SECRET DAUGHTER (11/09/2012)

Recently a blog reader, Carol K. recommended SECRET DAUGHTER by Shilpi Smaya Gowda. This is a debut novel and has become an international best seller, translated into 20 languages.  The author, Shilpi Smaya Gowda was born and raised in Canada to parents who migrated from Mumbai.

SECRET DAUGHTER tells the story of how a devastating decision to give away a child leads to a haunting and bittersweet search. It's a poignant story about family, India and deftly moves between two cultures.

Carol K. enthusiastically endorsed this book. Reviewers also gave it high praise when it was released in 2010. Click on the Amazon Search Box in the sidebar to purchase SECRET DAUGHTER.

TO READ OR NOT TO READ (11/08/2012)

Two of my favorite authors have let me down completely! Tom Wolfe, how could you!! I waited for months for your new novel, BACK TO BLOOD, gave you kudos before it even debuted and it's a big disappointment. I loved Bonfire of the Vanities. I could relate to almost every character..What happened?!!

Ian McEwan...Your new novel SWEET TOOTH even annoyed the New York Times. We all used to love your nasty, disagreeable characters, but this novel feels contrived and disappointed so many reviewers, and many of my blog readers too! 

To read or not to read...that is the question..I'm sure they'll be best sellers  but my reaction is...not to read!

BLOG READER BLURBS (11/04/2012)

The following post quickly touches on two recommendations from blog readers. Stop what you're doing and take a look..unless you're already looking...( I think I've had too many Martinis!)

Blog reader Betsy S. recommended WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK by Nathan Englander. This is a collection of short stories that don't have much to do with Anne Frank, but you'll eventually understand the title. What you can expect is a wonderful collection of entertaining and thought provoking stories written with great skill.

NOTE: Type the title in the Search Box at the top of the blog and you'll find an earlier reference. 

Carla R. is reading CATHERINE D'MIDICI  by Leonie Frieda. This is a critically acclaimed biography based on thousands of private letters. "It tells the story of one of the most influential women to wear the crown while battling extraordinary political and personal odds." (A must-read for history buffs) 

Click on the Amazon Search Box in the sidebar for more details.

HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY! (11/03/2012)

Yes, it's my anniversary....well, not really....It's Joyce's Choices anniversary!

A year ago I wrote my first post..I was happy to have a few followers (all family) and maybe a handful of readers(also family). I knew nothing about blogging. (And still have a lot to learn.)

But now I have over 16,000 page views and over 100 followers.(Go figure.) Reading has always been a joy for me and I can blab all I want about it and no one looks bored..because, of course I don't see you.

I'm thankful for all the knowledge I gained about blogging..mostly from all the tireless bloggers out there, especially  those at  www.Bookblogs.ning.com who are always so willing to share their skills and ideas. And what would I do without my BFF Google?

And a special thankyou to my friend Marlene P. who initially pushed me into this, and wants to know why I'm not making any money!! 

Hopefully you'll continue to read the blog, maybe leave a comment, or at least check in every so often and please don't take it too seriously...except for the non- fiction and memoirs!
                           

ATTENTION GETTERS (10/29/2012)

People bring books to my attention all the time..which is great. Sometimes they're books I want to read, sometimes they're books I relegate to TBR status... The following three I definetly want to read. They're downloaded and I'm ready.

Here's a quick overview....

THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU by Joshua Henkin

About a family overcoming the loss of their son, a journalist in Iraq. A reviewer called it "an emotional whirlpool, but in a good way. Great characters and writing."

THE MIDDLE STEINS by Jami Attenberg

Written with great compassion and humor it tells the story of a woman struggling with her enormous weight gain. It's ultimately the story of marriage, obsession and family.

UPDATE: (10/30/12)

I am captivated by this novel. It's fresh and fun..although self-destruction is the theme. I love the complex characters with all their unlikeable traits. Middlesteins is a brief novel but heartfelt, funny, and feels very true. 

