tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32060292745594609022024-03-16T22:53:38.771-07:00Books in the CityBooksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.comBlogger490125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-24079073098375186242015-04-25T06:23:00.002-07:002015-04-25T12:54:31.514-07:00Readathon- April 25th <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>I will update this post throughout the day . . . .</b><br />
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<b><u>Hour 8 Update</u></b><br />
Finally my first book is done! I finished Silver Girl by Elin Hildebrand (about 156 pages read - I had already started this one). Other than that, I took a walk to donate some books at the <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/trek/tothecellar/" target="_blank">Book Cellar</a> (and picked up a few books - couldn't resist!) I also stopped off at the Farmer's Market on the way home for some berries to have with yogurt as a snack plus some vegetables for dinner later. While out on this excursion, I listened to <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062259318" target="_blank">The Story Hour</a> by Thrity Umrigar. Felt good to get outside in the fresh air and to move (I got about 5,000 steps in so will need another walk later to reach my 10K for the day)<br />
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Now I am moving on to <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250054210" target="_blank">Her Name is Rose</a> by Christine Breen - this is another book I had already started and will see if I can polish it off during the Readathon.<br />
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How is your Readathon going?<br />
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1) <b>What fine part of the world are you reading from today? </b><br />
NYC - a cold NYC, I will add. 38 degrees at 8 am at the end of April!!<br />
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2) <b>Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? </b><br />
Looking forward to finally finishing <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316099646" target="_blank">Silver Girl</a> by Elin Hilderbrand - I started it over a month ago but have been flitting between other books. This one is light and a great pick for the readathon so I am going to polish it off this morning.<br />
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3) <b>Which snack are you most looking forward to? </b><br />
Already fired up the espresso maker and had my first latte - looking forward to delicious caffeine infusions!<br />
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4) <b>Tell us a little something about yourself! </b><br />
I have been blogging for almost 6 years (wow)! and though I have flagged a bit with blogging of late, I do love the readathon and am glad to participate again this year,<br />
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5) <b>If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?</b><br />
More movement - by the end of a day of just sitting still things start to ache so I am going to make an effort to move as much as possible. My dog will need walking so I plan to get out a few times for a little while and bring an audiobook along.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-70367249951763941592015-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T00:00:09.795-07:00Audiobook Review: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781594205712" target="_blank">Everything I Never Told You</a> by Celeste Ng (narrated by Cassandra Clare; 10 hours, 1 minute) tells the story of the mixed race family, the Lee's, who live in suburban Ohio in the 1970's. As the book opens, the family has discovered that Lydia, the middle child and oldest daughter, is missing. When her body is discovered two days later in the nearby lake each family member begins to unwind their history and to try to make sense of the tragedy. With each family member's unwinding, the reader learns all that went unsaid and misunderstood between these family members and how it all combined to crush Lydia.<br />
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James Lee, the son of immigrants, attended a prestigious prep school at which his father worked as a janitor. Decidedly out of place due to his race and socioeconomic class, James longed to fit in but never quite achieved it. While at Harvard, he met Marilyn - a young, beautiful student with ambition to do more than just satisfy her mother's dream for her - to become a wife. Marilyn wanted to challenge her mother's and other's expectations of her and to become a doctor. She defied her mother's expectations once again when she fell in love with James, an Asian man at a time when mixed race marriages were still illegal in many states. Despite this and maybe a little due to her need to defy her mother, Marilyn marries James and becomes a young mother when their son, Nath, is born. With the arrival of motherhood, Marilyn places her dreams of being a doctor on a shelf but not without some regret and even resentment. With the arrival of the Lee's second child, Lydia, Marilyn sees a vessel for her own shelved dreams and begins to prepare her daughter to become a doctor. Meanwhile, James, pushes her to be popular and to "fit in" - no one asks or assesses what Lydia might want.<br />
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Lydia is uncomfortable with her status of favored child and the pressure of living out both of her parents' own dreams. Despite Nath's occasional resentment of his younger sister and the attention of their parents which she commands, the siblings are close and depend on each other to understand their unique family dynamic as only siblings can. The Lee's youngest child, Hannah, is almost the forgotten sibling - conceived at a time when her parents were going through a difficult time and born into a family preoccupied with their own issues, Hannah moves through the household largely unnoticed. From this hidden vantage point, Hannah sees things the other family member's miss - she takes precious belongings from each family member and through them learns what is important to them. She may not always understand the insights her observations offer but she does see things most family members miss. Her insights into Lydia are especially revealing as they all deal with her disappearance and death.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b>
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This intelligent, debut novel tells a tragic story - and not just the tragedy of a drowned sixteen year old. The real tragedy is how little the parents know about their own children and vice versa. Clouded by the need to see their dreams lived through their children, James and Marilyn never really see their own children or their needs. They give them what they think they need but repeatedly miss the mark. In much the same way, although more understandable since they are children, the Lee children don't know what drives their parents to push them they way they do. Everyone is moving through life propelled by desires they don't understand or acknowledge. The result is the story of a dysfunctional family which fascinates. <a href="http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/narrators/cassandra-campbell/" target="_blank">Cassandra Campbell</a> is a favorite narrator of mine and does an excellent job with this book. Definitely recommend (the book and the audio production!)<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-21725705041107073182015-03-29T13:58:00.000-07:002015-03-29T13:58:20.015-07:00Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312577223" target="_blank">The Nightingale</a> by Kristin Hannah is set in France during World War II and tells the story of two sisters - Viann and Isabelle and their lives during this period. Viann Mauriac says goodbye to her husband as he heads to the front to fight for France and she settles into their countryside home in Carriveau with their young daughter to endure wartime and wait for her husband's return. Meanwhile, Isabelle, always a rebel, finds herself working for the Resistance and risking her life to fight the enemy. Through each of their stories, the reader is transported to France during the war and witnesses the sacrifice and endurance of French women during WWII. Sacrifice and endurance are wrapped in a love story and family drama which captivates the reader.<br />
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Viann and Isabelle have a fractured relationship; after the death of their mother when they were both young girls, they were left with their father who was ill-equipped emotionally following the death of his wife to deal with raising his young daughters. Viann, ten years older than Isabelle, was left to care for her younger sister but when Viann marries Antoine, Isabelle is shipped off to boarding school. Feeling abandoned, Isabelle resents Viann and acts out at boarding school and is expelled from school after school. Early on in the war, Isabelle arrives at Viann's home in Carriveau and they must work on their relationship in order to coexist and face the difficulties of Nazi occupation of their town.<br />
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Isabelle's rebellious streak persists and she is disgusted by Viann's inclination to do as she is told and to follow the orders of the occupiers. When German Captian Beck "billets" in Viann's home and lives side by side with her, Isabelle and Viann's young daughter, Viann is accommodating in an effort to keep from angering the soldier and in the hope that he will assist in contacting her husband who has been captured by the enemy. Her approach to the war is to stoically accept the hardships and to try to endure; Isabelle, meanwhile joins the Resistance and distributes Anti-Nazi materials undercover throughout the town. This evolves into her shepherding British and American soldiers that have been shot down across the Pyrenees into Spain - her code name is Nightingale. Two sisters take very different paths during the war but ultimately gain an understanding and a respect for each other.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
This book captured my attention and had me hungrily reading for more - beyond the story of the sister's relationship, I was drawn into the hardship endured by those in the French countryside during the war. The author expertly describes the effects of draconian food rationing and intimidation meted out by the occupying German forces. There were scenes, reminiscent of those in another Hannah novel, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312663155" target="_blank">Winter Garden,</a> where Viann broke down furniture to burn and provide a little heat for her and her daughter through the long, cold winter. I cried twice during this novel - both times during scenes which involved children facing the atrocities of war while their parents plead for mercy for them. Hannah perfectly crafted these scenes - she made them moving without being overly sentimental.<br />
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Ultimately, the appeal of this book lies in how humanity triumphed over the unthinkable horrors of war.<br />
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Isabelle's character is based on a Belgian woman, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/magazine/30dejongh-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">Andree de Jongh</a> who set up an escape route for captured Allied soldiers during WWII.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-49211069690830620042015-03-15T07:36:00.000-07:002015-03-15T07:36:28.321-07:00Sunday Salon: March 15, 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">The Scene</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">: 8:33 am, Sunday</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">: on couch with my trusty sidekick, Prince. He is back from vacation in Florida (he has been down there with my parents since I went to South Africa after the holidays). They have taken great care of him but I am so happy to have him back.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">Reading</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">: While in Florida last week, I was drawn to books with a beach setting so I started reading <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316099646" target="_blank">Silver Girl</a> by Elin Hildebrand. The book has been on my shelf for a few years and it seemed like a perfect choice for the beach. I am tearing through the book and glad I picked it up. Prior to that, I finished <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312577223" target="_blank">The Nightingale</a> by Kristin Hannah (review coming soon). It is a historical fiction set in France during WW2 and tells the story of two sisters - one who fights for the resistance and one who lives in the country and tries to survive wartime while her husband is at the front. I loved this book - I even cried twice while reading it. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">Listening</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">: For a while now, I have been listening to <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316243391" target="_blank">Love, Nina </a>by Nina Stibbe - it is the letters of a British nanny in the 80's (Nina) to her sister. The book was lauded as a best book of 2014 but so far I have not seen (or heard) the magic. The re-telling of her mundane days is not capturing my attention but I am nearly done with it and we will see if there is a revelation before the end! Have you read or listened to this one? </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;"> Blogging</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">: Last week a blogger and tweeter that I follow, <a href="http://lisabadams.