A novel that transports the reader

One of the best things about reading a good book is that it can transport you to a time and place that you could not visit any other way. Lisa See's new novel, Shanghai Girls immerses the reader in 1930's Shanghai and Los Angeles.

I am more familiar with the immigrant stories from Europe, having read two interesting Irish immigrant novels recently, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, and Mary Beth Keane's The Walking People, which also dealt with two sisters who had a secret. I was not so familiar with immigrants from China, which made for an enlightening experience.

We meet two sisters, Pearl and May, who are the only children born to a well-to-do businessman and his wife. The young women live a good life, buying beautiful clothes, going out every evening, working as models for a man who paints calendars. They can almost ignore the poverty surrounding them in Shanghai.

When their father loses all his money gambling, he sells his daughters into arranged marriages with two Chinese brothers who live in Los Angeles. The sisters are horrified and plot to escape from their father.

When Japan invades China, the girls and their mother must flee inland to avoid the war raging around them. The characterization of the mother, who at first appears to be the stereotypical subservient Asian wife, right down to her bound feet, is a revelation. It is their mother who shows inner and outer strength, willing to sacrifice herself to save her daughters.

The sisters end up at Angel Island, an immigration station in San Francisco akin to Ellis Island in New Jersey. Their time there mirrors the experiences I have read about at Ellis Island. I had never heard about Angel Island before this.

Their journey takes them from Shanghai to Los Angeles, and it is riveting. See has set her novel in a momentous time in Chinese/American history. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had repercussions for all Asian immigrants, as many Americans were unable to differentiate Chinese, who also disliked the Japanese after they invaded China, from Japanese. When China became Communist, Americans were undergoing the Red Scare, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. People feared Communists, and that fear and hatred was transferred to Chinese immigrants.

As the immigrants worked to build a life in this country, they faced racial discrimination. Since these immigrants looked different than European immigrants, it was easier for people to identify them as immigrants. Their customs were different from European immigrants, whose ancestors settled America hundreds of years ago, and this separated them from many Americans.

Along with the history lesson, See has written a beautiful story about sisters, love, loyalty, sacrifice and family. Pearl and May are fascinating characters, and their sisterly relationship is one that many can identify with. The family that they both marry into is also interesting, and the relationship that develops between Pearl and her husband is tender.

Shanghai Girls is a beautifully crafted story that will keep the reader turning the pages. The fact that the reader learns much about the history of Chinese immigrants at this time period is a bonus.

Rating 4.5 of 5 stars

Finger Lickin' Fifteen Funny

From the book jacket:
UNBUCKLE YOUR BELT AND PULL UP A CHAIR. IT'S THE SPICIEST, SAUCIEST, MOST RIB-STICKING PLUM YET.

Recipe for disaster:

Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head --literally.

Throw in some spice:

Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she’ll talk to is Trenton cop, Joe Morelli.

Pump up the heat:

Chipotle’s sponsor is offering a million dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Stir the pot:

Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help her find the killers and collect the moolah.

Add a secret ingredient:

Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur. Enough said.

Bring to a boil:

Stephanie Plum is working overtime tracking felons for the bonds office at night and snooping for security expert Carlos Manoso, A.K.A. Ranger, during the day. Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, solve Ranger’s problems and not jump his bones?

Warning:

Habanero hot. So good you’ll want seconds.

My review:
Another June has rolled around, and that means another New Jersey bounter hunter Stephanie Plum adventure from author Janet Evanovich. Finger Lickin' Fifteen is one of the more humorous entries in the series.

This book focuses on my favorite characters- Lula, the larger-than-life (in every way) hooker-turned-office assistant, Grandma Mazur, and Stephanie's protector and sometime employer, sexy Ranger.

The crime/mystery storylines (Lula is being chased by bad guys after she witnesses the decapitation of a famous TV chef and someone breaking into the homes of Ranger's security clients) are not really the focus here; this is a more comedic novel than some of the other Stephanie Plum novels, and I enjoyed it.

A funny subplot concerns a young man who flashes the unsuspecting women in Stephanie's parents neighborhood. Grandma tries to explain to Stephanie why the women aren't upset with the flasher:

"Well, technically none of us was unsuspecting," Grandma said. "We wait for him to show up. I guess it's one of them generation things. You get to an age and you look forward to seeing a winkie at four in the afternoon when you're peeling potatoes for supper. The thing about Junior and his winkie is, you don't have to do anything about it. You just take a look and he moves on."

Readers of the series will be happy to know that Stephanie ends up with cars on fire, her apartment on fire, paint poured over her head, falling down the stairs, sleeping in Ranger's bed-all of the usual Stephanie Plum mishaps.

This is a quick, funny, take-it-to-the-beach kind of book. It made me chuckle more than a few times, especially when Lulu and Grandma team up. They are the Jersey girl version of Abbott and Costello.

If you are looking for a clever mystery to be solved, you may be disappointed. And if you are offended by flatulence jokes or cursing, you may want to skip this. But if you think of Stephanie and the gang as friends you love to visit, and you want a good laugh, pick up Finger Lickin' Fifteen. It's fast food reading: maybe not so good for you everyday, but every once in a while, you just have a craving for it.

Rating 4 of 5 stars

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Can't wait to see the movie with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams!

A Great Giveaway from bookingmama

This book looks like a fun summer read. Copy the link below to get the details to win LOOKING FOR SALVATION AT THE DAIRY QUEEN by Susan Gregg Gilmore.

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Lewis Black of Little Faith

Lewis Black, whom many people know from his 'Back in Black' segment on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, was at the new Barnes & Noble store on East 86th St. & Lexington in NYC last night promoting his book Me of Little Faith.

He drew a large crowd for the inaugural event at the new store, and he started in immediately poking fun at the sparse decor on the walls, and the wallpaper pattern, which he said looks like what you see just before you pass out. (It actually does!) Then he turned serious, describing his writing process.

Black writes in longhand on paper, believing that the process of physically writing with a pen differs from typing on a computer. He says that one thinks differently writing by hand. Then he proceeded to rant about the kids today "who type with their thumbs on Blackberrys." (I left a few descriptive words out.)

Black answered many questions from the audience, and he gave thoughtful answers. He is a graduate of Yale Drama School, which he likened to mental torture. He said that the professors tore students down to build them back up, like soldiers. He told a cautionary tale of asking a professor for a letter of recommendation. He ran into the professor a few years after he graduated from Yale, and the professor expressed surprise at the fact that Yale accepted Black into the drama school because in his recommendation he stated that Yale should not accept Black into the program. Black cautions students to ALWAYS read the letters BEFORE you send them with your application. Funny and true.

