Kate Choin’s The Awakening is a classic literary piece that has missed my reading list until this week. Picking up a book about unrequited sexual tension that was written 100+ years ago just isn’t something I normally do. Sue me. Like much of the literature of the late 1800s, the plot of The Awakening is fairly simple. Edna Pontellier is vacationing with her family for the summer in Grand Isle, Louisiana. Unsatisfied with her marriage, Edna befriends and grows close with a younger gentleman named Robert Lebrun. When Robert leaves without warning to pursue business opportunities in Mexico Edna is devastated, left in the full heat of infatuation. Over time she deteriorates, making rash decisions in search of happiness that she cannot find. A few surprises at the end of the novel push Edna to the brink of her own existence, thrashing for liberation in a sea of societal oppression. Chopin brilliantly narrates the complicatedness of Edna’s disposition. Lines like “No multitude of words could have been more significant than those moments of silence, or more pregnant with the first-felt throbbings of desire” break the barriers of the page and speak to the histories of love in all of us. The Awakening is a perfect starter book for diving into 19th century literature. Whether you’re a woman sipping a glass of cabernet sauvignon in a bath, or a guy taking notes on how women tick, The Awakening is a romantic tragedy perfect for an evening’s read. Aside from being a great book, we decided to review The Awakening because it makes BANNED BOOK lists far too often. The main objection readers have is lack of guilt Edna feels about her infatuation with Robert, despite her marriage with Mr. Pontellier. Rest assured: Though Enda's interest in Robert may seem risque, nothing inappropriate for school children occurs. Edna's adultery with Robert is so much tamer than anything found on cable television the idea of exile from the classroom is absurd. If you're looking for a classic romantic tragedy, The Awakening is for you. Overall grade: A A note for teachers: The Awakening is a staple in the canon of literature for the adolescent classroom. Asking students to question Edna's sanity (or lack thereof) throughout the novel is an excellent activity to inspire close reading. Moreover, Edna Pontellier can be compared with other iconic female characters like Shakespeare's Ophelia or Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Best of all, The Awakening can substitute anything Hawthorne has to offer in less that 200 pages. Basically, TEACH THIS BOOK. 
When I said last week that I may get hooked on Sookie, I wasn't sure how addicted. Well it's enough that I'm turning off the tv, the phone and the net when I get home so I can read the books. I'm about halfway through book two right now and I love the books so much so far. So if I'm MIA for a bit, I'm in Sookie land. I won't post anything beyond that I love them because Holly's already posted her reviews of all the books here. After skimming them, I had to stop because I don't want to know what happens, but where I stand right now she and I are warring. Team Bill (tall dark and handsome for me) all the way.
The Tenners have posted the link for the Penguin Sneak Peek! A lot of the Tenners are actually on the list, how cool is that? Which books sound good to you? The Secret Year grabbed my attention! Pop Culture Junkie Alea has "Mockingbird" on her list, and The Bookologist has "The Line" on her list.
A former speech-writer for George Bush has written a tell-all book about his time in the White House. What does this have to do with Banned Books Week 2009? Everything.
Gossip Girl Blake Lively has Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan in her hands. Not exactly what I would have anticipated catching her carrying.
Racing to an explosive climax, Prince of Thieves is a brash tale of robbery in all its forms -- and an unforgettable odyssey of crime, love, ambition, and dreams.
I am a big fan of books filled with essays. Non-fiction, short stories are perfect for tossing in your purse and reading whenever the bus is late, or sitting in the doctors office.
Apartment Therapy Unplugged is one of my favorite blogs. I was checking it out this week when I came across an excellent bookish post.
Perez Hilton has posted a list of star reads. Jay-Z has provided O, The Oprah Magazine with the six books that "absolutely made a difference" in his life.
Check out his list below:
1. The Seat of the Soul
By Gary Zukav
There are two books that I absolutely live my life by. This is one of them. Growing up, I was always curious about religion. This book made the most sense to me; it’s about the way you live your life. I believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want. If every single person felt the same way about karma and intention, then the world gets fixed tomorrow. But temptation gets in the way. Zukav is right: It may take lifetimes to learn.