HOW TO GET INTO THE TWIN PALMS by Karolina Waclawiak

A real Los Angeles tale about assimilation and estrangement. The main character aspires to be accepted into a certain culture. It's unique and well written.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have a book you'd like to recommend? Let me know by leaving a comment on this blog or sending an email to jssherr@gmail.com

REMINDER: Books can be ordered directly by clicking on the Amazon Search Box in the sidebar.

INTERVIEW ALERT! (10/28/2012)

Today's New York Times Book Review Section featured an interview with John Grisham. It's witty, a bit caustic and very revealing.  Be sure to read it at: http://www.nytimes.com/books

The review for his new release, THE RACKETEER is posted below,  dated 10/17/2012

SHOULD WE DEFEND JACOB? (10/26/2012)



Book Groups are so diverse, not just in their book choices but in the style of discussions that take place. Here's a book group update from West Hartford, CT. They recently read and discussed Defending Jacob by William Landay.

  
BEV G writes:

Moral quandaries.....courtroom drama.....marital secrets....family disintegration....

"Defending Jacob" by William Landay has it all. A loving but deluded (self-deluded?) father wades into an ethical quagmire trying to defend Jacob. An equally loving but clearer-eyed mother resorts to a desperate plan of action. How would each of us react? Don't tune in next week because we don't know.

Not all bookies agreed on the quality of the writing, but the quality of the discussion was top-drawer.

Type the title in the Search Box for another review of Defending Jacob. (02/06/2012)

And for more Book Group Buzz type Book Groups in the Search Box.



BLOGGER'S BOOK BANTER (10/25/2012)

Comments are not a big thing on my blog, but when I ask some blog readers via email, what they are reading, the responses keep coming. Email communication is fine with me, as long as I get some feedback.

So here's what a few blog readers wrote in response to my question, "Are you reading anything exciting lately?"(Because I'm not..)

Faye L. from Florida said she really is enjoying City of Women by David Gillham. Having just returned from Berlin, this book was of great interest to her. It chronicles a German wife drawn into an affair with a Jew but paints a picture of Berlin and Germans in a favorable light.

Betsy S. from Philadelphia has reviewed books on this blog and I can always rely on her for a timely on target suggestion...and she didn't disappoint.

Betsy said she liked The Tigers Wife by Tea Obreht and When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams.

I had never heard of When Women Were Birds, so I'll focus on that. After doing some research and checking reviews, it sounds like a very unusual book.

A gift of her mother's journals that were blank was the catalyst that inspired Terry Tempest Williams to write this very powerful piece. Reviewers said it's not a memoir..it's not fiction but it's timely in that it also reflects the political climate affecting women today. See what you think..Betsy S. highly recommends it. 

You can click on the Amazon Search Box in the sidebar for more information on the books mentioned above. 

THE PRICE OF POLITICS (10/24/2012)

GHS, is a young business executive and occasionally writes non-fiction reviews on this blog. He recently read THE PRICE OF POLITICS by Bob Woodward and included the review in a monthy newsletter sent from his company. Below is an excerpt of the review. 

GHS said:
Bob Woodward's "The Price of Politics" covers the run up and aftermath of the 2011 federal debt limit debacle. The book has something for everyone and provides a blow by blow description of the budget and debt negotiations between Congress and the president. It is almost like observing a sporting event, in that one side offers this and the other side offers that and so on and so on.

Woodward is very evenhanded and he depicts the Washington personalities as they are. He is balanced in his treatment of Democrats and Republicans. 

It is also the story of a president who arrived in office with a minimum of experience with the political process and often Obama comes through as simply out of his depth. In some ways this is the main thrust of the story.

This book is highly detailed and Woodward effectively pieces together the secretive world of Washington policymaking using extensive documentation. Woodward shows how the broken relationship between the White House and the Capitol drove the economy to the "edge of the fiscal cliff."

The Price of Politics is an excellent book and a great literary achievement for Bob Woodward. 

WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Bob Woodward is regarded as one of America's preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He is currently the associate editor of the Washington Post. He has authored and co-authored 16 non-fiction books in the last 36 years. His partnership with Carl Bernstien led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

The renown author Joan Didion has often leveled criticism about Woodward's reporting style saying in an essay, "Measurable cerebral activity is virtually absent."

WHAT'S THE SKINNY ON BOOK GROUPS? (10/20/2012)

Many of us belong to book groups. My summer group meets three times but the discussions are always so memorable it almost carries me through the winter...almost...

Nancy B., a college friend belongs to two book groups and recently sent me a summary of what they've been reading. Here it is....(And by the way, the above photo does not include Nancy or me!)

NANCY SAYS:
I have two book clubs - one here in our condo community and the other our longstanding coed book club which runs all year.

Our condo women's book group read two especially interesting books. The first entitled "The Right Hand Shore" by Christopher Tilgham is a novel set on Maryland's Eastern shore, a story which stretches back to Civil War days. It is a "prequel" to the author's "Mason's Retreat". A good read with excellent character depictions and a fine plot.

The second book, "In the Shadow of the Banyan" by Vaddey Ratner was also quite good. A novel, narrated by a young girl, who suffered through the terror years of Cambodia's Kmer Rouge mirrors the author's life under the years of the genocidal regime.

Our coed book club the other day discussed a non fiction book,  "Last Call, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition", by Daniel Ockrent. A fascinating read, lengthy, but chock full of information. This group always rates each book from 1 to 5. This book was given a 3. A member of the group noted that the books we sometimes rate the least, seem to generate the best discussions!

( In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner is reviewed on this blog on 08/17/12. To locate the comments and an image, use the Search Box at the top of the blog.)

Remember anything can be ordered on Amazon by using the Amazon Search Box on the sidebar.

What's your book group reading? What are you reading that you think is book group worthy? Leave a comment...

HE'S BAAAAACK...... (10/17/2012)

To Order Click on Amazon Search Box

THE RACKETEER by John Grisham is set to be released October 23rd and fans are anxiously awaiting its debut. What is it about Grisham that leaves everyone wanting and waiting for more? 

This new book focuses on the untimely death of a federal judge and an imprisoned lawyer who holds the details of the murder. THE RACKETEER has an interesting premise and is said to be an unusual take on Grisham's murder mystery style.

Reviewers promise that this thriller will be another entertaining, emotional, no-nonsense story told from the perspective of a man who has explosive information and knows how to manipulate. (The previous sentence could describe Grisham or the main character..) 

This is definetly a clever novel and nothing is as it seems...but what else is new? John Grisham is the undisputed megastar of legal thrillers...like it or not.

JOHN GRISHAM

Grisham is an American lawyer and author best known for his popular legal thrillers, many made into successful films. He is an award winner and his books have sold over 250 million copies worldwide.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Grisham and his wife, Renee Jones teach Sunday School in First Baptist Church of Oxford Mississippi.

SOME GIRLS, SOME HATS AND HITLER: A TRUE LOVE STORY REDISCOVERED (10/16/2012)

SOME GIRLS, SOME HATS and HITLER is a  recently discovered memoir written in 1984 by Trudi Kantor, a Viennese milliner.

It's part love story and part history of the Nazi's Vienna invasion in 1938. The out of print memoir was found by a British editor while browsing through a bookstore. The editor republished it recently and made it available to readers worldwide.

This is the personal story of Trudi Kantor written in her own words and in a simple and honest voice. What makes the book so intriguing is the author, Trudi Kantor herself.

Her profound account of Europe's ugliest moments differs from other Holocaust books. Some reviewers said "it reads like a poetic diary." Others felt the writing style was uneven.

Trudi Kantor

Keep in mind it's a personal account of a woman who used her connections, took chances and took action to save herself and others.

SOME GIRLS, SOME HATS AND HITLER is a realistic and indelible story, a small volume written during very troubled times.


Remember to click on the Amazon Search Box in the sidebar to order this book.

