> by Hanya Yanagihara<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Cheminne?</b> Both of these books do have a common thread - it's the idea of what a life is worth, and how someone survives whatever life throws at them. For <i>The New World, </i>that includes how one survives death. Yes, survives. Jim is a chaplain at a hospital and he asks for his head to be frozen after death, to allow him to live again in the distant future. His wife Jane, a surgeon at the same hospital, is completely caught off guard, only finding out about Jim's plan after he (and his head) are already gone. Alternate chapters look at Jim's future self and Jane's rage against the machine and company that took him there. But here's the core issue I had with the book - I didn't care about either one of them. They left me as cold as the cryogenic tank Jim was frozen in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But oh - <i>A Little Life. </i>I cared very deeply for the characters in <i>A Little Life.</i> In fact, it's one of the books that will definitely stay with me for a long time. It's the story of four college friends, Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JB - but it really centers on Jude. He has a secret, much like Jim in <i>The New World, </i>a horrific childhood that haunts his present and his future. Through his friends, Jim finds a family, but not quite security, still haunted by the all-too-real demons that make him feel less than worthy of the love his friends offer. <i>The New World i</i>s 158 pages and I couldn't wait for it to end. At 700 pages, <i>A Little Life</i> seemed too short. That says it all.</div>
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<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>Honestly, I didn’t read either of
these. I’m going to go with what mom says because mom almost always knows best. [Good call, says mom.]<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 15.</i></div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>International Match<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>The Book of Aron</i> vs. <i>The Tsar of
Love and Techno</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Cheminne Picks:</b> <b><i><span style="color: red;">The Tsar of Love and Techno, </span></i></b>by Anthony
Marra<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks:</b> <b><i><span style="color: red;">The Tsar of Love and Techno, </span></i></b>by Anthony
Marra<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>First, let it sink in that I chose a book of short stories to win this contest. If you read this blog, you know that I dislike short stories for the most part. <i>Tsar</i>, however, reads like a novel, with lines that connect and lives that intersect in fascinating ways. The writing is lyrical and lovely; so good, in fact, that I kept a few lines aside to treasure. Like: "The stomach is not the only organ that hungers." Or: "You remain the hero of your own story, even when you become the villain of someone else's." This is one of my top three books in TOB this year, so I hope it continues to rise in the ranks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On the other side of the coin, I also loved<i> The Book of Aron. </i>It is a heart-wrenching and often painful story of Polish Jews walled up in their ghetto, and centers on a real-life character, Dr. Korczak, and a fictional character, a young boy named Aron. For Aron, the harsh and frightening realities of war, poverty, and hunger bring challenges and opportunity as he finds himself working both with smugglers and the Gestapo. As Aron's family disappears one by one, he ends up in Korczak's orphanage, trying to help the doctor feed and clothe the hundreds of children he has taken in. It was difficult to choose between these two books, as both are gripping and well written. But <i>Tsar's</i> ability to make me feel every emotion on the spectrum in one simple sentence is what took it over the top for me.</div>
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<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>It’s amazing. The stories in this
book are all about Russia from the Soviet era to the modern day. Every story is
beautiful in its self-contained singularity, but even more beautiful when you
start to realize that they all fit together. This book shows that seemingly
small decisions or coincidences in one person’s life can have extremely
significant, profound effects in the lives of others. The characters in these
stories are all flawed, but the reader will be able to identify with some part
of each and every one – whether it’s the devastating devotion of a mother to
her wayward child or the need to seek out any shred of information on a missing
loved one. However serious the subject matter of these stories, they’re told
with a cleverness and dark humor that I think is genius. Swimming in toxic
waste, being forced to work in a garden as a prisoner of war, and trying to get
arrested in order to avoid being drafted to serve in Chechnya are all described
with a mix of candor and pique that is irresistible. Seriously, this is a must-read for anyone, whether you enjoy short stories or not. Oh, and a tip: the
audiobook is great because the narrators are Russian speakers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 16.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>The Odd Couple<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>A Spool of Blue Thread </i>vs. <i>The
Story of My Teeth</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheminne Picks:</b> <b><i><span style="color: red;">The Story of My Teeth,</span></i></b> by Valeria Luiselli<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">A Spool of Blue Thread, </span></i></b>by Anne Tyler<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>As much as I hate to think about John Irving more than I have to, it would have been very intriguing to see <i>Avenue of Mysteries </i>paired up with <i>The Story of My Teeth</i> - both about men and Mexico. In fact, I almost wonder if the creators of the brackets thought Irving was a shoo-in when they set this up. But that was not to be since Anne Tyler's book was the one that advanced from the Play-In Round. And it may surprise Aana to see that I chose <i>Teeth</i> over Tyler, but despite the off-putting idea of the title, <i>The Story of My Teeth </i>was a surprisingly refreshing new idea in literature for me. On the surface, it is the story of Highway, a self-made auctioneer in Mexico who is determined to own Marilyn Monroe's teeth. So to pay for them, he auctions his own teeth and tells prospective buyers fantastical lies, that each tooth belonged to a famous person like Plato or Virginia Woolf. Once he owns Monroe's (supposed) teeth, he has them put into his own mouth, but they are later stolen by his once-abandoned son. Believe it or not, that isn't the most interesting part of this book. Once his teeth are stolen, Highway ends up in a strange and unsettling encounter with clowns that leaves the reader wondering what is reality and what is not, who is telling lies, and where the truth really lies. At the end, you realize that the reader is really part of the story, and is able to (invited to) interpret it as they like. I loved that surprise ending and the unusual invitation of a writer to make the reader part of the story. The book was actually written for, and inspired by, an art exhibition and is in itself a work of experimental art.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>I didn’t read either of these
either, but <i>The Story of My Teeth </i>sounded really creepy and I didn’t like the
premise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 17.</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
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<b>The Contest:</b> The Satirical Sides<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors: </b><i>The Sellout </i>vs. <i>The Invaders </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Cheminne Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">The Sellout, </span></i></b>by Paul Beatty<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks: </b><b><i><span style="color: red;">The Sellout, </span></i></b>by Paul Beatty<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Cheminne?</b> These books again have a common idea - holding a mirror up to society's ills. <i>The Invaders,</i> however, never really satisfies with its all-too-common idea of a fish-out-of-water, a second wife who isn't accepted into the social set that her husband swims in. When she commits a horrific act, she finds herself rebelling against the rules set in place by money and class. The final denouement of a hurricane washing clean the small coastal Hamptons-esque town was too much for me, though. It was a set-up that didn't pay off, for a story that's been told one too many times. </div>
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That cannot be said about The Sellout, a raucous raunchy satire that reminded me of Chris Rock's in-your-face comedy. Nothing was sacred or off limits and it made me laugh out loud. Not something you would normally say about a book that covers slavery, racism, discrimination, violence, and police brutality. But it is funny - with a kernel of pain thrown in to remind us that it isn't really funny at all. The central character, never really given a name, is raised by a social scientist father who loves to use his son as an experiment. When his father dies, and his town is removed from the map, the narrator decides he will also experiment with society's norms, determined to bring his town back. He's joined by Hominy, an actor who played stereotypical black roles in early movies and who is now upset that his fans might not be able to find him with the town gone. He begs (literally) to have the narrator take him on as a slave, and the two of them segregate their new version of their old town. In a time where race is becoming a defining issue in the presidential campaign, <i>The Sellout i</i>s the most brutal and honest conversation about race we may have this year. Maybe all the candidates should read it, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Aana? </b><i>The Sellout </i>was hilarious. It’s a
Swiftian satire in which the narrator proposes a return to segregation as a
solution for the problems associated with racism. Interestingly, in this book, segregation
also seems to be a solution for the problems associated with ignoring racism or
trying to pretend that racism doesn’t exist. I think most readers will be able
to identify with the themes presented and I hope nobody takes it too seriously,
because this book is FUNNY. It’s got a sense of style that many new books lack,
and the characters are just cool in a way that a lot of authors don’t seem to
get these days. It’s a great read that will really make you think. I think a
lot of the essence of the story can be summed up in this quote by the main
character: “I’ve whispered racism in a post-racist world.”</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>TOB match to be decided March 18.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-89707340145575913482016-03-07T18:11:00.001-05:002016-03-07T18:11:10.151-05:00Are You Ready to Rumble?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qdh8PpQM3r4/Vt4ITD_dU-I/AAAAAAAALVM/sIHJomblk9s/s1600/net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qdh8PpQM3r4/Vt4ITD_dU-I/AAAAAAAALVM/sIHJomblk9s/s320/net.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I may not be a sports buff, but I do live in the South,
where March Madness is as serious as a heart attack and where even the smallest
child knows how to fill out a bracket.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This first week of March, as my fellow Southerners start
heating up decades-old basketball rivalries, I am going to fill you in on my
bracket, or who I would select as the winner of each pairing in the first round
of <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/" target="_blank">The Morning News Tournament of Books. </a>In my opinion, this is the best of
the playoff games for bookworms. And this year, it’s a family affair as my
daughter Aana weighs in with her draft picks, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interestingly, this week we seem to have the same taste in books. So we mixed things up in how we tell you about the books. I can promise you we won't always agree.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's how this will work: Today we’re going to look at the
first five pairings to tell you how we would judge them. At the end of the
week, we’ll review how the judges called each contest, and we’ll tell you more
about each book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Feel free to offer your own color commentary as we move
through the month-long contest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now it’s time for the tip-off – so blow that whistle!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>Play-In Picks<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors:</b><i> Avenue of Mysteries</i> vs. <i>A Spool
of Blue Thread</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Cheminne Picks: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">A Spool of Blue Thread, </span></b></i>by Anne
Tyler<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks: </b><i><b><span style="color: red;">A Spool of Blue Thread, </span></b></i>by Anne Tyler<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>Let me explain this as
succinctly as possible - John Irving is a misogynist who loves to write about
himself. Every book follows that formula and this one is no different. Anne
Tyler, on the other hand, does what I admire so much – she illuminates the
ordinary and shows us all that every life is worth examining and celebrating.