2. The Celestine Prophecy
By James Redfield
This is the other book I live by. It’s fiction—a guy travels to find a secret book that has a series of principles. The story is a metaphor for life: I could go left or right, I could be stuck, or I could keep advancing. Some people are happy where they are. I tried to hire a guy once, and I said, “Don’t you have ambition to be bigger?” And he said, “No, I’m good.” I had to respect that, but for me that was the wrong relationship.
3. The Odyssey
By Homer
This epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm. I got lost in reading about Odysseus’ struggle to get home and his longing for someone so strong, as his wife was, waiting for him. That’s like a dream—that kind of strength, love, loyalty.
4. Outliers
By Malcolm Gladwell
This book is about the principles of timing and repetition—about preparing yourself for luck, really. He talks about a hockey team, and how the players born in January had a year up on the guys born in December. They were fortunate that their birthday was early, but they also practiced—they put the work in. The book resonated with me because I was born at a time when there was an influx of incredible music into the culture, and I was lucky that my mom and pop were huge record collectors. In my house, I had music by Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Prince, and the Commodores, and I’m listening to it every single day.
5. Purple Cow
By Seth Godin
This is straight marketing advice: Your product has to be a purple cow—it has to be distinct to have any success. You have to be clear on your product: What are you? What are you putting out there? For years I never did an ad for [my company] Rocawear, because I cared more about the quality than the face in front. I hadn’t read this book back then, but when someone puts words to feelings you have, it’s like, “Wow, that’s exactly what it is.”
6. Nigger
By Dick Gregory
I don’t know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me—especially the scene where he started running home from school. It led to his joining thetrack team, which led to a scholarship to college. Running opened up a whole world for him.
I have read so much about vampires in the last year, I could probably write a detailed fictional history of them. This fact has made me a bit hyper-critical of any and all vampy books. The Vampire Diaries didn't fair well with me.
As a promotion for the new show on The CW, Harper Teen has the entire novel on their website here, free to read if you still insist on trying this series.
Diana Laurence wrote a fabulous guide to loving and dating vampires. The subtext on the introduction hooked me. "You tell me you want to date a vampire. My reply: Well, naturally!" Written with humor and sharp wit, I laughed out loud reading this entirely too many times. Ripe with rules, case studies, and stories of her own personal pitfalls of dating vampires and mortals (you can and are encouraged to do both at the same time), I think this would be the perfect complement to any vampire aficionado's bookshelf. And if you're stubborn like me, read this first and prepare to max out credit cards purchasing Twilight and Sookie :) The presentation of the book is also great, with some some red contrasting nicely with the black and white standard pages.
Let me admit that, Buffy notwithstanding, I've never touched a vampire novel. I've never seen the Twilight movies, or watched true Blood. I don't know why I've shyed away from them. But Holly is enamored and has been nagging me to read them for months because she adores them so. So when this was offered from Shelf Awareness, it looked like a humorous book that could potentially lead me to Holly (and the rest of America's) side of things, and I told her if I loved it that I'd look into Sookie or Twilight. Turns out? Holly wasn't wrong, and True Blood has been playing on my OnDemand for five hours now. Now back to the book. Adored it. Cover to cover, devoured in three hours. Pardon the pun. Grab this book, it's adorable! Big thanks to Andy @ Sellers and to the author for copy of this! Check out more info on the book here. http://howtocatchandkeepavampire.com/ There's a sneak peek of the first 6 pages on the site
I'm still super excited about this giveaway courtesy of Miriam @ Hachette. This is one of my favorite recent chick lit books. Thank you all so much for entering, and letting me know which sib you were!
And the winners are:
Sarbear
Lindsay
WriteMeg
LucyintheSky
Jody
I'm sending an email out to y'all now. Please get back to my by Monday. If I don't get a response, I will choose a backup when I get home from work.
Thanks again guys, and huge thanks to Miriam and Hachette!
Its nice to have a girly girl reader featured this week. So many celebs like to be seen with politically charged non-fiction books. Three cheers for Hilary Duff for keeping it real. She has been spotted on the set of Gossip Girl with a copy of Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult.
I had a totally different impression of this book based on the summary, than I do now having read it. I was born in the 80's, so all that I know about the 60's I have learned from pop culture outlets. Its difficult to read about a person hitting rock bottom, especially as a result of a time and a culture that I haven't lived through.