  

COME BACK, TOM WOLFE! (10/14/2012)

To Order Click on the Amazon Search Box

Where has Tom Wolfe been? His last novel was published in 2004. He's written mega-hits and not so mega-hits but I have always been a fan. He's fun and combative and I even like his all white suits. His writing style is "big"..big on style and big on storyline.

Wolfe's new novel titled BACK to BLOOD may be described as a comeback..but so what, he's back and with a vengeance. It's been labeled a panoramic story that takes the reader deep into the city of Miami. With his unique writing style, he depicts unbelievably
memorable scenes and introduces a melting pot of characters. 

The plot has been called "masterful" and with his usual sharp journalistic prose, Wolfe mocks the art world, reality TV, fame, journalism, the digital age and anything else that strikes his fancy. It's an exciting tale of a tense city where "everybody hates everybody."

BACK to BLOOD is  a return to form for Tom Wolfe, an even bigger and better Bonfire of the Vanities.  It will be released October 23rd. Watch it climb the best seller list.

WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Tom Wolfe is an American author and journalist. There is so much info about his contributions to the literary world that I couldn't do him justice. Click on www.tomwolfe.com/bio.html

                                 

SURPRISING BOOK ALERT (10/11/2012)

To Order Click on the Amazon Search Box

Who would have thought the actress Molly Ringwald could write a strong book of fictional essays...or could even write an essay?

Surprised? GHS, one of the reviewers on my blog caught an interview on Morning Joe this morning and came away with an entire new attitude. He thought this book was a "must read."

WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU by Molly Ringwald was Amazon's Best Book of the Month in August. Reviewers praised her incite and ability to understand how families work and the stories sizzle with  portraits of modern life.(I admit I paid no attention to the hype..)

I just downloaded WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU and already like the format. The stories are intertwined and the reader is left looking for the thread. I've read three of the stories so far and I have to say it's excellent literary fiction. The characters have depth, the dialogue is authentic and I can't wait to get back to it.

This is a debut novel from a celebrity who writes with great incite and skill. Thanks GHS for alerting me..and Morning Joe too! I highly recommend this book. 


WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Molly Ringwald is an accomplished actress with an extensive career. The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles were her break-out films
.

She has written for several periodicals and newspapers and lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and three children.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Ringwald started acting at age five and is also an accomplished singer and dancer. She wrote Theatrical reviews for the Hartford Courant for several years.

PLAYING HOUSE (10/10/2012)

I love a good coffee table book and it helps to have a good coffee table to go with it. 

HOUSE by Diane Keaton showcases dwellings in an artful and very inventive way and will enhance any kind of coffee table, good or bad.

Barns, lofts, commercial spaces in a variety of locales are repurposed by well known and not so well known architects and designers. These spaces, some which are crumbling, are beautifully transformed  and revealed in ways that the reader can relate to ...or not, in some cases.

The photographs are stunning, some taken by Keaton. HOUSE is pricey to the tune of $85 but it's full of wonderful ideas and it's quirky-ness is what I would expect from this author.

Diane Keaton has presented us  with a great gift idea for the upcoming holidays, more than just a coffee-table book.

WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Actress, author, award winner, director, producer, photographer and screenwriter, Diane Keaton made her screen debut in 1970. She's well known for her collaboration with Woody Allen and her most famous role as Annie Hall.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Diane Keaton was born as Diane Hall and like Annie Hall hoped to be a photographer. She has also had a lifelong ambition to be a singer. 

JUST SAYIN'...(10/08/2012)

I am an Amazon Affiliate which means you have an opportunity to order anything (yes, anything) directly from this blog via Amazon. There are Amazon Search Boxes on the sidebar which enable you to order books, gift certificates and even a TV! Talk about instant gratification!!

By the way, any income this month goes to the Hyman J. Small College Scholarship Fund named after my father. This fund was established many years ago and gives financial aid to needy students.  I try to add a new  charity every month.

So make life easy, use the Amazon Search Box and order direct from Joyce's Choices!