Her words are spare and unsentimental and the family she writes about in <i>Spool</i>
is candid and familiar. No contest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>I never even read <i>A Spool of Blue
Thread,</i> but anything is better than John Irving. He comes off like a pompous
older man who thinks he knows everything about everything. It’s almost like
some wealthy older Anglo guy took a trip to Mexico and now he “just knows” the
Mexicans, he “just gets them, ya know?” I really didn’t need all the insider
information on beta blockers and Viagra either. It’s like getting stuck talking
to your aging, wealthy, bigoted boss at a Christmas party after he’s had a few.
It’s pretentious and creepy. Not recommended.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 8. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>The Fighters <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Competitors:</b><i> Fates and Furies </i>vs. <i>Bats of the
Republic</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheminne Picks: </b><b><i><span style="color: red;">Bats of the Republic,</span></i></b> by Zachary
Thomas Dodson<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">Bats of the Republic,</span></i></b> by Zachary Thomas
Dodson<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>Both of these books have
something to hide. One of them makes the secret worth the search; the other
does not. What they both share, unfortunately, is familiarity. <i>Fates</i> is a story
that should surprise, especially when you hit the <i>Furies</i> section of the book.
But by the time you reach that second half, you feel as if you’ve been watching
a married couple bicker in front of you for hours at dinner. Which is basically
the premise of the book, so the “surprise” is more like relief when it comes. <i>Bats</i>
is much more entertaining, but would be even better if we hadn’t had a few
years of books that already included maps, hand drawings, diagrams, and
scrapbooks to help tell the tale. What saves <i>Bats</i> is that it still is a unique
story-within-a-story that keeps your attention through till the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>Buy this book in hardcover! The
illustrations and cover lining are awesome. I really liked how the author
reveals a little at a time about each character and their history. In some
places, you can get a little lost, but it’s well worth it. The way the stories
intertwine is really interesting and will definitely keep you turning the
pages. Also, there is an envelope marked “DO NOT OPEN” at the end of the book.
Do not open it until the very end, no matter how much you may want to peek!
It’s much more rewarding that way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 9.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b>The Contest: </b>The Obfuscators <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Competitors:</b> <i>The Sympathizer</i> vs. <i>Oreo</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheminne Picks: </b><o:p></o:p><b><i><span style="color: red;">The Sympathizer, </span></i></b>by Viet Thanh Nguyen</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Aana Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">The Sympathizer, </span></i></b>by Viet Thanh Nguyen<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>First I have a bone to pick with TOB - <i>Oreo</i> was originally published in 1974. Yes, it was re-released in 2015 (the year for the books in the contest), and yes it's a good book. However, there were 80 or so other good books that should have been put into the short list. Okay, rant over. When placed in a match against <i>The Sympathizer, Oreo</i> makes a lot of sense for this list. Both books center on a protagonist who has something to hide or discover. <i>Oreo</i> is a girl who is black and Jewish, on a search for her father in a clever twist on a classical odyssey tale from Ancient Greece. The plays on words and mixes of dialects made it both fun and frustrating. Ultimately, the character in <i>The Sympathizer </i>had more depth and meaning for me. The layers were more interesting to peel back: French and Vietnamese, Communist masquerading as capitalist, loner finding love, spy hiding in plain sight. There were many more puzzles to piece together, particularly by the main character himself. Having spent so many years wearing masks to suit whatever situation he happened to be in, he actually may not remember who he really is. Fabulous book that ultimately was much more impactful.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Aana?</b> I loved both of these books, so this contest was really hard
for me. <i>Oreo</i> gave us a heroine for the modern age, with amazing writing and
clever turns of phrase. I mean, she refers to getting her period as "Flag
Day." <i>The Sympathizer </i>gave us an anti-hero whose story was as twisted as
his moral compass. The story opened my eyes about aspects of the Vietnam War I
never knew about, and I found myself sympathizing with the sympathizer. What
decided this contest for me was that I eventually got a teeny bit tired of all
the puns and wordplay in <i>Oreo</i>. Read both! They're great! A side note - <i>Oreo</i> was
originally published in 1974, which is around the time period in which <i>The
Sympathizer</i> is set. Not sure what it's doing in the Tournament of Books for
2016, but oh well...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 10. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Contest:</b> The Smack Down <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Competitors: </b><i>The Turner House</i> vs. <i>Ban en
Banlieue</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheminne Picks: </b> <i><span style="color: red;"><b>The Turner House,</b> </span></i>by Angela
Flournoy<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Aana Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">The Turner House, </span></i></b>by Angela Flournoy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Cheminne?</b> This was really an unfair fight
– <i>The Turner House </i>is 3 times bigger, and <i>Ban</i> is poetry. <i>Turner</i> is a
fully-thought-out book with a beginning, middle, and end, and <i>Ban</i>
is written as if it’s the original sketch of an idea rather than a published
book. In a perfect world, <i>Turner</i> should have been pitted against <i>A Spool of
Blue Thread</i> – it would have been a fairer fight. Both of those books center on families coming together to decide what to do with aging parents and the emotions that inevitably are stirred up in those situations. In that match-up, I still would have selected <i>Turner</i>. The contemporary setting of Detroit and themes of upside-down mortgages gave it a realism that was both unsettling and engaging. There were almost too many characters - but what do you expect in a family with 13 children? <i>Turner</i> also, refreshingly, didn't wrap it all up with a neat and tidy bow, instead letting the story play out more realistically.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Aana?</b> Because <i>Ban en Banlieue</i> was not my
cup of tea. I should’ve known when the nice lady at Barnes and Noble informed
me that <i>Ban en Banlieue</i> would be in the poetry section if it had been in stock.
It’s not that I don’t like poetry, it’s just that most poetry doesn’t engage
me. This book not only didn’t engage me, I found it totally incomprehensible.
At least it was only 109 pages. I appreciate the thought and meaning behind it,
just not the vessel for delivering said thought and meaning. It seemed more
like someone trying to describe a vague dream they had of a piece of
performance art than a cohesive story. Or maybe a performance artist drunkenly
writing notes about their upcoming work. If you’re not going to allow
nonfiction, Tournament of Books, then PLEASE – no more “poetry!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>TOB match to be decided March 11.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b>The Contest:</b> The "Evildoers"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Competitors: </b><i>Our Souls at Night</i> vs. <i>The Whites
</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cheminne Picks:</b> <o:p></o:p><b><i><span style="color: red;">The Whites, </span></i></b>by Richard Price</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Aana Picks: <i><span style="color: red;">The Whites, </span></i></b>by Richard Price<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Cheminne? </b>The TOB Rooster has a sick sense of humor. Why else would the sweet <i>Souls</i> be paired up with the gritty <i>Whites</i>? Both books do offer a look at what happens when you do the "wrong thing," but in <i>Souls</i> it's more about going against the norm and forgetting about what everyone else thinks. Against any other book, <i>Souls</i> might have won. But against the full-throttle-rush-ride of <i>The Whites,</i> it just didn't have the juice. <i>The Whites </i>was the one book on this week's list that I could not put down - it was a slithery look at the underbelly of New York's darker streets and the cops that take justice into their own hands. <i>The Sympathizer </i>and <i>The Whites </i>are my "books to watch" so far in this season's tournament. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Why this one, Aana? </b>I thought <i>Our Souls at Night </i>was a very sweet book about
older people doing whatever they wanted and saying "to hell with everyone
else." I think the author may have intended the events in the book to be
somewhat shocking, or at least out of the ordinary, but to me it was just a
sweet, melancholy story. <i>The Whites, </i>on the other hand, was truly shocking and
gripped you by the throat throughout the story. It was visceral and intense,
which I found more engaging than <i>Our Souls at Night. </i>Fans of <i>The Departed </i>(like
me) will love <i>The Whites.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>TOB match to be decided March 14. </i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-81429489318355369462016-02-21T15:33:00.000-05:002016-02-21T15:33:29.808-05:00You Do You<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zeK1biRV4s/VsoelL6wKAI/AAAAAAAALQw/XUCMDGaNB0I/s1600/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0zeK1biRV4s/VsoelL6wKAI/AAAAAAAALQw/XUCMDGaNB0I/s320/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>I've always been slightly rebellious (okay, my mom just laughed at the use of the word "slightly"), so I've never been one to read something because it's a best seller, or because someone else tells me that a book is "important."<br />
In today's <i>New York Times Book Review</i> section, I loved reading a debate about this very idea: Is a book good because it's "LIT-ra-ture," or because it's just fun to read?<br />
I believe that, much like a Twinkie, the middle is where the good stuff happens. On one end you have what you're supposed to read, and almost never do. And on the other end, the things that you're slightly embarrassed to admit you read. Much like admitting that you ever ate a Twinkie.<br />
Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Henry James, William Faulkner, Plutarch, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. And I also enjoy the books that I call "<a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/08/popcorn-and-candy.html" target="_blank">popcorn books</a>," those by Dick Francis and Agatha Christie. They aren't on any classics lists, but I love them and gobble them down like popcorn. In fact, I have every single one of the Dick Francis books - 49 if you're counting.<br />
But tell me that I have to read something just because everyone else thinks it's fabulous and I balk. Because I'm usually let down (thanks a lot, Dan Brown and Jonathan Franzen) and the attention is often not worth the blather.<br />
Frankly, it's why I gravitate to book awards like the <a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/" target="_blank">Man Booker </a>and the <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/archive/tag/tournamentofbooks" target="_blank">Morning News Tournament of Books</a> - the nominated books are usually good to fantastic, amazingly well written, and creatively entertaining (except for that John Irving thing, but more about that in another post).<br />
The middle is occupied by wizards like Jo Rowling and Elizabeth George, who create indelible characters while pulling us completely into their worlds. Or by Jo Nesbo and Robert Harris, who paint mesmerizing visions of worlds we don't occupy.<br />
And I've read breathtaking writing - crying (hard) over Harrison in <i>Pigeon English,</i> holding my breath over the pain suffered by Dorrigo in <i>The Narrow Road to the Deep North</i>, and sighing when Marie-Laure finally meets Werner in <i>All the Light We Cannot See.</i> The middle even made me change my mind over apocalyptic novels after I read <i>Station Eleven.</i> The middle is really satisfying.<br />
