Off- Broadway- Talley's Folly

I've seen Danny Burstein in three Broadway shows: South Pacific, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Follies. He is talented and holds the stage whenever he is on it, and so I was excited to see him in the revival of Talley's Folly with Sarah Paulson.

It is a two person play, and Burstein is onstage the entire time. He gets to shine in an entirely new way, and his chemistry with Paulson (whom I loved in TV's American Horror Story: Asylum) is fantastic.

Set after WWII in a small Midwestern town, Burstein plays Matt, a Jewish man in love with Sally, a WASPy woman, whose family does not believe him to be suitable for her. (Yes, her name is Sally Talley.)

Matt meets Sally in her family's gazebo, where he does his best to convince her that they belong together. Over the course of the 97 minute play, he learns more about Sally's family and her past, and what happened to her that causes her to be so reticent, so unwilling to believe that she could be in love and loved.

It is such a romantic play, and the performances are lovely, heartfelt and honest. You can feel Burstein's love bursting out of his chest as he throws everything on the wall to get Sally to admit they should be together. Paulson runs the gamut from uptight and sarcastic to broken down as her own emotional walls come down.

Go see Roundabout Theatre Company's beautiful production of Talley's Folly, which has been extended through May 12th. Discount tickets are available, and it has been at the TKTS Booth as well.


Watch a video from the show here.


For more information, visit Roundabout Theatre's website here.

New in Paperback- Starting and Closing by John Smoltz

Starting And Closing: Perseverance, Faith & One More Year by John Smoltz with Don Yaeger

Published by William Morrow Paperbacks ISBN 97800662120564
Trade paperback, $14.99, 304 pages

Baseball season opened yesterday and if you want to read a terrific book about baseball, Starting and Closing is it.

John Smoltz is one of the best pitchers to ever play major league baseball. For over twenty years he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, chosen eight times for the All-Star team and winning the Cy Young Award for best pitcher in 1996.

He pitched in the starting rotation for fourteen years when an injury caused him to move to the bullpen and become a relief pitcher. After three years in the bullpen, he asked to rejoin the starting rotation. Many people, particularly in the sports media, asked him why he did this. His response: Why not?

Smoltz begins the book with three things people need to know about him:

1. All he ever wanted to do was win

2. He's not afraid to fail

3. He never did anything in his baseball career just to set a record, or to be able to say that no one else has done what he has done

Smoltz lived in Michigan, and his grandfather worked at the Detroit Tigers stadium. Young John grew up going to Tigers games, and he loved the Tigers. He was thrilled to be drafted by his hometown Tigers to play baseball, and disappointed when they soon traded him to the Atlanta Braves.

His disappointed turned to happiness when he realized that the Braves were willing to work with him, that they valued their young players and worked hard to make him a successful pitcher. (The Braves are  known for their excellent farm system.)

Injuries plagued Smoltz throughout his career, and he pushed his body through the pain, hoping to avoid Tommy John surgery, which could end his baseball career. He eventually had the surgery, but with his amazing work ethic, he began a grueling rehab program and came back to pitch again, although as a closer.

As a person who worked best with a steady routine, Smoltz found it difficult to get used to the unpredictability of being a reliever. As a starter, he knew which day he would pitch, so his mind was set. He could play his favorite hobby, golf, on his off-days. He said that "by going to the bullpen, I sacrificed two things that really helped me tick: knowing what was coming and feeling like I was in control."

Besides baseball, two other things motivated Smoltz: golf and being a born-again Christian. He described the moment he knew that his relationship with God had to change, and how his life changed for the better because of it. He soon became a popular speaker at 'baseball church' gatherings, and later founded a Christian school in an Atlanta suburb.

Now that he is retired, Smoltz has set his sights on joining the Champions Tour in golf , and Tiger Woods has said that publicly that Smoltz is the best amateur golfer he has seen. Smoltz frequently played golf with his pitching teammates, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, and you can feel the joy on the pages where describes their bonding over golf.

Smoltz was not re-signed by the Braves after twenty years, and he joined the Boston Red Sox for a final season. He describes the sadness he felt at leaving the team he helped to bring to 14 post-season playoffs, although with only one World Series title. I found his analysis of the toll that pitching in so many consecutive post-seasons took interesting, and I have to say it never occurred to me how damaging it could be.

Boston was a disaster, and Smoltz was happy to be picked by up the St. Louis Cardinals after the Red Sox released him halfway through the season. He was happy to be able to contribute to the Cardinals playoff run, but wistfully says that he wished he could have ended his career in Atlanta.

