The Ladies Book Club: May 2011

Book Read:

Don't Sing at the Table: Life Lessons From My Grandmothers by Adriana Trigiani

Ladies in Attendance:

5 regular members

Treats shared:

YUM! YUM! What a good spread we had this time around. Crackers with cream cheese and salsa. Hummus and Pita Chips. Baguettes with Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Olives. Chocolate cookies. Brownies. Fruit Torte. Red Wine.

To Read or Not to Read:

4 ladies read the whole book.

1 lady did not.

My Reaction:

I was very happy when the ladies picked this book for our May pick. I threw it out there because it was what I was reading at the time and I thought it would be a nice pick for Mom's Day. We also have had some nice conversations about our grandmothers and I know that many of us have or have had a very special bond with them.

I also adore Adriana Trigiani's books. I read and reviewed Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine last year and loved them.

This book is part memoir, part self-help book. Combining stories of both her grandmothers, Trigiani shares bits of wisdom and lessons from these two women from food, family, fashion and business.

I enjoyed it overall. I was touched by the warmth in which she writes about these women. Her love for them is evident in her writing. I enjoyed more of the stories she shared then some of the lessons. I really enjoyed these women. They were strong, passionate, smart and hardworking. I thought of my own beloved Grams during many moments of this book and that is what I will share with you all.

I had many little blue post it notes sprinkled throughout and shared each moment with the club. Here are some that I enjoyed.

Adriana explaining the joy she brought to her Grandma Lucy:

"Whenever I came into the room, she'd light up, so happy to see me. No one ever in the course of my entire life was ever as happy to see me as she was. Looking back, now, I realize that you only ever need one person who lights up that way when you enter a room. One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence."

I identified with this because my Grams and my Mom were like this with me growing up. I always felt important when I walked in any room.

Adriana explaining the Italian term Sprezzatura:

"Elegance that is neither forced nor dictated, that comes from within, effortless like zippy dialogue, and is an extension of the person, not words for the sake of them."

I just want to be like this. :)

Adriana's Grandma Viola's morning ritual:

"Viola prepared her version of a latte, a bowl of steamed milk with half a cup of strong coffee in it. Viola added sugar, and then would take the heel of the bread from the day before and dip it into the milk and coffee."

I love morning traditions. I have my own and without it I am toast. :( I enjoy the simplicity of it and cherish it.

Grandma Lucy's take on love:

" If you find yourself dissatisfied, constantly angry, agitated, frustrated, and emotionally spent, if he does not bring out the best in you, no matter how much you love someone, no matter how many lovely moments offset the low points, if you are exhausted, you are not being fed. And if you are not being fed, you will not grow."

Simple. To the point. How true.

A trip past a yard sale, Adriana and Viola:

"She (Viola) backed up in front of it and handed me a five-dollar bill. "Go and get the Infant of Prague," she said. "Gram, this is the worst Infant of Prague I have ever seen." "A sacred relic in a yard sale is NOT right."

This is something my Grams would do. :)

Grandmothers and faith:

"I found rosary beads tucked in their pockets, and prayer cards in their wallets, and small books of wisdom, dog-eared and marked up, on their night stands. They owned the destiny of their souls, knowing that there was very little of the physical world that they could control. Loved ones would die, money would come and go, friends would disappoint, family would burt, disaster would strike but nothing that ever happened to them would catch them unaware and render them helpless, because they knew how to pray."

This was one of my favorite parts of the book. The generation of her grandmothers held so strongly to their faith, just like my parents and my grandparents. I envy that so much. The quiet strength my Grams always seemed to have, even though I knew she was suffering inside from all that she had lost. I can only hope I can achieve that level of calm and faith at some point in my life.

Words of the wise:

"Apologize when you are wrong"

Amen.

So overall, I really took to the book. There were moments that I felt were a bit repetitive but it didn't bore me or bother me too much. It was definitely filled with a lot of lessons to learn and live by. I certainly appreciated that and though I expected a bit more of a memoir, I still enjoyed it. Her love for her Grandmothers really came through and I have to honor that. It would be hard to edit my own memories of my grandmothers too.

