Category Archives: Book Club

Book Review: In the Company of Others

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I was pretty excited to find a new Father Tim novel in the audiobook section of my library. I get it; reading Jan Karon is like wearing Christmas sweaters. I’m sure Stacy and Clinton would rip Karon’s books out of my bookshelf, but I am Jennie and I admit to reading all of the Father Tim books more than once. I don’t think I require a 12-step intervention program for my sappiness.

The novel held promise; Father Tim and Cynthia go on a birthday present trip to Ireland, the home of both of their ancestors. He wants to take his beloved wife back to a place he fell in love with when he was single. When Cynthia injures her ankle and is forced to stay at the fishing lodge for the entire trip rather than do the sightseeing they had planned, Father Tim gets embroiled in a local mystery and the personal lives of the innkeepers. This is not surprising since apparently, once a minister, always a minister, and he can’t say no to helping bring people to God.

Unlike some of the Amazon reviewers, I loved the construct of Cynthia and Father Tim reading an old journal written in the early 1800s about the neighborhood. I thought Karon did a nice job weaving the ensemble’s stories together and the journal gave the reader insight into the troubled history of Ireland without hitting us over the head about it. Generally, I think that Jan Karon treats her readers with respect; she give us just enough factoids so that we understand the sociological point she is trying to make while still believing that we can engage our prior knowledge to figure stuff out.

Reviewers also commented having difficulties with the Irish dialogue.  I enjoyed the audiobook version of this novel and since I never saw how Karon wrote it out on paper, I can’t really comment on its readability. I do know that hearing the Irish bits helped me to understand them and I probably would have skipped over them otherwise. It was kind of charming to “hear” Father Tim try to speak Irish.

In the Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel is NOT a Mitford book and don’t expect it to be. If, however, you are interested in Irish culture, Father Tim and Cynthia are the same gentle people in a new environment and this book is worth a read.

Book Review: Hotel Pastis

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After his success with travel memoirs A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle turned his charmingly wicked pen to fiction. Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence tells the story of the burned-out London ad man who uses his prodigious fortune to buy and renovate a venerable building in the Luberon region of France. Along the way he meets the love of his life and gets involved in a ludicrous bank robbery turned kidnapping.

About one-third through Hotel Pastis, I realized that I had read it before. The vision of seven ex-cons training for the bicycle ride of their life was a plot trick that one remembers vividly. Conveniently, I didn’t remember how it turned out, so I read Pastis eagerly all the way to the somewhat predictable ending.

The fact that I read this book before didn’t dilute my enthusiasm for Peter Mayle in general. I love his recipe for a fun read: one part luscious Provence, one part longing for the “gettingawayfromitall” simple life, and many parts humor. If you haven’t read Hotel Pastis, it’s available for you to borrow from my bookshelf.

P.S. If you want to do something a little special for me for Valentine’s Day — and you know who you are — you could book me into this lovely version of Hotel Pastis in St. Tropez.

Good Reads from 2010

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Years ago, I started keeping track of the books I read and I used to put them on a spreadsheet. I have encouraged my students to do this, but being 13 and knowing everything there is to know about the world, they think I’m just stupid.

However, I beg to differ. Using the blogging platform this year to keep track has been both fun and challenging. It’s hard to come up with a cogent and concise comment on every book (and you already know that sometimes I just blow it off), and I’m really glad that Amazon.com is full of reviews by people who do it a lot better than I do. For those of you who have actually read and commented on my recommendations, I thank you.

If you want to see what I read this year, feel free to skim through my 2010 Book List. I am not surprised to find that I read 70-ish books; there are a few missing here and there, and I’m also not surprised to see that I read a lot of fluffy chicklit. I’m okay with that and it keeps me sane. There are, however, some must-reads on my list that I’m going to go out on a limb and tell you that you would miss something in life if you did not read them. They are, in no particular order:

  1. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
  2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  4. Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
  5. American Wife: A Novel (New York Times Notable Books) by Curtis Sittenfeld
  6. Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan
  7. Honolulu by Alan Brennert
  8. South of Broad: A Novel by Pat Conroy
  9. Bridge of Sighs: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Richard Russo
  10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I’m looking at the stack of books on my nightstand and wondering which will be my favorites in 2011. I’m pretty sure the other two Stieg Larsson books will be there, and I’m reading a bunch of “book club reads” off the dedicated shelf in the library. I think I’m going to buy my own copy of Walking to Canterbury because I’m pretty sure I’m going to want to pass it on. We’ve chosen some interesting books for book club, so I’m convinced it will be another great year for reading.