Starting & Closing is not your typical sports memoir; Smoltz really concentrates on his last season, sprinkling little parts of his life throughout. You get a real feel for what makes this intriguing man tick, why he was so successful in baseball although plagued with injuries, and how his changed relationship with God made him a better man and a better pitcher.

rating 4 of 5

New in Paperback- The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

Published by Scribner ISBN 9781451681758

Trade paperback, $16, 384 pages

One of Oprah's first book club picks was Jacqueline Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean, about a woman whose young son disappeared from a crowded store. Over ten years later, the boy is discovered living with another family and returned to his home.

M.L. Stedman's book, The Light Between Oceans not only shares the word 'ocean' in its title, but the storyline shows the flip side of Mitchard's book. In Stedman's book, a young couple lives on a remote lighthouse island in Australia in the years following WWI. Tom is a war veteran, Isabel is a young woman who lost two brothers to the war.

They have tried to have a baby, but Isabel has miscarried three times and after the last loss has been inconsolable. When a boat washes ashore with a dead man and live baby, Isabel convinces Tom not to report the incident, but to keep the baby girl and pass her off as their own.

Tom is torn between his conscience, his duty and his love for his wife. He has taken her from her family and community and brought her to this desolate place, and he cannot stand to see her so sad. He fears for her sanity.

The baby girl, whom they call Lucy which comes from the Latin word for light, is the light of their lives. Tom is enchanted by the baby, and so thrilled to see his wife happy. Yet keeping this secret gnaws at him, as secrets always do.

The second half of the book revolves around the consequences of the secret being revealed. Stedman has written an amazing debut novel, which puts the reader square in the middle of this situation. You can't help but think as you read, 'what would I do in Tom and Isabel's shoes?'

Much like Jodi Picoult's books, Stedman allows the reader to see both sides, and you like and understand the characters even when you disagree with their actions. Her characters are drawn out through passages like these:

"But he's scarred all the same, having to live in the same skin as the man who did the things that needed to be done back then. He carries that other shadow which is cast inward."

and "It occurs to him that there different versions of himself to farewell- the abandoned eight-year-old, the delusional soldier who hovered somewhere in hell; the lightkeeper who dared to leave his heart undefended. Like Russian dolls, these dolls nested within him."

The author does a wonderful job making the reader feel the desolation of living at the lighthouse alone.

"Tom can go for months and not hear his own voice. He knows some keepers who make a point of singing, just like turning over an engine to make sure it still works. But Tom finds a different freedom in the silence. He listens to the wind. He observes the tine details of life on the island."

The book really comes alive when baby Lucy is introduced into the story. The early chapters deal with Tom's life, and his work at the lighthouse. I heard Stedman speak at a reading and she spoke of the great deal of research she did for this novel, which clearly shows in this remarkable debut, which has received much critical praise, being chosen as an Amazon Best Book of August 2012.

The Light Between Oceans transports you to a different time and place yet asks you a universal question- what would you do for someone you loved?

rating 5 of 5

You'll like this if you liked The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

The Scribner website has an excerpt of the book here.

Living Well With Chronic Illness by Richard Cheu

Living Well With Chronic Illness by Richard Cheu
Published by Dog Ear Publishing ISBN 978-1-4575-1343-5
Trade paperback, $16.95, 214 pages

Chronic illness is something that will touch each of us in some way, whether it is something that we face ourselves or watching someone whom we love deal with it. Author Richard Cheu has extensive experience dealing with this as a neurophysiologist teaching medical students, an EMT working the streets of New York City, and a chaplain working in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice facilities, and he uses those experiences to help people deal with chronic illness in his helpful book Living Well With Chronic Illness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide.

Cheu sets out to guide people coping with the stages of illness, from the initial shock "to overcoming emotional hurdles that stand between you and your goals" to "finding new meaning for your life", and his extensive experience is invaluable in this journey.

The layout of the book is wonderful; he gives examples of people he has met, like Joan and Jack, two tourists he met in an NYC emergency room. Joan had stomach pain and thought it was food poisoning. Cheu was with them when the doctor came in and brusquely told her she had stomach cancer. In one moment, their lives were turned upside down, and their reaction is one people who have dealt with this will recognize.

Cheu tells Sharon's story, a woman with breast cancer who refused to allow her friends and family see her in the hospital, saying that they could see her when she looked and felt better. She died and her parents and siblings were not allowed to say goodbye to her. She wouldn't even allow her husband to tell her what she meant to him.

He contrasts that with Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor and author of The Last Lecture, who when told he only had a few months to live, delivered a lecture that he wanted to be his legacy. He shared the life lessons he learned to not only his students and his young children, but to all who read his insightful book.