So don't let anyone tell you that your favorite author isn't a good one. Or that you aren't intelligent enough to "get it" if you don't like James Joyce. You read what you want. You do you. And we'll meet in the middle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-65159967231480026052016-02-15T09:34:00.002-05:002016-02-15T09:39:21.404-05:00The Books That Should Have Made the List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the best things about contests, brackets, and opinion pieces is the second-guessing game - talking about what should have happened, who should have been chosen, and what might have been. The founders of <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-brackets-for-the-morning-news-2016-tournament-of-books" target="_blank">The Morning News Tournament of Books </a>not only recognizes that, they encourage it. They fully admit that their entire process is subjective and full of errors and omissions, and they welcome other ideas and arguments as part of the bracket process.<br />
So who am I to deny them that bit of fun? I definitely have some opinions already about which books were left off this year, and which ones should win (more on that later). So Aana and I compiled a short list of nominees that aren't on the "official" TOB list, but should be.<br />
Speaking of second-guessing, I'm wondering if I should have allowed Aana to join in on this blog. She selected the books that I wanted to put on our short list, which made me go back to the well. Luckily for her, I read a lot. Otherwise, this could have gotten ugly at a very early stage.<br />
Feel free to second-guess our second-guessing in the comments section below!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">The "What Were You Thinking" List of Nominees</span></h3>
<b>Girl Waits with Gun </b>by Amy Stewart<br />
<i>An Aana Selection</i><br />
Constance Klopp (based on a real woman) is a hero for the modern woman, who makes sacrifices and sticks her neck out to protect her family. This book really stood out for me because it’s so easy for an uppity woman to identify with the main character. She’s curious, brave, strong, and does what she has to do, but she also comes off like a real person with insecurities and secrets. It’s even more remarkable that Ms. Klopp was a real person who stuck it to the man! I think she would’ve gotten along well with Oreo (of <i>Oreo</i>, a book that was chosen for TOB's brackets). AG<br />
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<b>The Nightingale</b> by Kristin Hannah<br />
<i>An Aana Selection</i><br />
More historical fiction with strong female characters. I loved this book for its atmosphere. It’s easy to put yourself in the story and feel what the main characters are feeling. Isabelle is headstrong, unstoppable, and heroic. She refuses to be daunted by the horrors of war and throws herself into the fight. In the same vein as <i>Dead Wake</i> (see below), this story shines a light into an aspect of history that most people don’t know all that much about – the women of the French Resistance during World War II. I think we’ll see this book return as a movie in the not-too-distant future, so stay tuned. AG<br />
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<b>Saint Mazie </b>by Jami Attenberg<br />
<i>A Cheminne Selection </i><br />
A good-time girl from the Lower East Side of New York lives the hectic life of a Jazz Age baby, working at a theater during the day, and dancing with a fever pitch at night. But when the Depression hits, she reinvents herself and her neighborhood, helping those who need a hand during the dark days of joblessness and hunger. Decades pass and this "saint" of the Village is hidden in history, until someone finds her diary and starts to uncover who Mazie really was, and how she impacted so many others in a trying time. This book made <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-year-in-fiction-2015" target="_blank">TOB's long list,</a> but was left off the short list, which I think is a crime. Not to give too much away, but after reading almost the entire short list, this book is better than quite a few that are included on the bracket. Maybe a Zombie round will bring this fabulous book back! CTS<br />
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<b>Bull Mountain </b>by Brian Panowich<br />
<i>A Cheminne Selection</i><br />
There is a mountain near my parents' house in Virginia named Bull Mountain, which I confess is the first reason I started reading this book. But the Southern noir, the history of moonshining (which my own family shares), and the mystery at the core of the story were the hooks that kept me reading. This tale of family ties between fathers and sons and the generations of hardscrabble Georgia country folk is gripping and shocking, and keeps you turning pages till the very end. It's a fabulously written novel of how our family history affects us in ways we never imagined. CTS<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">The "Why Doesn't TOB Include Non-Fiction" List of Nominees</span></h3>
<b>Dead Wake</b> by Erik Larson<br />
<i>An Aana Selection</i><br />
OK so they don’t allow non-fiction books in The Tournament of Books. But they also used to disallow books by people who write for The Morning News, and you saw how <i>All the Light We Cannot See </i>got on the list (and won) last year. Anyway, I think <i>Dead Wake</i> should be allowed because it’s a brilliant retelling of events leading up to one of the most momentous episodes in modern history. How much does the average person remember from history classes about the sinking of the Lusitania? Probably not a lot, but this book brings it to life and puts you right there on the steamer and in the U-boats. It illustrates what people on both sides might have been thinking and feeling, and makes history real. Not a lot of authors can do that! AG<br />
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<b>Furiously Happy </b>by Jenny Lawson</div>
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<i>A Cheminne Selection</i></div>
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If you aren't familiar with The Bloggess, go to her <a href="http://thebloggess.com/" target="_blank">website</a> right now. I'll wait. If you were able to get through a single post on that site without guffawing, then you need to see a doctor because something is seriously wrong with your sense of humor. Jenny Lawson on paper shouldn't be funny - she wrestles with mental health demons like serious depression, agoraphobia, and anxiety. But the way she deals with them is through a completely twisted (and spit-your-drink-through-your-nose) sense of humor and brutal honesty. For some, she's a light in a dark tunnel, allowing them to laugh at their own struggles. For others, she's just the funny bomb. CTS</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-48507113678845802062016-02-05T15:29:00.000-05:002016-02-05T15:29:40.293-05:00Book Bracket Fever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Can you feel the excitement building? The brackets are out, the teams are gearing up, everyone is ready for some serious March Madness! I love book season!<br />Wait...what did <i>you</i> think I meant? The only season and the only bracket worth caring about is <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/article/the-2016-tournament-of-books-shortlist-and-judges" target="_blank">The Morning News Tournament of Books</a>! Any other "sport" pales in comparison. </div>
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The tournament has been in play for 12 years, and for four of those years I've been providing you with my predictions and commentary, sometimes hitting the basket and sometimes hitting the rim. Last year was my best year for stats - I called it right down to the winner, which was tough because two of my favorite books (<i>Station Eleven </i>and <i>All the Light We Cannot See</i>) were in the finals.</div>
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This year, the tournament and I are shaking things up a little bit. ToB is adding a "play-in winner," which is similar to its Zombie rounds of the past. Two books will compete before the actual tournament, vying for a chance to enter the Big Show - kind of like a wild card match.</div>
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I'm also adding a spin - this year in the form of my daughter Aana, a book-obsessed geek who is reading almost as many books as I am each year. She'll bring a different perspective because her tastes aren't the same as mine (ahem, short stories), and we might mix it up a little in who we think will win each match. She's definitely a wild card. </div>
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So what teams - or books - are in play? Each year the committee throws a ton of nominations into the mix to create its long list, which this year offered 86 selections, and then through some form of subjective hocus pocus, ToB narrows the list down to 17 books. In a few weeks, Aana and I will debate whether something important was left off that list and if we actually agree that all of the books on the short list deserve to be there (spoiler alert: a big no from us both on John Irving).</div>
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Here are the contenders - links will take you to Powell's Books, the sponsor for the tournament:</div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/ban-en-banlieue-9781937658243/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">Ban en Banlieue,</a></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Bhanu Kapil</span></blockquote>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/bats-of-the-republic-9780385539838/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">Bats of the Republic,</a></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> by Zachary Thomas Dodson</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/book-of-aron-9781101874318/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Book of Aron, </a></i></b>Jim Shepard</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/fates-and-furies-9781594634475/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">Fates and Furies, </a></i></b>Lauren Groff</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/invaders-9781941393291/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Invaders,</a></i></b> by Karolina Waclawiak</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/little-life-9780385539258/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">A Little Life, </a></i></b>by Hanya Yanagihara</span> </blockquote>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/the-new-world-9780374221812/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The New World,</a></b></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> by Chris Adrian and Eli Horowitz</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/oreo-9780811223225/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">Oreo, </a></i></b>by Fran Ross</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/our-souls-at-night-a-novel-9781101875896/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">Our Souls at Night, </a></i></b>by Kent Haruf</span> </blockquote>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/sellout-9780374260507/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Sellout, </a></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">by Paul Beatty</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/the-story-of-my-teeth-9781566894098/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Story of My Teeth,</a></i></b> by Valeria Luiselli</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/the-sympathizer-9780802123459/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Sympathizer, </a></i></b>by Viet Thanh Nguyen</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/the-tsar-of-love-techno-9780770436438/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Tsar of Love and Techno, </a></i></b>by Anthony Marra</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/turner-house-9780544303164/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Turner House,</a></i></b> by Angela Flournoy</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/whites-9781408864593/partnerid=44171" target="_blank">The Whites, </a></i></b>by Richard Price</span></blockquote>
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And then we have our two play-in contenders: Anne Tyler's <i>A Spool of Blue Thread </i>and John Irving's <i>Avenue of Mysteries</i> (which I can tell you right now Aana and I do not predict to win anything).</div>