A lot of what the author writes is quite poetic. He is excellent at describing events visually. He can paint a full picture of a scene or event in his poetic prose. His spirituality pours out on the pages. I am not a spiritual person, but I can usually appreciate and learn from reading about other peoples spirituality. In this book I felt more like I was being preached at rather than enlightened.
I am sure that this is a good book, just probably not for my age group or taste.
My husband came home from work on Monday telling me that he had to put this book away on the bus, because he couldn't keep from laughing out loud and drawing attention to himself. This has me thinking that this one must be a pretty good book.
Publishers Weekly
These interlocking essays on everything from a sadistic gym teacher and geeky after-class pastimes to obsessive romantic tendencies and a prom that wasn't the best night of the author's life are terrifically entertaining, although undoubtedly imaginatively amped up for maximum readability. Feig is the creator of the late-'90s sitcom Freaks and Geeks, a sort of Wonder Years for the Dungeons and Dragons set. Much of the show was based on Feig's own childhood, and this memoir is, in a way, the show's literary equivalent. After Mr. Wendell, Feig's seventh-grade gym teacher, orders a bunch of big, mean classmates to pile on top of Feig and pummel him as he stumbles out of the locker-room showers, the author recalls, "They all started to get off me one at a time, laughing and congratulating each other on a job well done.... All I could do was stand there and think about the fact that this was merely the first day of gym class. Nine more months of pre-teen locker room torture awaited me." But Feig gets the last laugh. Blessed with the sensitivity that landed him in such trouble when young, he lightly slices and dices the social cunning of all the bullies unfortunate enough to enter his orbit. True to form, Feig's mini-hit was canceled after one season, leading to a futile mass uprising, including a full-page ad in Variety, from his fans, who were disenchanted by yet another of life's downers. It is that very audience who will adore this originally written, imaginatively comic missive. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Starting on October 1st, we will be hosting two brand new contests. One for Beat The Reaper, and another for Tall, Dark and Fangsome. Did you notice the Halloween theme? In the meantime, click to enter the contests we currently have running and that are ending soon.
Ending Oct. 15th.
Rachel Stolzman, author of The Sign for Drowning, has graciously offered one autographed copy of her novel, and we asked if she would do a guest post for us. Intrigued by the way an author develops a story, and their imagination, I asked her to share her imagination as a child with us. If you'd like to win this copy of the book, tell me if you ever had an imaginary friend growing up, or any overactive imagination stories you can recall. One winner, no PO Boxes, US only. To enter this contest CLICK HERE.
Ending Oct. 4th:
How to enter
*Leave a comment with your email address. +1
*Follow already or become a follower +1
*Suggest a book of short stories that you've enjoyed +1
*Link to this contest on your blog +2
To enter the contest for this book CLICK HERE.
Ending Oct. 4th:
Barnes and Noble Synopsis:
HER LIFE COACH
Museum curator Sammi Matthews isn't just in a dating slump, she's putting men on the injured list. After giving one date a black eye and cracking another's rib, Sammi decides she needs professional help. Enter life coach Luke Jones, who advises Sammi on how to overcome her klutziness. And their phone sessions work! Sammi soon meets a sexy FBI agent who seems to know just what she needs.
IS CHANGING HER LIFE
When his brother Luke goes into federal protection, FBI Special Agent Chase Jones agrees to cover for him. Then Sammi's hot voice sizzles down the line, and the usual "phone only" rule is out. With "Luke" coaching her by day, and Chase dating her by night, Sammi's confidence soars, along with her appeal. Chase falls hard, but how will Sammi feel if and when he comes clean? Chase would rather she break all his bones than risk breaking her heart.
IN WAYS SHE'S NEVER IMAGINED!
My thoughts: I loved this book! So much fun and a fluffy feel good vibe throughout. This is not to say there was no action (beyond the romance action). When Sammi says she's a klutz, she's not embellishing at all. She burns Chase's man jewels on first meeting after her dog tears a hole in his rear pocket to take Chase's wallet. Later, there are head injuries. Still, both mains are infinitely lovable and I was rooting for them from the start. A secondary loveline unfolds nicely also even though those two are not so much on the likable side for me. Chase is also incredibly endearing as an FBI agent who saves the day while babysitting on a date with Sammi. Not to mention being his brother's stand in as life coach after he puts his brother in the witness protection program. Super adorable book! My only complaint is that it's mass market paperback. I love trade paperbacks, but I'm really reaching to find a complaint here : )
Stephanie Meyer's non-Twilight book "The Host" has been optioned for a feature film! Find out more about the book in my review here.