When it came time to get autographs, I told Mr. Black that I have two college ages sons who are, to my disappointment, die-hard Republicans. (If you don't know, Black is not a Republican- he spent the last eight years railing against them in his comedy act. Rent his Washington DC HBO Comedy Special if you haven't seen it- the funniest standup performance I've ever seen.) I asked him for advice, and he said not to worry, they'd grow out of it. Then I told him that they idolized Dick Cheney, and he said something very funny, but not for print here. When I introduced him to my husband and said that he was to blame for my sons's political leanings, Black burst out laughing and shook my husband's hand.

Black is very funny, intelligent man. He says that he is hopeful that he will return to Broadway sometime next year. I'll be in line for those tickets!

A Jane Austen Challenge

Stephanie from The Written Word has created a cool Jane Austen Challenge- click on the image at the right.

Since I just purchased a hardcover Jane Austen collection of books at Barnes & Noble for $5 during their grand opening special at their new Upper East Side store on 86th & Lexington, this is perfect timing! For the six month challenge I will:

Read SENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Jane Austen
Read EMMA by Jane Austen
Watch the BBC version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (love Colin Firth!)
Watch the 2005 version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Read PRIDE, PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES by Sean Grahame-Smith
Read CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT by Laura Viera Rigler

Join in the fun with us!

You Think You Don't Know Your Husband...

In Lisa Unger's Die For You, Isabel thought she knew her husband, until the night he didn't come home. Married to Marcus for five years, and except for one brief indiscretion by her husband, Isabel thought they were happy. After alternating between anger and panic all night, she finally gets a phone call from his cell phone- and hears a violent struggle and a man scream on the other end of the call.

A call to the police goes nowhere, as a husband who doesn't come home is not high on the priority list. Isabel goes to her husband's office, a successful high-tech game software company, to talk to his partner. The partner is evasive, angering Isabel. Before she can get any more information, the FBI raids the office. Confusion reigns, and Isabel is knocked out.

When she awakens in the hospital, she finds out that it wasn't the FBI, and several people were killed, including her husband's partner. Her apartment has been trashed, and all of the money she and Marcus had in the bank is gone. Isabel discovers that her husband conned her brother-in-law Erik out of his life savings as well.

Police Detective Grady Crowe is wary of Isabel's claims of ignorance of her husband's activities. More bad news arrives when it is discovered that her husband is not the real Marcus Raine- that man was murdered years ago, and it appears that her husband assumed his identity. Did he also murder the real Marcus Raine?

Isabel is determined to discover the truth about her husband. Crowe warns her against that, particularly when more people show up dead, and Isabel seems to be the one closest to the dead bodies upon discovery. Is she a victim or a murderer?

Unger writes a fast-paced thriller, and she uses the setting of New York City to good advantage. Anyone familiar with the city will recognize the spot in Central Park where a confrontation takes place, and the Upper West Side area where Isabel lives. A journey to Prague brings that city to life as well.

Some thrillers/mysteries sacrifice character for action, but Unger's characters are fully drawn. The family dynamic between Isabel and her sister Linda, Erik and their kids is realistic and interesting. Erik and Linda's relationship is loving, even though both make big mistakes that threaten that relationship. Even Detective Crowe and his partner have a good chemistry.

One thing bugged me though. Isabel's actions frequently put herself in danger, but also endanger her family. Isabel's quest to find out the truth about her husband caused her family great pain, and I couldn't understand that. Was her need to personally discover the truth about her husband worth the agony she put her family through?

Isabel also knew nothing about her and her husband's finances. She signed papers he put in front of her, and agreed to use her name on all the paperwork for his company. Could she be that naive, particularly since her father left her mother, sister and her broke when he killed himself. Yet her sister makes a similar mistake. Perhaps this is a cautionary reminder to the reader to always pay attention to your family finances.

I didn't understand Isabel, but maybe that is the point of the story. Maybe we never really know anybody, even the person sleeping next to you for five years. I give Die For You three and half stars because Unger kept me turning the pages when I should have been sleeping.

A Moving Family Tale

Alice Hoffman is an author known for her novels filled with magical touches. Her latest, The Story Sisters, continues that, when a magical world created by three sisters collides with the reality of the world in which we all exist.

Elizabeth, called Elv, Meg and Claire Story live with their mother in a small town on Long Island. Their parents are in the middle of a bad divorce, and it has affected the girls deeply. When they were young children, Elv (whose nickname connotes the fairy-like elves) created a fairy tale world, Arnelle, which had its own language. It slightly concerned their mother Annie when they would continue to speak this language, even as they grew out of childhood. Annie's mother Natalia warns her that this behavior could isolate the girls from the real world.

This fantasy world contrasts with the physical world in which they live. Annie has a large garden, and grows heirloom tomatoes. The girls are knowledgeable in all areas tomato. They love animals: Elv likes dogs, Claire rides horses. Elv is artistic, attracted to painting and color. Meg is a voracious reader, and a very good student. They sleep in the same bedroom, and are each other's best friends.

The horrors of the real world intrude on the girls of Arnelle when a bad man hurts Elv, who saves the younger Claire from his clutches. They never tell anyone about "the day the bad thing happened", not even Meg. This bad thing, and her reluctance to tell her mother, causes Elv to act out. Annie is struggling too, "she felt as if everything she did was in halves: half a mother, half a teacher, half a woman". In that one sentence, Hoffman articulates the feelings of so many women.

Elv begins to believe "that evil repelled evil, while good collected it", and she is determined to become evil in order to expel it from her life. She uses drugs, becomes promiscuous, steals- everything a young woman with low self esteem does to dull her pain. Meg is angered by her sister's behavior, but Claire vows to remain loyal to Elv. Elv's behavior breaks the bonds of sisterhood she so tenderly nurtured.

Hoffman uses imagery and metaphors so beautifully. When Elv saves a kitten thrown into a river, she tells Claire that she is haunted because she couldn't save a second kitten thrown in. Claire reminds her that it is important that she saved one, but Elv can't get over that she couldn't save the other, echoing the fact that she saved Claire once, but was unable to save herself.

The author's writing hits home with the reader, as when following a death, Annie's cousin says,

"Call me the minute you need something," she told Annie and Claire, but neither of them could think of a single thing they might need that anyone could possibly give them.

Everyone who has lost someone knows that exact feeling.

This is a moving, haunting novel that will make you cry. There is so much sadness, so many tragic things that happen, and we all know people about whom we say, "haven't they suffered enough?" About a good man who becomes involved with the Story family, Hoffman writes

He stayed in the kitchen with the dog for a while. He covered his face and wept. When he was done, he patted Shiloh's head. This wasn't his house or his family or his dog, but it was his sorrow.