The book is divided into four parts:

• The Personal Impact of a Chronic Illness
• Overcoming Emotional Hurdles
• Finding New Meaning in Life
• Free Your Spirit

Along with the examples that we can identify with, Cheu has worksheets in the book that will help you deal with your illness. There is a Self-Help Fear-Management Plan, A Plan to Increase My Connections that will help you deal with loneliness, and a Worksheet For Creating Your Own Life Story, to tell your  life's journey for those you leave behind.

Living Well With Chronic Illness is not only a helpful guide for those who find themselves dealing with it, but also for those who love and care for people with chronic illness. Even if you don't face a chronic illness, the insights you will draw from this wonderful book will help you live an emotionally healthier life.

rating 4 of 5

Richard Cheu's website is here.
You can follow Cheu on Twitter here.

Weekend Cooking- Great Food in Providence

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

We visited my husband's youngest sister and her family this past week in Providence, Rhode Island. It was a lovely visit, we don't get to see the kids very often in their own home and we all had so much fun.

After a delicious Passover meal where Necole made a brisket that was so tender it melted in your mouth and a matzoh ball soup that was the best I have ever had, the ladies had an evening out.

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, was in conversation at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Tuesday with Al Forno restaurant owner Johanne Kileen, so Necole, her sister Brigette (the best cook in the family) and I went to see her. (More on that in next week's Weekend Cooking.)

First we had one of the best meals I have ever had anywhere at Bacaro. From the appetizer to dessert, everything was amazing. We shared a Pizza with Prosciutto di Parma and Arugula that was had just the perfect crispy texture. It was delicious.

Pizza with Prosciutto & Argula

There were so many fabulous entrees from which to choose, and since Necole raved about the Pasta Con I Funghi, I took her suggestion and boy was I glad I did. This was one of the best pasta dishes I ever had anywhere, including our trip to Rome. It started with tagliatelle, topped with butter, parmiggiano- reggiano, mushrooms and a truflfed-scented egg. Once you break that egg and mix it in with the pasta, oh my goodness, it was heavenly.

Pasta Con I Funghi

From their extensive dessert menu filled with unique dishes,  I chose the Bella's Citrus Bombolini, a plate of mini-doughnuts filled with orange curd and topped with caramel. I reluctantly shared them with the ladies (if they weren't my sisters, I probably wouldn't have), but man I am still dreaming about them. We also shared the Salted Chocolate Carmel Tart and the Olive Oil Cake with Rosemary Anglaise & Whipped Cream. The Olive Oil Cake was a close second in our humble opinions.

Bombolini

The next day we headed to Nick's On Broadway for breakfast. It's a popular restaurant, and I loved the design. You walk into the narrow bar area, where you can see the open kitchen from the bar. Behind the bar is the small restaurant, where you can see the chefs cooking your meal from every seat. I loved the clean, open lines and stainless steel.

Nick's kitchen

We ordered lots of dishes to share, but there were two big winners. Nick's prides itself on using local fresh ingredients, and the Baked Geer Farm corn + Vermont cheddar polenta with two eggs, baby spinach and Parmesan cheese was fabulous. The polenta was served as two rectangles, seasoned perfectly and the texture was just right. 

Eggs on polenta

They also served a special that day with eggs and a pork hash, along with two crispy biscuits that was very tasty, as was French toast, sausage, chicken sausage and rosemary ham. You really can't go wrong with anything you get there, and it all tasted so fresh.

So if you find yourself in Providence, I highly recommend Baccaro for drinks and dinner and Nick's On Broadway for breakfast or lunch. You will not be disappointed. 

Bacaro's website is here.

Nick's On Broadway is here.

If you've been to Providence, I'd love to hear about your favorite restaurants in the comments section.

I Can't Complain by Elinor Lipman

I Can't Complain by Elinor Lipman
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 978-054757620X
Hardcover, $20, 161 pages

I've read a few of Elinor Lipman's novels, but had not read any of her essays. Some have previously appeared in magazines (Good Housekeeping) and newspapers (she had a regular column in the Boston Globe), but all were new to me.

Lipman shares stories from her childhood, where her father always listened to her and her sister, an appreciative audience for their anecdotes. He was an avid reader who introduced his daughter to humorists like Max Schulman. Her mother was "dainty and fussy" and could not abide any condiments, could not even be around them. Lipman grew up without ketchup, mayonnaise, Worchestershire sauce.

She writes lovingly about her husband Bob, with whom she shares no common hobbies or interests and likes it that way. She sees no need to play golf or Jet Ski with him. I love that she said if she were a matchmaker, her important questions would include Do you want children? How far ahead of your flight do get to the airport? Are you willing to leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight? She thinks these are more important predictors of compatibility than shared hobbies and I so agree.