Happy New Reading Year to you all and I look forward to your comments and recommendations!

2010 Book List Update

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For those of you who read my book reviews, thank you! I appreciate your comments and I enjoy the connection with you.

I’ve been reading a lot lately and have not been updating, so there’s a number of NEW books on my list that will definitely be among my 2010 Top 10 books for you to consider reading.

There’s a month to go — how many books have YOU read in 2010? What was your favorite?

Bookin’ and Cookin’: Wisconsin Stories

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In this series, I combine two of my favorite things, reading and cooking. That probably means there will also be discussion of more than a few books made into movies. I hope that you will be moved to offer suggestions for other reads that will be “palateable”!

Historical fiction is my passion and my not-so-secret and not-so-guilty pleasure, so I am happy to review a couple of interesting novels today that are loosely based on famous people. Loving Frank: A Novel is the tragic love story of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, and American Wife: A Novel (New York Times Notable Books) is a thinly disguised yet compelling look at Laura Bush and the marriage that catapulted her into the public eye. Wisconsin is practically a character in both novels, and readers will recognize the beautifully delineated settings in the books. Of course, who can resist Wisconsin cheese? I’ll pair these books with a yummy recipe for Wisconsin Cheese Chowder.

When I teach my students about the historical fiction genre, the primary criteria is that there is a fictional main character who interacts with real people, places, and events in history. Although American Wife: A Novel (New York Times Notable Books) probably isn’t true historical fiction, it reads like it is. Its protagonist, Alice Lindgren Blackwell, comes from a small town, liberal Democratic family and upon meeting Charlie Blackwell, the crude and rakish son of the former Republican governor of Wisconsin, she is smitten despite the obvious differences in their backgrounds. We follow Alice and Charlie through meeting the family at the resort compound in Door County, Wisconsin, a losing run for Congress, the purchase and management of the Milwaukee Brewers, a successful run for governor of Wisconsin, and finally a presidency clouded by an unpopular war. Sound familiar if you just change the names and the states? I agree with most reviewers that the early part of the story is better than the White House part, but the story kept my attention all the way to the end . Sittenfeld appears to be trying to paint a picture of a loyal wife struggling with the suppression of her own beliefs in order to maintain a political marriage, and she does a good job of it.

Critics question whether Laura Bush really is that person, but for me, that’s not important. I think American Wife is a story worth reading and it probably will make you examine your own relationships. What have you given up for for love? Thank goodness most of us don’t have to play out our lives on such a public platform!

Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of Prep, which I loved, and says that Laura and George Bush were the inspiration for American Wife. There are interesting interviews with her here and here if you want to know more about Sittenfeld.

Like American Wife, Loving Frank: A Novel is also a fictional account of  a love affair between an arrogant and rakish man and his unlikely partner. Author Nancy Horan has built a smooth and textured masterpiece out of Oak Park and Spring Green lore about the relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney. You can read all the details here, and if you really get into the story, you can read a nonfiction book about the story, Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, by William R. Drennan. We were so interested in the story that we planned a weekend trip to visit Taliesen and see what all the fuss was about. It was well worth the trip and the tour exceeded our expectations.

We read Loving Frank in our church book club and I decided to read it again right before the book discussion.  The first time I read it, I feverishly concentrated on the dramatic plot leading to Mamah’s murder, but the second time through, I had open space in my brain to consider all the implications of falling in love with a self-proclaimed (and now officially recognized) genius. Horan’s portrait of Mamah may suffer from 21st century “feminizing” but I’d like to think that she really was a free-spirited feminist who was stifled in a conventional marriage. Perhaps how she went about fixing that problem was wrong and ultimately tragic, but just as Sittenfeld makes us envision a life as the wife of an American president, Horan has created a mesmerizing portrait of a love affair between two kindred spirits. Some of the people in our book club read the book expecting to find more biographical information about FLW; don’t expect that. This book pays homage to Mamah, and will just whet your appetite for more information about both Cheney and Wright.