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Adams</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamsLisa" target="_blank">@adamslisa</a>) died of metastatic breast cancer. If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed that I have been re-tweeting the many articles written about this impressive woman. Lisa was first diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at the age of 37 and, following a number of years with a status of NED (no evidence of disease), she was diagnosed with metastatic disease in 2012. When she died last week at the age of 45 she left behind her husband and three young children. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: <a href="http://lisaadams.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Adams</a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">Lisa wrote beautifully <a href="http://lisaadams.com/" target="_blank">on her blog</a> about living with breast cancer and her fears about leaving her children at such a young age. Her posts were poignant, direct and moving and articulated difficult emotions so well. Her tweets were a mix of pithy insights into the grind of constant treatment for her disease, observations about her children and commentary on the last show she was catching up via Netflix while trying to regain her energy following a treatment. I found myself looking for her tweets everyday and hoping to see that she was getting some relief and evidence that her latest treatment was working to give her a little more precious time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">Lisa's <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamsLisa" target="_blank">bio on twitter</a> includes the statement: "Doing as much as I can for as long as I can" which I think perfectly demonstrates the way in which she lived her life with incurable breast cancer - she eschewed any notions of "battling" cancer or outsmarting cellular biology but intelligently developed treatment plans with her oncologist to control her disease as much as possible so she could spend precious time with her young children. She focused on the present and encouraged people to "Make the most of this day. Whatever that means to you, whatever you can do, no matter how small it seems" and urged on twitter "Find a bit a beauty in the world today. Share it. If you can't find it, create it. Some days this may be hard to do. Persevere." Persevere she did and took us along in an effort to educate about metastatic breast cancer, living with the disease and in an effort, I think, to connect and fend off isolation. <b>She will be missed</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">You can read <a href="http://lisabadams.com/popularposts/" target="_blank">her most popular posts here</a> (including one about what to say and not to say to someone with cancer) and also see a <a href="http://lisabadams.com/remembrances/" target="_blank">collection of the remembrances</a> that have been posted since her death including one by Bethanne Patrick (aka "The Book Maven") and Katherine Rosman of the New York Times. Lisa established <a href="http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1590&pxfid=27471" target="_blank">a fund at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center</a> to fund research into metastatic breast cancer. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8000011444092px;">This picture below from my visit to Florida last week is my "bit of beauty" today in honor of Lisa. </span><br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-4491971799485247312015-02-20T05:31:00.003-08:002015-02-20T05:31:36.584-08:00Review and Giveaway: The Unexpected Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781492602088" target="_blank">The Unexpected Consequences of Love</a> by Jill Mansell is set in Cornwall where Sophie works as a photographer. Happy to be building her new business, Sophie seems content but lives a very narrow life. She has completely shut herself off to dating and the heartache in her past that has led to this is slowly revealed. Josh Strachan, who has returned from the US to the seaside town to help run a hotel, Mariscombe House, with his grandmother, pursues Sophie and tries to break through her shell. Meanwhile, Sophie's friend Tula has moved from Birmingham and is working at the hotel. Unlike Sophie, Tula is in constant pursuit of love and romance. She is especially interested in Josh even though he barely notices her while he focuses on Sophie.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
I always find Jill Mansell's books entertaining and love to sink into them - this one was no exception. I felt as if I was transported to Cornwall while I read and became engrossed in the lives of Sophie, Tula, Josh and the other cast of characters. The main character, Sophie, and her story interested me most. The event in her past that has led to her reluctance to open herself to love is gradually revealed in a series of flashback scenes and deepens the readers understanding of Sophie. Meanwhile, Tula provides comic relief - she is much more lighthearted than Sophie and continually finds herself in scrapes. Sophie, Tula and Josh are supported by a cast of characters that includes Josh's grandparents who have an interesting relationship; Riley, a fun-loving playboy who pursues Tula and Riley's Aunt Marguerite who is a temperamental, self-involved author.<br />
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The author expertly weaves the multiple story lines together - there are just enough connections between these characters to make their story cohesive without seeming contrived. If you haven't read a book by Jill Mansell yet this is a good one to start with - it includes her hallmarks of a cast of characters and an enjoyable story of found love. If you are already a fan of the author, like me, this latest book doesn't disappoint!<br />
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<b>Giveaway</b><br />
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The publisher is offering a giveaway of the book and you can enter it here: <a class="rcptr" data-raflid="54ca7af754" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af754/" id="rcwidget_14g63mu2" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-62013570707170268262015-02-17T09:16:00.000-08:002015-02-17T09:16:37.954-08:00Review: Girl Before Mirror by Liza Palmer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062297242" target="_blank">Girl Before Mirror</a> by Liza Palmer, Anna Wyatt is fighting to make her mark in the world of advertising. Relegated to smaller accounts with a target audience of women only, Anna is frustrated as she bumps up against the glass ceiling. She is also facing challenges in her personal life - at forty with a failed marriage behind her, Anna has been on a "time out" from romance and dating but she is starting to realize that, as with her professional life, she is going to have to go after what she wants to get a different outcome. When she is introduced to a self-help book, "Be The Heroine, Find Your Hero", it plays a role in bringing her professional success -but not in the way you expect. As she buys into the Be The Heroine philosophy, she realizes it translates into her own personal life and she begins to combat her long held beliefs about her worth and whether she can risk much to win in love.
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Anna Wyatt grew up with a demanding father and a mother who virtually ignored her children. Anna took care of her younger brother, Ferdie, and tried to provide him with the love she never received from her parents. This upbringing left her with some well-established guards which limit her in her relationships. Following her divorce from a husband to whom she never opened up, Anna has placed herself on a dating sabbatical and essentially opted out altogether. When she looks around the table at her birthday dinner, however, she realizes she wants more than she is getting out of this opt-out approach and the germ of change is planted.<br />
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Professionally, Anna is also frustrated by being limited in the ad agency to only small accounts with products focused on women. She sets her sights on Quincy Pharmaceuticals and sees an in road via a neglected body wash that has not been actively promoted by the company. She drafts a proposal that ties into the "Be The Heroine, Find Your Hero" theme and gets an audience with the team that manages the product at Quincy. Her proposal resonates and Anna finds herself at the Romance Writers Conference working the connections with her proposed ad campaign. By focusing on a theme that resonated with her and articulated what many women feel, Anna has landed on professional success. She also finds a love interest at the conference in Lincoln Mallory, a Brit visiting the hotel for business. Lincoln challenges all of Anna's well-established guards and she struggles to take the chance that she knows will bring her success in her personal life.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
I am a fan of Liza Palmer's books -<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780446693950" target="_blank"> Conversations with the Fat Girl</a> and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780446698375" target="_blank">Seeing Me Naked</a> are two of my favorites. I remember underlining passages in both books because I felt they perfectly expressed my own thoughts and reflections. I found myself doing the same with this book - Anna's struggles with self-confidence and living safely rather than pursuing what she really wants are so well captured by the author and I suspect will resonate for many women. There were times, however, that I felt this book covered too much ground - there was the story line about Anna's campaign for Quincy, story line about her relationship with Lincoln and then the story line about Ferdie. Each was rich but I felt the book could have been better with a focus on only two out of the three. This was not my favorite book by the author but does have her dialogue laced with humor and wry observations.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-26484322212522558482015-02-02T08:24:00.001-08:002015-02-02T10:46:27.986-08:00Audiobook Review: Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062225061" target="_blank">Not My Father's Son</a> by Alan Cumming: Alan Cumming is a Scottish actor who currently plays Eli Gould on <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_good_wife/">The Good Wife</a> and stars in the Broadway production of <a href="http://cabaretmusical.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiAoo2mBRD20fvvlojj5jsSJABMSc7j1izygGKhDY4puD8fSE6r8FdXwyjjNiDonIRj4RjKWhoCVyLw_wcB" target="_blank">Cabaret</a>. This book, however, is not about his life as an actor or how he found his calling to act - it is about his tortured relationship with his father who physically and emotionally abused him throughout his childhood. At times difficult to listen to, the book is raw and insightful and ultimately, quite brave.<br />
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Alan Cumming is the youngest son of Mary Darling and Alec Cumming and, with his older brother Tom, grew up in Scotland on an estate for which his father was the caretaker. His father was stern and had high expectations of both boys but seemed to reserve his greatest ire for young Alan. In talking about his childhood, Alan Cumming describes fearing his father and how the family walked on eggshells expecting the next outburst. His father often put the boys to work around the estate doing very manual labor and then criticizing the work they did including physically beating them when it was not to standard. In the rare moments when Alan got to act like a child such as when he rode his bike through the village, he recognized how little of that happiness was in his daily life and how he lived with a pervasive anxiety. He repressed that through much of his life but as an adult, its effects began to become obvious and he could no longer ignore it.<br />
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As the book begins, Alan is about to appear on the British version of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007t575" target="_blank">Who Do You Think You Are? </a>and the producers are going through his family tree looking for a line/story to follow. When his father learns of this, he worries that they will discover his secret so he abruptly discloses to Alan that he is not his real father and that Alan was conceived following a dalliance by his mother. At this point, Alan's relationship with his father was non-existent but this news rocks him and prompts him to re-examine what he thought to be true about his father and their difficult relationship. Interestingly, the show actually ended up exploring Alan's mother's family and focuses on Alan's grandfather. Through that, Alan discovers his Grandfather also had secrets and discovers parallels between the his own life and that of his Grandfather.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
