Wordless Wednesday



Today, The Beatles Sing My Song

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty-four?

February 9, 1964

January 2011



2011 started off with an excellent month of reading that carried me far and wide in time and geography.  My hope is that this streak of good books continues through to the final seconds of the year.

THE RECKLESS BRIDE by Stephanie Laurens

3/5 (Romance Scale)

This was the January 2011 selection for the local Barnes & Noble romance readers group. After a start as slow as the hero & heroine's journey by river to Rotterdam, the story finally picked up; and we were given what we had been anticipating in this, the final installment in the Black Cobra Quartet: The identity of the Black Cobra and assurance that all's well that ends well.

GLORY IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

3.5/5 (Mystery Scale)

Eve takes on a devious killer of powerful women; Roarke takes on a powerful woman. Series is set in 2058 New York, so it is interesting to note details new in the copyright date of 1995 (reading newspapers on a monitor) are now common in 2011. Following Eve and Roarke is going to be so much fun!

RESISTANCE by Anita Shreve

4.5/5 (Fiction Scale)
Resistance is one Anita Shreve book that had been lingering on MtTBR far too long. The book captured me on page one and didn't let go until the final word was read. The tense and haunting story begins in 1943 in Belgium when Claire and her husband Henri are asked to house a downed American pilot until he can travel to safety in France. As always, Anita Shreve drew me in and made me care about these characters as their fate unfolded.

LEFT NEGLECTED by Lisa Genova
4.5/5 (Fiction Scale)

Genova has a real gift to take the reader via her characters into the experiences of unfamiliar medical conditions. In Left Neglected, we journey with Sarah as she works to recover from a traumatic brain injury caused by a devastating traffic accident. I took exception to The Boston Globe reviewer who labeled the plot elements "contrivances." I would imagine that we all know of a family inexplicably hit with a series of life hurdles. Left Neglected tells the story of one such family and how these hurdles were met and overcome. Not contrivances--just real life. This was an amazing follow-up to Still Alice and already has me eagerly awaiting Lisa Genova's next novel.

EGGS IN PURGATORY by Laura Childs
3.5/5 (Mystery Scale)

This first book in the Cackleberry Club series was loaded with characters and relationships. At the mid-point, I wasn't sure how it would all be straightened out. But straighten out it did and in a way that prompted me to put the second book in the series on my library reserve list.

A FATAL GRACE by Louise Penny

4.5/5 (Mystery Scale)
A FATAL GRACE was my second trip to idyllic Three Pines, PQ, Canada, traveling along with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team to answer the question of who killed CC de Poitiers. This quiet man, Gamache--loved for his doubts as much as his convictions--does "transfix me quite." Quoting Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" and allusions to Wm. B. Yeats' "A Cradle Song" carried me beyond the printed pages of this book.

CLARA AND MR. TIFFANY by Susan Vreeland

5/5 (Fiction Scale)

Love, loyalty, and labors placed before us in the luminous Tiffany windows of our minds.

After discounting The Reckless Bride must read, selecting a favorite from the remaining choices isn't easy. Each one--for very different reasons--was sigh inducing, book stroking reading.

Bookticipation

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

Small New England town, years of secrets and history, garden with a hint of magic--sounds like vintage Hoffman to me!

Available Tuesday, January 25.

Wordless Wednesday

Outside My Window...

Bookticipation

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

In bookstores Tuesday, April 26

December 31, 2010

The last day of the last month of 2010, a day of reflection.

I spent hours today visiting various blogs and jotting down book titles that appear on "best of" or "top [insert number here]" reads of 2010.  Then I looked at my list, and all in all, felt pretty good about my Year in Reading--the 2010 version.  While I didn't blog on each and every book, I managed to finish 75 books this year, an all-time high number for me.  Of course, reaching that number is far easier when that pesky little thing called a 9-5 job doesn't interfere (probably the only plus of being unemployed).  Lack of that "little thing" allowed me to become much more familiar with my local public library, and that reacquaintance was one of the highlights of the year.  Inter-Library loan rocks!

Favorite reads of the year include The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, Every Last One by Anna Quindlen, The Search by Norah Roberts, A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, and How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal.  The biggest surprise of the year was finally reading--and liking!--Naked in Death by J.D. Robb, first in her In Death series.  With 32 waiting in the queue, catching up on this series and the uber-couple, Eve and Roarke, will be fun!

The year in numbers:
Total Books:  75

Category:
13 Non-Fiction
16 Romance
19 Mystery
27 Fiction

Source:
 6  Mt. TBR
32 New
37 Library

Format:
 5  Trade Paperback
 8  Mass Market Paperback
14 Kindle
48 Hardcover

Total Pages:  23,978

Looking ahead to 2011, my library request list already has sixteen books listed including Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt, Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland, and Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  Heading into the new year, my reading resolution, as always, is to read whatever I want whenever I want with no apologies for my selections.  Added to that this year will be the resolution to spend more time reading and less time writing about what I read.  To that end, I'll post a monthly reading summary here at Owlsfeathers and perhaps a separate post now and then on a book that particularly captures my reading fancy or on an event of note.  (And, of course, any post-worthy pictures of the extended family of dogs and cats.)  My booknotes will also be updated at Shelfari as well as at Goodreads.