I loved her essay, "My Soap Opera Journal", tracing her life's moments through her soap opera viewing habits because I could relate to it. I go to a lot of author events, and her essay on things that have gone wrong at author events had me chuckling.
I also enjoyed "Ego Boundaries" about her and Bob's clashing fashion styles; he is "a sharp dresser with an impeccable eye" and she is, well, not so much.

One of the last essays is a heartfelt one about Bob and the devastating illness he faced. It is a testament to Lipman's brilliant writing that in this slim volume of essays I got to know Bob so well, it felt like I was losing a dear friend too. How she and her son Ben dealt with this illness is honest and heartfelt.

The back of the book compares Lipman's essays to Nora Ephron and Anna Quindlen, both of whom I love, so it is no wonder that I enjoyed "I Can't Complain" so much. It's a great gift to give a girlfriend of a certain age.

rating 4 of 5

By the way, Lipman has a lovely, unique looking website here.

Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason

Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
Published by Gallery Books ISBN 9781451685039
Hardcover, $24.99, 320 pages

Jamie Mason's debut novel, Three Graves Full, has a doozy of an  opening line:

"There is very little peace for a man with a body buried in the backyard."

How can one resist reading onward? Jason Getty killed a man and buried his body in the backyard. But that is not the immediate problem. The landscaping crew that Getty hired to put plants in his front yard found a dead body, and it's not the one that Getty buried.

The police arrive and they find a second body buried in the front yard; again, not the one that Getty buried. Getty starts to panic, and like a cross between an Edgar Allen Poe story and a Cohen brothers movie, this novel turns the screws tighter.

The detectives find a bloody purse inside one of the walls, belonging to the woman who used to live in Getty's house: she is one of the dead bodies. The other body belonged to a guy who had been missing for a few years. Using a luminol light, they show Getty where the crime took place in the master bedroom. But there is also blood in the living room, where Getty killed a man who tormented and bullied him.

Getty is a quiet, lonely guy since his wife died. He's never been in trouble, never been violent. He meets a man who starts showing up unannounced at Getty's home, barging his way into Getty's life. This guy is bad news, a punk thief who eventually steals not only from Getty, but keeps evidence framing Getty for a robbery at his former father-in-law's mansion.

Getty panics, believing he needs to move his dead body before the police find that one too. More people get involved in the story: the two detectives, the dead man in the front yard's fiancee, the man who killed the two people in the front yard and pretty soon you are racing through the pages to see just how this thing ends.

Mason writes beautifully, as in this sentence about Getty staying close to home after his wife died.

"Ultimately, it would have been better for Jason to have undone, rather than simply lengthen, the apron strings to his original hometown."

There is a lot of action here- chase scenes, fight scenes- and all of it had me biting my nails to the quick. Only one thing struck a false note. There is a terrific fight scene at Getty's house, where there are chairs overturned, and a door is smashed in, but when a detective goes to the home, he fails to see the broken door or the trashed living room. An experienced cop would have seen the broken door before he went in. Maybe I'm being too picky.

Three Graves Full takes an average guy who makes a bad decision and has to extricate his way out, all the while digging himself a bigger hole. Mason kept my attention as I wondered what would happen to Getty, and her ending was a satisfying one indeed. She is an exciting new voice in suspense novels.

rating 4 of 5

Jamie Mason's website is here.

Superb Harper memoir takes readers inside the life of 'Rhoda' : Diane Larue

My review of Valerie Harper's memoir I, Rhoda from my monthly Book Report  column in the Citizen.

Superb Harper memoir takes readers inside the life of 'Rhoda' : Diane Larue

My review of Valerie Harper's Broadway show Looped is here:

Weekend Cooking- Tea at the Plaza

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

My in-laws came to town this weekend, so we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday a few weeks late. She wanted to go to tea at the Plaza, and since I've never done that, I was excited to go with her.

Tea at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel is an event. The room is so open and bright, with lots of palm plants and flowers. We were seated at the perfect table to people-watch. There were many people there with young children, some of them celebrating birthdays. One adorable girl was celebrating her first birthday, imagine her looking at those photos when she is older!

The Palm Court at the Plaza (from their website)

I ordered the Fitzgerald Tea for the Ages, an homage to the fact that scenes from The Great Gatsby were set there, and that Scott and Zelda were patrons of the Plaza Hotel. The bottom tier held Curried Lobster Salad, Deviled Quail Egg Salad, Smoked Salmon, and a Cucumber Sandwich. The Deviled Egg was my favorite.

The second tier had two delicious scones, served with lemon curd, raspberry preserves and Devonshire cream. They were heavenly, so light and airy and the preserves were addictive.