At times, this book was difficult to listen to - I could feel my own chest tightening as Alan recounted the cruel words his father spat at him or the blows he struck. There is a tenderness in how he tells the story because, despite all the therapy he has obviously been through to cope with his history, there is still a rawness to his emotions and he has insights which are revelatory. I thought the story line of the work on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007t575" target="_blank">Who Do You Think You Are?</a> provided a nice counterbalance to the conflict with his father. It is also emotional but in a different way and I looked forward to the revelations in that story line. After listening to the book, I actually watched Alan Cumming's episode on the show and it was interesting to see what I had listened to played out on the screen and see expressions on his face which he had described in the book.<br />
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The book is read by the author and I enjoyed his Scottish accent but more than that I appreciated the authenticity of the reading of a memoir that only an author can bring to the production. In addition, Cumming is a trained stage actor and his professionalism comes through in the reading of the audiobook. All in all, although his story is very painful, his journey through it is a triumph and provides hope. Definitely recommend.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-34686701129181473762015-01-27T06:11:00.000-08:002015-01-27T06:11:52.031-08:00Review: Nora Webster by Colm Toibin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781439138335" target="_blank">Nora Webster</a> by Colm Toibin: Nora Webster, recently widowed, lives in Wexford, Ireland in 1969 with her two young sons, Donal and Conor. She also has two older daughters who now live away from home. As the story opens, Nora is enveloped in her grief over the recent loss of her husband, Maurice, to a long illness and is facing the practical challenges of being a widow. She worries about needing to sell a seaside property that has special meaning for her children and at which she has wonderful memories with her late husband but she cannot afford to keep the small cottage now that she must support her family alone. She faces the pitying looks of her neighbors and the constant flow of people stopping by to check on her. She worries about her young sons and how they are adjusting to this loss but mostly she is blinded to the effects by her own grief. As Nora moves through her grief, she gradually discovers herself.<br />
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Nora is in a fog following the death of her husband Maurice. She is haunted by his last days which were spent in pain and in a hospital where she felt he got little support from his doctor. Everyone has an opinion on how Nora should move forward - from her sisters, to Maurice's brother and his wife to her Aunt Josie. Nora finds all their opinions intrusive and no help in determining her path but she is unable to state her point of view. In an effort to keep her emotions in control, she is almost shut down and appears passive. Amid this passivity, however, there are glimmers of her will. At her sister's home for the weekend, Nora takes to the formal front room and reads for an afternoon alone much to the bewilderment of her sister who hurried around the home preparing meals and heading into town to shop. While on vacation at the seaside with her Aunt Josie, Nora strikes out and finds another place to sleep in order to escape her older aunt's snoring. A big part of Nora's movement beyond her grief was getting a job. She returns to an office job at Gibney's where she worked before her children were born. She is initially cowed by the powerful Gibney family and a controlling office manager but slowly but surely she asserts herself and develops a confidence in her skills. Piece by piece, Nora emerges from her grief and returns not to the woman she was before her husband's death but becomes a new woman who knows her mind and isn't afraid to follow it.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
Typical of Toibin's style, this novel is quiet and unassuming. Despite Nora's grief being so central to the story, there is no melodrama and a notable lack of emotion on Nora's part. She suffers quietly and only with fleeting connections to her own emotions and certainly to those of her sons. At times, the distance from her young sons is hard to understand especially given that they are obviously so affected by their father's death and its effect on the family. You do see, however, the fierceness of her love for her sons as she musters up the courage to defend Conor to the Christian Brothers at his school who think he should be demoted a grade. There is a passion there but it is buried beneath her grief and some expectation that she not express her emotions or overtly display her affection for her children.<br />
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Nora is an ordinary woman; it is Toibin's skill as an author which brings her to life as she proceeds through mundane activities. He artfully offers glimpses into the woman that Nora is becoming and peeks into her internal dialogue. I was quite impressed by this book and reassured by Nora's ability to emerge from her grief. This is not, however, my favorite book by the author. <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780743203319" target="_blank">The Blackwater Lightship</a> still holds that position but I highly recommend <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781439138335" target="_blank">Nora Webster</a>.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-16158130090834558032015-01-18T07:04:00.001-08:002015-01-18T07:04:44.855-08:00Sunday Salon: January 18, 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><br /></b><b>The Scene</b>: 8:33 am - sitting on couch, coffee in hand (as usual on a Sunday!) I have been up for a few hours because I am still dealing with some jet lag since returning from my trip. I love being a morning person for a precious few days after getting back from a trip! If you <a href="http://instagram.com/booksnyc/" target="_blank">follow me on Instagram</a>, you may have seen some pics from my trip. If not, I included a few below:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Table Mountain, Cape Town</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants - Chobe National Park, Botswana</td></tr>
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<b> Reading</b>: Fortunately, between the trip and these early mornings, I have been getting a lot of reading done. This morning I finished <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062225443" target="_blank">Reconstructing Amelia</a> by Kimberly McCreight - it is an excellent mystery/thriller and I think will strike fear in most parent's hearts. I don't even have kids and was haunted by the secret lives that many kids face while at school. Earlier this week, I finished <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781439138335" target="_blank">Nora Webster </a>by Colm Toibin. He is a favorite author of mine and while I enjoyed his latest book, I am not sure I think it is his best.<br />
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<b>Listening</b>: Currently I am listening to <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062225061" target="_blank">Not My Father's Son</a> by Alan Cumming. The author narrates the book himself and I love listening to his Scottish accent. But it is painful to hear him recount the (mostly emotional) abuse he faced at the hands of his father.<br />
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<b> Blogging</b>: Yesterday I posted <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2015/01/weekend-cooking-review-way-life-should.html" target="_blank">my review of The Way Life Should Be</a> by Christina Baker Kline. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading others by the author. I am hoping to use my short-lived spurt as a morning person to get ahead on blogging this weekend and catching up on reviews.<br />
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<b>Watching</b> : While away, I missed the start of Season 5 of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/" target="_blank">Downton Abbey</a>. I can't wait to catch up on the first 2 episodes - today's project will be figuring out how to stream from my laptop to the TV so I can watch episode 1 and 2 before episode 3 airs tonight.<br />
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While I was in the UK for a meeting last week, I heard about a series there that I think I will like - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadchurch" target="_blank">Broadchurch</a>. Season 2 just started airing in the UK but Season 1 is available here on Netflix. I forsee a binge-watching session in my future! Have you seen or heard about Broadchurch?<br />
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<b>Looking Forward To</b>: Getting back into a routine - vacation was wonderful but now the routine of going to the gym and eating regular meals at home seems welcome!<br />
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Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday!</div>
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-58249375284032068472015-01-17T09:30:00.001-08:002015-01-17T09:30:22.433-08:00Weekend Cooking - Review: The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780060798925" target="_blank">The Way Life Should Be</a> by Christina Baker Kline: Angela Russo is in her thirties and living in New York City; her life, however, has stagnated. She is alone and working at a job as an events planner which doesn't excite her. After getting fired following a spectacular disaster at a high profile event, Angela decides to head to Maine to nurse her wounds and move her life in a different direction. She is not just escaping NY - she had recently started communicating with an guy that lives in Maine through an online dating site. With potential love on the horizon with her "MaineCatch", Angela heads to Maine to start over.<br />
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Growing up, Angela learned to cook at the side of her beloved Italian grandmother, Nonna. Her grandmother and the rituals in the kitchen provided a steadying force as Angela dealt with the ending of her parent's marriage and the adjustment to her Dad's new wife. Once she arrives in Maine and things are not turning out as she planned, food and the rituals that surround it once again provide comfort for Angela. Before long, Angela is working at a cafe and baking fresh muffins and cakes to replace the stale bagels being served with the strong coffee. Food is the vehicle she uses to connect to people and to draw them in. As Angela faces the isolation of Maine in winter, she once again turns to food and cooking. She starts offering cooking lessons in her small cottage and collects a group from her community once per week to learn how to cook a dish inspired by Nonna and to connect with each other and begin to reveal a little about themselves.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b>
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This is my first novel by this author but it certainly won't be my last. I tore through this book and didn't want to leave the characters at the end (I think the book lends itself well to a sequel - wonder if there will be one?) The story of self-discovery is very relatable and you want to see Angela succeed in the new life she has set out to create. Finally, the cooking scenes convey a real love of the art of cooking and it's power to heal and connect - they had me considering settling in for an afternoon of cooking on a cold winter's day. The book even includes recipes from the novel including Maine Blueberry Muffins, Torta Al Limone and Stracciatella alla Romana, The comfort of a good novel and good food all in one!<br />
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Have you read other books by this author? Which do you recommend I read next?<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-42232843369064977812014-12-21T07:37:00.001-08:002014-12-21T07:45:07.777-08:00Sunday Salon: December 21, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Scene</b>: 9:45 am - sitting on couch, coffee in hand, surveying the apartment and trying to remember what I have forgotten to pack. Prince is lounging next to me - he is down for the count after getting vaccinations on Friday. The pics below sum up the before and after pretty accurately.<br />
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<b> Reading</b>: I have a few books in progress right now (which is rare for me but it has to do with all the formats). In print, I am reading <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780060798925" target="_blank">The Way Life Should Be</a> by Christina Baker Kline - I am really enjoying it. I never read her most famous novel - <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061950728" target="_blank">The Orphan Train</a> - but likely will after this one. On my reader, I am reading a Christmas book - <a href="http://www.jennycolgan.com/books/#christmas" target="_blank">Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe</a> by Jenny Colgan. It is set in London, light and fluffy and perfect for this time of year! Finally, on audio, I am also transported to England by Jo Jo Moyes's <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525426585" target="_blank">One Plus One</a>. I read <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-girl-you-left-behind-by-jo-jo-moyes.html" target="_blank">The Girl You Left Behind (my review)</a> by the author and loved it. This book is also shaping up to be quite good!<br />
