
Friday, December 31, 2010
Book Review: The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Book Beginnings on Friday: Clan of the Cave Bear


The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Book Review: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Luckily, it was fantastic. And I strongly recommend a reread with this book. When I first read it, I was 19. With this reread, I am 36. The daughters in the book are also 36. I still identify with them more so than with the mothers (perhaps because I remain not a mother myself) but now I understood them differently. At 19, I aspired to be them. At 36, I AM them. However, I dealt with my own mother-daughter issues a while back, in my late 20s. In that regard, they seemed a little juvenile, even though most of them were married with kids, a divorce, and maybe more. On the other hand, since I know it is a completely different culture, I think it probably makes sense that they've had a bit more trouble cutting the apron strings. Not to mention, all of them staying in their hometown and living near their parents exacerbated the mother-daughter issues.
The different voices (7 in all, 8 if you count Suyuan) were distinct and the stories were illuminating. You really did see, as An-Mei said, the stair steps of the mothers and daughters going up and down, and them learning to use their own voices and tell their stories is the central theme. But it's a resonant story today. I have a friend who needs to learn what she's worth, and to ask for it, who I'm thinking of giving a copy of this book. An odd fact: This book was originally published in 1987. Which means that the daughters aren't really my age, they're just 4 years younger than my mother. Which makes it all the more interesting for me to identify with the daughters, who are baby boomers, and who grew up in a drastically different America than I did, regardless of their culture. It's interesting how siblings almost never came into the story, except for Jing-Mei's found half-sisters, and they mostly are just a story.
I'm thrilled I reread this, and I finished it in just 2 days. It was powerful, evocative, heart-breaking, and in the end hope-giving.
Carin's Book of the Year 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Teaser Tuesdays: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors


The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer
Monday, December 27, 2010
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Books completed last week:
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (reread)
Books I gave up on:
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer
I was going to read this book before giving it to my Dad, and I did read the first 70 pages, but I only had 3 days to read over 400 pages, and it was a pretty dry read. While Operation Mincemeat read like a thriller, this one didn't as much and I think is more liekly to appeal to a WWII-super-fan. Which my Dad is, but I am not.
Books I am currently reading/listening to:
I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Up Next:
The Long Winter (Little House #6) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Town on the Prairie (Little House #7) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
These Happy Golden Years (Little House #8) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The First Four Years (Little House #9) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Book Review: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Sylvester collects rocks (as I did as a kid and lots of kids do). One day he finds a very cool red pebble to add to his collection. He accidentally figures out that the pebble grants wishes, which is neat. But while he is out he encountered a lion! And while this is a world where donkeys and pigs walk on two legs and wear clothes, lions do not and they still like to eat donkeys. And so Sylvester, scared for his life, wishes he were a rock so the lion will go away and not eat him. And because he is holding the magic pebble, it works! The lion is confused but eventually leaves. Unfortunately Sylvester, who is now a large rock in the field, can't hold the stone as he doesn't have hands (or hooves). His parents worry and worry when he doesn't come home. They look for him everywhere, ask the neighbors, involve the police (pigs, haha!) But eventually they have to admit defeat and come to terms with the fact that they may never see their beloved Sylvester again. The book has a happy ending but I won't give it away here.

This review is a part of Kid Konnection, hosted by Booking Mama, a collection of children's book-related posts over the weekend.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Book Beginnings on Friday: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The

Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Book Review: Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre

Often people say that a nonfiction book reads like a novel, but seriously this one does! It reads like a spy thriller! In fact, more than one novel was based on this true story. I had frequently said how it's sad that history classes never tell students about the really fascinating, cool, interesting history. But this is is a really neat history story that I actually did hear about in 12th grade history class. British intelligence planted false information on a dead body which they then floated into enemy territory. The Nazis got ahold of it (as planned) and believed it, and it changed the course of WWII.
The planners included not only Ian Fleming (who later wrote the James Bond novels) but two other novelists, writers of minor mysteries. They were a creative bunch of chaps who worked not only on the basic plan, but who really enjoyed creating a past and a personality for "William Martin." They invented a fiancee, financial troubles, a worried father, and a loyal patriot. They also drafted multiple versions of the letters "Martin" would be carrying that would give away the false attack plans. Often we think of war planning as very straightforward and even boring, but when there are spies, double-agents, fake spies, and disinformation, it's very interesting!
Will the body wash up where we want it to? Will it fall into the right hands? Will they find the planted papers? Will the information be passed along to the Nazis? Will Hitler believe the false plans? Will he change his defenses of Italy as a result? Well, you do know who won the war, but the machinations involved to get to that point were impressive to say the least. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I am thrilled to finally know all the details of this fascinating and bizarre part of WWII that I first learned about in AP European History.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Teaser Tuesdays: Operation Mincemeat

Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre p. 30

"In addition to Ian Fleming, his personal assistant, Godfrey employed 'two stockbrokers, a schoolmaster, a journalist, a collector of books on original thought, an Oxford classical don, a barrister's clerk, an insurance agent, two regular naval officers and several women assistants and typists.' This heterogeneous crew was crammed into Room 39, the Admiralty, which was permanently wreathed in tobacco smoke and frequently echoed with the sounds of Admiral Godfrey shouting and swearing."
Monday, December 20, 2010
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Books completed last week:
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre
Books I am currently reading/listening to:
Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer
Up Next:
What to take on my Christmas trip?
Happy Birthday Caroline Bookbinder!

cake is by Jenni Cakes in Nashville, TN
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Book Review: How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills


This review is a part of Kid Konnection, hosted by Booking Mama, a collection of children's book-related posts over the weekend.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Book Beginnings on Friday: Operation Mincemeat


Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Reading Challenges 2011
And then I saw the Southern Literature Challenge from The

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Bloodroot by Amy Greene
Smonk: A Novel by Tom Franklin
The Wide Smiles of Girls by Jennifer Manske Fenske
Serena by Ron Rash
Bitter in the Mouth: A Novel by Monique Truong
The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips
I'll have fun choosing amongst these (and many more)!

So I'm also officially doing the Chunkster. In 2010 I signed up for 4 but I actually read 9 Chunksters (with another one as my January book club selection.) , so for 2011 I'm signing up for Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. I recently got both Shogun and Lonesome Dove so those are on the short list for 2011, along with Guns, Germs, and Steel which my boyfriend has been bugging me to read forever.

And since I'm unemployed AND trying to get these piles of books off the floor in my living room,I am also signing up for 2011 Reading from My Shelves Project. It's Jan 1-Dec. 12, you set your goal but the minimum is 12, and the main part of the challenge is: Read books

Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Teaser Tuesdays: Books

Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that wh

Monday, December 13, 2010
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme is now hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann
This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger
Books I gave up on:
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
I just couldn't do it. I hated the first 67 pages and book club didn't convince me that it was worth continuing with.
Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry
Up Next:
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour by James D. Hornfischer
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre
So, I own both of these books but am thinking they'd make terrific Christmas presents for Dad (who luckily isn't even sure what a blog is, let alone read mine) so I want to read them lickety-split so I can conserve a little money. And before you think I'm cheap, I'm unemployed, and my father is an economist so he appreciates cheap.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Book Review: This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger


This review is a part of Kid Konnection, hosted by Booking Mama, a collection of children's book-related posts over the weekend.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Book Beginnings on Friday


Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Book Review: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

Fun fun fun! One day shepherd George Glenn is murdered, and his sheep decide to figure out who did it. Luckily, among his unusual sheep he has the smartest sheep, Miss Maple, and the sheep with excellent memory, Mopple the Whale, along with other assorted talents. As you can probably imagine, sheep generally aren't very bright, so it does take the whole flock to figure things out. Also they mostly must rely on partial conversations they overhear, and a limited knowledge of humans. And an overwhelming obsession with grass and eating, which is distracting for them at times. Sometimes the snippets they overhear make no sense to them, but make a lot of sense to us.
A couple of my favorite parts: a lamb is scared because he saw George's ghost. The sheep reassure him by reminding him that people can't have ghosts because they don't have souls. After all, everyone knows that one's soul is in one's sense of smell. So if humans do turn out to have souls (and therefore ghosts), they'd be tiny. Nothing to worry about.
Two of the villagers are talking about who would have reason to kill someone, and they each rattle off a half-dozen names, including each other, which they both cop to. You never, ever hear that in a mystery or a cop show, where people not only admit that the deceased had a lot of enemies, but those enemies included all present. I laughed out loud.
This book is charming and clever from beginning to end. From the list of characters (sheep) along with dominate features of each one, to the cover illustration with matching numbers so you can see what they look like, great care has been taken with every aspect of this book. Although translated from German, the translation is smooth as butter and completely transparent.
I was sorry George was dead as he sounded like a good man and an excellent, if unusual, shepherd. I'm glad his sheep made sure justice was done, even if they don't understand what the word "justice" means exactly. This book would be a lovely palate cleanser for anyone who likes humorous novels, even if they're not big mystery readers. I loved it.
Lawyers Reading Books?! What Happens in the Legal Department?