The top tier held tasty sweets, including a chocolate bon-bon, and a fudgy marshmallow square that were the highlights.

The Fitzgerald Tea for the Ages

My mother-in-law ordered the Chocolate Tea, which had a chocolate fondue served with fruit, homemade marshmallows (that were so good and I don't like marshmallows) and a spongecake that was very light. She especially loved the Chocolate Mousse on the top tier.

The Chocolate Tea

Neither one of us are big tea drinkers, so I took a chance and ordered us a pot of Organic Egyptian Chamomile. It was perfect; so light and with a touch of fruitiness. We finished one pot and had another. If you ever find yourselves at the Plaza for tea, I highly recommend this one. (And if you go, call me, I'll meet you there!)

It was a lovely afternoon, very relaxing and a great place to meet up with someone and have a long chat. 

The Palm Court website is here.

With or Without You by Domenica Ruta

With Or Without You by Domenica Ruta
Published by Spiegel & Grau ISBN 978-0812993240
Hardcover, $26, 224 pages

Memoirs about people growing up in tough family situations are abundant. I just reviewed Jeanette Winterson's poetic Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?, and Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle is a book I reviewed and recommended to many people over the past few years.

Domenica Ruta's With Or Without You is a searing, honest look at her life growing up with a mother who was an alcoholic and drug addict, and wanted her daughter to have the same life. Her mother kept Domenica home from school to watch classic movies; she felt this was a better education for her daughter.

The book opens with the mother, Kathleen, taking her young daughter along while she bashed in the windshield of romantic rival's car. The destruction she placed upon that woman's car is a metaphor for the destruction she would wreak upon her daughter's life.

Like Winsterson, literature and books became a savior for Domenica.

"Reading seemed to be a skill I'd somehow picked up on my own. In an extended family where people stumbled- and stumbled proudly- over three-syllable words, such a drooling little fiend for literature was endearing to no one. (It should be noted that even the most illiterate of my clan knew their way around a food stamp application, a subpoena, and a workman's compensation claim. We were nothing if not adroit at manipulating the system.)"

As she grew up, her mother did her best to lure Domenica into her drug-addicted lifestyle. Domenica did her best to avoid it, but eventually she succumbed. She believed that going to college and getting away from her mother would save her. If only her mother didn't send care packages of drugs to college with her.

Domenica writes honestly of her struggles with alcohol, drugs and her inability to have a romantic relationship. She runs away to Texas believing that only distance from her mother can save her. But her mother calls constantly, begging for money, pushing the guilt, harassing her daughter until the only thing Domenica can do is cut off all ties to her mother.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter where she worked as a recreation aide in a nursing home. She felt comfortable with those people, more at home with them than with her younger friends. She writes lovingly of a man named Saul who has lost his wife of sixty years, who became her compatriot.

With Or Without You will hit home with anyone who has had addiction issues or lived with anyone with addiction issues. Domenica Ruta writes with a clear-eyed honesty, which is remarkable considering how drunk and drugged up she was at times. Her decision to cut ties with the woman who gave her life and raised her probably saved her life, but is heartbreaking for her nonetheless. We don't know at the end whether Domenica will make it, but her journey is unforgettable.

rating 4 of 5

Domenica Ruta's website is here.
My review of Jeanette Winterson's Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?  is here.

Harlan Coben at Barnes & Noble

Harlan Coben at Barnes & Noble

Going to see author Harlan Coben speak is like going to a neighborhood party and hanging out in the corner with the funniest guy on the block. Although he has authored 24 books, he is the down-to-earth guy you'd see shooting hoops in the driveway on your way to the grocery store.

He started out the evening promising to keep it short so we could all go home to watch the new reality show, Splash. This show that has such 'celebrities' as Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and comedian Louis Anderson in a diving competition was comedic fodder for much of Coben's night.

Coben's newest novel is Six Years, a stand-alone mystery (he authors the popular Myron Bolitar series) about a man who six years ago watched the only woman he ever loved marry another man. He recently saw that the man died and while attending the man's funeral, sees that the widow is not his ex-love. And the widow was married to the deceased man for twenty years. How is this possible?

Many people ask where Coben gets his ideas, and he replies with "what if?" For this novel, he was listening to his mellow playlist on Spotify, and he heard a heartbreaking song about a man who watches his love marry another man.

He talked about going to art fair and seeing a painting by an artist that he just had to have. He made the woman in the novel an artist and the painting he bought plays a big part in solving the novel's mystery. The actual artist was in the audience, and Coben pointed her out.