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So there you have it, the 2016 Tournament of Books! Are there any selections you think should have been included? Any books on here that you've already read? Let me know in the comments below! And look for the first installment from Aana and me soon!</div>
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Meanwhile, here is a copy of the bracket so you can fill it in and start some friendly wagers with your friends and neighbors - all of whom I'm sure are ready to play/read along. Right?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-65290878849252258732015-01-01T22:04:00.000-05:002015-01-01T22:04:18.255-05:00New Year, New List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the last three years I've been keeping track of every book I read. It's been a daunting task, particularly last year when I read over 100. This year, I stayed in my sweet spot of slightly over 80, 84 to be exact. You can see each book I read in 2014 by clicking <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/cheminne/50-book-pledge-2014/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
This has been a strange year for books, now that I look over what I read. I would have read many more books this year, but found myself dissatisfied by some of the "big hits" of the year. Since my motto is that life is too short to read bad books, that kept my number a bit lower this year than it might have been.<br />
It was also a year of dystopia, WWII, and women. Sounds like a country song. The dystopia theme was one of the reasons that I was frustrated with the selection of books this year - it was just too prevalent and too many of them weren't well-written.<br />
WWII was another favorite theme this year, but there were many, many expertly written selections there, so you'll see at least four books with that theme on my list.<br />
And then the women - I read one or two editorials this year that lamented the fact that there were so few female writers among the book award nominations this year, and I agree. Because, as you'll see by my list, I was able to find great female authors, and great books written about women.<br />
So enjoy my selections for the top tomes I read this year - and here's to a 2015 filled with amazing new books for us all!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Biographies</span></h3>
<b>Morrissey, </b>by Morrissey, of course. This man provided the soundtrack to much of my angsty teen years with his angry poetic lyrics. This lyrical autobiography proves he hasn't lost his touch, or his edge.<br />
<b>A Spy Among Friends,</b> by Ben MacIntyre. Kim Philby rose up the ranks in Britain's secret spy network, almost to the very top rung, all while spying for Russia. This engrossing story describes how the old-boy club helped promote and conceal him for so long.<br />
<b>Factory Man,</b> by Beth Macy. This fantastic book hits close to home, written about my family's home ground, the industry I've worked in so long, and a bullheaded man determined to save his family's heritage and company.<br />
<b>The Romanov Sisters, </b>by Helen Rappaport. It must be difficult to find new ground to cover when writing about such well-known history, but by focusing on the beautiful daughters of the doomed Czar Nicholas, Rappaport does just that.<br />
<b>Unbroken, </b>by Laura Hillenbrand. I resisted this one for a while, mainly because I've been burned too many times by a heavily touted book that turned out to be a dud. But I should have know that in Hillenbrand's deft hands I would find a lyrical and uplifting story of grit and determination.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Fiction</span></h3>
<b>All the Light We Cannot See,</b> by Anthony Doerr. This is a book so well written that I found myself putting it down in fear that I would read it too quickly. WWII is almost a backdrop to the story of a young blind girl in Paris and a boy in Germany and that one moment when their lives intersected.<br />
<b>The Narrow Road to the Deep North,</b> by Richard Flanagan. This is not an easy book to read, and it is definitely not an easy book to forget. It's the story of Australian POWs forced to build a road in Burma, and yes, it may remind of you <i>Unbroken</i>. But it is deeper and more visceral, juxtaposed with a love story on the sunny beaches of Australia. Incredible.<br />
<b>The Bees, </b>by Laline Paull. This may rank as my favorite book of the year. It's an inside look at a working hive, and a bee who doesn't want to conform. It touches on themes of religion, community, and adventure - and is spellbinding.<br />
<b>The Aftermath, </b>by Rhidian Brook. Yes, this is the third book in this segment alone that focuses on WWII, but it really examines Germany immediately after the war ends, as a British colonel and his family move in with a German widower and his daughter.<br />
<b>The Invention of Wings,</b> by Sue Monk Kidd. Hetty Grimke, a slave in Charleston, is nicknamed Handful for a reason, and when she is given to Sarah as an 11th birthday present, she lives up to her name as she and Sarah both struggle for a kind of freedom over 35 years.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Non-Fiction</span></h3>
<b>Tinseltown,</b> by William J. Mann. Murder, mayhem, and drugs in Hollywood - not in modern times, but in the 1920s, when the movie business was in its infancy. Racy themes and scandals behind the scenes threatened to either derail the fledgling business, or to allow censorship to have free rein.<br />
<b>Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, </b>by Karen Abbott. Four women, two from each side of the conflict, do their part in the Civil War, each in her own way. The soldier of the title is one of the best stories, but all four will fascinate you.<br />
<b>What If? </b>by Randall Munroe. Formerly a roboticist for NASA, Munroe now writes the webcomic <i>xkcd</i>, a stick-figure comic that covers all things science. Here he wittily answers some of the questions you never knew needed answers.<br />
<b>Humans of New York,</b> by Brandon Stanton. If you have not ever seen his website, go there now. I'll wait. (http://www.humansofnewyork.com/) This compilation of some of Stanton's best work is touching, sweet, honest, and real.<br />
<b>The Girls of Atomic City, </b>by Denise Kiernan. Near Oak Ridge, Tenn., during WWII (note the theme), a town grew up almost overnight, full of buildings and workers. It wasn't on any map, despite using more electricity than the city of New York. This is the story of the women who played an unwitting role in the atomic age.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Mysteries</span></h3>
<b>The Ploughmen,</b> by Kim Zupan. Valentine Millimaki is always looking for someone. It's his specialty as a sheriff's deputy in the cold Montana country. So when he's assigned to the night shift to watch over a killer who is waiting for his trial, Millimaki begins to look for the humanity in the murderer John Gload.<br />
<b>Red Road, </b>by Denise Mina. Scotland isn't all kilts and haggis, as Detective Alex Morrow knows all too well. In the latest book of a terrific series, Morrow is dealing with twins, her criminal brother, and an international arms dealer. Just another day at work.<br />
<b>Silkworm,</b> by - oh let's cut the crap, it's by JK Rowling. Detective Cormoran Strike has to find a missing writer, but no one else seems to want him found. And just as in the <i>Potter</i> books, Rowling pulls you in with descriptive writing and indelible characters.<br />
<b>Burial Rites,</b> by Hannah Kent. Based on the true story of Agnes Magnusdottir, an accused murderer in early 1800s Iceland, this is an icy cold tale of guilt, passion, and secrets, perfect for a dark winter's night.<br />
<b>Bellweather Rhapsody,</b> by Kate Racculia. Fifteen years after a murder took place in room 712, the Bellweather hotel is host to hundreds of high school musicians, a witness to that previous murder, and perhaps another dead body.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Popcorn Books</span></h3>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.6319999694824px;">Note: I define "popcorn books" as those that are fast and not-so-filling reads. They must feature good writing, and they must be FUN.</i><br />
<b>Pennyroyal Academy, </b>by MA Larson. Technically a Young Adult book, this is the first in a series. It may remind you of <i>Harry Potter, </i>but in a good way rather than in a rip-off way. The titular school trains young princesses and knights to fight for their kingdoms - but the story knocks fairytales on their ear with princesses who rescue themselves, witches who hide secrets, and dragons that may not deserve to be slain.<br />
<b>The Girls at the Kingfisher Club,</b> by Genevieve Valentine. This is another retelling of a fairytale, this time inspired by the Brothers Grimm story of the 12 dancing sisters. In a twist, the terrific tale is set in the heady speakeasies of the 1920s.<br />
<b>Longbourne</b>, by Jo Baker. I was disappointed in the PD James mystery inspired by <i>Pride & Prejudice</i>, so that kept me from picking this up for a while. But the story of the servants behind the scenes at the Bennett house was well worth the wait.<br />
<b>We Were Liars,</b> by E Lockhart. When she summers with her family on their island, something happens to Cadence Sinclair. She can't remember the details, but it appears that one of her family members tried to kill her. Who? And how? Watch out for a big twist.<br />
<b>One Plus One,</b> by Jo Jo Moyes. A fun and frothy story of a math prodigy and her dysfunctional family on their way to a mathletics competition with an out-of-touch businessman in tow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-64207105147523515792014-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-16T10:41:28.270-04:00I See What You Did There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After several days' worth of posts on awards for literature, now we finally get to the good stuff - the <a href="http://www.crimethrillerawards.com/" target="_blank">ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards, </a>celebrating the best in mystery/thriller writing for books and for television. I note that they are sponsored by Specsavers, a chain of eyeglass shops across the UK, which is appropriate because this is the award program most likely to ruin my eyesight.<br />
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I usually find myself in a frenzy of reading/watching to catch up with all of the nominees before the awards are announced, which leaves me a scant 10 days at this point. Good thing I just got my own new pair of specs. So let's get started with the lists of nominees!</div>
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Crime Thriller Book Club Nominees</h3>
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<i>Before We Met,</i> by Lucie Whitehouse</div>
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<i>Entry Island,</i> by Peter May (love him!)</div>
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<i>Letters to My Daughter's Killer, </i>by Cath Staincliffe</div>
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<i>Treachery</i>, by SJ Parris</div>
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<i><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2013/12/looking-back-looking-forward.html" target="_blank">The Tilted World, </a></i>by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly (fabulous book)</div>
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<i>Watch Me,</i> by James Carroll</div>
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Living Legends Nominees</h3>
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Best living writer of crime/thrillers.</div>
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Michael Connolly</div>
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Robert Harris</div>
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Dean Koontz</div>
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Lynda La Plante</div>
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Val McDermid</div>
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Denise Mina</div>
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Wow - tough category!</div>
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<h3>
CWA Gold Dagger Nominees</h3>
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Crime Novel of the Year from the Crime Writers Association.</div>
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<i>This Dark Road to Mercy, </i>by Wiley Cash</div>
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<i>Keep Your Friends Close,</i> by Paula Daly</div>
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<i>The First Rule of Survival, </i>by Paul Mendelson</div>