Hoffman broke my heart with this beautiful story of how secrets can destroy, but ultimately about the power of love to redeem. I became deeply invested in her characters, and will not be able to get them out of my thoughts. It is so powerful, so moving, it is the best of what fiction attempts to be.

Rating 5 of 5 stars

A true story of humanity during World War II

Don't let the title fool you; It Happened in Italy is not a chick-lit book. The subtitle, Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust, gives the reader a better idea of the substance of this non-fiction book.

Told in simple style by author Elizabeth Bettina, it recounts her discovery of how Jewish people fled to Italy from Germany to escape the Nazi regime, and were hidden by many courageous Italians, one of whom, Giovanni Palatucci, was sent to a German camp and killed for his participation.

Bettina fits the description, coined by Malcolm Gladwell, of a "connector"; a person who connects other people together. In this case, she connects Jewish survivors with the Italian people who saved them and their families, and with the Vatican. Her persistence that this unknown story must be told forms the basis for this intriguing book.

She uses many photos and documents kept by survivors and the Italians and sprinkles them in the text where relevant. I liked this format as it allows the reader to see immediately what she is referring to, rather than placed in the middle of the book where they are often found.

The stories of the survivors and their benefactors are interesting, a tale of true humanity during an inhumane period of history. The contrast between how the Jews in Italy were treated, with dignity and respect, and those Jews who were sent to death camps in Germany, is startling. This is an important story; thank goodness Elizabeth Bettina told it.

Rating 3.5 of 5 stars

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Book Review- PAUL NEWMAN, A LIFE

Paul Newman is one of our true movie stars, back when that phrase really meant something. His death last year reminded us what a unique individual he was- an actor, movie star, race car driver, husband, father, grandfather, businessman, humanitarian.

Shawn Levy has written a new biography, titled Paul Newman- A Life. And it was quite a life he lived. I vividly remember my mother taking me to see The Sting, starring Newman and Robert Redford. It was one of the first grown-up movies I saw, and I felt very sophisticated. Redford was gorgeous, but it was Newman who charmed me. There seemed something mischievous behind those blue eyes and that knowing smile.

Levy does a great job chronicling Newman's early years, and he footnotes and endnotes extensively, not something you normally see in a biography of a movie star. He quotes from reviews of Newman's plays and movies, and that helps put Newman's work in context of the times.

The author delves into Newman's youth and his college days at Kenyon College, where Newman realized he had the desire to act. Newman was a bit of a rascal who loved to party and was not opposed to imbibing in beer, something that he continued to do throughout his life. Levy states that as an adult Newman would often drink a case of beer a day. (Budweiser sent Newman ten cases of beer a week as payment for advertising for them, and they didn't go to waste.)

Levy spoke with several people who went to school with Newman, and their memories of a young Newman are insightful. Newman loved to rehearse, to dig deeply into his character and their motivations, and as this practice grew with his career, it was not always appreciated by his costars or directors.

He married young and had two children with his first wife, but their marriage didn't last. Levy points out the irony of a man who was well known for having one of the most successful, long-lived marriages in Hollywood, actually falling in love with his second wife, actress Joanne Woodward, while he was still married to wife number one.

I did not know that Newman also had an affair (while married to Joanne) with a reporter he met while filming Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It lasted for over a year, and nearly ruined his second marriage, but after the affair ended, he and Joanne worked it out. Again, they were an example for people that no marriage is perfect, but it takes work, love, patience and forgiveness to make it last.

Newman had such a long career, Levy does his best to get it all in this book without making it 1000 pages, which it easily could have been. The one thing that gets short shrift is Newman's role as a father. It is touched on, but it would have been interesting to know more about how he parented from his children. They seem like people who like their privacy, and after the death of Newman's son Scott from a drug overdose, and the publicity surrounding it, I imagine they were leery of the press.

Newman is quoted as saying that "What I would really like to put on my tombstone is that I was part of my time". Levy makes the correct statement that he was, and that is one thing that shines through in this fascinating biography. Newman really was a man made in his time, an embodiment of a true American individual.

Rating 4.5 of 5 stars

Norman Conquests rules again

I saw a second play of the trilogy, The Norman Conquests, Table Manners, and it was even better than the first one, if that is possible.

The same six characters, Annie, her nerdy brother Reg, his uptight wife Sarah, sarcastic, cold sister Ruth, her uncontrollable husband Norman and Annie's awkward suitor Tom are all back. The action takes place over a weekend in July 1974, and this play is set in the dining room.

There is an advantage to having already seen one play- I knew all of the characters, and that made this play even funnier and more poignant because of that familiarity. But again, you will not be lost just seeing only one of the trilogy. That is the genius of Alan Ayckbourn's writing.

The characters of Sarah, Ruth and Tom get more time in this play, and that is a good thing. I had a deeper understanding of them, Sarah particularly. The actors in the ensemble make you believe they are this dysfunctional family.

The dinner scene was amazing; I have never heard an audience laugh that hard or long at any other play I have seen. Even the actors seemed a little giddy. I think everyone at that show could relate to the family dinner that starts with good intentions, only to devolve into insanity, dredging up the muck as only a family can do.

This play showed the loneliness and sadness of these people, who just want to make a human connection, and be loved. Ayckbourn and the actors do this with a humor and poignancy that is remarkable. If you can only see one Broadway show, you owe it to yourself to make it one of the Norman Conquest trilogy, winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play.

And Norman, to quote Bill Murray from Stripes "You are a madman- I wanna party with you!"

The tribe from HAIR

Saw the marvelous tribe from Broadway's revival of Hair yesterday at Sirius XM Radio's Live on Broadway at the Times Square Information Center. They had a huge crowd and it was so much fun. Gavin Creel is so adorable and talented; he has a real star quality and an infectious smile. He sang a song and jumped on the chair of young girl who, if her photos come out, has some great memories to share!

Original cast member Ben Vereen surprised the tribe by showing up and leading the tribe and the crowd in a joyful rendition of Let the Sunshine In. It was great- it definitely makes one want to see the incredible show.

Celebrity Sighting of the Day!

While at an off-Broadway show, Everyday Rapture, starring the very talented and funny Sherie Rene Scott, I saw actress Lois Smith in the audience. If anyone is a fan of HBO's True Blood you'll know her as Sookie's Grandma Adele. She was also in Fried Green Tomatoes and How to Make an American Quilt, and has been on TV in everything from soap operas (All My Children, One Life to Live) to guest spots on Grey's Anatomy and ER and she's fabulous!

Celebrity sighting of the day!