Coben jokes that he became a writer because he is so unqualified to hold an actual job. He talked about the hardest part of writing, which to just actually sit down and write something. Stop daydreaming and wondering why Burger King doesn't sell Mountain Dew or try to remember the name of the dog on Petticoat Junction. (Answer- the dog was called simply "Dog")

Not a big fan of research, Coben claims that it takes time from the actual writing, it is an excuse not to write. He believes that when you do too much research, you feel it necessary to add things to the book that slow down the plot.

Writing is three things according to Coben- "inspiration, perspiration, and desperation". He also said that the insecurity about the next book being a success never goes away. Every good writer wonders if this book is any good, even if they have sold millions of books. He claims that "only bad writers think they're good."

Six Years looks like another winner from Coben, and on the day of publication it was announced that Paramount Pictures bought the movie rights and Hugh Jackman is attached to star in it. (Yay!)

I always have to prepare to read a Harlan Coben book. I have start early enough in the day so I am not up until 3am finishing it in one sitting, as has happened more a few times in the past. I'll post a review when I finish.

Harlan Coben's website is here.

Pigeon in a Crosswalk by Jack Gray

Pigeon in a Crosswalk by Jack Gray
Published by Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-1-4516-4134-9
Hardcover, $22, 205 pages

Jack Gray is a producer on Anderson Cooper's AC 360 show on CNN, but many people know him from his humorous Twitter account. He has over one million followers, most of whom he says are "scammers or from Malaysia. I'm big in Malaysia."

He also writes the 360 blog online and his boss Anderson Cooper and others convinced him that he should write a book. So he did, and the result is the charming, sweet and hilarious Pigeon in a Crosswalk: Tales of Anxiety and Accidental Glamour.

Gray calls the book a collection of essays rather than a memoir, and I agree with that characterization. He starts the book describing his start in the news business as a ten-year-old- running BNN, a fake news network out of his grandparents' home. He had serious labor issues with his eight-year-old sister, but his experience there started his love of TV news which exist to this day.

He writes lovingly and humorously of his family, especially both sets of his grandparents, with whom he spent a lot of time. He has Greek grandparents on one side, so his descriptions of holiday dinners will ring familiar to anyone who has seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

On the other side were his WASPy grandparents, who loved him just as much, but were a little less ebullient about it. I adore that he writes of his family with such warmth.

Gray worked his way up the ladder, working at a cable news station in Boston, where he wrangled Benazir Bhutto into a live interview. He then worked with Boston TV news legend Chet Curtis, where he managed to get an at-home interview with Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer. Gray succeeded because he was not afraid to try.

He is naturally funny, and just about every page has something you will laugh out loud at. When he got a job at CNN after he wisely turned down an interview for a job with Glenn Beck (yikes!), he has a few great stories about skulking around trying to meet famous people in the green room.

Gray is obsessed by The Golden Girls, and when Betty White was doing The Joy Behar Show, he knew this might be his only chance. He ratchets up the tension as he hides in the hall, planning his moment, dodging security and hoping to get a photo with his idol. You'll have to read the book to find out if he succeeded.

(People who were nice to him- Maria Shriver, Elizabeth Edwards, Robert Redford. People who were not so nice-Barney Frank and Johnny Weir.)

Through his work with Anderson Cooper, Gray became friends with actress/comedienne Kathy Griffin. The chapter on his adventures with Griffin, trying to prevent her from swearing and/or stripping during CNN's New Year's Eve show with Cooper, wandering NYC in the wee hours of the morning looking for doughnuts, staying with Griffin in her fancy LA home and hanging with Maggie, Griffin's mother are laugh-out-loud funny.

This book is for people who liked Justin Halpern's S#*t My Dad Says and Andy Cohen's Most Talkative.  It brings the funny, like those books do, and yet is grounded in a sweetness. If you are offended by cursing though, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for a good laugh, buy this book now.

rating 4 of 5

I saw Anderson Cooper interviewing Jack Gray about the book and my post on that is here.

Weekend Cooking- St. Patrick's Day

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

My mother's family is Irish- the Brady clan- and so we always look forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day. When I was younger, it was going to Tinker's at 9am and drinking green beer all day or until you could no longer drink. Thank goodness I gave that up.

After I got married and had two boys, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day a little differently. We'd have my family over for the day and I would cook a big dinner. We always had corned beef boiling on the stove,  one of my older son's favorites. I'd throw in a couple of heads of cabbage, which he also enjoyed. (Me, I can live without that.)

I also make a version of colcannon potatoes- mashed potatoes with chopped scallions and tons of melted butter poured into a well in the middle of the potatoes. I can't remember where I got the recipe for that one, but we don't make it with the traditional cabbage.