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<i>How the Light Gets In,</i> by Louise Penny</div>
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CWA Steel Dagger Nominees</h3>
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For the CWA's Ian Fleming-esque thriller.</div>
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<i>Apple Tree Yard, </i>by Louise Doughty</div>
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<i>An Officer and a Spy, </i>by Robert Harris</div>
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<i>I Am Pilgrim, </i>by Terry Hayes</div>
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<i>Natchez Burning,</i> by Greg Iles</div>
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<h3>
CWA New Blood Dagger Nominees</h3>
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CWA's nominees for the best crime novel by a first-time author. </div>
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<i>The Strangler Vine,</i> by MJ Carter</div>
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<i>The Axeman's Jazz, </i>by Ray Celestin</div>
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<i>The Devil in the Marshalsea, </i>by Antonia Hodgson</div>
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<i>The Silent Wife,</i> by ASA Harrison</div>
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<h3>
Best Film Dagger Nominees</h3>
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<i>Cold in July</i></div>
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<i>Dom Hemingway</i></div>
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<i>Filth</i></div>
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<i>Prisoners</i></div>
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<i>Starred Up</i></div>
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<h3>
Best Television Dagger Nominees</h3>
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<i>Happy Valley</i> (a must-see on Netflix)</div>
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<i>Line of Duty, </i>series 2</div>
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<i>Sherlock</i>, series 3 (so amazing)</div>
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<i>The Bletchley Circle, </i>series 2</div>
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<i>The Honourable Woman</i></div>
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Luckily for my eyes, I've seen many of the film and television nominees. But now it's time to buckle down to those books. Let me know which of the nominees you've read or seen! The winners will be announced on Oct. 24.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-20792785029016220492014-10-15T10:40:00.002-04:002014-10-15T10:40:17.600-04:00And the Awards Keep on Coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes, it's book awards season, with which I have a love-hate relationship. In some ways, it's like Christmas, with a huge pile of presents that I feel compelled to read all at once. On the other hand, couldn't we spread it out a little more? </div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmtO-yiwimQ/VD6FW-4tRtI/AAAAAAAAFys/0uz9VI_gSUg/s1600/book%2Baward%2Bfinalist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HmtO-yiwimQ/VD6FW-4tRtI/AAAAAAAAFys/0uz9VI_gSUg/s1600/book%2Baward%2Bfinalist.jpg" height="200" width="193" /></a>Yesterday, the Man Booker Prize winner was feted in London, so today the National Book Award committee announces its short list finalists. Sure, why let that prize winner have a moment to enjoy? Let's just cut that off right at the knees.<br />
Sigh.<br />
Okay, I'm done ranting about that. Now let's move on to the finalists for those NBA awards. I find myself in the confounding place of actually approving of this year's list of nominees. Usually I think the nominee lists are too packed full of stuffy tomes that no one actually wants to read - but not this year. I've read a couple of these and I am looking forward to reading the rest, which is not something I've ever said about this award program before. So bully for the NBAs!<br />
The nominees for Fiction are <i>All the Light We Cannot See </i>by Anthony Doerr, <i>An Unnecessary Woman</i> by Rabih Alameddine, <i>Lila</i> by Marilynne Robinson, <i>Station Eleven </i>by Emily St. John Mandel, and <i>Redeployment</i> by Phil Klay. <i>Redeployment</i> is a collection of short stories, which I normally don't read, and <i>Station Eleven </i>is yet another apocalyptic future novel, so we'll see if I make it through those two. See my rant on the glut of "the future is scary" books in yesterday's post.<br />
For Nonfiction, the nominees are <i>Age of Ambition </i>by Evan Osnos, <i>Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? </i>by Roz Chast, <i>The Meaning of Human Existence</i> by Edward O. Wilson, <i>No Good Men Among the Living </i>by Anand Gopal, and <i>Tennessee Williams </i>by John Lahr. I was disappointed that <i>When Paris Went Dark</i> didn't make it the cut from the long list - it's a great book.<br />
And the nominees for Young People's Literature are <i>Brown Girl Dreaming</i> by Jacqueline Woodson, <i>Noggin</i> by John Corley Whaley, <i>The Port Chicago 50</i> by Steve Sheinkin, <i>Revolution</i> by Deborah Wiles, and <i>Threatened</i> by Eliot Schrefer. This category usually has some gems, so I'm looking forward to reading these.<br />
Yes, I skipped the Poetry category. I won't read them, so if you want to find out who is nominated, you can click <b><a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/10/15/354568850/get-to-know-the-finalists-for-the-2014-national-book-award" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
Tomorrow, I'll list another of my favorite awards programs, the Crime Thriller Awards for both television and books, which will be held in London on Oct. 24. See what I mean? So many books, so little time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-19194372305483499922014-10-14T10:31:00.000-04:002014-10-14T17:26:44.976-04:00Winner, Winner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>LATE-DAY UPDATE: Well I'm shocked to say that I was right. That never happens. But Richard Flanagan deserved to win the <a href="http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/winner-2014-man-booker-prize-fiction" target="_blank">Man Booker Prize</a> for this amazing book! Congrats to him!</i><br />
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The reason that I love the Man Booker Prize over all other book award programs is that I always discover a book among its nominees that profoundly impacts me. A few years ago it was <a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-pick-for-man-booker-prize.html" target="_blank"><i>Pigeon English</i>,</a> an incredible story about a young immigrant boy in England that I still think of almost once a month - it was just that good.<br />
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This year, the book that knocked me for an emotional loop was definitely <i>The Narrow Road to the Deep North</i> by Richard Flanagan. More on that book - which also gets my vote to win the Prize when it's announced tonight - in just a bit. </div>
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First, let's talk about the fact that, for the first time, the Man Booker Prize committee opened up the contest to English-language books from any country, rather than just the U.K. I had high hopes for that, imagining Hilary Mantel-like writers squaring up against Philip Roth-esque American authors. </div>
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But the selection committee shortlisted two U.S. novels that I don't think are up for the challenge: <i>To Rise Again at a Decent Hour </i>by Joshua Ferris, and <i>We Are Completely Beside Ourselves </i>by Karen Joy Fowler.</div>
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Fowler's previous novel was <i>The Jane Austen Book Club,</i> and her Man Booker contender is just as light and entertaining. I'm not knocking the fact that it's a less substantial book, but it doesn't offer anything new. And Ferris's book examines religion's role in today's tech-savvy world in a way that's supposed to be funny, but fell flat for me. In fact, it was an exasperating read. So these two books, out of all of the fabulous American fiction published this year, are what caught the eye of the Man Booker group? Hmmmm.</div>
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I also wasn't thrilled with Neel Mukherjee's <i>The Lives of Others</i>, a story of a '60s family in Calcutta that gets caught up in political uprisings. There were almost too many characters, leaving me little time or inclination to get to know any one of them well enough to engage with them.</div>
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Luckily, there are other (better) books on the short list. Ali Smith offers a really new way of telling a tale - or two - in <i>How to Be Both</i>. The novel centers on two characters who tell their own story, one a modern-day teenage girl and the other a female Italian Renaissance artist living as a man. Depending on which copy of the book you pick up, you will begin with one of the two characters first, and then wind your way through two stories that twist around each other. It's fabulous storytelling for a modern world.</div>
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Howard Jacobson takes on (yet another) dystopian society with his novel <i>J.</i> In the scary future imagined by Jacobson, no one is allowed to use words that begin with the letter J without making a motion like pulling a zipper across his or her lips. The fear of the unknown is the key to this novel, with some of the frightening shadows never fully explored. It's a good book, but I'm tiring of the "future is scary and vaguely Big Brother-ish" stories that are constantly fed to us through books, movies, and video games. The overabundance of similar story arcs kept me from really embracing this one.</div>
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And then we come to <i>The Narrow Road,</i> the lone Australian entry on the list. Flanagan tells the story of Australian POWs forced to build a road in Burma, a harrowing real-life event that involved some of the worst atrocities by the Japanese army. Yes, there are shades of Laura Hillenbrand's <i>Unbroken</i>, but <i>The Narrow Road </i>goes deeper and is more visceral, giving us a visual imprint that's hard to shake off. Flanagan juxtaposes the darkness of the jungle with the bright light and sandy beaches of Australia, going back and forth between the POW camp and the love story of the central character Dorrigo Evans. It was a difficult story, but one that I could not put down. Flanagan is a master of pulling the reader in, and then never letting go. But it is a tough read emotionally; let's just say I had to have a palate cleanser of Philippa Gregory immediately after. </div>
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So tonight, I predict that Flanagan will win the award. But if he doesn't (just as <i>Pigeon English </i>didn't), I'm still a winner for having read his novel.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-72881303939776409092014-09-09T07:36:00.000-04:002014-09-09T10:30:34.710-04:00The Fall of Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fall is the time of Man - the <a href="http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/man-booker-prize-fiction-2014-shortlist-revealed" target="_blank">Man Booker Prize</a>, that is. Today the famed literary award panel announces its short list for the coveted prize, and that in turn means that I have a lot of reading to do.<br />
This is one of my two favorite book award programs - the other is the Dagger Awards, presented by the Crime Writers Association. Oddly, although the Man Booker is a British award, I find it to be less stuffy and highbrow than the U.S. awards, like the National Book Award. Or maybe it's just my Anglophilia showing.<br />
All I know is that I always love the Man Booker selections, whether they win or not, and I quite often completely agree with the award winner. This year will be especially interesting since it's the first time that the Man Booker group has expanded its rules, allowing all books originally printed in English to be nominated, no matter the nationality of the author. Take that, National Book Award.<br />
So here is the short list of nominees this year. I'll let you know soon which one I believe should take the top prize. And if you're going to read along, get cracking! The prize will be awarded on Oct. 14.<br />
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<i>To Rise Again at a Decent Hour,</i> by Joshua Ferris (US)<br />
<i>The Narrow Road to the Deep North,</i> by Richard Flanagan (Australia)<br />