It is no secret to readers of this blog that I have been all about the supernatural YA books lately. At this point they are starting to all seem quite similar. Outcast girl, meets strange, dark and brooding supernatural boy, usually in a high school classroom. Then, well the rest is history. Despite the redundancies, I simply love the stories!
- Turn the lights low but not off. You want the room dim with just enough light so that you can still see in front of you.
- If you're with another person, have them stand before a white background, if not, hold your hands before a white background.
- Relax. Seriously, relax! Your gaze needs to be soft in order for this to work. So while you want to maintain your gaze, you don't want to give a hard stare.
- If you're with a friend, focus on the area just around them (with a soft gaze). After a few seconds you should be able to see a white glow around them if not color. This is the aura—you did it!
- If you're alone, bring your index fingers together until they just barely touch, then gaze softly at the space between them. You can move your fingers back and forth if you want (but don't touch) until you notice the glow just between them.
- If you saw a white glowing light—congrats! If you saw color—wow! If you didn't see anything, don't worry, keep trying—you'll get it eventually!
EVER'S AURA COLOR CHART
Red: Energy, strength, anger, sexuality, passion, fear, ego
Orange: Self-control, ambition, courage, thoughtfulness, lack of will, apathetic
Yellow: Optimistic, happy, intellectual, friendly, indecisive, easily led
Green:Peaceful, healing, compassion, deceitful, jealous
Blue: Spiritual, loyal, creative, sensitive, kind, moody
Violet: Highly spiritual, wisdom, intuition
Indigo: Benevolence, highly intuitive, seeker
Pink: Love, sincerity, friendship
Gray: Depression, sadness, exhaustion, low energy, skepticism
Brown: Greed, self-involvement, opinionated
Black: Lacking energy, illness, imminent death
White: Perfect balance
The always intelligent and refined Ms. Lohan has opted for The Plot Against America by Philip Roth to read poolside. I don't generally like to read about Nazis while sunning myself by the pool, but hey, to each their own. How many pages do you all think she actually read?
When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for selfishly pushing America toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany, but upon taking office as the thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies he appeared to accept without difficulty.
What followed in America is the historical setting for this startling new book by the Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family--and for a million such families all over the country--during the menacing years of the Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every reason to expect the worst.
Liyana of Liyana Land tweeted wondering if the people who design book covers actually read the book before they design the cover. This reminded me of a blog I came across a few months ago that is written by a book jacket design artist.
Designing a Book Cover: 101 by Henry Sene Yee from Henry Yee on Vimeo.
The description of this book, and it's genre crossing was a little daunting to me initially, and if there's one thing this blog has done, it's made me excited to try new things. This one is touted as historical romance, paranormal, thriller, and mystery all rolled into one. So I was nervous to read it, and a touch hesitant. Do not make that mistake. I do believe Ms. Sundell has added one or two more genres to my like list. Great story!
Meggie has just stepped off the train from Boston to Denver and is ready to begin her life anew, away from the demons that have haunted her day and night for years. To begin this process, she sheds her name and becomes Rose Rochester. Finding no teaching jobs available in Denver and with very little money, she sees a post in the newspaper that a teaching position is available in Hot Sulphur Springs. After convincing the man at the newspaper she is well aware of the dangers that a new dwelling so close to the Utes can pose to a single young woman in the 1800s and still wants the job, she is granted the position.
Between the time she enters Denver and before she settles down in Hot Sulphur Springs, she meets Ethan, and the two immediately clash and yet are drawn close by something magnetic between them. Meggie avoids all contact, as scared of men as she is, and Ethan, witnessing her craziness firsthand upon first encounter willingly obliges. Yet fate has something else in store for them and they keep being thrown together.