Central Park is a great place to see celebrities just hanging out, and while there for a leisurely stroll on Sunday, my husband and I heard a familiar voice. It was Hamish Linklater, Matthew from THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE on CBS. He is in Shakespeare in the Park's production of Twelfth Night, and was probably taking a break from rehearsal.

Win THE MATING RITUALS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WASP

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THE NORMAN CONQUESTS all!

If you saw the Tony Awards on Sunday, you may have seen the cast of The Norman Conquests on the stage as they won Best Revival of a Play.

I had the pleasure of seeing one of the plays in the trilogy, Round and Round the Garden last week. The other two plays are Table Manners and Living Together. The plays can be seen separately, they run on consecutive nights, or you can see them all on Saturday.

The genius of the plays is that as the characters exit one play, they enter into the next. So if Norman leaves the garden, he enters into the living room and you see what happens there in the next play, Living Together . It may sound confusing, but it is not. Only seeing one does not confuse the theatergoer at all.

The play works not only because the genius of playwright Alan Ayckbourn, but thanks to an amazing cast. Norman, played brilliantly by Stephen Mangan, is an assistant librarian married to one sister, Ruth, but pursuing an affair with her sister, Annie. Annie and Ruth's brother, Reg, and his uptight wife Sarah, have reluctantly come home to care for their ailing mother while Annie goes away for a secret weekend rendezvous with Norman. Meanwhile, Annie is being pursued, somewhat slowly, by veterinarian Tom.

Mangan plays Norman like a scruffy little puppy. He's adorable, but has little impulse control. He lives in the here and now, and loves to shake things up. His pursuit of Annie, and then the rigid Sarah, is delightful. You want to grab a rolled up newspaper, pop him on the nose and say, "Bad boy!" Then he bats his puppy dog eyes at you, and you forgive him.

Mangan was nominated for a Tony Award, as was Paul Ritter, who plays brother Reg. He too plays his role of the boring, slightly annoying and clueless man to perfection. Ben Miles is Tom the vet who just can't get up the courage to tell Annie how he feels, then misunderstands Ruth's attempt to explain the situation swirling around them.

Jessica Hynes was also nominated for a Tony for her as the long suffering, lonely Annie. Annie is longing for attention that Norman is willing to give her, but struggling with her feelings for Tom. Amanda Root, also nominated for a Tony, plays the uptight Sarah who knows everything going on, but still is attracted to the carefree Norman. Amelia Bullmore, as Norman's wife Ruth, is genius in her scene with Tom as she tries to explain what is happening with Annie and Norman.

The cast won a special ensemble award from The Drama Desk Awards, and they are hands down the best cast on Broadway right now. They work together as a well-oiled comedy machine. The show is full of belly laughs that come fast and furious. It's a terrific show to see if you need a laugh, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other two plays in the trilogy. I keep wondering what the heck happened when they left the garden!

BEA- Part #4- The big draws

BEA was an interesting experience for me, as it was my first one. I was checking out who were the big draws, and I came to a few conclusions.

Celebrities, not necessarily authors, were popular. One of the first signings I attended was early Friday morning, and it was for The View co-host Sherri Shepherd, whose book Permission Slips publishes in October. She had a long line, but she took time to chat with everyone and take photos. (see above)

Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson had a very long line that kept snaking around for the signing of his book, American on Purpose. There was one man trying to trade three tickets to the Kathie Lee Gifford signing for one Craig Ferguson ticket, but he didn't appear to have any luck. Ferguson was the moderator at a BEA breakfast, so I had the chance to hear him speak. I can tell you he is as funny at 8am as he is at 12:30am, and he really woke up the crowd.

Julie Andrews was very popular, with a long line that they had to move when they ran out of time. I saw Miss Andrews everywhere, at the Borders booth being interviewed, at C-SPAN booth being interviewed. She is so lovely, and she and her beautiful daughter have written many children's books, so she really is an author and celebrity.

Big selling authors were big draws The line for James Patterson, probably the biggest selling author out there now, was huge. He signed in two different places, and both had huge lines. Candice Bushnell, the Sex and the City author had a long line for a book signing for a book that came out months ago.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney was so popular, they ran out of books and he signed book plates. Ditto the Top Chef chefs; they signed recipe cards when they ran out of books.

Literary authors were popular too It was good to see that more literary authors, like Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jonathan Lethem also had many, many people who wanted their autographs.

The panel discussions had many fans The one on Book Reviews in 2010, sponsored by the National Book Critics Circle, was standing room only. The panel had book reviewers for print publications, as well as a representative from GoodReads.com, discussing where book reviews are headed. It was a lively discussion.

Book bloggers took center stage at the first ever Book Bloggers:The New Buzz Builders panel, moderated by Jennifer Hart, who blogs about books for Harper Collins Publishers at bookclubgirl.com. Even though this panel was not publicized as much as the other panels, the room was overflowing. There were six other popular bloggers, BethFishReads, The Written Word, Booking Mama, My Friend Amy, Maw Books, and She Is Too Fond of Books, on the panel, and the discussion was insightful, informative and interesting. There were lots of great questions, and it probably could have gone on for much longer if time allowed. The bloggers were mobbed like rock stars at the end of the panel. I think they were surprised by their popularity!

BEA-Part #3- Books with Buzz

There were so many books at BEA that have good buzz; books everyone is talking about that will be out soon. These are the ones I was able to get, and you'll hear more from me as I read them.

A perfect book for Father's Day is Michael Lewis' Home Game. Lewis wrote the baseball book, Moneyball, about how the Oakland A's revolutionized the way the front office of a major league baseball team built their team. Home Game is a funny, touching look at modern day fatherhood from his personal perspective. I saw him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and he was hysterical. Give it to your favorite new dad.

Crazy for the Storm, by Norman Ollestad, is a memoir about an eleven-year-old boy who was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed his father. There is a lot in here about his relationship with his dad, so it's also a good choice for Father's Day. Everyone is talking about this one, and you'll be sure to hear more about it soon.

There's a new biography coming out in October, How to Be a Movie Star- Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood, by William Mann. His previous books include a well reviewed biography of Katherine Hepburn. The cover of this book has a gorgeous photo of a stunning young Elizabeth Taylor.

Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder's newest book is Strength in What Remains, the true story of young boy who escapes from war-torn Africa and ends up living in Central Park in New York City. It publishes in August. Kidder spoke at a breakfast at BEA, and this one sounds as great as his book on Paul Farmer.

Jeannette Walls, who wrote the terrific memoir, The Glass Castle, is back with a true-life novel, Half Broke Horses, about her grandmother's life. It's drawn comparisons to Out of Africa and West with the Night. Walls also spoke at the breakfast, and said that she wrote this book because people had asked her so many questions about her mother's life. As she dug deeper into her mother's life, her grandmother's story just became so strong, she knew she had to write it.