<i>We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,</i> by Karen Joy Fowler (US)<br />
<i>J, </i>by Howard Jacobson (UK)<br />
<i>The Lives of Others, </i>by Neel Mukherjee (UK)<br />
<i>How to Be Both,</i> by Ali Smith (UK)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-43349077227069549092014-09-05T15:05:00.000-04:002014-09-05T15:05:47.345-04:00Life-Enhancing Technology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Leave it to the Swedes to deliver "life-enhancing technology" with the droll/dry wit they are known for. Ikea has rolled out its 2015 catalog in a format that is so simple and intuitive that it "feels instantly familiar." What is this amazing device? They are calling it a bookbook. (And yes, that name is trademarked.)</div>
In a very tongue-in-cheek video (see below), Ikea says its bookbook comes fully charged with a battery life that is "eternal." Think of it! No cord required. Wow.<br />
Not only that, but the device offers tactile navigation with "pre-installed" content that loads instantly. Shazam.<br />
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I gotta get me one of those bookbooks. I just hope there isn't a long line at the store on launch day...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-48393488640958913802014-09-04T16:04:00.000-04:002014-09-04T16:04:46.298-04:00That Thing on Facebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are so many quizzes, questionnaires, and tags on Facebook that it can be practically impossible to get anything done. I get pulled in just like everyone else - which means I now know that I should be living in England, that I'm darn good at history and science (15 out of 15!), that if I was a cheese I would be Provolone, and that if I was a Disney princess I would be Mulan. Duh.<br />
But the new fad that's going around made me stop and really think (instead of mindlessly clicking on green when asked my favorite color). When tagged by a friend, you're supposed to name the 10 books that "most impacted your life." Note that it doesn't ask for your 10 favorite books, or the 10 books you couldn't put down. It's hard for me to narrow any book list down to just 10, but this one was especially difficult.<br />
Since it was already a fairly long post when I finished listing the titles and authors on Facebook, I didn't take the time to explain why and how each of the books impacted me, so I thought I would do that here. As you can see, many of these I have already reviewed or referenced on this blog - just follow the links for more.<br />
And now consider yourself tagged - which 10 books most impacted YOU?<br />
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<b>Invisible Man </b>by Ralph Ellison<br />
This book was completely mind-blowing for me. The symbolism was rich and intense and the writing was different from anything else I had ever read. If I could tell you the number of times that I think about Ellison's description of Optic White and the 10 drops of black...now that's an impact. And here I must thank my high school English teacher, Ms. T, who assigned this to the class that adores her to this day.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/search?q=little+women" target="_blank">Little Women</a></b> by Louisa May Alcott<br />
I know a lot of little girls may have dreamed of being Jo, but I tried to make it a reality. I created my own Pickwick Papers, developed plays for my sisters to showcase their talents, and set myself on a lifelong writing path in the process.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/12/faulkner-on-hbo.html" target="_blank">Light in August </a></b>by William Faulkner<br />
I went through a full summer of Faulkner as a teen, and this book is the one that started the whole thing. It appealed to my sense of being a misfit (weren't we all) and it was thrillingly full of Southern Gothic themes of race, sex, class, and religion. It made me question everything I thought I believed.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2013/06/ready-for-journey.html" target="_blank">The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry </a></b>by Rachel Joyce<br />
Like <i>Light in August, </i>this book came along at the right time in my life. With its gentle protagonist and his simple-but-not idea to change the world, this book reminded me that life isn't always about the destination, but the road you travel.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-dislike-paris-in-summer.html" target="_blank">Sarum</a></b> by Edward Rutherfurd<br />
This huge chunk of writing transformed me into the Anglophile I am today, covering pre-history to modern day at the magical English site. It was also the first book in the sweeping-historical-saga genre that I actually <strike>appreciated</strike>, er, loved and obsessed over. One of the highlights of my life was re-reading <i>Sarum</i> while staying one mile away in lovely Wiltshire.<br />
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<a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/10/spooky-lives-and-deaths.html" target="_blank"><b>The Graveyard Book</b> </a>by Neil Gaiman<br />
I am a huge fan of YA fiction and of Neil Gaiman, and this is my favorite of his books. It is charming, witty, and unique, and it made me appreciate the category all over again.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/12/few-of-my-favorite-things.html" target="_blank">Wolf Hall</a> </b>by Hilary Mantel<br />
Where to begin? It is set during a favorite historical time period, it is set in one of my favorite countries, and it is a completely different take on a story that I thought had been told in every way possible. But that isn't what impacted me - no, that was Mantel's writing, which is straightforward, gripping, and worth every award she received. I could not put this down.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2011/10/cwa-nominee-crooked-letter.html" target="_blank">Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter </a></b>by Tom Franklin<br />
There are two books that I consistently give as gifts. One is Peter Mayle's <i>A Dog's Life</i>, because it's so funny and everyone needs a good laugh. This is the second one - and I press it into people's hands with a determined "You <i>have</i> to read this." A completely different take on race, crime, and Southern literature, it really is that good.<br />
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<b>With No One as Witness</b> by Elizabeth George<br />
There is no one in the same class as George when it comes to writing characters, and her Lynley-and-Havers duo ranks among my favorites in all of literature (yes, I do mean that). There are 19 books in the series at this point, and I selected this one as having the most impact on me because it is one of maybe three times in my life that I gasped out loud at a book's plot twist. Incredible.<br />
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<b>First Man in Rome</b> by Colleen McCullough<br />
Historical fiction is a tough genre - veer too close to the history side and it's boring, swerve over into the fiction lane and it's too fluffy. McCullough finds the perfect middle ground in her Masters of Rome series with meticulous research combined with her imaginings of the real men and women behind the myths. She even includes her own sketches of the historical players - and they're quite good. There are three historical time periods that I'm nuts about, and that can be attributed to three books. This is the one that dragged me into ancient Rome, and I've never left. In case you're curious about the other two points in history: Ancient Egypt and Tudor England.<br />
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Of course, once I saw everyone else's lists, I wanted to add more books to my list. So here are some honorable mentions: <i>To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride & Prejudice</i> (Austen's sarcasm obviously had an impact), <i>Pillars of the Earth, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Handmaid's Tale,</i> and <i>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.</i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-67364980862144840502014-09-02T11:07:00.000-04:002014-09-02T11:07:59.689-04:00Bookmarks Goes Big for Its 10th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite local book festival, <a href="http://www.bookmarksnc.org/events/festival" target="_blank">Bookmarks</a>, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a BIG lineup of authors and a new location.<br />
The free festival is the largest of its kind in North Carolina, and it takes place on Sept. 6 at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts and Spruce Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The headline speaker this year, James Patterson, will speak at Reynolds Auditorium on Sept. 4 to kick things off.<br />
I have to confess I'm not a Patterson fan, but I am definitely looking forward to the full day of festivities on the 6th, featuring authors like Rita Mae Brown, Frances Mayes, James McBride, Scott Berg, and J.A. Jance. <br />
There are also booths full of books at the festival, naturally, including little-known and brand new authors trying to get a foothold in the book world. I always find a hidden gem or two.<br />
If you're in the area and want to go, just click <b><a href="http://www.bookmarksnc.org/events/festival" target="_blank">here</a></b> to learn more.<br />
And if you're having a hard time getting back to work after the long holiday weekend, let me just link you through to a list of <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/10/03/david-bowie-reading-list/" target="_blank">David Bowie's 75 favorite books</a> as a distraction. You're welcome.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-67129607910577674592014-08-29T12:19:00.000-04:002014-08-29T12:19:18.216-04:00Summer Love: Sally's Baking Addiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As an award-winning baker myself (hey, it was 3rd place for cupcakes at the Dixie Classic Fair so it totally counts), I am very picky when it comes to baked goods. The best recipes need to strike that balance between being delicious and not too time consuming.<br />
So a few years ago, I found the best blog ever for fabulous recipes that fit my impatient time limit. Thank the chocolate gods for <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/" target="_blank">Sally's Baking Addiction </a>- and if you don't know this blog, click over there right now.<br />
"Sally" is Sally McKenney, a woman who has the patience to try try and try again until she finds the perfect set of ingredients for the very best cakes, pies, and cookies. That is a true talent. I love to bake, but I'm one of those "just throw it in there and see what comes out" kind of girls. Sometimes that works, and sometimes that doesn't.<br />
Every single thing I ever made from Sally's blog popped out of the oven just as perfect as she said it would be. And the cupcake recipes always make exactly 12. That happens to be a sticking point for me with other cupcake recipes, frankly. Yes, I realize that's weird. But obviously Sally shares that odd obsession.<br />
I was thrilled this summer when I received a cookbook of the best recipes from her blog, called oddly enough <i>Sally's Baking Addiction. </i>And, as many of you know, I spent this summer baking my way through the cookbook.<br />
I'm obsessed with cookbooks, and I enjoy baking, but I rarely want to try every single recipe I find in a single cookbook. This was the exception - I loved every recipe and wasn't disappointed with any of the processes or ingredients. Everything was fairly easy and straightforward. And I have a lot of happy friends, since I passed along most of what I made.<br />
So head to her blog and search through the thousands of recipes, or give this book to the baker in your life. Meanwhile, scroll below through the photos of the sinful goods I made this summer!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumbo Blueberry Muffins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Glazed Orange Macaroons (I did the glaze my own way)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies (sans the green food coloring)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGBM38jVScI/VACmf9RWHSI/AAAAAAAAFt0/OkSUAhby9aM/s1600/photo%2B3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGBM38jVScI/VACmf9RWHSI/AAAAAAAAFt0/OkSUAhby9aM/s1600/photo%2B3.PNG" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Sugar Marble Pound Cake (pre-bake, of course)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnsAFV-lMJE/VACmgj9-S8I/AAAAAAAAFt4/tRiKI28PvzM/s1600/photo%2B4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnsAFV-lMJE/VACmgj9-S8I/AAAAAAAAFt4/tRiKI28PvzM/s1600/photo%2B4.PNG" height="309" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugared Lemon Bars</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-25533427818941220092014-01-15T11:28:00.000-05:002014-01-15T11:28:30.093-05:00A Brown Study<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSaKQCKfboM/UtaylSnTwrI/AAAAAAAAFew/kSOmtCT9jyc/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jSaKQCKfboM/UtaylSnTwrI/AAAAAAAAFew/kSOmtCT9jyc/s1600/image.jpeg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