Ladies' Reaction:

Overall, the Ladies enjoyed it. They admitted that it did seem a bit wordy and repetitive at times but that, once again, the author's love for her grandmothers really came through. That feeling made them forgive a bit of that. They enjoyed the lessons mentioned, especially the ones about relationships. They were a bit surprised that Adriana's mother didn't show up too much in the stories and they were curious about that. A few didn't enjoy the home lessons as much as others (like me!) or the child rearing lessons (like me!) but the business and faith portion were interesting to them.

This prompted some conversation about our own families; how we grew up, who keeps traditions alive, what really stays with us from childhood, etc. It was fun to reminisce about my own childhood and to hear their stories as well.

Good Book Club Pick?

This was a nice change from our last pick (Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw) and we admitted it was a simple, fun read. Being that it was around Mom's day, I thought it was a good pick for us. I think the lessons mentioned in here just bring up some good conversations and a trip down memory lane. That, for me, makes it a good book club pick.

Author Website:

Adriana Trigiani

Next Book Up:

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

*Read for 2011 Read From My Shelves Project

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

It's the Year of the Mystery (GIVEAWAY!)

The Year of Mysterious Giveaways

I have been thinking a lot about my love for the Mystery/Thriller genre. I love the drama, the suspense, the creation of a new series, serial killers, psychotic ivy league wannabe murderers, gothic haunted house stories, salty sexy cop/detectives, conspiracies, whodunnits, cozies, crazies and women with secrets and the men that love and kill for them. and vice versa.You name it in the mystery genre, I'm probably going to go for it.

This is why I've decided to name this the Year of the Mystery...for me. With the start of my very first challenge, the A-Z Mystery Author Challenge, it's the perfect setting for me to dive into all things mystery.

In addition to reading more mystery and having more guest reviewers reviewing mystery, I have decided to also do a monthly giveaway. I am hoping to give away some new or newish mystery titles or one of my favorites from the year off my own shelf. So far I have the next few months supplied with new mystery books to give away!

I realize I am starting mid-month so don't be surprised when you see another giveaway starting March 1.

My first mysterious giveaway is Bury your Dead by Louise Penny.

From Goodreads: It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to celebrate but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. But violent death is inescapable, even in the seemingly peaceful Literary and Historical Society--where an obsessive historian's search for the missing remains of the founder of Quebec ends bizarrely in murder. Injured himself and in need of rest, Gamache cannot walk away from a crime that threatens to ignite long-smoldering tensions between the English and the French.

Meanwhile, he receives letter after letter from the village of Three Pines, where beloved Bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder. "It doesn't make sense," Olivier's partner writes every day. "He didn't do it, you know." Despite the overwhelming case against Olivier, Gamache sends his deputy back to Three Pines to make sure that nothing was overlooked.

Through it all, in his painstaking quest for justice, Gamache must relive the terrible events that killed one of his men before he can begin to bury his dead

* Thank you to Ann Marie @ Get Red PR for supplying the book for this contest.

Contest rules are simple.

* Follow my blog.

* Leave your email.

* Live in the United States.

* Answer, "Do you have a favorite mystery author/book?"

Winner will be picked February 28.

Stay tuned on March 1 for my next giveaway, Thieves of Darkness by Richard Doetsch.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok (review # 106)

The Memory Palace: a memoir by Mira Bartok

Publisher: Free Press (Simon and Schuster)

On Sale Date: January 11

Format: Review Copy

*Read for 2011 Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge

I received this book last summer and have been waiting for the right time and mood to read it, for I knew it would be a powerful one. I was glad I waited until after the holidays when I had a few days to breathe and relax. This book took it out of me, both physically and emotionally. How can I compare my anguish in reading this story to Mira Bartok's living it? I can't.