Fiction books that are causing a buzz include Pete Dexter's new novel Spooner, about a man and his stepson, out in September.

Simon and Schuster is high on Nicholas Baker's newest literary fiction, The Anthologist, and people were scooping that one up quickly.

Joshua Ferris' debut novel And Then We Came to the End won heaps of praise, and everyone is looking forward to his next effort, The Unnamed, due in January 2010.

Lorrie Moore has a story set just after 9/11, The Gate at the Stairs, and she spoke at a luncheon and was deadpan funny. This novel is a serious one, and many people are very excited about this new one from the multi-award winning author, out in September.

Two books I have loved forever are Gone With the Wind and The Thorn Birds, and Leila Meacham's Roses, is billed as a successor to those. It's a multi-generational saga set in east Texas, and it's due in January 2010.

BEA- Part 2- So many authors, so little time

There were several authors at BEA who had books I have wanting to read, and I was lucky enough to meet the authors and get a copy of their book.

Kelly Corrigan is the author of The Middle Place, a memoir about growing up the middle child in her family, and the year she and her dad were both diagnosed with cancer. I have heard so much great buzz about this book, I was lucky to be able to meet her and her father. (photo above). Her book clearly touched many lives, as there were many people in line to meet her, and they all had wonderful stories about how her book affected them.

Jonathan Miles wrote a novel, Dear American Airlines, about a man who was on the way to his estranged daughter's wedding when he got caught in the hell that can be the airport experience (anyone who has had a flight delayed forever knows this). This has been on my radar for awhile, so I was pleased to get a signed copy.

Robert Goolrick's A Reliable Wife has been in my sights, and I got to meet the very unassuming man who wrote this spooky, mysterious book. One librarian gushed about how great this book is, and it is on the very top of my To Be Read pile.

Nevada Barr is a mystery writer, and while I don't read a lot of mysteries, I have run across her books for years, and was able to meet her and get a signed copy of 13 1/2. I'm looking forward to diving in. She's a very classy lady.

Speaking of mysteries, Linwood Barclay, who wrote the award-winning chilling mystery, No Time for Goodbye, is back with Fear the Worst, which should appeal to Harlan Coben fans.

Dorothea Benton Frank was there signing Return to Sullivans Island, continuing the popular saga of the Hayes and Hamilton families. She looked lovely and was very sweet.

Book Expo of America-Part 1

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Book Expo of America (BEA) at the Javits Center. I had been looking forward to it for so long, and it definitely lived up to expectations.

There were so many chances to meet great authors who have books coming out soon. I was first in line to meet Adrian Trigiani, who wrote the Big Stone Gap series I adore, and more recently Very Valentine, which I read and reviewed here recently. She was just as terrific as I hoped she'd be. She's just like your best friend! Several people I spoke with said that they had met her, and she is one of their favorite authors to talk to. Her new book is a YA title, Viola in Reel Life, about a Brooklyn girl who goes to boarding school in Indiana. If you have a middle-school girl to give this to, be sure to pick it up. (Or read yourself- I plan on doing just that!)

I was also able to meet Michael Connelly, one of the best literary crime fiction writers around. He writes the popular Harry Bosch series, and the newest is The Scarecrow, and I was so thrilled to be able to pick up a signed ARC of the book (he had such a long line of people wanting to meet him). It's just been released, and it's sure to hit the bestseller list right away.

Neil Gaiman, author of The Graveyard Book signed 170 copies of his books in one hour, and I was able to score one for a young man who is a big fan. Gaiman was very gracious, and he is as funny as his tweets on Twitter are!

Mary Karr, who wrote the incredible memoir The Liar's Club was signing copies of the third in her memoir trilogy, Lit. She was funny too. She told me this book is about "getting drunk and getting sober". It's definitely on the top of my To Be Read pile (how can I resist with that description?). We also chatted about Syracuse, as she is a professor at SU.

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All hail the King, Geoffrey Rush!

Australian actor Geoffrey Rush brings his considerable physical talents to the revival of Eugene Ionescos' Exit the King, finishing up a limited run on Broadway.

The show has some parallels to recent events. King Berenger's kingdom is crumbling. Too many ill-conceived wars, people fleeing the country, and it appears that the country is actually falling into the ocean.

To top it all off, King Berenger is dying. His first wife, Queen Marguerite, played by the gorgeous Susan Sarandon in her Broadway debut, takes control organizing the last moments of the King.

His much younger, prettier, second wife, Queen Marie, is played by the radiant Lauren Ambrose. She makes the audience believe that she really loves the King for the man he is, not just for what he can give her. This is the second time I have seen Ambrose on the stage, the first time was in her role as Ophelia in Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park last summer. She is one of our best young actresses, and I look forward to seeing her work for a long time to come.

Andrea Martin, nominated for a Tony for her role, plays the role of Juliette, the nurse/housemaid/cook. She is incredibly funny, as she always is, and her big scene with Rush as she explains her difficult life, is wonderful.

Brian Hutchison hilariously plays the role of the Guard as a surfer dude, as if he were Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Just watching his facial reactions in the background is priceless. William Sandler ably rounds out the cast as The Doctor, who sides with Marguerite in her attempts to control the King.

Geoffrey King is nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of the King, and he should win based on the one scene where he does a sort of combination march/dance. He states in an interview with Playbill that he had trained in mime and pantomine, and his training is put to good use in this brilliant scene.

Exit the King is closing on June 14th, so you need to hurry if you want to see it. It has many huge laughs, but the last scene with Sarandon's monologue, coaxing the King towards death, is thought-provoking.

Jane Fonda's triumphant return to Broadway

It's been 46 years since Jane Fonda appeared on Broadway, but you wouldn't know it from her bravura, Tony-nominated performance in 33 Varations , written by Moises Kaufman.

She portrays Dr. Katherine Brandt, a woman with a doctorate in music, who has Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease is slowly robbing her of her health, and before she is unable to travel, she plans to go to Bonn, Germany, to study Beethoven's 33 Variations on Anton Diabelli's waltz.

She has a strained relationship with her daughter, portrayed by Samantha Mathis. I had a difficult time with her role. I'm not sure if it was the role that I didn't enjoy, or Mathis' portrayal. Colin Hanks plays a nurse who falls in love with the daughter, and travels with her to stay with Katherine in Bonn.

Hanks is very good in his role, and as I overheard one woman sitting behind me remark, "he's adorable!", a statement with which I would agree.