I have a deep suspicion of two types of books. The first is the book that "everyone" says I should read. Those usually include Nicholas Sparks, <i>Fifty Shades of Whatever</i>, and Dan Brown. The second type of book is the one that critics applaud for "unique" and "existential" writing (or whatever intellectual word is hot at the moment). I'll give you my rant on the latter type in another post, but today let's focus on the first.<br />
I understand (I suppose) the appeal of a populist concept or a formula that works. For example, I am a fan of Dick Francis, and his books are really all about the same thing. But he does it so well.<br />
What I cannot forgive is crappy writing - and yes, I am aware that I just wrote something "crappy" there myself.<br />
Misspellings, repetition, lack of original descriptions, the inability to stay on topic - I hate that those failings are celebrated in books like Dan Brown's. I've always said that I will at least give him marks for coming up with (slightly) original ideas. They are obviously intriguing enough to get people talking. But let me be clear: He is one of the worst writers who ever sold a million books.<br />
In <i>The Da Vinci Code,</i> I almost threw the book across the room when he wrote that a character had "merlot-colored hair." I barely made it through that book, and almost hurt myself trying to not scream at people who told me how fabulous it was.<br />
What infuriates me is that there are so many fantastic writers out there that do not get their due, and instead we're all treated to a <i>Today Show</i> segment set up only to reveal the name of Brown's new book. Sigh.<br />
So imagine my glee when I discovered that two writers had reviewed Brown's latest book by writing their snarky comments in the margins, and then posting it for the world to see. I know I've said before that I don't like to see books defaced, but if any book deserves it, it would be Brown's.<br />
Showcased on TheMillions.com, the reviewers highlighted Brown's over-use of the same words, his terrible pacing and plotlines, and his inability to stop sprinkling ellipses all over the pages like crumbs. My favorite quote from one of the margin-scribblers: "He writes like an in-flight magazine." I have friends who actually do write for those in-flight magazines and a comparison to Brown is insulting...to them. (Hey, Brown, check out that use of an ellipsis.)<br />
The reviewers now plan to send the book on to others, asking for more fun and to-the-point commentary. I plan to follow along with glee. Read what they have done so far <b><a href="http://www.themillions.com/2014/01/dumbest-thing-ever-scribbling-in-the-margins-of-dan-browns-inferno.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
To those of you obsessed with Dan Brown, Nicholas Sparks, or that <i>Fifty Shades</i> chick, I promise you there are books out there that are just as engaging, but much better written. Please please find them. I offer my <b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/p/books-reviewed.html" target="_blank">book reviews </a></b>to you as a guide.<br />
And to Mr. Brown: Hire yourself a good editor. There are plenty out there who are out of a job right now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-84355872167152681292014-01-02T13:45:00.000-05:002014-01-02T18:02:55.061-05:00Make a Smarter Resolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Nn070em7c4/UCRUiWZatNI/AAAAAAAADEE/1aAXtTfrA_c/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Nn070em7c4/UCRUiWZatNI/AAAAAAAADEE/1aAXtTfrA_c/s1600/photo.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
It's that time of year <span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">–</span> the time when we all make those resolutions that usually fall out of favor by Jan. 25. I have a suggestion for a resolution that you will enjoying sticking to: Read more books.<br />
Not only will you have fun reading, according to new research you will also improve your intelligence. Conducted by Emory University, the study showed that those who read a good novel showed measurable changes in brain function up to five days after finishing the book.<br />
I've always thought that readers were smarter than others, and now we have proof. Read the <i>Independent's </i>coverage of the study <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/brain-function-boosted-for-days-after-reading-a-novel-9028302.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>, and then get out there and start exercising your brain.<br />
If you need suggestions, see my favorite selections from 2013 <b><a href="http://readeatthink.blogspot.com/2013/12/looking-back-looking-forward.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-7842511909321784722013-12-31T19:30:00.000-05:002013-12-31T19:30:04.940-05:00Looking Back, Looking Forward<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASgxrFAyh3w/UsNIyjAcubI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/A_vU2tuo6XA/s1600/book+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ASgxrFAyh3w/UsNIyjAcubI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/A_vU2tuo6XA/s1600/book+tree.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely holiday book tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I started 2013, I made a resolution to read 100 books this year, and let's just say mission accomplished. As you can see from my Pinterest board <b><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/cheminne/50bookpledge-2013/" target="_blank">here</a></b>, I've read 114. That's more than I thought I would read, to be honest.<br />
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What really helped me reach the goal was all of the air travel I started in June - there's a lot to be said for a Kindle and some flight delays. </div>
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But what you may have noticed is that something else took a back seat. I had so much fun reading everything I could get my hands on that I had less and less time to write about it. For those who want to see what I thought about every book I read this year, I have been providing mini-reviews on that Pinterest board. </div>
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So my resolution for 2014 will be to read less (maybe) and blog more (definitely). I like to write as much as I like to read, so I'll try to balance the scales a bit in the new year.</div>
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Meanwhile, since it's traditional on this infamous Eve, let's rewind a bit and look back at my favorite books from 2013 (listed in no particular order). This was tough because I read a lot of great books this year - but I got each genre down to the top five picks, except for fiction. There were just too many good books in the fiction category this year. And that isn't a bad thing.<br />
Can't wait to see what 2014 brings me to read.<br />
Happy New Year!</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Biographies</span></h3>
<b><i>Heir Apparent,</i></b> by Jane Ridley. It can be hard to find something new and fresh to say about a life lived very much in the public eye, but this book about Edward VII hits the mark with a very engaging read.<br />
<b><i>Queen of the Air, </i></b>by Dean Jensen. The story of how Leitzel (just one name, please) became the biggest star ever for the Ringling Bros. is look behind the curtains of the famous circus, with a diminutive but daring star at its center.<br />
<b><i>Mo' Meta Blues, </i></b>by Questlove. If you're a fan of The Roots (and you'd better be), you know that Questlove is the heart and soul of the group, and in this book he takes a trip down memory lane, providing us with a playlist of memories along the way.<br />
<b><i>After Visiting Friends, </i></b>by Michael Hainey. This real-life mystery shines a light on the world of hard-core news reporters, on a young widow trying to cope after the death of a husband, and on a young man who needs to find the truth about his father.<br />
<b><i>Fever</i></b>, by Mary Beth Keane. Okay, this is a fictionalized account of the real-life Typhoid Mary, but Keane did her research, using news reports and medical records to breathe life into Mary, the first person identified as a healthy carrier of the dangerous fever. Couldn't put it down.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">Top 5 (7) in Fiction </span></h3>
<b><i>Tilted World, </i></b>by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly. Last year, Franklin's <i>Crooked Letter Crooked Letter </i>was my #1 fave. This book is a close second, with a compelling drama of a bootlegger, a revenuer, and the 1927 Mississippi flood.<br />
<b><i>Lexicon, </i></b>by Max Barry. An absolutely unique story about a group with the ability to use words to control and persuade others to do their bidding. In this fabulous and complex book, words do hurt.<br />
<b><i>The Execution of Noa P. Singleton, </i></b>by Elizabeth L. Silver. On death row for murder, a young woman is visited by the mother of her victim. The mother will fight to halt the death sentence if Noa will just tell her story, something she's refused to do before. Did Noa commit that murder it, or didn't she? Ah, that's just the point.<br />
<b><i>The Cleaner of Chartres,</i></b> by Salley Vickers. This is a quiet and lovely story of a young woman who appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and weaves herself into the very fabric of a small town. I read it straight through in one night.<br />
<b><i>The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, </i></b>by Rachel Joyce. Harold Fry was just an ordinary Englishman, simply putting one foot in front of the other, but not really living. And then he received a letter from a long-lost friend and his life took a detour. This is probably the book that touched me the most all year.<br />
<b><i>The Orphan Master's Son</i></b>, by Adam Johnson. Of all the much-lauded and award-nominated books this year, this was my favorite. Pak Jun Do is the "son" from the title, who grew up in a North Korean orphanage run by his father. The book paints a vivid picture of a secretive, brutal, and self-destructive country, and a man determined to survive it.<br />
<b><i>Joyland, </i></b>by Stephen King. This gentle (and fantastic) ghost story is so well written and wistful - and it was another that I read in one sitting. It's a nostalgic tale of a young man who finds a summer job in 1973 at a possibly-haunted amusement park.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Mysteries</span></h3>
<b><i>Cuckoo's Calling, </i></b>by <strike>Robert Gailbraith </strike>J.K. Rowling. Forget all the hoopla about Rowling writing under a pseudonym and just read this great mystery. It will remind you that Rowling deserved the writing accolades for the Potter series - it's that good.<br />
<b><i>Snow White Must Die,</i></b> by Nele Neuhaus. This modern-day mystery has a tinge of the fairy tale about it, and not just because of the title. It centers on a man wrongly convicted of murder and a twisted village full of malice.<br />
<b><i>Defending Jacob, </i></b>by William Landy. Everything unravels when a man's son is arrested for murder. Like any parent protecting his child, the father is determined to find the true killer, but that isn't as simple as he believes. Watch out for a mega-mind-twist.<br />
<b><i>Round House, </i></b>by Louise Erdrich. I've recommended this book to about everyone I know. It's a tough tale about a 13-year-old boy whose mother is brutally attacked on their reservation, so he and his friends make it their mission to find the man who did it.<br />
<b><i>Gods and Beasts, </i></b>by Denise Mina. This woman cannot write fast enough for me. I inhale each of her books, featuring a feisty female Detective Sergeant in Glasgow, this time investigating a murder, robbery, and political intrigue.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">Top 5 in Nonfiction</span></h3>
<b><i>This Town, </i></b>by Mark Leibovich. <i>This Town </i>opens with Tim Russert's funeral, a crass and crazy event for Washington insiders. After the first few pages, you'll find yourself as agog as Dorothy was when the curtain pulled back to reveal the true Oz. You think you know how bad Washington is, but you have no idea.<br />