IS THERE ROOM AFTER ROOM? (10/08/2012)

To Order Click On Amazon Search Box

Remember ROOM by Emma Donoghue? I was immediately totally absorbed in this imaginative, riviting, nerve-wracking and beautifully written book. 

ASTRAY is Donahue's newest book, debuting in a few weeks.  It's a collection of 14 fact-based fictions about people who have all gone astray in different ways..wanderers and travelers. 

The protagonists in each story are emigrants, runaways, lawyers, slaves, often from different centuries to the present. There's love, money and sex..all the elements to transport readers into a world of great storytelling. 

Anne Patchett, author of State of Wonder wrote that "Emma Donoghue writes books that are unlike anything I have ever seen  and ASTRAY is no exception."

Don't miss this!
ASTRAY will be available October 30th.


WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Emma Donoghue is an Irish born playwright, literary historian and novelist now living in Canada. Her 2010 novel, Room was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and a national best seller.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
Speaking at a conference in February 2011, Donoghue revealed that her next novel will be a historical fiction based on the true story of a murdered 19th century cross-dressing frog catcher.

THE FORGIVEN (10/06/2012)

I am enamoured with anything Moroccan. I spent time in Morocco several years ago and it was a trip I will always remember. The people, the heritage and the charm and history of the country captivated me. (And also the food and the shopping, of course!)


To Order Click On the Amazon Search Box

When I came upon this new novel, THE FORGIVEN by Lawrence Osborne I was immediatly attracted to the locale and then to the very intriguing story.

 It's a small novel..only 288 pages but tells an interesting tale of a clash between two cultures, each of which feels superior to the other. A British couple go to Morocco for a lavish party at a friend's vacation home. There is a car accident and a young Muslim boy is killed. The couple take the deceased boy to the vacation home where they and their hosts must deal with the repercussions.

 The real drama begins when the boy's father arrives from a distant village. Tensions between Muslim and Western ideology escalate.

Although the writing style is uneven, descriptions a little
cliche, THE FORGIVEN moves at a swift pace and will hold your interest.


WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Lawrence Osborne is a British novelist, travel writer and memoirist. He was educated at Cambridge and Harvard and is the author of several books. He has been published widely as a journalist writing for the NY Times, The New Yorker, Salon, Conde Nast Traveler and many more. His story VOLCANO was included in Best American Short Stories 2012.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Lawrence Osborne's recent feature in Playboy Magazine titled "Getting Drunk in Islamabad" won a 2011 Thomas Lowell Award for Travel Journalism.



BANNED BOOKS OR PUBLISHER'S REJECTS (10/03/2012)

This is Banned Book Week..September 30th to October 6th..It's a celebration of the freedom to read. This yearly event brings together the entire book community (Almost missed it..) and brings attention to the controversies of censorship.

There's a few current books that I think should have been banned (or at least not published).. and you know I say this in jest...sort of....

Here are two nominees:

Total Recall: My Unbelievable True Life Story
 by Arnold Schwartznegger  (Who really cares, Arnold..)

Any book by Donald Trump (Enough already, you're perfect...)


I know some of you will disagree..so please leave a comment or add your own nominees....

LIVE BY NIGHT OR IS IT THE GODFATHER? (10/02/2012)

To Order Click on Amazon Search Box

Dennis Lehane has a new novel...maybe not so new in subject matter but a colorful, complex Prohibition era chronicle. It's the second part of a trilogy, the first being THE GIVEN DAY. 

A blog reader, BF who is a Lehane fan raved about LIVE BY NIGHT. (Can a Lehane fan be objective?)

BF said it reminded him of the Godfather, but so what...It's a sprawling saga about a petty crook, Joe Coghlin, the son of the Assistant Chief Superintendent of the Boston Police Department. LIVE BY NIGHT picks up where The Given Day left off but the book soon leaves Boston..and BF won't reveal anymore.

The book is a departure for Lehane. It has all the elements of a good mystery but BF said it's more of an exciting, magnetic epic as opposed to a mystery.  