Katherine's study is juxtaposed with Beethoven, his assistant Anton Schindler, and Diabelli. Zach Grenier is also nominated for his role as Beethoven, and he plays the character with great relish and bombast. I also liked Erik Steele in the assistant's role.

Diane Walsh is at the piano during the show, playing Beethoven's 33 Variations, and adding greatly to the show.

But it is Jane Fonda who carries the day. This is not the Jane Fonda from her recent work in awful movies like Georgia Rule and Monster-in-Law; this is the Jane Fonda from Klute and Coming Home, commanding the stage, yet also blending well with her costars.

The show has closed in its limited run, but Fonda has to be a front-runner for this Sunday's Tony Awards.

Is there anyone better suited to Broadway than David Hyde Pierce?

If there is, I don't know who it is. He is so perfect in this role, its hard to believe it wasn't written for him. The show, Accent on Youth, is a bit dated, being a revival of a 1934 show, but it still has some relevant things to say about love and age.

David Hyde Pierce perfectly plays the workaholic playwright who doesn't quite trust love that is right in front of him in the form of his dedicated, but very young, secretary. I sat in the second row, and could see up close the painful look in his eyes as he believes his love is passing him by. So touching!

Charles Kimbrough is also marvelous as Flogdell the butler, bringing a bit of his famous Jim Dial character from Murphy Brown to the role. You simply can't go wrong with a David Hyde Pierce show on Broadway.

Elizabeth Edwards

After seeing Elizabeth Edwards on Oprah, the View, etc., I was curious to hear her speak at a book signing for her new book, Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities.

All any of the media wanted to talk about was the betrayal of her husband and how Elizabeth was dealing with it. The interviews were awkward, and she clearly did not wish to speak about that part of her life.

I have to admit, I am puzzled by the hate-filled comments made about her by so-called respectable media people. Her book is so much more than her husband's betrayal, that is but a small part of it. Yet it is all anyone in the media wishes to discuss. Why? She has so much more to say on more important topics.

I was pleasantly surprised after hearing her speak at Barnes & Noble. She was relaxed, and she had a lot to say about her book, which I was able to read while waiting for her arrival.

The book is her personal story about how she was able to cope with some bad things that happened to her. In the middle of her happy, almost charmed life, she lost her sixteen-year-old son in a tragic car accident in 1996. During the 2004 Presidential campaign, where her husband John was the vice-presidential nominee, she found a cancerous lump in her breast. In 2007, her cancer returned and had spread. She was given a terminal diagnosis.

She arrived at the book signing a little late, after having taped The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She read the first chapter of her book, about her father's stroke in 1990, and then she answered questions from the audience.

The audience was clearly supportive of her, asking interesting questions about her health, her family, and how she coped with the tragedies of her life. She is working with a group to promote health care reform, and given her many experiences with the American health care system, she is more than an expert on the subject.

She is an articulate and thoughtful person. She spoke with each person who wanted a signed book, listened to their stories, and took photos with them. Although she has been on a whirlwind book tour, and had another engagement that evening, she appeared in good health and not fatigued at all.

The book is similiar to her previous book, Saving Graces, a book I read, reviewed and chose as one of my top ten nonfiction books of the year. She covers much of the same territory in this book. It is not so much an advice book, it is more a record of how she dealt with her tragedies, and perhaps the coping mechanisms she used can be helpful to others.

The pain of losing her son is palpable on those pages, every parent's nightmare. While reading her story, one can't help but think, how would I deal with it? She coped with father's death, and her mother's Alzheimer's, something many baby boomers also face.

Reading Resilience, one is able to credit Elizabeth for making her way through the pain and sadness, and it also gives hope that if she can make it through her tragedies, maybe there is hope for all of us. It's a good book to give to someone who is hurting.

Rating 3.5 of 5 stars

Swine flu has nothing on the superplague

With the news filled with talk of the swine flu, Fiona Maazel's debut novel Last Last Chance, and its storyline of the release of a superplague, seems prescient.

Lucy is a thirty-year-old drug addict with six failed rehab stints behind her. Her mother is a wealthy business owner and crack addict, her twelve-year-old half sister dabbles in disease, cutting herself and fundamental Christianity, and her scientist father committed suicide after a deadly superplague created in the government lab where he worked disappears.

Not exactly a feel-good novel, but one that is brilliantly plotted and written. Maazel states in the author's conversation at the end of the book that she "love(s) the craft of storytelling", and it shows.

She writes sentences that are so amazing, they take your breath away. You simply have to go back and reread and savor them. She states that "every sentence feels like its own universe, and so I think long and hard about how to put that universe together." An example of one of my favorite sentences (and there are many) is "If my mother had a secret life, maybe I could forgive the one she led in front of us."

She also states that Cormac McCarthy is a writer she admires, and while I was reading her book, it put me in mind of him as well, both in the beautifully crafted sentences, and the subject matter of his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Road. Whereas The Road is post-apocalyptic, Last Last Chance is pre-apocalyptic, and does have an element of gallows humor to it.

There is so much stuffed into this novel, it almost defies description. Characters who have died and been reincarnated, or are waiting for reincarnation, narrate some chapters. This can be confusing at first, but stick with it, and you will be rewarded.

The ravages of drug addiction are compared to the panic and illness of a world plague. The self-absorbed behavior of a drug addict is mirrored by the panic and self preservation that people exhibit when faced with a plague at their doorstep.

The characters are not entirely likeable; indeed it is hard to feel sympathy for people who have much, but still fall into drug (and self) abuse. Yet the author gets you to root for these people. Lucy and her mother attend a drug rehab in Texas, and in group therapy they hear the heartbreaking stories of how some of their fellow residents became drug addicts; it is stark contrast to their own lives.

Maazel manages to keep all her balls in the air, with many settings and characters to keep track of and move along. Her characters, and there are many, seem fully realized, and though you know them well, you leave wanting to know even more about them.

This is a big novel, with much to contemplate and savor. It is a book that does not grab one right away, but once involved, it is something you cannot put down. If you are willing to commit to it, you will be richly rewarded. I highly recommend it and look forward to Maazels' next effort.
Rating 4.5 of 5 stars

Looking for a home in NYC ain't easy

Mary Elizabeth Williams, her husband and two daughters's search for a home in New York City is recounted in Gimme Shelter- Ugly Houses, Cruddy Neighborhoods, Fast-talking Brokers, and Toxic Mortgages: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream.

Timing is everything, and Mary Elizabeth and her husband started their search in 2003,at the height of the home buying insanity. After living in a cramped apartment with one daughter and another on the way, she convinced her husband it was time to look for a home of their own.