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<b>Listening</b>: See above for current audiobook. Need to queue up some others with a long flight coming up next week - any recommendations? I have been hearing a lot about <a href="http://serialpodcast.org/about" target="_blank">Serial</a> and will try that podcast while traveling too.<br />
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<b> Blogging</b>: This week I posted <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2014/12/audiobook-review-we-are-not-ourselves.html" target="_blank">my review of We Are Not Ourselves</a> - this is easily my favorite read this year and based on feedback, it seems very popular with many of you too! I also want to feature a post I did at last year at this time as part of the Virtual Advent series - <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2013/12/virtual-advent-2013-nyc-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">review of Christmas on Jane Street</a>. I think about this story each time I walk past the tree vendors in the city. If you are looking for a good read this time of year, I definitely recommend this! It reminds me a bit of a modern day Gift of the Magi. And today, the ebook is only $1.99!<br />
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<b>Watching</b> : With holiday parties, year-end stuff at work and holiday prep miscellany, I haven't been watching much TV (which is really just fine). But I have become fascinated by the holiday decorations on the buildings and townhouses throughout the city. I have been following a hashtag called #festivefacades on Instagram (<a href="http://instagram.com/booksnyc/" target="_blank">follow me</a>) which got me looking at all the #festivefacades in Manhattan! Here is a sample from my wanderings while running errands yesterday.<br />
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<b>Looking Forward To</b>: So much to look forward to - heading to Texas to visit with family over Christmas and then on to Cape Town for New Year's (hence the packing stress right now - I am sure something will be forgotten).<br />
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Hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday!<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-44311858110041523662014-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:002014-12-15T06:22:43.119-08:00Audiobook Review: We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476756660" target="_blank">We Are Not Ourselves</a> by Matthew Thomas (narrated by Mare Winningham; 20 hours 51 minutes) opens in Woodside, Queens in the home of young Eileen Tumulty. The daughter of Irish immigrants, Eileen is an old soul who faces adult issues at a young age as she watches her mother struggle with alcohol. She is also acutely aware of the fact that her family has not "arrived" and is striving to have enough and to better themselves. Eileen takes this struggle very much to heart and begins an upward climb to acceptance and respectability which she believes comes with financial security. As the book continues, she marries Ed Leary and gives birth to a son, Connell. Together they face the changing face of their neighborhood in Jackson Heights, a health crisis and the realization that, despite hard work and tenacity, the American Dream may remain that little bit out of reach. Beyond just Eileen's story, this novel is the story of mid century American life through to present.<br />
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Eileen's story begins as the daughter of Irish immigrants in Queens, NY. Her father, Big Mike, is well known in the neighborhood and the life of the party which is contrasted by her mother who is fragile and turns to alcohol to cope. Eileen identifies more with her father and aims to please him by being a good student and wanting to better herself. When her father tells her he dreams that she will one day own a home as opposed to renting as he and her mother have done, Eileen puts that goal in her sights and goes about achieving it. When she meets Ed Leary, she sees a man who can provide stability but also work with her towards her goals. They do ultimately buy a multi-family home in Jackson Heights but it is Eileen that is the driving force behind making that happen and she is dismayed at Ed's lack of drive towards the goal. <br />
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The theme of moving up continues as Jackson Heights begins to change - it becomes more urban and multi-cultural. Eileen sets her sights on Bronxville - an upscale bedroom community with stately homes. Despite it being quite a stretch financially, the Leary's move to the new neighborhood but Eileen still doesn't feel comfortable - that reaching instilled in her at a young age is nearly impossible to satisfy. In this quote, Eileen considers her inability to find satisfaction:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14.39px; line-height: 18px;">“The fact that they were there, that everything they owned wasn’t enough somehow, disturbed her, suggesting a bottomlessness to certain kinds of unhappiness."</span></blockquote>
Shortly after their move to Bronxville, however, Ed Leary receives a devastating diagnosis which changes the family's trajectory and pushes the concerns about fitting in to the backseat.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
This powerful novel moved me and is one I won't soon forget. There is so much familiar to me in this book - from the locations throughout Queens (I also grew up in the borough) to Eileen's struggle to make her father proud by doing better than he did thereby making his sacrifices and hard work worthwhile. But as much as this book reflected my own personal experience, it is so powerful because it reflects the quiet drama of every family's lives throughout the years. There is beauty in the capture of everyday celebrations and losses (most especially the losses) and the words the author chooses to describe these moments provide insight you don't understand until you read it.<br />
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I listened to this book on audio - the fact that it is over 20 hours long but I found myself looking for more opportunities to listen is a testament to the powerful story told by the author. The narrator, Mare Winningham, is new to me but her voice was perfect for this story largely told from Eileen's point of view. I do, however, think this would also be a good book to read in print - the sentences are so well crafted, it would be nice to re-read and savor them. Whether in print or audio, this is definitely the best book I have read in 2014.<br />
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Note: Special thanks to Diane of <a href="http://bookchickdi.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Chick Di</a> and Joanne of <a href="http://lakesidemusing.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lakeside Musing</a> - they both recommended this book and I am glad they led me to it!</div>
Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-80781214920343020662014-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-13T00:00:12.101-08:00Weekend Cooking: Coconut 24/7 by Pat Crocker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It seems that everywhere I look these days, I see coconut - coconut water, coconut milk, coconut oil and even coconut flavored teas! In addition to it's delicious taste, coconut has a lot of health benefits and it is this feature which is contributing to its current surge in popularity. In <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062342874" target="_blank">Coconut 24/7</a>, Pat Crocker, discusses the various benefits of coconut and then provides recipes featuring coconut from shakes and apps to entrees. In an age where recipes abound on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and elsewhere, I appreciate that this book added a lot of discussion about the health benefits of coconut and how to store and cook with it to maintain all those benefits.<br />
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The book opens with a primer on the coconut and the various forms in which you can cook with it - the author even covers how to extract milk and water from a fresh coconut. Realistically, that is not going to happen in my life so I was glad she then moved on to discussing the coconut products you get off the shelf. I began using coconut milk in a mango protein smoothie this summer (tastes like the tropics!) so I was particularly interested in her discussion of coconut milk. In general, the author advocates limiting the processing of the coconut (hence the detail on how to extract milk from the raw coconut) so she recommends looking at coconut milk packages for unwanted ingredients like cane sugar, carrageenan and inulin. She also recommends selecting milk in the tetra packages rather than cans which can be tainted with BPA. Based on a review of the carton currently in my refrigerator, I am going to need to look a little harder for a less processed version. This was definitely eye-opening for me since I thought I was being "healthy" as I enjoyed my tropical smoothie.<br />
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After the coconut primer, the book is separated into meal categories - breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers and snacks, spice blends, sauces and dressings, beverages, and desserts. The final chapter is "spa recipes" and covers how to make your own body products, like hand cream, using coconut products. Probably a little ambitious for me so I focused on the recipes. I wanted to expand beyond my smoothies and the entrees chapter offered a lot that appealed to me. I especially liked this Coconut Curry Chicken - it reminded me of many of the great dishes I had while in Thailand:
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<b>Coconut Curry Chicken</b><br />
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2 tbsp coconut flour<br />
1 tsp sea salt<br />
8 chicken thighs<br />
2 tbsp melted coconut oil<br />
2 onions, coarsely chopped<br />
2 cloves garlic<br />
1 tbsp grated ginger<br />
3 tbsp Madras Curry Spice Blend<br />
1 cup chicken broth<br />
1 cup coconut milk<br />
1 banana, coarsely chopped<br />
1 sweet potato, coarsely chopped<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
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1. In a flat bowl or pie plate, combine flour and salt, Dredge chicken thighs to coat. Reserve extra flour mixture<br />
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2. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken thighs and cook for 10 minutes or until browned well on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.<br />
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3. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil in the pot. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and curry spice blend and cook stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until onions are soft. Return reserved chicken to the pot along with any reserved flour mixture. Add broth and milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and add banana, sweet potato and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until potato is fork-tender and chicken is cooked through and reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.<br />
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This dish is delicious! If you are interested in how to incorporate coconut into your diet in a healthy but delicious way, I recommend trying this cookbook.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-44383239927566725192014-12-09T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-09T00:00:06.042-08:00Review: The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476702995" target="_blank">The House We Grew Up In</a> by Lisa Jewell: The Bird family lives in a lovely home in the Cotswolds in England. The four Bird children live what appears to be a charmed childhood being doted on by their mother, Lorelei, who is a free spirit and delights in celebrating traditions with her family and creating memories. As is often the case, however, all is not as perfect as it appears. Behind the beautifully choreographed Easter egg hunts in the garden and the lovely dinners, is an inability to face anything uncomfortable. Lorelei copes by collecting things and this collecting soon turns to hoarding which slowly smothers this family. With this dysfunction as its backdrop, the family faces a tragedy and the trajectory of each member's life is changed.<br />
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Free-spirited Lorelei embraces being a mother and creates a lovely home for her family. She wants them all around her and enjoy nothing more than being home. She fills the walls in their home with the children's art and collects every memento of the passing years for each child. As the children get a little older, however, they want to spread their wings to a live outside the home; in response, Lorelei clings all the harder to them and adds more things to her "collection" - of course, all this stuff becomes a wedge between her and the family and only drives them further away.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
Hoarding is an uncomfortable topic - it is hard to imagine how someone could let things get so out of control. Of course, it is not unlike many other addictions and beneath the compulsion is a person who is hurting and trying to fill a void. With this in mind, I felt much sympathy for Lorelei and even found her progression from collecting to hoarding fascinating. Thankfully, however, this book was not only about Lorelei and her hoarding.<br />