Dessert is the perfect ending to the meal. This recipe for Irish Bread Pudding I found in Cooking Light magazine years ago, and no  matter how much I make of it, it is never enough. It really is one of our favorite desserts of all-time and so easy to make. (And the Caramel Whiskey Sauce is heavenly!) I found the recipe and pinned it here.

Source: myrecipes.com viaDiane on Pinterest

In searching Pinterest, I found this recipe for Pistachio St. Patrick's Day Bread and I think it will make an appearance at this year's St. Patrick's Day celebration. It's from Better Than Burgers.

Source: blog.betterthanburgers.net viaDiane on Pinterest

So enjoy the holiday, don't overdo the green beer and I'd love to hear about what special dishes you make for St. Patrick's Day in the comments section. Slainte!

New in Paperback- Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeannette Winterson

Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
Published by Grove Press ISBN 9780802120878
Trade paperback, $15, 240 pages

Jeanette Winterson wrote a critically acclaimed novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, loosely based on her life growing up in a Northern England industrial town. Her memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?, is the non-fiction version of that story.

The looming figure in both books is Winterson's adopted mother, who is always referred to in the book as Mrs. Winterson. Her parents were Pentecostal and her mother raised Jeanette to become a missionary.  Mrs. Winterson was abusive, frequently locking Jeanette out of the house overnight, leaving her to freeze on the porch steps.

During those long nights, it was books that saved young Jeanette. That was where she fell in love with language and books, and where she found truth, beauty and security in her lonely existence. Books saved her sanity and her life.

Mrs. Winterson spent much of her time at church meetings, and was always angry and disappointed in Jeanette. At the age of sixteen, Jeanette told her mother that she was in love with a woman and Mrs. Winterson uttered the phrase that became the book's title, "Why be happy when you can be normal?".

The fact that she was adopted affected her as well. Her mother wanted a boy and she finds some papers in her mother's things that confuse her. As expected, the confrontation with Mrs. Winterson about this does not go well.

Jeanette decided to try and find her birth mother and that journey is interesting. She searches long and hard and eventually finds her mother, although her own reaction to meeting her mother is much more complicated than she imagines.

Winterson's memoir, with its poetic language, gives hope to people who feel that they are different from everyone else around them, that life is too difficult. It can help them to find their own voice as she found hers. One of the passages I marked is this one:

"A tough life needs a tough language- and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers- a language powerful enough to say how it is. It isn't a hiding place. It is a finding place."

Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? is a beautiful finding place for those who feel lost too.

rating 4 of 5

New in Paperback- The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier

Published by Broadway ISBN 9780307887825

Trade paperback, $14, 336 pages

A beautiful story about how well you think you know your friends. Kate moved away from her best friend Elizabeth a few years ago. When Elizabeth dies tragically in a plane crash, she leaves her journals to Kate, with no instructions on what to do with them. Elizabeth's husband is uneasy about this, he thinks he should have the journals.

Kate discovers that Elizabeth has journals back to her teen years. She starts reading at the beginning, and is shocked to discover many things she didn't know about Elizabeth. She never knew Elizabeth had a younger sister who died as a child. Her look into Elizabeth's life reveals an entirely different woman than Kate knew. I liked the author's message that we really don't know the people we think are closest to us. Everyone keeps secrets, and has hidden feelings that are kept from friends, and yes, even a spouse.

We get to read some of the journal entries, and through them, we get to know Elizabeth.  She not only hid her feelings, she was also hiding the real reason that she was taking that fateful trip. Kate is determined to get to the truth, but once she finds it, should she share it with Elizabeth's husband? What if Elizabeth was having an affair? There was an interior life that Elizabeth led about which Kate had no idea. She was Elizabeth's best friend and she feels that maybe she failed her friend.

Kate is also on her own journey. She was a successful pastry chef, winning a James Beard Award. She and her husband have two young children, and Kate has an amazing offer to work for a new restaurant. She is torn between her passion for her work and her love for her family. It's a tough decision women face and I think that many women will really relate to Kate's dilemma.

The characters in this novel got under my skin, and the conceit of using Elizabeth's journals to get to know her character is an effective, emotional one. The relationship between Kate and her husband was well done too; it was believable, and you felt like they could be your neighbors. This beautiful story will make you think about your life, your friends, and your marriage.

rating 4 of 5

I wrote about The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. in a Weekend Cooking post here.

Nichole Bernier's website is here.

Weekend Cooking- My Week in Food

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

This week's Weekend Cooking post is a review of My Week in Food.