As for the Cookin’ part of this post, since the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has already set up a beautiful recipe web page, I’m just going to link the site for you. You can print off the recipe for delectable Cheese Chowder. Make a batch for this beautiful fall weather and pretend you are visiting Taliesen before the snow flies.

Bookin’ and Cookin’: A Moveable Feast

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In this Friday series, I combine two of my favorite things, reading and cooking. That probably means there will also be discussion of more than a few books made into movies. I hope that you will be moved to offer suggestions for other reads that will be “palateable”!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you are likely to remember that I spent most of last year enjoying books about France and books and movies set in France to improve my cultural knowledge before my summer 2010 trip to Paris and Normandy. Although I purchased Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast before the trip, somehow I didn’t quite get around to reading it until after we came home. As it turns out, I’m glad that it worked out that way, because A Moveable Feast is truly a feast for the reader as Hemingway presents the banquet of experiences that was Paris in the 1920s.

Paris is not the same today as it was during Hemingway’s years there, but I was certainly charmed by both the magic of Paris and the magic of Hemingway’s sharp, clear text structure. I could imagine myself at Shakespeare and Company

and at Les Deux Magots enjoying wine or coffee along with fabulous people-watching.

Surrounded by a cloud of literary and artistic angels, Hemingway’s book of essays is a must read. If you read them as a inexperienced high school student, read A Moveable Feast again.

Following our stay in Paris, we moved on to a river cruise along the Seine from Paris to Normandy. It was enchanting and relaxing after the bustle of Paris and our tour of the D-Day beaches was a moving highlight of the cruise, but an equally important part of the trip was the extraordinary food. I am still marveling at the ease of traveling on a riverboat with only 150 passengers — the most difficult part of the restaurant experience was making sure there was a table that would fit our group of six. With only one seating, the tables filled up quickly. I have only positive things to say about traveling on the Viking Spirit. Just in case you’re worried about traveling in France as I was, don’t worry. We found most of the people we met delightful and it was a wonderful trip — I blogged about my reactions here when we returned.

So,  I will leave you with a Viking recipe for gougères, a French cheese biscuit that is often served as an appetizer. It’s super easy to make and very tasty. Thanks to Viking Cruise Lines for this recipe, which I borrowed verbatim from their Facebook page.

Gougères are among the most popular hors d’oeuvres in France. A traditional specialty of the Burgundy region, gruyères are often made with gruyère cheese, but sometimes other cheeses (such as parmesan) are used to add an extra depth. Enjoy gougères with a glass (or two) of good French wine. Experience a little piece of France at home with this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

One and one-half cups water

One-half cup butter, cut into cubes

One and one-half cups flour (unbleached, all-purpose)

Six large eggs

One cup (packed) grated gruyère cheese

One-half cup (packed) good-quality parmesan

One-half teaspoon fresh ground pepper

One-half teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place one rack in top third and a second in the bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly greased with non-stick cooking spray.In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, bring the water, butter and salt to a simmer, stirring until the butter melts. Add flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon until mixture is a smooth, thick paste with no lumps. Remove pan from heat and allow mixture to cool. Using a hand-held mixer, beat in one egg at a time until all are incorporated. Stir in cheese and pepper.

Using a tablespoon, drop 48 equal mounds of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each mound three inches apart. Bake until dough is puffed, and looks dry and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Halfway though cooking, reverse the positions of the baking pans.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Bookin’ and Cookin’: Gone with the Wind

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In a new Friday series, I’ll be combining two of my favorite things, reading and cooking. That probably means there will also be discussion of more than a few books made into movies. Please, gentle adult readers, do not be offended to learn that the genesis of the name Bookin’ and Cookin’ comes from a summer school class I taught several years ago. It was really fun, and I hope this series will be both fun to write and fun to read!


They say that writers should write about what they know, and perhaps that it is reason for the enduring success of Margaret Mitchell’s only novel, Gone With the Wind. Set during the turbulent Civil War and Reconstruction in the American South, Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize winning story is populated by unforgettable characters that appear to have been loosely modeled on Mitchell and her circle of friends and family.

The book’s first paragraph gives the reader a full hit of Mitchell’s amazing ability to create searing images. The entire text is available for free online at the Gutenberg Press if you want to stop right now and read the novel. Beware — it’s addictive.

Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin–that skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.

Although the book has been widely criticized for its one-sided look at the institution of slavery and the plantation society, there is a reason why it is one of the most read (and reread) novels ever written. Not only did it win the Pulitzer Prize, and was  made into an Academy Award winning blockbuster movie, but it has also been followed up with sequels. These include Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With The Wind” , Donald McCaig’s Rhett Butler’s People,  and Alice Randall’s parody, The Wind Done Gone: A Novel (Hardcover). I have read all of these books and although they never achieve the greatness of the original, for the Scarlett devotee, they present something new to think about. Gone with the Wind was also spoofed in a famous Carol Burnett television show episode. Have you ever seen the curtain dress?

Mitchell’s unforgettable dialogue has become part of legend and everyday conversation. Even my husband says “Mrs. O’Hara will know what’s to be done” when referring to a dilemma. And how many of us have uttered the famous words of Rhett Butler — “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”? That leads us to perhaps the most dramatic scene in the movie, which occurs at the end of the first act. After risking her life to travel home to Tara during the fall of Atlanta to Sherman, Scarlett finds that there is nothing in the garden but fiery hot overgrown radishes. Sherman’s army has taken everything. Scarlett says, “As God is my witness, as God is my witness, the Yankees aren’t going to lick me. I’m going to live through this, and when it’s over, I’m never going to be hungry again. No, nor any of my folks. If I have to steal or kill–as God is my witness, I’m never going to be hungry again.”

Although I didn’t have overgrown, nasty radishes in my garden, I was given the mother of all zucchini the other day (Actually, I got TWO zucchinis this size!). Perhaps if Scarlett had found a zucchini the size of Rhett’s thigh instead of radishes, she would not have become the folk hero that she is. It’s all in how we write our story and how we use what we are given. When I took the photo, I put in the Triscuit box so that you could see how enormous the zucchini was by comparison.

To start with, I chopped up the zucchini and ran it through the food processor. Then I put 2 cups of the chopped zucchini into labeled zip lock baggies for freezing. The enormous zucchini made 5 two-cup bags, which is enough for 10 loaves of zucchini bread.

So, here’s a tip worthy of Scarlett. Use up the last of your summer bounty by freezing it for winter treats. You’ll love this recipe!

Bon Appetit!

Book Review: The Heights

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I wanted to like this book. I really did. After all, The Heights is written by famous author and screenwriter Peter Hedges (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Dan in Real Life, About a Boy). It got great reviews from both professional and amateur critics. Unfortunately, I felt that it was a mundane story about mundane people who make typical mundane choices. The best part of this book is the construct of alternating chapters among the main characters’ voices. Hedges has perfect timing and his taut narrative is admirable, but I just didn’t care very much about any of these characters.

Book Review: Best Friends Forever

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I’ve been reading Jennifer Weiner for years, partly because of her Chicago connections and allusions, and mostly because she knows how to write a good romantic comedy. Best Friends Forever: A Novel (2009) is a somewhat typical take on the “Thelma and Louise on the lam story,” but Weiner’s character development in formerly fat protagonist Addie Downs is superlative. Supporting characters’ portrayals are sometimes uneven and childhood friend Valerie is shallow and reckless to the point of being almost unbelievable. I loved the intricate flashbacks to the girls’ childhoods, however, and they set the reader up for a satisfying end with a twist. Not Weiner’s best work, but certainly a good summer read.

Book Review: Honolulu

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    I pulled

Honolulu

    (2009) by Alan Brennert off of the cruise ship library shelf when I ran out of things to read. I could hardly put it down, so it’s a good thing I had some airplane time to finish it! Honolulu tells the story of Regret/Jin, a young Korean woman who abandons her home and family to go to Hawaii as a picture bride in order to create a new, less restrictive life for herself. It is so beautifully written in first person that I didn’t even know it was fiction (and written by a man) until I started to write this review. Brennert’s ability to create a feminine voice in his character is uncanny and his extensive research about Hawaii during its raw territorial period is skillfully woven into the narrative. It’s reminiscent of Michener’s ,

Hawaii: A Novel

    , and since I love Mich, that’s saying a lot. A recommended read for those of you who like historical fiction.
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