I took a class at NYU on Publishing Law, and it was fascinating. Here is the current class description:
Every publishing professional needs to understand the basics of publishing law in this litigious era. Editors must know when to flag content as potentially libelous and all employees in media industries must have a knowledge of copyright, privacy, intellectual property and other important legal issues. In this course, our faculty of experienced lawyers in the publishing industry presents the key concepts through real-world examples, case studies and presentations from guest speakers. Students will explore legal issues in print and on the Web as blogging and sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube create a wide range of new legal and ethical issues. The course will also provide an introduction to contracts and contract negotiation.




Wednesday, December 8, 2010
“Waiting On” Wednesday: Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Teaser Tuesdays: Three Bags Full


Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann p. 18
Monday, December 6, 2010
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Books I am currently reading/listening to:
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann - loving it!
Up Next:
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
An Object of Beauty: A Novel by Steve Martin
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Book Review: Sister of the Bride by Beverly Cleary

As an oldest child, I not only didn't identify with Barbara's desire to be like her sister, I also thought it was perhaps a little forced. Most younger sisters don't want to be like their older sister at all in my experience - to the extreme of often becoming as opposite their sister as is practicable. But of course that is a minor quibble and perhaps wasn't as pervasive in this era, when sisters weren't quite as compared as today. Certainly sisters do measure their progress in life against

Barbara felt really real. A bit naive, easily embarrassed, and impatient, but all those are traits common to teenagers and made her feel realistic. I liked that she both idealized her sister and was eager for the wedding, and was a bit chagrined by the changes in Rosemary. It was a sweet book, perfect of course for any younger sister growing up in the shadow of a Rosemary, and the dated aspects to it weren't too many. I wasn't thrilled that Barbara kept baking cookies for the guy she liked, but she did make them from refrigerator packages, not scratch, and she did eventually see the error of that method. The women's clubs like The Amys felt dated until I thought of how similar they are t

This book was sweet and endearing and a nice trip down memory lane. Somehow I ended up with two copies - one from when I was a kid, and a newer one. This review is a part of Kid Konnection, hosted by Booking Mama, a collection of children's book-related posts over the weekend.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Book Review: At Home by Bill Bryson

I am a huge fan of Mr. Bryson. However, after going through his entire oeuvre on a tear in the late '90s, I then had quite a gap. Last year I finally got around to reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, and so I lusted after At Home: A Short History of Private Life as soon as I heard about it (luckily, RH sent a box of ARCs to my work without me having to ask.)
And I am thrilled to report that Mr. Bryson delivers in this book! While he has had to stop travelling, having pretty much covered most of the Western world in his previous books, I was worried that he'd have trouble coming up with topics through which to fill me with random fascinating facts. No worries. He takes as his jumping off point his home: a rectory in rural England built in 1851 by a Mr. Marsham. And we go room by room through the building, learning about the development of living indoors, when and why furniture and other features of the home developed, along the way learning about the spice trade, the Eiffel tower, and Alexander Graham Bell. I'm sure for some, Mr. Bryson might venture a bit off-topic, but for me that's the fun. Here are some cool things I learned:
- Females are more likely than men to fall down stairs, for the simple reason that we use them much more. The most dangerous is a single step in an unexpected place, closely followed by four stairs or less which inspires overconfidence (this is where my sister badly broke her foot 3 months ago.)
- Early paints and wallpaper were very toxic. Sure, lead paint which I know you already thought of, but most of the colorings were poisonous, using arsenic, antimony, and other lovely things. While on the plus side rooms with these paints and wallpapers were often free of bedbugs, they also were slowly killing their occupants. So in 19th century novels when it is suggested that a sick person might need s change of air, that was usually correct and helped immensely.
- King Louis XIII of France did not bathe until he was nearly 7 years old.
- At least 14,000 Americans are attacked by rats every year. poisons are effective against rats because they cannot regurgitate.
One interesting note is that the book is obviously a joint US-UK production. It uses American punctuation and British spellings, which was the same agreement we used when I was an editor and we co-published with the Brits. I think Mr. Bryson was the perfect person to write this book because he is an American living in Britain. He can speak to both audiences with nearly equal ease, uses both currencies seamlessly, and can talk smoothly about both an English rectory and Monticello. At Home is a brilliant mix of humor and fun facts, covering the entire history of living indoors in the Western world.
Book Beginnings on Friday

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

"Some time after we moved into a former Church of England rectory in a village of tranquil anonymity in Norfolk, in the easternmost part of England, I had occasion to go up into the attic to look for the source of a slow but mysterious drip."
And, Mr. Bryson found something in the attic he didn't suspect, which made him wonder about the house altogether.