<b><i>Going Clear, </i></b>by Lawrence Wright. A well-written, well-researched, and endlessly fascinating look inside the world of Scientology. How bad can a religion be that's founded by a man who is at turns a bully, a misogynist, a dreamer, and a fantasist? Pretty bad.<br />
<b><i>The Astronaut Wives Club,</i></b> by Lily Koppel. Behind every great man...is an astrowife. The Mercury Seven astronauts were feted and lauded, as their wives took care of things back on Earth. But they also found themselves in a spotlight they didn't ask for and their marriages played out for the whole world, for better and for worse.<br />
<b><i>Asylum, </i></b>by Simon Doonan. Is there anything better than a dishy look behind the scenes? Oh yes there is, particularly when the "scene" is the fashion world, and when our guide is the ever-cheeky Mr. Doonan. Crazy indeed.<br />
<b><i>Londoners,</i></b> by Craig Taylor. Yes, I am an Anglophile. I admit it. But this is not your ordinary Brit Lit - it was a five-year project that gathered interviews with Londoners (and lovers of London) of all ages and from all backgrounds. Fascinating.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: red;">Top 5 Popcorn Books</span></h3>
<i>Note: I define "popcorn books" as those that are fast and not-so-filling reads. They must feature good writing, and they must be FUN.</i><br />
<b><i>The Rosie Project,</i></b> by Graeme Simsion. The dating/mating world is confusing enough for "normal" people, but it's hilariously hazardous for socially awkward and super-genius-level geneticists.<br />
<b><i>Fin & Lady, </i></b>by Cathleen Schine. A funny and sweet story of love, loss, and learning the true definition of a family.<br />
<b><i>The Hive, </i></b>by Gill Hornby. In every hive, there is always a Queen Bee. This book brings the buzz, with plenty of stings and honey from a group of competitive moms.<br />
<b><i>Crazy Rich Asians,</i></b> by Kevin Kwan. This is a Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous for the eastern side of the planet, with an inside look at how the super-wealthy of Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai spend all that cash.<br />
<b><i>Where'd You Go, Bernadette? </i></b>by Maria Semple. An amusing tale about a mom who has trouble fitting into her life in Seattle. When she disappears, her young daughter learns more than she bargained for about her fabulously complicated mom.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-29256450971710602712013-09-30T08:37:00.001-04:002013-09-30T08:37:43.309-04:00Seeing Double<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1SzfqXWhFa4/UkcVBkvDiBI/AAAAAAAAFX4/4UTMmmldTSs/s1600/1_123125_2126996_2279939_2279940_110113_tech_spacetn.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1SzfqXWhFa4/UkcVBkvDiBI/AAAAAAAAFX4/4UTMmmldTSs/s1600/1_123125_2126996_2279939_2279940_110113_tech_spacetn.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg" height="154" width="200" /></a></div>
When I was in wearing my editor hat, there was one writer who drove me crazy. He double-spaced every single sentence he wrote, no matter how many times I pointed out that it was incorrect.<br />
I spent many many hours using find/replace to rid myself of all that extra space.<br />
Any style guide used by a writer, journalist, or editor points out that a single space between sentences is the correct (and only) way to separate them.<br />
So why do so many people not only use that double space, but also insist on it being correct? <i>Slate</i> has come to my rescue with a well-researched answer. The short version is that it's the old-fashioned typewriter's fault. You can read the article <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
We haven't used typewriters (or their old-school type) for years, so I wish that all you high-tech computer users would stop being so spacey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-61608220517421009262013-09-27T12:03:00.001-04:002013-09-27T12:03:52.294-04:00Getting Graphic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmCqjuwhLaY/UkWrcSBzwGI/AAAAAAAAFXo/-GT6KaZALDY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-27+at+11.56.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tmCqjuwhLaY/UkWrcSBzwGI/AAAAAAAAFXo/-GT6KaZALDY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-27+at+11.56.01+AM.png" height="107" width="320" /></a></div>
I am a huge fan of infographics, those fabulous visual maps that break down facts, figures, and info into colorful blocks. They are kind of like board games for information.<br />
Random House has a great new infographic for its books coming out this fall, called "What Do You Feel Like Reading?" You can find it by clicking <a href="http://www.retreatbyrandomhouse.ca/2013/09/what-do-i-feel-like-reading-infographic/" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
You can decide that you want to read something mysterious, and then decide if that mystery should also include ghosts, an inspector, or perhaps a serial killer. The whole thing is designed to match you with the perfect fall read.<br />
And now I need to go add most of those books to my list of what I have to read this fall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-49087355239932960432013-09-25T12:27:00.001-04:002016-02-04T18:09:14.759-05:00Your Government at Work<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I'm not including a recipe with this book review, because after reading it I experienced a strange combo of nausea and heartburn. Not because of the writing, of course, just the topic. It's bad enough just watching our government at work from afar (cue ridiculous filibuster news), but this behind-the-scenes look is all you imagined it could be. And more.<br />
<i>This Town </i>starts with the sad event of Tim Russert's funeral. It was a time for reflection, for moments of silence ... and for Pan Cake makeup and jockeying for position.<br />
Russert's funeral is a crass, crazy event for Washington insiders, but actually nothing different from every other interaction between the two parties and various hangers-on. And, after the first few pages, you find yourself as agog as Dorothy was when the curtain was pulled back to reveal the true Oz. Author Mark Leibovich, chief national correspondent for <i>The New York Times Magazine</i>, is our guide and, thanks to his inside-yet-outside post in D.C., he has a great view of the hive of activity behind the curtain. In fact, he reminded me of a Dominick Dunne for politicos, dishing the dirt while occasionally getting a bit on himself.<br />
I find it fascinating that Leibovich can dish and still get access later for articles and exclusives. But that's part of the game – when those in the spotlight say they don't want to be mentioned, but are devastated when they really aren't.<br />
Pollsters, politicians, pundits, and press all get the same straight-shooter treatment in <i>This Town </i>– and Leibovich doesn't spare himself. He recognizes the absurdity of skewering the very group that he is a part of.<br />
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Here are a few examples of the searingly funny insights:</div>
Describing Sen. Harry Reid: "Entrusted with a Senate supermajority
and endowed with all the magnetism of a dried snail." A persnickety
straight shooter who can't bring himself to employ social graces like saying
goodbye on the phone. When he's done, he's done.<br />
Former Sen. Trent Lott is described as a creature of habit who likes things just so, including "his luscious helmet of senatorial hair." That paints a picture for you, right?<br />
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And then there is the insider-speak of the Congress, which includes the phrase "my friend," as the "formal bullshit
of the Senate." And the word "cordial," which is used as "the bare
minimum salute and Washington dog whistle for obvious hatred."<br />
It's funny how all of this bluster and blather seems so critical on the scene and in the hothouse that is D.C., but outside the Beltway is often laughable. Except when you realize that they are playing with our money and with our futures. Not so funny at that point.<br />
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The media is all part and parcel of the game, often participating with almost too much enthusiasm. "Founding father" Tom Brokaw nailed it when he "bemoaned what the political-media culture had become. Americans, he said, had come to view the political system as a 'closed game.' In addition, the media is now less concerned with being in tune with America than they are with promoting their own brands and worshipping celebrities. 'It's all Look at Me, Look at Me, Look at Me,' he said." Yep.</div>
<i>This Town</i> also offers revealing coverage of the 2008 and 2012 elections, describing an aloof President (or candidate) Obama and his "not us" crowd who get dragged into the political fray whether they want to or not.<br />
As the saying goes, politics make for strange bedfellows, like the sometimes sticky relationships between POTUS and VPOTUS: "While Obama had come to like Biden, he often talked about him with a patronizing over fondness – as if the VP were the beloved family dog that kept peeing on the carpet."<br />
But the old dog can bite back too, saying that "the minute you agree to be someone's running mate, you get your balls cut off."<br />
On the bus during the campaigns, Leibovich says that Romney's eventual running mate Paul Ryan was a "bold pick they had assumed the cautious Romney would never make." Ryan was known as a "man of substance" who wore the "Halo of the Wonk." After all, he had actually studied the federal budget, which you'll be happy to know most politicians in Washington never do.<br />
And Romney seemed "to acquire an instant lightness after his Ryan selection <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;">-- </span>like a shy eight-year-old transformed by a new pet turtle." It's sentences like that one that made me a fan of Leibovich's writing.<br />
As we all know, the bruising fights between the Romney-bots and Obamites got really ugly really fast. Politicians themselves said they hated what it had all become, with supporters pumping billions into political campaigns while the net worth of American families dropped to a median of $77,300, about where it was in 1990.<br />
In reality, though, Leibovich says, "This Town loved the trickle-down payday of it all. Millions more paid to the ad makers, 'strategists,' and networks."<br />
The insanity of the build-up to an election can be all-pervasive and seem never-ending, and then it can oh-so-quickly vanish: "The Romney campaign had filed permits to celebrate Mitten's big victory with an eight-minute fireworks display over Boston Harbor." But within minutes of POTUS winning a second term, Mitt Romney's "Secret Service detail vanished like unused fireworks."<br />
After the scrum of months (years, really), everyone walked away feeling a little dirty.<br />
But even with the election hangover, it just took a few aspirin and some time apart before the whole machine started kicking in again. After all: "The only certainty is that the city fathers of This Town will endure like perennials in a well-tended cemetery."<br />
Hillary in 2016, anyone?<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3930628859291111170.post-15326061247296451612013-09-23T08:47:00.000-04:002013-09-23T08:47:37.889-04:00American Writers Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wm_udiUYNPA/UkA33r8XUQI/AAAAAAAAFWw/oRABynu8FBE/s1600/AWM_logo_web-banner240x60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wm_udiUYNPA/UkA33r8XUQI/AAAAAAAAFWw/oRABynu8FBE/s1600/AWM_logo_web-banner240x60.jpg" /></a></div>
What do China, Germany, Korea, Scotland, Brazil, and Ireland have that the U.S. does not have? A national writers museum. Although the U.S. has over 17,000 museums, there isn't a single one dedicated to the plethora of fabulous authors this country has produced. Yes, there are small museums that showcase a single writer, usually in his or her former home, but there isn't a national institution that celebrates all writers.<br />
A new foundation is working to right that wrong, hoping to launch the American Writers Museum in Chicago in 2015. In the plans are core exhibits that will highlight the history of American literature in chronological order.<br />
Other planned exhibits include Nobel Laureates, Great Characters in American Literature, Poetry of Revolution, Rare Books, Children's Literature, and Censorship: Banned Books. There will also be a Hall of Honor for major award winners, as well as art and photography exhibits to celebrate cover art.<br />
I'm making a donation to be a Chapter One Patron. If you love books, consider supporting this amazing museum by clicking <b><a href="http://americanwritersmuseum.org/" target="_blank">here</a></b>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1