If you liked the Coghlin family in The Given Day, the focus on Joe Coghlin during Prohibition will keep you rivited. Film rights have already been sold...another bestseller and box office sucess, for Dennis Lehane.

WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Dennis Lehane has written several award winning novels including Mystic River which was made into an Academy Award winning film. Another novel, Gone Baby Gone, was also adapted into an Academy Award nominated film.

Lehane was born and raised in Dorchester, MA and continues to live in the Boston area. He teaches fiction writing at two Boston colleges. 

Little Known Fact:

Lehane appears occasionally as himself on the ABC comedy/drama TV series Castle.   

EVERYTHING BOOKISH AND A SEARCH BOX TOO! (10/01/2012)

On the sidebar I now have categories rather than an endless list of the 200 plus books reviewed on this blog. It's not perfect, but you should be able to find what you want in EVERYTHING BOOKISH on the sidebar or.......just use the new SEARCH BOX!!
Yes, an actual SEARCH BOX at the top of the page.. so everything on the blog is a clickety click away.

Check out the sidebar for these spiffy new additions.

Do you like this change? Do you care? Did you even notice??

Let me know...

ANOTHER HOT NEW ONE (09/27/2012)

To Order Click on Amazon Search Box

I'm usually not a fan of Louise Erdrich, but her novel titled THE ROUND HOUSE (debuting October 2nd) is a devastating tale of a hate crime and the ramifications that follow. It sounds more than intriguing...

Reviewers have compared it to To Kill A Mockingbird and have called it "moving, complex, and surprisingly uplifting."

Without revealing much, a woman living on an Indian
reservation in North Dakota is attacked. Totally traumatized, she refuses to reveal the circumstances. Her son takes it upon himself to find answers and is thrust into an unfamiliar world.

Reviewers are calling THE ROUND HOUSE  a "brilliant and entertaining novel about injustice..."

Sound Familar?  Injustice and hate crimes..happening everyday in our world.


WHO IS THIS AUTHOR?

Louise Erdrich lives in Minnesota and owns an independent book store. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer and the National Book Awards and is the author of thirteen novels, children's books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her most recent novel, THE PLAGUE OF DOVES was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

FRIVOLOUS OR FABULOUS. (09/27/2012)

To Order Click On the Amazon Search Box

There's so much hype about new books debuting this Fall. Soon there will be hype about books debuting this December..and so it goes in the book world...Hype and more hype. I need a break..So here's a suggestion for a quiet read, released with no fanfare and a recipient of decent reviews.

A blog reader highly recommended TIGERS IN RED WEATHER by Liza Klaussmann. It's classified as a mystery, but it's much more. The time is 1946 to 1964 and the story is told from five points of view.

Basically TIGERS IN RED WEATHER focuses on the lives of two women, both slightly dysfunctional..and there are secrets! The characters are complex and the storyline provocative. The reader is snapped back in time.

TIGERS IN RED WEATHER reminded me of a Great Gatsby kind of read. If you like  drinking, boating, historical settings, and lives of the rich and famous...this book is for you. And yes, it's well written and has a great storyline. Frivolous Read or Book Group Worthy? It hovers between the two...



                                 Who Is This Author? 

This is a first novel for Liza Klaussmann. She worked for the New York Times as a jounalist for over a decade. Klaussmann lives in London where she recently completed with distinction an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway.

She is the great-great-great granddaughter of Herman Melville.

A SAD CHAPTER

Alan Bressler reviews books on this blog. We kayaked on Monday and he died on Thursday. I am totally shocked and saddened.

Many of you do not know him, but I wanted to acknowledge the wonderful legacy he left. He was a a philanthropist, a devoted family man, an innovative businessman and a booklover.

He gave so much to his community, to the music world and to
those in need...but most of all he was my friend... on the water and off...I'll miss you, Alan.