I'm including the description from the back of the review copy to better explain the deeply layered story of this woman's life. It explains it far better than I could. (text may be different on finished book)

Mira Bartok spent seventeen years hoping that her mother, Norma Herr, would never find her. A severe case of schizophrenia caused Norma to obsess over her daughters' lives-calling them fifty times a day or more, appearing unannounced at their jobs and homes, threatening them if they suggested that she get treatment for her illness.

After Norma violently attacked her daughters when they insisted she get help, Mira and her sister decided that they must change their names and cut off all contact in order to stay safe.

During the next two decades, Mira traveled the world but she could not abandon her past. As Mira struggled to balance her alliance with her sister, her burgeoning art career, and her anguish over losing her mother she and Norma began exchanging letters through post office boxes.

At age 40, a debilitating car accident leaves Mira with a terrible brain injury. She could retrain herself to draw and to write but struggled to regain memories. When she learns that her mother has been hospitalized with terminal cancer, Mira and her sister decide to visit Norma before it is too late. In those final weeks, they experience a cathartic reunion that none of them had imagined possible and Mira begins to reconnect with the memories the she feared had been lost.

The power of reading a well written memoir is feeling like you have been hit by a truck after its done. Though I love memoirs and appreciate the honesty that comes along with sharing your own story, I find it unnerving when I walk away changed. On one hand it's a testament to the talent of the storyteller, on the other it's the tragedy of the story itself that makes you look at your own life differently.

Mira Bartok, in my opinion, has a lot of guts for sharing her story. Schizophrenia is a terrifying disease and not one that should be candy coated. She tells it with brutal honesty how her mother was enveloped by this but at the same time, her love for her is still so powerfully present.

I was excruciatingly uncomfortable while reading certain parts of this book especially during her mother's manic, tragic moments; the ranting, the accusations, the threats, the violence.

I was also deeply saddened by the sheer neglect of these two little girls during their childhood. Mira's Grandparents, though close (down the road), are still absent in their own way; the Grandfather, an abusive alcoholic; the Grandmother, a submissive woman just wanting some peace. Sure, they were fed and given a place to sleep but nurturing was not something they receive enough of.

I admire Mira for forging on through her adult life and making the brave decision to cut all ties with her mother. One thing I have learned for working in social services with children is no matter how horrible your home life is, it is still your home and you will always feel attached to it. I can only imagine the guilt and sadness she must have felt all those years away from her mother and her connection to her home.

The story does take different twists while Mira explores the world in her art career and during those parts, her mother is still present but not as vibrant and intense. It was a nice break as a reader and I don't mean that in a negative way. It was simply too emotional to read page after page of her mother's trials and it was refreshing to see Mira find some peace in her own corners of the world.

Rating: 5/6

This was a profound memoir, almost a little difficult to review. The power was overwhelming and I honestly don't feel my words could do it justice. It is certainly a journey, one that doesn't get neatly wrapped up in the end. The story is filled with many lifetimes and Mira Bartok does a fantastic job in the details. All I can do is say thank you for sharing your heart wrenching story with all of us and I hope more can learn from it.

Here is a definition of A Memory Palace from the book:

Ricci, a jesuit priest who possessed great mnemonic powers, traveled to China in 1596 and taught scholars how to build an imaginary palace to keep their memories safe. He told them that the size of the palace would depend on how much they wanted to remember. To every thing they wanted to recall, they were to affix an image; to every image, a position inside a room in their mind.

One of the last lines of the book written by Mira are powerful:

If memory is a palace, let me live there, forever with her, somewhere in that place between sleep and morning. Without her long nights waiting in the rain, without the weight of guilt I bear when I buy a new pair of shoes. Let me dream a palace in the clear night sky, something between Perseus the Hero, and Cygnus, the Swan- a dark comforting place. A place lit by stars and a winter moon.

Websites to check out:

The Memory Palace Book Trailer

Simon and Schuster's Author Page

Book Club Read?