Wishing everyone health, happiness, and unending pages of reading joy in 2011.

What I've Been Reading

I've come to the decision that while I want to keep my reading history current here at Owl's Feathers, not every book merits a unique posting.  Going forward, I'll post these cumulative updates and, every now and then, post on a book that has been an especially rewarding reading experience.  So, here's what's been keeping me reading lately...



MAYBE THIS TIME by Jennifer Crusie

3.5/5 (Fiction Scale)

Hero and heroine were vintage Crusie.  Just enough of a woo-woo element to be interesting and not put the book into the fantasy category.  All in all, a good afternoon's read.

PAINTED LADIES by Robert B. Parker

4.5/5 (Mystery Scale)

Reading Painted Ladies after a long stretch of no Spenser/Robert B. Parker reminded me how much I love Parker's writing style.  Or, perhaps more specifically, how much I love Parker's writing Spenser and Susan Silverman.  In interviews upon the release of Painted Ladies, Joan Parker indicated that there is still one more Spenser to be published next year.  So we readers get to stay the inevitable last Spenser just a little while longer.

LEGACY by Danielle Steel

3/5 (Fiction Scale)

You know what you are getting when you open a Danielle Steel novel to page 1.  Sometimes, the reading experience is exactly what you need at the time.  This time, however, the details fell in place a little too obviously and tidy.  Not sure why I keep reading her books--maybe just the comfort of the known.

INFAMOUS by Suzanne Brockman

3.5/5 (Romance Scale)

This was the November selection for the local Barnes & Noble Romance Readers group.  Take one legendary U.S Marshal and an historic shootout in a saloon and mix well with a wronged descendant (our hero), a historian (our heroine), then toss in a ghost who knows the story behind the story, read 'til done, and you have Infamous.  Some obvious social opinion preaching from the author; otherwise, a fun read.

THE HEALER by Carol Cassella

3.5/5 (Fiction Scale)

Healer tells the story of Claire and Addison Boehning and their daughter Jory and what happens when their lives fall apart around them--how each of them adjusts to the new financial reality facing them, but better still, how each of them opens up to new opportunities.  A short, quick read that takes you into the core of this family in transition.

BUSY BODY by M.C. Beaton

3.5/5 (Mystery Scale)

Another visit with Agatha Raisin and her detective crew--a visit much more rewarding than the last (There Goes the Bride).  And, what's this?  Agatha pondering a la Stephanie?  Camp James or Camp Charles?

STILTSVILLE by Susanna Daniel

4/5 (Fiction Scale)

This is a book where nothing happens and everything happens.  It is the simple, complex story of Frances Ellerby and Dennis DuVal, their marriage, their families, their friends, the lives--all set against the vividly written background of Miami, South Florida, and Biscayne Bay.  My favorite passage from the book:  This is what it means to be part of a family.  There are no maps and the territory is continually changing.  We are explorers, traveling in groups.  And how's this for a word picture:  She'd done more packing after getting home: there was a row of three suitcases just inside the room, facing the door like eager dogs waiting for it to open.  Les of Lesley's Book Nook has written a wonderful review of Stiltsville.  Click here to enjoy her review.

YOU HAD ME AT WOOF: HOW DOGS TAUGHT ME THE SECRETS OF HAPPINESS by Julie Klam

3.5/5 (Non-fiction Scale)

I can't help myself.  As soon as I hear about a new dog or "amazing" animal book, it immediately goes on my library reserve list.  And I know I will have to read it with a box of tissues handy because no matter how upbeat and happy the owner and [insert animal name here] are, there always is that inevitable sadness.  But, as in most animal books, when things are good in You Had Me at Woof, they are very, very good.  If you've been around dogs at all, you'll laugh and giggle your way through Ms. Klam's experiences with her not always well-behaved pack.

THE BLESSINGS OF THE ANIMALS by Katrina Kittle

4/5 (Fiction Scale)

Another family in transition spun into motion by a sad man.  A large Italian family ("the Sopranos without the guns"), a small Indian family, assorted relatives and friends, and best of all a home and barn filled with an ever-changing assortment of animals--each bringing special blessings.  A favorite character for me was Muriel, the goat.

I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU by Fannie Flagg

4/5 (Fiction Scale)

Well, bless her heart.  Maggie Fortenberry has the weight of her world on her shoulders and is contemplating very drastic action to alleviate that weight.  Then there's the pressure of being a former Miss Alabama--the crown and that sash, you know.  Oh, and don't forget the other characters:  Brenda Peoples, Maggie's best friend; Hazel Whisenknott, founder of Red Mountain Realty (who died five years before the story begins); and Ethel Clipp, Red Mountain realty's purple-haired, of-a-certain-age office manager.  Why did I like this book?  Because, like watching It's a Wonderful Life every year, it just felt good.