If there is anything harder than finding an affordable rental unit in NYC, it's finding an affordable condo, co-op or home to buy. Williams places her story in the perspective of the national experience. Many of her friends were buying homes across the country, and she tells their different stories- from San Francisco to post-Katrina New Orleans to St. Louis to Minnesota.

Williams and her husband lived in Brooklyn, and they loved it there, so it was there that their search began. She figured they could afford a $350,000 mortgage, but everything in that price range was awful, filthy with missing stairs, sagging porches and a home that had mushrooms growing inside the house.

Brooklyn was becoming as expensive as Manhattan, as Manhattanites were spreading over the bridge and making real estate prices skyrocket. Getting a mortgage was a scary proposition as well. While Williams and her husband had excellent FICO scores, they did not have the 20% required for a down payment.

No problem; this is where the creative ideas of mortgage brokers come in. They could get a no-doc loan. This type of loan requires no pesky checking by the bank to see if the information provided by the prospective buyers on salary and credit history is accurate. Williams humorously described this type of loan as the banking industry's version of "don't ask, don't tell". While Williams and her husband were good credit risks, other people who received no-doc loans were not; thus created the housing crisis that tanked our economy.

For three long years, Williams and her husband looked at condos, co-ops and houses. They finally found a co-op they liked in a neighborhood that, although far from Brooklyn, had a big park, a grocery store, decent schools, and most importantly a nearby subway station. (Anyone who lives in New York understands how crucial that is.)

There is as much suspense as in a Stephen King novel as they wait for approval by the co-op board in a timely manner in order to get the low interest rate they need to afford the bank loan.

This is a timely book, as Williams shares her personal story of looking for the American dream of home ownership in the context of the beginning of the housing crisis. It is immensely readable, reading almost like a novel, and if you have ever bought a house, you will relate to her story.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

is the catchy title of Diana Joseph's book of essays about her life. Subtitled The Astonishing But True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man and Dog, Joseph recounts incidents from her life that made her the woman she is.

The book is an honest, funny and touching look at Diana's life. Her father, a man who preferred to be sans shirt most of the time, gave his twelve-year-old daughter some advice on boys: "Don't be a pig". Translation: Don't be a slut. She didn't take his advice, and frequently her choices in men were questionable.

She calls her now-teenage son 'the boy', and her description of raising a son mostly on her own reminded me of Anne LaMott's writing on the same topic. Single moms trying everyday to do their best, but struggling with not having enough money, exhaustion, depression and loneliness. She is not a martyr, just a human being.

Joseph is remarkably honest in her assessment of herself and others, and that is the strength of her book. She has the ability to see the good and bad that exists in all of us, and expresses that in her unique way.

The last essay of the book, 'Ten Million, At Least', is the most moving. Joseph lives with literature professor Al, a good guy who loves her and her boy. They love each other, but they also have their differences, which makes it difficult at times to cohabitate. If you don't tear up at the last two pages, you simply aren't human.

Diana Joseph has spent much of her life around men- her dad, her brothers, lovers, and her son- and that has colored the way she sees the world. Her book is an honest look at how a modern woman deals with bad habits, depression, sex, love, crummy jobs, poverty, pets, loneliness, rock and roll and family. It's humorous and moving, just like life. If you are a fan of David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, add Diana Joseph to your reading list.

Rating 4 of 5 stars

Love, Italian Style via Greenwich Village- with shoes!

Author Adriana Trigiani captured America's heart with her Big Stone Gap series of books. The town of Big Stone Gap was as important a character in the novels as its protagonist, Ave Maria.

Trigiani's first novel in her next planned trilogy, Very Valentine has as some of its most important characters not one, but two, settings- Greenwich Village in New York City and Italy.

Valentine Roncalli is a single thirty-something woman from an Italian family. She lives and works in Greenwich Village with her beloved grandmother Teodora Angelini at Angelini Shoes, which has been in the family since 1903. They design and create lovely custom shoes, many of which are worn by brides on their wedding day.

The humorous opening to the novel, at Valentine's baby sister's wedding, sets the tone for the joyous, loving, heartbreaking story to follow. Anyone who has ever attended an Italian wedding will recognize the characters, the food and the decor described. And if you have been a single woman at an Italian wedding, you will commiserate with Valentine's plight.

Trigiani lives in Greenwich Village, and brings to life this vibrant section of New York; from the breezy Hudson River Park to the Buonitalia bakery in Chelsea Market to cobblestone sidewalks to the newly established tiny restaurants run by the hottest new chefs, this is a place one must visit after reading this novel.

Valentine reluctantly opens her heart to Roman Falconi, a chef with a new restaurant in the Village. They both have demanding careers, working long hours to make their dreams come true, and they struggle to balance those demands with the loving relationship they want to create.

Teodora is a vibrant older woman, but she is not free from the restraints of aging. She discovers that her late husband mortgaged the business to keep it alive, but now the time has come to make a decision- sell the building to a broker who will give her enough money to retire comfortably, or try to keep a business going in an increasingly tough economy.

She takes Valentine to Italy on her annual trip to purchase stock for the shop. It is there, in that beautiful country, that Valentine learns something about her grandmother which helps her to see the situation in a new light.

Trigiani is a marvelous writer. She does her homework, and the reader learns, along with Valentine, how to design and build beautiful shoes. I'm not a shoe person, but this made me wonder what I am missing.

She paints a picture of Italy so gorgeous, it makes you want to hop a plane and move there, or at least visit for a month or so. The scenery, the people, the food, the romance, the Isle of Capri- it all sounds so delicious.

Her characters feel like people you know; I especially liked Valentine's mother and father. The family relationships are so real, you have to wonder if Trigiani's family members are reluctant to be in her presence for fear their words will end up in one of her books.

It feels like you are spying on real people when you read
Very Valentine. People struggling with finding and holding onto love, with balancing their career dreams and family, these are things with which we all struggle. If only we could all do it in the scenery that Adriana Trigiani lovingly paints in this funny, sweet, touching novel. I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books in Valentine's saga.

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Another tale of Irish immigration

Like Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, The Walking People, the debut novel from Mary Beth Keane, deals with the story of Irish immigrants. Whereas Brooklyn recounted a few years in the life of Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey, The Walking People looks at the total life experience of Michael and Greta Ward, who came to New York City in the early 1960's.

The prologue of the book opens in 2007, as we watch the last day at work for Michael Ward. He has been a sandhog, digging tunnels underground in New York City for 35 years. It has been a physically difficult job, he has suffered hearing loss, and was nearly killed in a bad accident years ago. Now it is loss of memory that he is battling.

The book begins in 1956, in Ballyroan, Ireland, a rural area bordering a river that has lost much of its population over the years. The Cahill family struggles to earn a meager living, and to avoid starvation, father James Cahill and his three sons illegally catch and sell salmon from the river.