Yes, though it may be intense for some, I feel it would generate a lot of discussion. Topics like Mental Health, Familial Obligation, Art, Domestic Abuse, Substance Abuse are heavily present in this book.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

Historical Tapestry is hosting this Challenge this year. I am bound to read atleast a few Historical Fiction novels this year so I decided to give it a go. Thank you to Jo Jo at Jo Jo Loves to Read for making me aware of this challenge!

Here are the rules straight from Historical Tapestry:

After 3 years organizing the Historical Fiction Challenge, the girls of The Royal Reviews gracefully passed over this exciting event to our team at Historical Tapestry. We will do our best to continue doing a great job and create a wonderful place to share and discuss our favourite (and less favourite) historical fiction books for the next year.

Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish)

• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review)

• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)

• you can overlap this challenge with others kind of challenges

• During these following 12 months you can choose one of the different reading levels:

1. Severe Bookaholism: 20 books
2. Undoubtedly Obsessed: 15 books
3. Struggling the Addiction: 10 books
4. Daring & Curious: 5 books
5. Out of My Comfort Zone: 2 books

The challenge will run from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011.

I am going for the Out of My Comfort Zone with 2 books. Shouldn't stress me out TOO much, eh?

Any takers?

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

CHALLENGE UPDATE and GIVEAWAY!

CHALLENGE UPDATE!

I have changed a few things regarding my first Challenge.

I received some good tips from fellow bloggers and I decided to go with it. If you have already signed up, please leave another comment below. Thanks!

RULES:

• Challenge runs from January 1 - December 31, 2011. Sign up ends February 1, 2011.
• Read A-I, J-P or Q-Z. You choose. The letter group you choose must be the last name of the author. (i.e= S for John Sandford).
• Mystery genre can include Cozy, Suspense, Thriller, or Noir. All Adult novels please.
• Leave a comment if you would like to sign up. I am getting rid of Mr. Linky.
• Write a post about this challenge and which group/s you pick. You can list the authors you choose or do it as you go.
• When you post your reviews, mention this challenge and link back to this sign up post.
• Sign up for my Giveaway below! You must be a follower, reside in the U.S and post about this challenge. I would appreciate it if you would sign up but it is not a requirement. I would like the help in spreading the word.
• Winner will be announced January 11, 2011.

I will be choosing the A-I portion of the alphabet to start!

If I do well, I will continue on!

Some of the authors I am interested in are Nancy Atherton, Lawrence Block, Benjamin Black, Lee Child, Diane Mott Davidson, just to name few. I am shooting for authors I have never read before. !

Thank you to Touchstone Books (Simon and Schuster) for sending me 2 copies of this new mystery to give away to one of my readers.

If you liked the shows 24 and The X Files (2 of MY favorites!),

this book would be right up your alley.

Gideon's War by Howard Gordon

Release Date January 11, 2011

Howard Gordon—the longtime executive producer of the hit TV series 24—makes his fiction debut with a tale of political intrigue and international terrorism. Gideon Davis has just 48 hours to bring his rogue agent brother in—before a twisted global conspiracy turns deadly.

GIDEON DAVIS, whose behind-the-scenes negotiating skills have earned him the role of peacemaker in conflicts around the globe, knows more about hush-hush discussions in Capitol corridors than he does about hand-to-hand combat. But his more practical, tactical skills come into play when he's called on by family friend and government bigwig Earl Parker to chaperone a rogue agent from Southeast Asia to D.C. The agent, Tillman Davis, has promised to turn himself in— but only to his brother, Gideon.

Although the two brothers have been estranged for years, Gideon cannot fathom how his brother could have turned into so ruthless a man. But when the plan for Tillman's surrender goes awry and Earl Parker is taken hostage, Gideon is forced to embrace his dark side in order to evade hostile locals in war-torn Mohan to make his way to the Obelisk—the multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art oil rig that has been seized by terrorists led by Tillman himself. It is with the help of oil rig manager Kate Murphy that Gideon launches an unlikely one-man rescue.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

2011 Reading from My Shelves Project

Diane from at Bibliophile by the Sea is hosting this challenge again this year.