DAYS OF GOLD by Jude Deveraux

3/5 (Romance Scale)

This was the December selection for the local Barnes & Noble Romance Readers. Days of Gold, Book 2 in Jude Deveraux's Edilean Series, takes us to Scotland 1766 where we meet the ancestors and founders of Edilean, VA, featured in the contemporary romance, Lavender Morning. The story of Angus McTern and Edilean Talbot is told with a humor that easily carries you through the many pages where the lovers at first sight waste so much time saying, "I hate you" countered with "I hate you more."  Convenient and somewhat obvious plot devices lead us to the inevitable happily ever after ending.

I REMEMBER NOTHING by Nora Ephron
3/5 (Non-fiction Scale)
Not as good for me as I Feel Bad About My Neck…maybe because of the "inside baseball" presentation of some of the essays. However, the more general essays hit the mark--especially the closing lists of "What I Won't Miss" and "What I Will Miss" or "Twenty-five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to Be Surprised by Over and Over Again" (e.g., 16. Mary Matalin and James Carville are married). This passage sums up my current state of mind: I have been forgetting things for years, but now I forget in a new way. I used to believe I could eventually retrieve whatever was lost and the commit it to memory. Now I know I can't possibly. Whatever's gone is hopelessly gone. And what's new doesn't stick.

Pink Martini!

Tonight -  The Orpheum Theater, Boston

You'll find my daughter and me in Row L in the Balcony.

Tuesday, November 16

Release date for new holiday album!

29: A Novel by Adena Halpern

Did you ever wonder what would happen if a birthday wish really came true?  That is the question answered in 29: A Novel by Adena Halpern.

From Publishers Weekly (via amazon.com)
The proverbial search for youth's fountain manifests itself in Ellie Jerome, a 75-year-old woman who has employed every available artifice to remain young. Identifying more with her stylish young granddaughter, Lucy, than with her abrasive middle-aged daughter, Barbara, Ellie's 75th birthday wish is to be 29 again, for just one day. When her wish comes true, hilarious problems arise, as the young Ellie must create a new persona in order to enter and leave her apartment in a neighborhood where everyone knows the old Ellie. Choosing to let Lucy in on her secret, Ellie persuades her to be her guide on a youthful adventure in pursuit of stylish looks and a trendy life. While the dynamic duo romp through Ellie's magical day, Ellie's daughter and her dearest friend, Frida, a 75-year-old worry wart, having decided that Ellie was kidnapped, embark upon their own misguided adventure before the old (now wiser) Ellie returns at the end of her big day. With this rollicking, if familiar, offering, Halpern...sets out to prove that you're only young twice.

Passages
On Gershwin
Whenever I hear Gershwin in my head it means I'm having a good time.  (By the way, if you're too young to be familiar with Gershwin, plese get yourself some CDs.  You'll thank me later.)
 
On that "moment"
A moment comes in everyone's life when they realize they're old.  I'm not talking about the day you see your first gray hair or the day you see the hint of a crow's foot.  What I'm talking about is the day when you realize you've grown out of being able to adapt to something new.
 
On lipstick (Hello, Lancome?  Why did you discontinue Risque?)
I almost had a heart attack when Lancome stopped making my favorite lipstick.  I was on the phone with Lancome for three hours, with four different operators, trying to get to the bottom of why they discontinued my color, when the last person finally said, "No one wears that color anymore, ma'am."  "I do!" I said.
 
On using your "stuff" 
I walk into the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea.  I put some water in the kettle, turn on the stove, and grab some tea bags.  I go into the cabinet and take out a cup and saucer.  I use my good bone china every day.  You should, too, if you don't have small children.  It's a lesson I've learned: enjoy the things you have.
 
In her acknowledgements at the end of the book, Ms. Halpern thanks, first and foremost, "...the amazing seventy-something women I interviewed for this book.  Your generosity, honesty, and frankness were more than I could ever have asked for.  I hope I've done you proud in creating a character that captures the best of who you are."  I think the author accompished this.  The dialog between Ellie and Frida as well as incidents in the story are all spot on.
 
Most of the wisdom passed on by Ellie Jerome was obvious, but it never hurts to be reminded again and again about the value of family and friends.
 
20th Century Fox has obtained the movie rights to 29, so let's play the "Who Would You Cast in the Movie" game.  Here are my choices:

• Ellie Jerome - Florence Henderson
• Young Ellie Jerome - Cameron Diaz 
• Lucy Jerome (Ellie's granddaughter) - Anne Hathaway
• Barbara Sustamorn (Ellie's daughter) - Susan Sarandon
• Frida Freedberg (Ellie's best friend) - Olympia Dukakis
• Zachary - Chris O'Donnell 

If you read 29, please come back and let me know your dream cast!
 
Rating:  3.5/5 (Fiction Scale)
Dedication:  This book is lovingly dedicated to my mother, Arlene Rudney Halpern
First Line:  I'm jealous of my granddaughter.
 
Book Extras
Visit the author's website here.
Visit the publisher's page here.
Read a review at Musings of a Bookish Kitty here and another at Book Addiction here.