THe following books were reviewed by Alan Bressler:
In One Person by John Irving
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

FINALLY... THE CASUAL VACANCY (09/24/2012)

To Order Click on the Amazon Search Box

I'm not a Harry Potter fan.. Yes, I know I'm in the minority. But now J.K. Rowling has come out with an adult novel titled The Casual Vacancy. It's 510 pages of storytelling...Everyone is very tight-lipped about the plot details.

Thursday September 27th is the big release day. The worst that can happen is she'll disappoint her fans..but she'll still make millions and can rest on her Harry Potter laurels.

What's it about, you ask?  A little town in England is left in shock when the town councilman ups and dies. The town is a Peyton Place on steroids and all hell breaks lose. There's corruption, duplicity, passion and well seasoned prose. It sounds like a black comedy but I can't tell anymore..sworn to secrecy.... 

Stay tuned for more at a later date.


10/04/12   Casual Vacancy Update

I have read about 75 pages and am still not hooked...Very slow moving...I think the reason they were so secretive about the plot is that it's a big bore! Please get better.....

WOULD YOU CALL IT AN AFFAIR? (09/19/2012)

I'm having a long term relationship with my Kindle.. I even use the Kindle App on my Ipad. I have no complaints and I'll be faithful until something better comes along.

The following Wall Street Journal article was sent to me by my son. He thought I would appreciate it...I do, but can't relate at all.

See what you think!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443324404577593661495361578.html

REMINDER:
All books on this blog can be bought in any form directly from the Amazon Search Box located in the Sidebar.

I PROBABLY WON'T READ THIS BUT YOU SHOULD (09/18/2012)

I've read the majority of books on this blog and I have a coterie of blog readers and reviewers who have read the rest. Although the following books are appealing, I know I personally won't get to them for awhile and at 600 pages my reviewers might pause as well..

So it's up to you...

To Order Click on Amazon Search Box

THE MALICE OF FORTUNE by Michael Ennis

If you're a history buff, The Malice of Fortune is a hefty novel about the politics of 16th century Italy and reviewers said "it reads like a mystery." A cast of characters that includes Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and so many more contribute to this novel of Renaissance intrigue.

Machiavelli and Da Vinci come together to unmask a serial killer and in their quest, they enter a world of "supersticion and erotic obsession."

Michael Ennis is a history professor and the author of two historical novels.

To Order Click on Amazon Search Box

JOSEPH ANTON: A MEMOIR by Salman Rushdie

I watched an interview with Salman Rushdie this morning. He's sexy, provocative and honest and his memoir sounds equally compelling. It's over 600 pages of great storytelling mixed with the grim realities of living a life in hiding for nine years.

Reviewers call the book "exceptionally frank and of vital importance."

An interesting note is that Joseph Anton was his alias used by the police and guards. Rushdie chose the name of two authors he loved, Conrad and Chekhov.

Many reviewers have said this reads likes a novel. I'm looking forward to it....but 600 pages?....

I'M READY FOR A "SUSAN ISAACS" (09/15/2012)



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You ask, what's a "Susan Isaacs"? It's like a good martini..you take the first sip and can't wait to take another! You feel happy afterwards and smirk in between....



I hate everything I've been reading. (That's a bit of an exageration, not everything). However, lately I have books I've abandoned mid stream, some I'm plodding through, and some I hope will improve.  

Anyway, a Susan Isaacs book always makes me smile. This new novel may not be the answer to my angst, but it's usually a mood changer.

Isaacs previous novels include Compromising Positions, Close Relations, As Husbands Go and many more. She's a prizewinner and chairperson of the board of Poets and Writers. Her new book titled Goldberg Variations is getting great advance reviews. (October 2nd is the due date.)

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

A reviewer said "Imagine King Lear as a comedy..."  

 A nasty tycoon wants to bequeath her wealth to her grandchildren, one who she barely knows. Why do they reject her "kingdom?" 

Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs  is a surprising novel. Another witty and deeply moving story of family, love and dysfunction.  A great combo, just what I'm in the mood for...

Stay tuned for more reviews and comments.