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The real story of the book is the ripple effect of dysfunction through this family. Chapter by chapter, the author reveals a little more about each of the children through the years into adulthood and about each of the parents. Between the impact of growing up in this home that slowly closed in on them and the horrible tragedy they all face one Easter, each family member had their fair share of issues to deal with and you see the effects of all that play out in their adult lives.<br />
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This book is compelling and I found myself hungrily reading to see what happens with each character. Although not everyone has grown up with a hoarder, most face their own versions of family dysfunction in whatever degree. The family drama makes this book relatable while the degree and eccentricity this family faces makes it fascinating. Highly recommend.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-87974424862789852122014-12-07T08:28:00.002-08:002014-12-07T08:28:41.761-08:00Sunday Salon: December 7, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Scene</b>: 10:45 am - back home in my warm apartment after taking Prince out for a blustery Sunday morning walk. Despite being out for 90 minutes including a romp in the dog park, he is still running around me now with a squeak toy demanding attention.<br />
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<b> Reading</b>: I was on vacation (I know, again, but all my vacation somehow got put off until year end) with the family for Thanksgiving week and I got some welcome reading time. I polished off <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399167065" target="_blank">Big Little Lies </a>by Liane Moriarty - I couldn't put it down. I <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-husbands-secret-by-liane-moriarty.html" target="_blank">enjoyed her last novel, The Husband' Secret</a>, so was relieved that I also liked this one. I have decided to get back to some books that I put down over the course of the year but want to finish so right now I am reading <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385537629" target="_blank">The Wife, The Maid and The Mistress. </a><br />
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<b> Listening</b>: While away, I finished <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781476756660" target="_blank">We Are Not Ourselves</a> by Matthew Thomas and cannot say enough good things about it (review coming soon!) but I found myself looking for excuses to walk so I could get some listening in. My cab fares are down and my <a href="http://www.fitbit.com/" target="_blank">Fitbit</a> is very happy - thank you Matthew Thomas! On a serious note, I found this novel very affecting and know it will stay with me for a long time.<br />
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<b> Blogging</b>: Thank you all for your comments <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2014/10/sunday-salon-october-26-2014.html" target="_blank">on my last Sunday Salon post</a> when I acknowledged that I am struggling with the blog and trying to decide whether to keep going with it. I have recently had a writing streak and have a bunch of posts in the can ready to go so I am feeling more optimistic. It's been fun revisiting the books I have read this year now that I am finally writing posts about them. Last week,<a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2014/11/audiobook-review-americanah-by.html" target="_blank"> I posted a review of Americanah (audiobook)</a>.<br />
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<b>Watching</b> : Finally saw the <a href="http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/" target="_blank">Radio City Christmas Spectacular</a> - I have lived in NYC practically my entire life but had never seen the iconic show with the Rockettes. It was a wonderful 90 minutes and really put me in the Christmas spirit. We started the evening with dinner at the<a href="http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=31" target="_blank"> Sea Grill </a>which is on the ice at Rock Center and witnessed three proposals on ice during dinner. The concierge told us during the season, there are up to 5 proposals each night and that there is an entire package offered by the rink that allows the proposal to take place on the ice.<br />
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<b> Looking Forward To</b>: Another trip! I recently decided to go to Cape Town over New Year's - I have a friend working in South Africa right now and it just came together. I am looking forward to seeing her and seeing Cape Town again - I was there once before for work but it was a quick trip. This time I am going to add a few days at Victoria Falls. I love planning a trip!<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-55288512124352325072014-11-30T08:23:00.002-08:002014-11-30T08:23:39.068-08:00Audiobook Review: Americanah by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307455925">Americanah</a> by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie (narrated by Adjoa Andoh; 17 hours and 28 minutes) tackles many big themes - immigration, race and class - in a story about a young couple who are separated when they both leave military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Ifemelu and Obinze meet in school in Nigeria and quickly fall for each but with their homeland under dictatorship they, like many of their peers, decide they must leave Nigeria. Ifemelu departs for the US where she has some family and Obinze initially intends to follow her but then is not allowed to enter the US and he goes to London. The book follows each of their stories as emigrants separately until they both return to Nigeria and reconnect. At that point, the book follows them together again as they face returning to a Nigeria they left and the realization that their lives have become more complicated.<br />
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When Ifemelu arrives in the US, she faces racism for the first time and in addition to adjusting to a new country, she also struggles with learning about "American blacks" (AB) and "non American blacks" (NAB). With the benefit of an outsider's perspective who is also a member of the race facing discrimination, Ifemelu's observations on the topic are incisive. She begins writing a blog about her experiences which is popular but controversial. Ifemelu is conflicted about her life in the US - on one hand, she welcomes the freedom and the bounty of options available in the US but, on the other hand, she does not understand the constant optimism and apparent lack of grit she finds in her new home.
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Obinze's immigration takes a different route when he ultimately ends up living illegally in London. This educated, self-assured man is relegated to poorly paying jobs and living on the fringes of society. He enters into an agreement for an arranged marriage that will guarantee his British citizenship. Although he thinks of Ifemelu frequently, Obinze does not reach out to her and continues to live a lie in his new homeland. Ultimately, he is deported to Nigeria where he marries a woman and becomes a successful businessman. He continues to think of Ifemelu and is reunited with her when she returns to Nigeria from the States.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself stopping often on walks to consider the beauty of the sentences created by the author. I wish I also read this book in print so that I could underline passages and quotes because they so perfectly expressed a concept. This book is about Ifemelu and Obinze but their stories, individually and together, are really just a vehicle for the themes the author addresses in this wide ranging novel - themes of immigration, race and class. It certainly has given me much to consider and months later I find myself reflecting on the book and its characters. This is the first audiobook I have listened to by narrator Adjoa Andoh (others may be familiar with her as the narrator of Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) - her British accent tinged with an African twang is perfect for this novel and its main characters although her narration of American characters sounded a bit generic. Overall, I recommend this audiobook and also recommend the print version to better enjoy the excellent writing.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-16578820645496893632014-10-26T07:11:00.002-07:002014-10-26T07:11:50.023-07:00Sunday Salon: October 26, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Scene: </b>5:45 am (Pacific Time) - am in SFO visiting friends so thought I would use the time difference making me a morning person and get some blogging done - finally!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimaeOw06Mrad0GmoXN5KErqdvbEFVKXVWn8bLM2wPn-dJ9bQZsY3WqSufvkpy0Snx_5IvNVATrIK0FNfQvGuDPPo25cke0nMg4zxrT3lCsFyRMdKd5Q6eStO8ABE8_v6CIV-b8fFOz0o/s1600/shopaholic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimaeOw06Mrad0GmoXN5KErqdvbEFVKXVWn8bLM2wPn-dJ9bQZsY3WqSufvkpy0Snx_5IvNVATrIK0FNfQvGuDPPo25cke0nMg4zxrT3lCsFyRMdKd5Q6eStO8ABE8_v6CIV-b8fFOz0o/s1600/shopaholic.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">Reading</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">: Lots of time to read this week with the 5+ hour flight out here so I finished most of the newest Shopaholic book by Sophie Kinsella - <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780812993868" target="_blank">Shopaholic to the Stars</a>. What an enjoyable way to spend a flight! Every time I pick up one of these books, I secretly worry that I will have outgrown Becky's antics or find it all too far fetched but the author does such a good job of making Becky loveable that I am never disappointed! </span><br />
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I had the chance this week to attend a fun event in NYC celebrating the author and her new book - <a href="http://randomhouseevents.com/sophiekinsella" target="_blank">Girls Night Out with Sophie Kinsella</a>. The event was held at the <a href="http://www.reddoorspas.com/locations/new-red-door-union-square" target="_blank">Red Door Spa - Union Square</a> and in addition to the author speaking and signing, they had delicious food, wine and little spa stations dotted through out where people were getting make-up applied and having custom-matched foundation mixed up. A fun way to spend a Monday for sure! Unfortunately, my phone died as I walked in that night so I don't have pics of the festivities but you can check them out at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.739995139381575.1073741853.215281808519580&type=1" target="_blank">Random House's Facebook Page.</a> As you can see by the pics, Random House does an excellent job with these events - they attend to every detail. If you are in NY in November, I recommend joining them for their Open House on Friday, November 14th. I attended the first one a few years ago and it was a great day of books, authors and mingling. Let me know in the comments if you plan to be there this year. <br />
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<strong>Listening: </strong>On <a href="http://bookchickdi.blogspot.com/2014/09/we-are-not-ourselves-by-matthew-thomas.html" target="_blank">the recommendation of Diane (from Bookchick Di),</a> I am listening to <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/We-Are-Not-Ourselves-Audiobook/B00L4BKFY0/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1414329867&sr=1-1" target="_blank">We Are Not Ourselves</a> by Matthew Thomas. So far I am really enjoying it and keep trying to find excuses to settle in with it (out for walks, cleaning the apartment).<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">Blogging</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">: Much like California, this blog has hit a dry patch. I apologize for the long absences between posts for most of this year. I have been reading books and following many of your blogs, but somehow haven't always been able to muster the time and energy to settle down and blog here. As many of you know, I had surgery earlier this year and used that as a catalyst to get serious about getting back into shape and losing weight. It has been a great year and I am thrilled with the results but honestly that has taken a lot of my attention. As I rediscovered jogging, boot camp and just generally moving a lot more, it has been hard to sit and write at times. I find myself more readily drawn to <a href="https://twitter.com/booksnyc" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/booksnyc" target="_blank">Instagram</a> for quick updates. As the year comes to a close, I intend to make a decision about the blog. I will either reinvigorate things here or decide that it is time to move on. Thanks for staying with me through this and please stay tuned! If you have secrets for balancing blogging and keeping things fresh, please leave them in the comments! </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">Watching</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;"> : Not much right now - I had been on vacation to Ireland for 10 days and then just back a few days before coming out here so haven't been watching much. I will have stuff stockpiled when I get back to TV watching. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">Looking Forward To</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">: Getting my pics from Ireland downloaded from my DSLR - I was snap happy! We had gorgeous weather (NEVER a given in Ireland) so everything looked that bit more picturesque. I absolutely love it there and this trip we got to some sights that either I saw as a kid and don't remember or saw for this first time on this trip including the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant's Causeway. Below is an iPhone pic of each from my trip. I have some more pics on <a href="http://instagram.com/booksnyc" target="_blank">Instagram </a>if you are interested. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs of Moher (with Rainbow!)</td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">Grateful</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.72px; line-height: 20.8px;">: For the chance to travel to great destinations like Ireland and San Francisco - and for the comforts of home when I return! </span><br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-61511757898846787422014-10-19T14:48:00.000-07:002014-10-19T14:48:03.685-07:00Review: Land of Dreams by Kate Kerrigan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062340528">Land of Dreams</a> by Kate Kerrigan is the third book in the series which features Ellie Hogan who leaves Ireland and starts her life anew in New York. In this installment, Ellie ends up in LA after her oldest son takes off there to pursue a career in acting. While in LA, Ellie, now almost 50, reflects on her life to date and has some important revelations about how she has arrived in this point in life and what matters to her most.<br />