She is another favorite blogger of mine. We have a lot of same tastes and she writes mighty fine reviews.

Here are the details if you are interested:

• Challenge runs from January 1 - December 31, 2011.
• Read books from your own shelves, and then pass the books on to someone else: a friend, relative, the library, used book store, swap them, just as long as the book leaves your house once it has been read.
• Decide on your goal (12 is the minimum - no maximum). Cross over books are allowed.
• Grab the button and do a post about the challenge.
• Keep a running list of the books you've read and passed on.
• Leave a comment with a link to your post and you are entered (no Mr. Linky).
• Have Fun and GOOD LUCK!

Stop by her blog here and sign up.

I have well over 250 books on my shelves at home. However, I have a section of shelves, about seven in total, that hold the "oldest' books of mine. I have old ARCs that I have received in my bookstore days, old bestsellers that I have been meaning to read, and others that have been recommended to me through the years.

I am going to focus my energy on these specific books because they stare at me every time I am on this blasted computer!!

I am going to shoot for 12 books but honestly if I even get through 6 I'd be happy!

Here are a few that have been giving me the evil eye for years now.

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Ahab's Wife - Sena Jeter Naslund

The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood

What am I waiting for? I must read these fabulous books sooner rather than later and then pass them on.

Of course, by this point, I'm sure everyone ELSE has read them. HA!

Happy Reading everyone. Happy Holidays, once again and as always, thanks so much for stopping by!

red headed book child

2011 Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge

This will be my second challenge that I will be signing up for in the next year. I have decided to focus on my three favorite genres: Mysteries (my own challenge), Memoirs and Literary Fiction (which I am still pondering which challenge to join).

This challenge is hosted by Melissa at The Betty and Boo Chronicles, one my of my favorites stops in blog land.

If you have not discovered her yet, I would recommend stopping by.

Here are the rules:

About the Challenge: If you enjoy reading memoirs or really haven't explored them as much as you'd like to, then this is the challenge for you. Anything that in your mind qualifies as a memoir will meet the challenge requirements. Letters, diaries, autobiographies, books on writing memoirs ... in my book, they all count as Memorable Memoirs. Books, e-books, audiobooks are all fine.

Dates: January 1 - December 31, 2011. You can sign up anytime from now and throughout 2011, but don't start reading until January 1, 2011.

Requirements: It's up to you! I want this to be a fun and low-key challenge, yet one that will be worthwhile of your valuable reading time. If that means reading one memoir, that's great. If that means reading three dozen, even better. You decide what works for you. Overlaps with other challenges are more than fine ... even encouraged. :)

Write a post (or include your intention to participate in this along with other challenges) on your blog (if you don't have a blog, you can just leave a comment). Tell us how many Memorable Memoirs you're planning on reading. You don't need to list your books in advance, but if you want to, we'd love to see which ones you're thinking about. You can always change them later. (I'll create a list of possibilities based on some of my own memoir reading and that which participants did last year.)

On January 1 (or thereabouts), I'll have a link up for reviews.

The challenge is open to anyone, even if you don't have a blog. You can sign up in the comments, or in the Linky below. (I haven't had good luck with linkies this year ... if it ever goes down, check back later or leave your link in the comments.)

Sign up with your name and url to your blog post about the challenge. Example: Melissa (The Betty and Boo Chronicles)

Most importantly, have fun with this challenge. Happy Memorable Memoir Reading!

My Goal is to read 10 Memoirs.

I have not decided what they are but I know there will be so many delicious, delightful, inspiring, and powerful stories that will come my way in the next year.

Here are a few I am interested in already:

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok

Coming Home to Myself by Wynonna Judd

Blue Blood by Edward Conlon

Parallel Play by Tim Page

I mentioned a few others in a previous post as well.

Cakewalk by Kate Moses and Stuffed by Patricia Volk.

Happy Reading, Happy Holidays and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child