As I said, this book was one I was unsure of when I read the description, but I am so glad I read it. I don't really know that I would agree there is a paranormal aspect to it at all, but the mystery, the plot, and romance are there in spades. The book started a bit slowly for me, but that was definitely a mental block on my end because I was hesitant about reading historical romance (the delegation of that genre always conjures up one of the Fabio covers, gross) but I am so glad I read this. The intrigue was there throughout and I couldn't wait to finish. The cover of the book is also beautiful!
I'd like to blame Holly for my dvd obsession, since she once had the glamorous job in the movie industry. But alas, I just seem to have an obsessive need for DVDs and books.
Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie (Have you checked out her blog? One of my faves!) noticed my dvd shelf in the last post, and I'm almost embarrassed to post them because I love every trashtastic movie ever made. But maybe she'll recommend some good ones to replace things like Teen Witch and House Bunny. Although, Teen Witch is one of my all time favorite eighties movies.
You'd think I'd buy a good tv right? I hate buying on credit though.
TV on DVD is the greatest
Shameless plug for our Christopher Buckley contest? Also: If you don't have Starz? Rent Head Case. Alexandra Wentworth is amazing.
Second shelf, and the footbath while watching a movie and some exercise videos (Paula Abdul is among them)
And both, with the sad TV, and the most comfortable love seat ever.
Yes, Scrabble and the big book of American Colleges are underneath my TV stand.
After checking out Savvy Verse & Wit's confession earlier this week, I decided to do a count of my to be read pile. It depressed me a little bit.
This shelf? This whole shelf? 294 books. All to be read. The boxes next to it are the books I've read that need to be circulated into the closet.
The galley pile:
The top choices:
Pay no mind to the shoes and the jump rope please. It's about fall organization time.
Where do the boxes go when they're full?
I call this the dungeon. But I can't bear parting with my books, and someday I won't live in a closet, and will have a glorious library in my house.
If you grew up on 90210 (the original) like I did, then you will really enjoy this book. Tori Spelling has been a controversial name for a long time. People have strong opinions about her, and most of them are anything but good.
Product Description
What if you got one last chance at both love and success but getting one meant giving up the other? Sugar Kane hasn't created a hit TV series in years but now she's older, wiser, and ready to prove she can still deliver - unless her young, scheming assistant doesn't steal her new show out from under her. Then Sugar faces a crisis that threatens her career, her health, and the unconditional love she's finally found, long after she stopped hoping she ever would. "A wise, funny novel about sex, love, money, family and friendship whose lusty, compelling heroine every woman over 50 will love and relate to as much as I did" Pepper Schwartz, author, "Prime: Adventures & Advice on Love, Sex and the Sensual Years" "This juicy, irreverent novel reclaims sex, romance and intimacy for women who are old enough to know that taking is as precious as giving." Suzanne Levine, author, "Fifty is the New Fifty"
I really enjoyed this book after kind of a rough start with it. There's a lot of brashness in it, but I came to really enjoy that. The relationships and dynamics between the characters and intriguing, and you really root for Sugar to have her happy ending, be it with Alex, or with her last hurrah in Hollywood. The last 50 or so pages really made it worth the read. There was a big tear jerker about 10 pages before the end. Check out this book if you like chick lit or acerbic wit, the author is very on point and her delivery is impeccable.
Barnes and Noble has begun distribution of their new First Look. I skipped the last one, and Holly signed up for the first of their Teen First Looks last time (Hush Hush) and had rave reviews for it!
This time, they offered up The Postmistress. How great is that cover?
Here's the description on B&N:
Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.
On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter. In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape.
The residents of Franklin think the war can't touch them- but as Frankie's radio broadcasts air, some know that the war is indeed coming. And when Frankie arrives at their doorstep, the two stories collide in a way no one could have foreseen. The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right.
Sounds great, doesn't it? I can't wait to read it! The author lives in DC, and I'm always traipsing around on the metro with my book of the moment in hand. I wonder if the authors get a little thrill when they see someone into their book?
Anyway, did anyone else sign up for this book? Sign up for Hush Hush? Are you going to start watching for their YA selections also?
Simon and Schuster is hosting a YA Blogfest starting in September 21st! Make sure to mark your calendars and make sure to check out the site here. Becca Fitzpatrick of Hush, Hush will be a part of the festivities, I can't wait to see how she contributes!
Posts