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When Ellie's son Leo runs away from his boarding school to follow an agent to LA to be part of the movies, Ellie's maternal instinct kicks in and she immediately packs up to travel across the country and bring her boy home. Recently widowed when her second husband is killed in Pearl Harbor, Ellie is alone again and her boys are all she has - they are her purpose and she must protect them. She intends to locate her son and immediately return to NY with him but when she sees her shy, reserved son come alive at the prospect of a career in acting she relents and decides to stay while Leo completes his contract with Paramount. Always one to gather a community around her, Ellie brings out the elderly Bridie, an Irish woman that has been like a mother to Ellie and a Nan to her sons, to live with her and the boys. She also takes in Freddie, Leo's down on his luck agent, and Freddie's vacuous girlfriend Crystal. Together they pass their days adjusting to life in sunny California at the fringes of the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.<br />
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Despite swearing off men following the loss of two husbands, Ellie finds herself captivated and pursued by Stan, a Polish composer who writes scores for Hollywood films. Ellie is her own worst enemy in her relationship with Stan and tries to sabotage it at every turn but she can't deny her feelings for him and constantly finds herself back with him. While coping with her relationship with Stan, she is also facing the decline of her dear friend, Bridie. Bridie's tough exterior can't hide the onset of dementia and Ellie must dedicate herself to keeping Bridie safe while maintaining the older woman's dignity.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series (<a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-ellis-island-by-kate-kerrigan.html" target="_blank">my review of Ellis Island</a> and <a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-city-of-hope-by-kate-kerrigan.html" target="_blank">my review of City of Hope</a>) so I was happy to "meet" Ellie again in this final installment. She is as feisty as ever but her fire is tinged with self awareness - she is now fifty and spends much of the book reflecting on the choices that have gotten her to this point in her life and seeing patterns in her behavior. This maturity in Ellie is appealing and tempers some of her more impulsive schemes. Perhaps my favorite part of this book is the relationship between Ellie and Bridie - tough Bridie tells it like it us but also is vulnerable as old age begins to take its toll. She is aware that she is failing but is also fiercely proud and fights to maintain her dignity. Ellie rises to this challenge and takes care of Bridie as she would if Bridie were her mother. Bridie provides continuity in Ellie's story as she has been with her since she first arrived in the US and she also creates an opportunity for Ellie to show her gentler side as she cares for the older woman.<br />
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Although it is the third book in a series, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062340528" target="_blank">Land of Dreams</a> can stand on his own - the author references what happened in the first two books enough to make the connections to this story. But I feel the real strength in the book is Ellie and you can appreciate her so much more if you have read the first two books. If you read <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062340528" target="_blank">Land of Dreams</a> first, go back and read the other two!<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-18060548793573839602014-09-19T09:59:00.000-07:002014-09-21T09:59:57.490-07:00Book to Movie: This Is Where I Leave You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e movie <a href="http://thisiswhereileaveyou.com/" target="_blank">This Is Where I Leave You</a> opens today in theaters nationwide with a powerhouse cast that includes Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman and Adam Driver. I had the opportunity to see a screening earlier this week and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. In fact, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie because I have been evangelizing this book<a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-this-is-where-i-leave-you-by.html" target="_blank"> since I read it a number of years ago (I have recommended</a></span><a href="http://booksnyc.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-this-is-where-i-leave-you-by.html" target="_blank"> it to so many since then)</a> and I was a little hesitant about the movie since they often disappoint as compared to the book. I knew, however, that the author, Jonathan Tropper, has been very involved in the movie and had even written the screenplay - that, coupled with the cast, convinced me to give it a try. And I was not disappointed in the least.<br />
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<a href="http://thisiswhereileaveyou.com/" target="_blank"> This Is Where I Leave You </a>tells the story of the Altman family and the movie opens with the death of the patriarch, Mort Altman. Recently widowed and mother to the clan, Hilary Altman, played by Jane Fonda, informs the family that their father's dying wish was to have the entire family sit shiva for him. This places the adult Altman children in their childhood home receiving family and friends offering their condolences for seven days. It is clear there is a lot of love in the family but there is also tension which is exacerbated by their grief and being forced into close proximity day after day. As the week progresses, each sibling has personal revelations and secrets are exposed.<br />
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I had the chance, with some other bloggers, to speak with Jonathan Tropper about the movie and the book to move transformation. I was especially interested in his thoughts as the author and screenwriter on the differences between the two media and the impact on his story.<br />
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<b>What do you think TV and movies can do better than books in telling a story? What can books do better than something on screen?</b>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1daf90c1-98f9-3cba-e3b9-895a7b4098dd"></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A movie has the benefit of being able to transport for an hour and a half, two hours with no interruptions and give you the whole story and take you on the entire journey in a kind of encapsulated way. And you just sit back and watch it all unfold...</span><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">the book kind of lingers. But you have to kind of refocus. So, that's also the plus of the book is that you can live with the characters in the book over a period of weeks, whereas you know a movie you're done in two hours . . .</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think you know the rest is kind of obvious. The movies can give you score, and the movies can give you mood, and the movies can give you sort of wonderfully comedic actors who can make you laugh in a way that the narrative can't.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And on the other hand, the book can take you much deeper into their minds and their emotional states and really make you understand them in a way that in a movie sometimes you really have to do that math yourself</span></i><span style="font-family: Courier New;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing I definitely noticed in the movie is the score/soundtrack - it enhanced my enjoyment of the story and the nostalgic selection of 80's and 90's tunes was perfect for a group of siblings returning to their childhood home. It certainly added to the ability of the movie to transport.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I noticed while watching the movie that I felt more empathetic to Judd (played by Jason Bateman) than I did while reading the book. I was interested to hear Jonathan Tropper's thoughts on my different reactions to the character in the movie versus the book:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's two things there that you're reacting to. The first is I think just that you know Jason Bateman happens to be a very charming guy. He’s extremely likable. And he brings that into whatever he does.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But beyond that, in the book I could allow the character to be slightly more reprehensible and slightly less sympathetic because you can kind of do that in literature and still redeem the character because I'm giving you the inner workings of his mind.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I'm sort of bringing you to a place where you understand. And even if you find some of his behavior a little outrageous, in the movie because I can't make you privy to the inner workings of his mind and his thought process, I have to work with him a little harder to make sure I'm not making him you know too much of an asshole.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1daf90c1-9901-529e-f00c-42f368060174"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so, there is some balance in that, where there are certain things he did in the book that I wouldn't have him do in the movie because I wouldn't be able to explain to you why he's doing it.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenplay writer and author, Jonathan Tropper (on set with book in hand)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, I observed that the movie is so close to the book - which as a lover of the book, I appreciated. Tropper, as the screenwriter, was able to ensure the story stayed close to the one he wrote in the book but he also gave credit to the director (Shawn Levy) saying "</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">he [Shawn Levy] was just such a fan of the book that we were actually in this strangely reverse position where the director was actually pushing me to be truer to my own source material than I was being".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book is a wonderful book to movie transformation and I enjoyed hearing Tropper's thoughts on the differences between the media and how he brought the characters to life in the movie versus in the book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 2; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are looking for a comedy, with just the right touch of sentimentality (I cried twice during the movie), see <a href="http://thisiswhereileaveyou.com/" target="_blank">This Is Where I Leave You</a> - - it opens today (Sep 19th) at theaters nationwide. </span></span></div>
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-16236527701597791562014-09-08T07:22:00.003-07:002014-09-08T07:22:39.259-07:00Review: Losing Touch by Sandra Hunter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781780743820" target="_blank">Losing Touch:</a> Arjun Kulkani moved his entire family to North London from India. Like many immigrants, he works hard to fit in but also wants to preserve the values and traditions of his homeland. He has studied the English and outwardly makes every effort to blend in - he is careful in his appearance and tries to always be quiet and respectful. Even though he tries so hard to blend in, he is frustrated by his son Murad and daughter Tarani who try to distance themselves from their Indian heritage and adopt the cultural norms of their new home but without his intense desire to fade to the background and not stand out. This generational struggle is only one of many faced by this family especially when Arjun begins to decline from an inherited form of muscular dystrophy which first steals the feeling in his leg and gradually debilitates him until he is completely dependent on his wife, Sunila, for care. With the passage of time and loss of ability, Arjun makes observations about this own life and the family he has built, however clumsily, in London.<br />