My husband had business in Albany so we got to see our younger son who is in graduate school there. Our son took us to DiBella's Submarine Shop for lunch. Anyone who enjoys Wegman's subs knows about DiBella's. Wegmans bought DiBella's recipes and techniques when they decided to open up their own sub shops in their stores, and it was a good decision. I had the Old Fashioned and my son recommended the everything roll (like an everything bagel). That roll was the best bread I've ever had in a sandwich shop. It was definitely a hit in my book. There are 31 locations and if you run across one in your travels, I highly recommend them. Their website is here.

We had dinner with friends at Creo' Restaurant in Albany. It is a wonderfully warm restaurant, lots of wood and deep, rich colors. They have a large bar area and a huge dining room that overlooks the kitchen that runs along the back wall. We're not used to seeing such a big restaurant after eating in NYC. I had a tasty ravioli dish, with mushrooms, kale, cippolini, kale, and parmesan in a cream and truffle oil sauce. The food was good, and the company even better.

I made a Trader Joe's run last week and found a new snack that is very dangerous- Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels. They hit all of my flavor points and if you are not careful, you will look down and find that you ate almost half of the bag in one sitting. (Not that I know anything about that.) 

I attended a taping of Katie Couric's show this week with a friend, and we treated ourselves to lunch at The Porter House in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. They have a lovely $25 pre-fixe lunch, and I had a huge Caesar salad, petite filet mignon with whipped potatoes and raspberry and passionfruit sorbet, all for $25. It was a great deal, and the service was impeccable. They also have a lovely view overlooking Central Park.

We had a few good meals at home this week too. From Katie Lee Joel's The Comfort Table, I made a quick and tasty dish- Crispy Oven-Roasted Chicken With Roasted Garlic, Pancetta and Rosemary. It takes longer to type the name than make this juicy dish. The recipe is on her website here. 

Katie Lee's Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken

 Finally, on Thursday I paired an old favorite recipe- Wegman's Beer & Cheddar Cheese Soup with Bobby Flay's Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad. My husband doesn't like arugula though, so I substituted red leaf lettuce instead. I halved the soup recipe, which sometimes doesn't translate too well, but this time it worked. Bobby made this recipe on the Today Show, so I included the video here.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Beer & Cheddar Cheese Soup recipe is here.

What was your Week in Food like? Let me know in the comments section.

New in Paperback- The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
Published by Berkley Trade ISBN 9780425261255
Trade paperback, $16, 480 pages

If you were a fan of TV's NYPD Blue, and you like historical fiction then Lyndsay Faye's novel The Gods of Gotham is for you. Set in 1945, it tells the story of the origins of the NYPD through the story of Timothy Wilde. (If Andy Sipowicz were around in 1845, he'd fit right in.)

Tim is genial bartender who knows everyone in the neighborhood.  He is seriously injured in a fire, and after recuperating, his brother Val gets him a job in the newly formed New York Police Department, called "the copper stars" after the copper badges they carry. Hence, the slang "copper" for police.

Tim is none too pleased with his job. Cops are looked upon with suspicion by the general public, and he is assigned to the worse section of the city, the slums in Five Points. Not to mention that he is in great pain from his burns.

One night he runs into a small girl covered in blood. She is too traumatized to tell him what happened, so he takes her to his apartment where his landlady helps to care for the girl. She tells Tim that there are several bodies of young children buried in the woods; a serial killer is on the loose.

Gods of Gotham drops the reader right smack into the middle of 1845 New York City, with interesting characters trying to solve a crackling good murder mystery. We meet a doctor who uses early forensic methods to determine how and who killed these children,  a priest whose church is the site of a horrible murder and a young female charity worker named Mercy who is a romantic interest for Tim.

The writing evokes sensory reactions in the reader. We can smell the rot of the slums and feel the shame of the daily taunts and slights that the Irish immigrants are subjected to as they try to assimilate and make lives for themselves and their families.

The Irish became 'coppers' because it was not thought to be a respectable job, and therefore no decent man would want to do it. Through the NYPD, the Irish gained a foothold politically, and the corruption that follows is a theme in this fascinating novel.

I liked the character development; Tim and his brother Val's relationship is particularly well done. The plot is well-paced and although I do not like blood and gore, what is here is essential to the story and not overdone. One particularly memorable scene involves a mother and her baby that is so very sad, it made my heart ache.

The attention to historical detail is impeccable. I could study the map of 1845 New York City on the inside cover for hours, and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter are interesting as well.

Fans of historical literary murder mysteries, like Caleb Carr's The Alienist, will love Gods of Gotham. I'm not the only one who feels this way; Faye was nominated for a 2012 Edgar Award for this enthralling mystery. And I was not surprised to find that this book was originally published by Amy Einhorn; she always finds the good ones.


rating 4 of 5