Johanna and Greta Cahill are the sisters. Johanna is anxious to get to a bigger city to live, and eventually sets her sights on going to New York City when she meets a woman visiting Ballyroan from New York.

Greta is as shy as Johanna is determined, but eventually they make the trip overseas with Michael Ward, a young man who is a traveller, also known as gypsies.

The book started slow for me, recounting too much of their life in Ireland. While I did find the description of Irish life interesting, it went on too long for my taste. The book sparks to life when the three arrived in New York City and began to build their lives.

The author took great care in crafting characters that the reader cares about, particularly Greta. Keane's vividly describes Greta as looking like a goose-

Lily noticed Greta peering over at her, peering with that look she had so often, her features drawn together in a clump at the center of her face, her neck stuck out ahead of the rest of her body. Greta the Goose, as children often called her.

It's a strong visual that perfectly places Greta's character in the reader's mind.

She clearly did a great deal of research on the lives that immigrants led, and her description of life in 1960's New York City fascinated me. I could see all of the places she described in my mind, feel the heat of the summer, smell the ethnic food from the delis.

Part III of the book consists of letters that young Greta sends home to her mother, along with letters that Michael sends to his father. It is one of the strongest sections of the book, recounted in the first person, and brings the reader right into the minds of these young immigrants, trying to be strong for their family, but clearly missing them as well.

I enjoyed reading of Greta's job at Bloomingdales, and Keane gives the reader an intimate look at how people coming from another land with no money and few skills applicable to city life work to build a life for themselves and their children.

There is an aura of suspense as Michael, Greta and Johanna keep a secret from their family, one that is destined to have repercussions for a long time. At its core, this is a story of how people form a family, and the strength that it takes to come to a new country and build a life. Watching Greta grow from a scared little girl to a strong woman, working in a big city and raising a family with her husband, touched my heart. It is a wonderful read, and fans of Maeve Binchy and Alice McDermott will enjoy it.

Rating 4 of 5 stars
Thanks to BookBrowse.com for providing me with a copy of this book.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

As someone of Irish descent, I found Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, a fascinating look at how one young girl makes her way from her small town in Ireland to the big borough of Brooklyn.

Shy Eilis Lacey lives with her widowed mother and older sister Rose. Rose has a good job, supports her family, and has an active social life. Work is difficult to come by in the 1950's in Ireland, and Eilis works part-time as sales girl in a small grocers.

An opportunity in the form of Father Flood arises. He can arrange for Eilis to come to Brooklyn where he lives, she can find steady work, and go to college to get an accounting degree and a better life. Eilis fears leaving her mother and sister, but Rose convinces her it is for the best.

Leaving everyone she knows far behind, Father Flood arranges for Eilis to work at a department store by day, and attend college by night. She lives in Mrs. Kehoe's boardinghouse, along with several other single women. It is a lonely life for Eilis, and although she is successful as a shopgirl, she finds it tedious.

She concentrates on her studies, working hard to get good grades. On Friday evenings, she goes to the dance at Father Flood's church. There she meets Tony, a handsome plumber from a big Italian family. Tony pursues Eilis, and slowly, Eilis comes to care deeply for him.

Tony wants to marry Eilis, and they plan a future together. When Eilis gets bad news from Ireland, she returns home and finds that the life she left there still has a hold on her. Her dilemma grabs at the heart.

Toibin has been compared to Alice McDermott, and he mines the same territory to similar effect. The reader is immediately drawn into Eilis's life, and feels empathy for her. The reader feels the fear of leaving one's home, traveling overseas where you know no one, and trying to build a new life. Eilis's story is one that many of our ancestors lived, and her story feels authentic.

The characters are interesting, particularly Eilis and Tony. Toibin gets you to care deeply about these characters. The boardinghouse life, and the desire of immigrants to work hard to make a better life is explored with great skill by the author.

You won't easily forget Eilis, or her fascinating story. Rating: 4 of 5 stars








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BAM! Emeril LaGasse at Borders

Just saw Chef Emeril LaGasse at Borders Wall St. store in NYC. I was surprised that there weren't that many people there when I arrived an hour early, but he ended up with a good sized crowd by the time he started. It was just a signing, no discussion, so I just met Emeril, shook his hand and got my book signed. I would have enjoyed hearing him speak.

Celebrity Sighting of the Day

While walking in Central Park with my younger son, we saw Alexander Chaplin, who starred in Spin City with Michael J. Fox. He played James Hobert, the young aide to the mayor.

I would have taken a photo, but he was with his young daughter, and I didn't want to disturb them. I think he knew that we knew who he was, and was waiting for us to say something, but the moment passed. (Alexander is on the bottom left in the baseball hat)

Another Real Housewife of NYC

Bethenny Frankel, the best of the Real Housewives of NYC, made an appearance at Borders Columbus Circle on May 5th promoting her new book, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting.

She is skinny, but she is so funny you are willing to overlook that. It happened to be the night that the season finale of the show was set to air on BravoTV. She answered questions about her life, did her killer impression of her friend Jill (yes, they are still friends, even after the blowout at the charity party), and gave advice to those seeking to get into the food business.

She promoted her SkinnyGirl cocktails, set to go to market next month and is working on a cookbook as well.

Everybody there was on Team Bethenny, with some people suggesting that Kelly should be bounced from the show, but one gentleman seated next to me stated that he believed the rivalry between the two made good television, and Bethenny has clearly become the fan favorite in that battle.

The party for Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People was being held at the Time Warner Center, so we got to see some of the red carpet attendees- NBC News Andrea Mitchell, fashion designer Stella McCartney with Liv Tyler and Kate Hudson who both looked gorgeous, and JJ Abrams, creator of my favorite TV show, Lost. No Oprah or Michele Obama, though.

Just another night in NYC- special shout-out to Rick and Alex for keeping me company that evening.

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Garage Sale A Success

Thanks to all to came to our big garage sale this past weekend. We had to clean out the house, and sold lots of stuff. Sadly, I had to sell most of my books, but I know they went to people who love to read, and that makes me happy. I saw so many people who knew me from my Book Report column in the Citizen and from running the Book Bonanza. It was great to see everybody!

The Book Bonanza to benefit St. Joseph School was the recipient of the leftover books for the sale on the second weekend of July at the Fingerlakes Mall in Auburn. If you are spring cleaning and need to get rid of books, don't forget to drop them off at the mall for the sale.

Special thanks to Trish for bringing us a delicious lunch from Wegmans, and Mom for the tasty taco salad. It was so thoughtful, and we so appreciated it.