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The book opens with Arjun and the family attending the funeral of his younger brother, Jonti. Jonti has died from the muscular dystrophy that Arjun fears and eventually develops himself. This scene at the funeral provides the first snapshot of the Kulkani family including the extended family of Aunts, Uncles and cousins. We meet Sunila, Arjun's wife, and immediately detect her dissatisfaction with life and even with Arjun. There is tension between the Arjun and Sunila which is exacerbated by Arjun's obvious feelings for his sister-in-law, Pavi. While Sunila seems to harp on what they don't have or what she wished was different, Pavi seems to understand Arjun and speaks gently with him. Of course, the move to London and the pressure to fit in has been difficult on everyone and Sunila is no exception - as the book progresses so does an understanding of Sunila's dissatisfaction and what she has also sacrificed to make this move and live this life.<br />
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<b> My Thoughts</b><br />
This book beautifully portrays the passage of time and the losses and pain which accumulate over the years. Each chapter provides another snapshot of the family - the story is not continuous so much as a series of snapshots but the themes of generational struggle and Arjun's increasing understanding of himself even as his physical abilities decline run throughout these snapshots. We see the children grow and Arjun's generation age. Interestingly, we also see Arjun become more of an outsider rather than less despite all his efforts to assimilate. Where first his status as an immigrant makes him and outsider, towards the end of the book he is also and outsider within his own family as they live life around him and his becomes increasingly disabled due to his disease. In this passage, Arjun muses on his status as an outsider:<br />
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What importance he used to place on small things: his perfectly ironed shirts, the knife-crease in his trousers, the well-tailored jackets and suits, his meticulously folded socks and underwear, his Kiwi-polished shoes, his leather wallet. These details made him feel a little taller, a little better prepared to face the hostile he had moved to . . . . It all meant something, some sense of striving for decorum and order, some sense of fitting in to the middle-class neighbourhood whose ideals he's never quite grasped. </blockquote>
The feeling of donning an armor to face a new country or striving but never truly understanding the new country you have moved to is one faced by many immigrants but so poignantly told in this novel. The author has told a beautiful story of a single family through a series of snapshots that captured the big, but most small moments of a lifetime.<br />
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I read this book as part of the <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/" target="_blank">TLC Book Tour</a> - you can find other reviews of the book <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/03/sandra-hunter-author-of-losing-touch-on-tour-july-2014/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-21739080761978188542014-08-27T05:15:00.001-07:002014-08-27T05:17:07.941-07:00Review: Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250042026" target="_blank">Cutting Teeth</a> by Julia Fierro, a motley crew of five families and a nanny from Brooklyn head to a shabby house on Long Island for a long weekend. The parents have largely been thrown together by their children who share music classes and the playground. Personalities abound among the parents as well as the children and those personalities eventually clash as the group spends a weekend in close quarters in the house where they face each other's idiosyncrasies. The parents are most challenged over the weekend, however, when they face their own limitations and insecurities.<br />
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Nicole leads the group to her parents house in Long Island for the weekend. Mother to Wyatt who has his share of behavioral issues, Nicole has a disproportionate anxiety about disasters and her car trunk is stocked with gas masks and non-perishables. Her husband has grown weary of her worries and finds Wyatt challenging at best leaving Nicole feeling very alone. Tiffany leads the music class all the children attend and her daughter, Harper Rose, is a born leader who frequently bullies the other children. Tiffany is too focused on trying to bury her own working class background by helping her daughter achieve and climb socially (at age 3!) that she is oblivious to Harper's poor treatment of the other children. Tiffany is strikingly attractive and used to getting her own way. The daddy in the group, Rip, is father to Hank and a stay-at-home Dad while his wife works at a high-powered job. He desperately wants a second child but is having difficulty convincing his wife to get pregnant again. His resentment of her reluctance to have another child only stokes his attraction to Tiffany which is hard to keep under wraps while they are all together for the weekend.<br />
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Allie and Susanna, a lesbian couple, are also no strangers to ambivalence about expanding their family. Susanna is pregnant with their third child but Allie resents the ways in which their lives have changed since having children. She loves their boys Levi and Dash but she also longs for the couple they were before children - she is only along for this trip to the burbs to satisfy her heavily pregnant partner. Leigh, the daughter of a wealthy family, has two children - Chase and Charlotte. Chase is on the spectrum and challenges Leigh every day. In addition to the trials of a child with special needs, Leigh is quietly dealing with financial issues and has gone to great lengths to keep them hidden. All of this pressure is somewhat alleviated by the help offered by her beloved nanny, Tenzin. Tenzin is along for the weekend.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
Through chapters that alternate from parent to parent, this book presents parenthood unvarnished. The parents are inherently flawed and it is a good reminder that parenthood doesn't transform everyone to better, higher human beings. Although all these parents love their children unconditionally, they still grapple with their own insecurities which sometimes cloud their ability to model the best behavior for their children. Tenzin, with limited means and living far away from her own children, is the moral compass for this crew and is able to see truths that the other parents cannot see because they are so wrapped up in their own issues. She offers an excellent balance to a dysfunctional cast of characters.<br />
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It takes a special talent to make unlikable characters compelling and that is just what Fierro does in this book. I would like to think I have little in common with these characters and on the surface I probably don't but we all have insecurities and on that level I can relate to these parents. The honesty of this story is refreshing and its use of parental stereotypes is spot on. Definitely recommend.<br />
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Thank you to <a href="http://www.tlcbooktours.com/" target="_blank">TLC Booktours</a> for having me on the tour. You can find links to reviews from others on the tour<a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/03/julia-fierro-author-of-cutting-teeth-on-tour-mayjune-2014/" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-92058378577951723562014-08-02T05:37:00.001-07:002014-08-02T05:37:08.322-07:00Review: The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312382278" target="_blank">The Glass Kitchen</a> by Linda Francis Lee: After the ultimate betrayal by her husband, Portia Cuthcart flees her proper, wife of a politician life in Texas and takes up residence in the garden level of a NYC townhouse previously owned by and left to her by her aunt. Portia has many fond memories of summers spent there with her Aunt and hopes returning there will bring her some comfort. Practically, she is broke and the inherited townhouse gives her a place to live. Her sisters, also living in NY now, sold their floors of the inherited townhouse to financier Gabriel, who lives upstairs with his two young daughters. Portia's talent for cooking which is tinged with a bit of magic in that she has visions compelling her to cook dishes which turn out to be exactly what someone needs has her tending to the two young girls in no time. As she gets more involved with their family, and especially complicated Gabriel, Portia begins to question why she has tried to suppress her gift.<br />
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Portia grew up at the feet of her grandmother who owned a restaurant in Texas called the Glass Kitchen. Like Portia, her grandmother had the gift and could divine what a customer needed before they even understood that they wanted or needed it and why. This ability to provide comfort with food but on a level much deeper than satisfying a craving or physical hunger, kept the restaurant bustling. When her grandmother dies tragically, though, Portia blames the gift and immediately closes the restaurant and attempts to suppress her culinary instincts. By the time she arrives in NY, she is still trying to shut down those instincts but when she meets Gabriel's young daughters, Ariel and Miranda who are so in need of comfort after the recent death of their mother, it becomes more and more difficult to deny cooking what they need and Portia begins to value the unique gift she has to bring people comfort and healing. <br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
This book successfully brings many themes together - sisterhood, acknowledging and embracing who you are, and transformation achieved through healing. Sprinkle that with some romance and the foodie culture and you have a delightful book. Although I liked Portia as a character, my favorite character was Ariel. As a young girl with the weight of her mother's death on her shoulders, Ariel tries to cope with humor and a precocious way of seeing people for who they really are; but she is still only a young girl and grappling with so many emotions. I found her funny but also touching and wanted to take of her myself.<br />
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I also enjoyed reading about the delicious meals whipped up by Portia. The descriptions were vivid and included all the senses. Beyond that, however, was the description of the experience which was always more of the focus than just the taste of the food or the nourishment it offered. For example:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For a meal to work truly, it must be an experience. From the moment a guest arrives in the Glass Kitchen to the moment they set their napkin down, they must be enchanted. More importantly, the giver of the food must believe that they have the power to enchant. No person, whether she is a scientist or a cook, can find success if she doesn't first believe that she has power in her hands-not to use over people but to use for the good of another. Food, especially, is about giving.</blockquote>
Who wouldn't want to eat a meal prepared by someone with a philosophy like this? The <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312382278" target="_blank">Glass Kitchen</a> transports you into just such a meal many times over.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-30702007532663270222014-07-20T20:40:00.001-07:002014-07-20T20:40:21.537-07:00Audiobook Review: Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307718969" target="_blank">Five Days at Memorial </a>by Sheri Fink (read by Kirsten Potter; 17 hours, 33 minutes) recounts the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina from the perspective of inside the walls of the city of New Orleans's large downtown hospital. Caring for many of the city's most vulnerable, those at the hospital made fateful decisions amidst the chaos following the hurricane - decisions for which some of the physicians and nurses faced criminal charges in the aftermath of the storm. A physician and investigative journalist, Sheri Fink takes the reader right into the hospital during the storm and tells the stories of the doctors, nurses, administrators and patients caught in the frantic deterioration following the devastation of the storm.<br />
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The book opens a few days prior to the storm as the city prepares for the forecasted hurricane. Inured to the rituals of hurricane prep, many took the warnings less than seriously and didn't heed all the warnings. At Memorial, they arranged to have staff on hand but otherwise additional precautions were not taken. In addition, many of the staff and those that lived near the hospital used it to shelter during the storm. As the storm bore down on New Orleans, the hospital was bustling but everyone felt the hospital would ride out the storm without issue. Of course, the storm was stronger than expected and the breaking of levees with the resulting flooding was not anticipated.
As conditions worsened at Memorial in the days following the hurricane, the shortcomings of the city and the hospital's disaster planning became increasingly evident. With power out over the city, the hospital was dependent on back-up generator power. The generators, however, were on lower levels below the flood line; very quickly, the hospital had no power. With patients on ventilators and other equipment, the situation soon became dire. The hospital staff had to figure out how to get patients evacuated from the hospital.<br />
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At this point, the lack of coordinated effort between the hospital, its corporate ownership and government became obvious. Messages were going out from the hospital but either not being heard or responded to with inaccurate information that drove some bad decisions. Ultimately, doctors in the hospital triaged patients for evacuation by making judgement calls on the likelihood of surviving the evacuation but they were not operating with the best information about the conditions and timing of any evacuation. Based on where they were triaged, some patients were essentially sentenced to death. Faced with patients they believed were not going to be able to leave the hospital and increasingly deteriorating conditions outside, some doctors and nurses made decisions to hasten the deaths of patients with lethal injections.<br />
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<b> My Thoughts
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This story was gripping and read with the pacing of a thriller - the narrator was new to me but kept me gripped throughout without overdoing the drama. Although the outcome of the storm and the fact that some patients were euthanized was known at the start of the book, I found myself anxiously listening to hear the details and the analysis that was not well understood outside of this book. The author tells the story from a neutral viewpoint and didn't demonize the doctors, nurses or officials but let the facts speak for themselves.<br />
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One statement that really stayed with me was that the lack of planning on so many levels is actually the failure of morality in the situation - not necessarily the actions of any individual. During Hurricane Sandy in NYC, seven years after Hurricane Katrina, I watched on television as they evacuated patients from NYU Hospital because the storm waters flooded the lower levels of the hospitals which is where the generators were located - the same situation faced by Memorial. I hope our government and public health officials commit themselves to adequate disaster planning so patients never have to face what was faced at Memorial.<br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-69357011698163614572014-06-01T09:24:00.001-07:002014-06-01T09:24:28.694-07:00Sunday Salon: June 1, 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Scene: </b>9 am - on the couch, coffee in hand. Enjoying fresh berries from yesterday's Farmer's Market with some plain greek yogurt<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Reading</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">: I am currently reading <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250042026" target="_blank">Cutting Teeth</a> by Julie Fierro - so far, it has provided an interesting insight into the world of the Mommy culture including one mother's paranoia and the constant anxiety that plagues her. Last week I finished <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780805098846" target="_blank">The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating</a> by Carole Radziwill. It was very well-written but I am not sure how much I liked the characters. It was good to finally read the book after watching the drama of "bookgate" on the reality show in which the author stars - Real Housewives of New York City (RHONY is my guilty pleasure!) In audio, I am still working on <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307455925" target="_blank">Americanah</a> - it is very good but long. This week I also hope to finish <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374266325" target="_blank">The Snow Queen </a>by Michael Cunningham - I have it on CD and listened to the first half on a drive a few weeks ago. I'll be driving again this week and plan to finish it off. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Blogging</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">: Oh dear, things have been slow here. I am reading a lot but having trouble settling down to write posts. Thanks for sticking with me - I hope to get my blog ging back on track soon!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">This week was <a href="http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/" target="_blank">BEA</a> and I loved reading about all the signings, sightings, etc over at the Javits. Unfortunately, due to some work commitments, I wasn't able to make it over there this week. I did make it to one party in the evening - Harper Collins hosted us at their offices and provided a review of their Fall books and then a happy hour with bloggers and authors. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to catch up. Thanks to Diane at <a href="http://bookchickdi.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Chick Di</a> for this picture of me with author <a href="http://www.adrianatrigiani.com/" target="_blank">Adriana Trigiani</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Shannon at <a href="http://rivercityreading.com/2014/05/bea-wrap-part-1-bloggercon" target="_blank">River City Reading</a> posted part 1 of her BEA wrap-up today if you are interested in hearing what went on. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Watching</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;"> : Not much other than my guilty pleasure of RHONY! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Looking Forward To</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">: Week 2 of the Couch to 5 K program - I am so excited to be back running (well, jogging as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/25/jogger-not-runner-stuart-heritage1" target="_blank">this article</a> so aptly differentiated the two!) I tried a running class about two months ago but found it as too much jostling for my abdomen post surgery and had to drop out. But now I can run without issue and am glad to be on the road again. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">Grateful</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 20.80000114440918px;">: For the ability to get out and move in this gorgeous weather. Planning to milk it before it gets hot and humid in the city! </span><br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3206029274559460902.post-81241679655640795142014-05-16T12:32:00.002-07:002014-05-17T06:50:30.287-07:00Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781400069620" target="_blank">Delicious!</a> by Ruth Reichl: Billie Breslin is a young woman with an amazing sense of taste - she can identify even the most subtle ingredients in a bite of food. She leaves her home in California and arrives in NY to work at the preeminent foodie magazine, Delicious!. Her colleagues quickly learn about her special skill and it earns her their respect and some acceptance into her new world. Billie needs acceptance - she has lived in her older, prettier sister's shadow and considers herself awkward. When Delicious! is suddenly and abruptly shut down, Billie is thrown into uncertainty. While figuring out her next steps, she discovers a series of letters sent by a young girl, Lulu, to James Beard while he was at Delicious! during WWII. Although only a young girl, Lulu has a lot of lessons for Billie and reading her letters becomes a way for Billie to face some things in her own life which she was tried to avoid.<br />
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Lulu lived in Ohio during WWII while her father was fighting overseas and her mother was working at a factory that made planes for the war effort. Although living with constant uncertainty about her father's safety and worries about getting by on the rationed food that was available, Lulu has a sunny outlook which comes right through the letters. With a passion for cooking and baking, she writes Mr. Beard for advice on recipes and ultimately their correspondence develops into one in which Lulu provides updates on her life and even reveals some of her anxieties about the fate of her father and her mother's ability to cope with it all. Billie looked forward to finding each letter (they had been hidden with cryptic clues by a librarian that had worked at Delicious!) and seeing what was happening with Lulu. As Lulu matured and transformed, so did Billie.<br />
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<b>My Thoughts</b><br />
This book offers a rich exploration of food, New York City, life during WWII and tops it off with the coming of age story of Billie Breslin. Like a well-made dish, it has multiple layers and surprises you as you savor it. I was torn between whether I enjoyed the storyline with Billie in current day or the storyline with Lulu set in the 1940's more - both characters have something to hide which is ultimately revealed through the story and that kept me reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will be on my Top 10 for 2014 for sure! I have not read the author's memoirs but I am certainly a fan of her fiction debut.<br />
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For other thoughts on the book, you can visit <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2014/02/ruth-reichl-author-of-delicious-on-tour-aprilmay-2014/" target="_blank">the blogs on the TLC Book Tour. </a><br />
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Booksnychttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197753056299399065noreply@blogger.com9