tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61335562012-01-09T08:45:09.630-08:00elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.comBlogger2301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-14682847484835750822012-01-09T08:39:00.000-08:002012-01-09T08:45:09.649-08:00

I grew up on Robert McCloskey. My daughter is now. The other day we were picking some legos up and dropping them into the tub. She listened to the sound and said "plink, plonk! Lets make something with blueberries!"So I was delighted to see his daughter Jane's memoir Robert McCloskey: A private life in words and pictures. The book is told from her point of view growing up with a very private

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-86653182566872642252011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:002011-11-29T07:02:41.385-08:00

Gully Wells grew up in a world of the intellectual elite of England, but the adults in her life lived by their own rules. Her mother was a volatile brilliant woman with a witty and razor sharp tongue. Her father a career diplomat. Her step-father, a charming, noted Oxford professor and serial philanderer. The house in France was a dilapidated summer home for her family and their circle of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-20216267775200847092011-10-24T07:09:00.000-07:002011-10-24T07:16:43.349-07:00

I find the Tuscan area of Italy fascinating. Perhaps being born in Vicenza courtesy of the army created those ties. So I read all the memoirs of expats in Italy. Tuscan Holiday by Holly Chamberlin is my first Tuscan novel.The holiday is taken by a mother and daughter after the daughter's graduation from college and before her marriage to control freak Jotham. The book explores the two's

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-77754110152591380522011-10-10T08:47:00.001-07:002011-10-10T08:51:34.536-07:00

I am a huge fan of Judi Dench, the actress. Her memoir and furthermore not so much. The book focuses pretty closely on her work and all the people she acted with. I must admit that I didn't finish it. I wouldn't want all the dirty secrets of her life, but felt this was a bit too removed for me. I will say that her insights on performance would be very interesting to someone studying theatre

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-68778869528447693412011-10-10T08:43:00.000-07:002011-10-10T08:47:12.346-07:00

As something of a nerd myself, Simon Pegg and I have a lot in common. An obsession with the original three Star Wars films, etc. Pegg is best known in the states for his films like Shaun of the Dead. Pegg didn't really want to write about his personal life and so this memoir looks at his career and a bit about his personal life. The memoir is interspersed with a comic Bond like story

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-38332935139630424762011-09-23T07:39:00.001-07:002011-09-23T07:44:57.794-07:00

At a recent workshop I lead on the cozy mystery, one lady declared to the group - "I'm cozy to the core!" Well how can you not take up a recommendation from someone with so much passion for cozy mysteries. So I tried Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames. It is the first in her Cheese Shop Mysteries series. My only big complaint is that I now want to eat some of those cheeses and don't have a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-67089703671700985712011-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:002011-09-23T07:45:52.638-07:00

I've been reading memoirs set in India lately. So I had to pick up Sideways on a Scooter by Kennedy. It was an engaging memoir of a young woman, who feels she must satisfy her family's wanderlust genes. She moves to Delhi and settles into a neighborhood, where she works to fit in with her neighbors as she works as a journalist.Kennedy has done a good job of balancing introspection and

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-68598204878092689222011-09-23T07:29:00.000-07:002011-09-23T07:33:17.182-07:00

As you may have guessed I'm a big fan of physicist Richard Feynman. I was a bit nervous about the idea of making his life a graphic novel. After all Gribben and Glieck both clocked in their bios at over 300 pages. However I adored Ottavaini and Myrick's graphic novel biography Feynman.They have covered the important aspects of his life and science. The book was really like a visit with the man

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-81656635839880667142011-09-02T08:10:00.000-07:002011-09-02T08:15:23.479-07:00

I have always loved robots from Robot Wars to FIRST competitions. Just love to watch those robots in action. So I was tickled to see that someone had written a book about FIRST robotics team 1717, the Penguineers from California. I've liked their robots and now I really like their school Neal Bascomb followed the team around for the competition season and New Cool is the result. It was a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-31370753026041128262011-08-05T18:18:00.000-07:002011-08-05T18:22:47.948-07:00

Just read an essay in the Wall Street Journal about CS Lewis' Screwtape Letters. If you haven't read them, you should give them a try. It is Lewis' look at the concept of the devil and his role in religion. Sounds dry and dull. NO! Uncle Screwtape is a devil and writes letters to his nephew Wormwood, who has been set to earth for the first time. If all theological ideas could be expressed

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-29172515361521863972011-08-05T18:13:00.000-07:002011-08-05T18:17:20.923-07:00

I just finished Thayer's Hot Flash Club. It was a quick fluff book, which is something readers need from time to time. However it was not very satisfying fluff. I enjoyed it and will probably read the next book, but the novel needed more development. There was actually a part with a wedding where I went back to see where this came from. I had no clue when it had been arranged or even a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-66373693042999948962011-07-27T08:50:00.001-07:002011-07-27T08:52:46.627-07:00

I'm reading Love Letters by Katie Fforde. I have enjoyed Fforde's books in the past even though she has something of a formula with her bickering couples, who resolve their problem. Checked online and other Fforde fans don't seem to be convinced. I'll let you know if you should pick this chick lit to read while eating bonbons.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-5899234324589016782011-07-26T10:27:00.000-07:002011-07-26T10:30:05.287-07:00

As you remember I was enchanted by Blueberry Years by Minick. I was not alone. He has just been chosen the winner of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance's Best Nonfiction Book for 2010. http://www.sibaweb.com/siba-book-award/248-2011-siba-book-award-winners

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-14051840524965978032011-07-26T10:19:00.000-07:002011-07-26T10:23:58.081-07:00

Greg Garrett has reflected on the arch of the seven Potter novels in One Fine Potion. He draws parallels with CS Lewis and other who have written fantasy with Christian symbolism. One thing I found interesting is his pondering on Rowling's work with Amnesty International and the creation of Umbridge and the institutionalization of torture. Die hard Potter fans will enjoy it as will those

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-85765572914155239862011-07-20T10:46:00.000-07:002011-07-20T10:49:49.077-07:00

The reading promise : my father and the books we shared is Alice Ozma's reflections on The Reading Streak and on her relationship witht the father who raised her. I found it hard to put this memoir down. The Reading Streak was a challenge for she and her father to not miss his reading to her for 100 days. However once you have reached 100, it is hard to stop. And so it didn't until she went

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-25738597270468162062011-07-20T10:43:00.000-07:002011-07-20T10:46:53.194-07:00

In an odd juxtaposition the book is coming out after the movie. Mark Logue is the grandson of Lionel Logue, who helped George VI with his stammer. Logue became interested in his grandfather when the production company contacted him. He rediscovered his grandfather as he read the papers that had been stored away. The King's Speech is Logues recounting of his families move from Australia to

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-24495153950852459172011-07-12T06:02:00.000-07:002011-07-12T06:06:58.975-07:00

Gammage, a Philadelphia newspaper reporter, never planned on being a parent, so he seems to have been doubly suprised at the intensity with which he loves his adopted daughter, Jin Yu. China Ghosts is the story of his journey into parenthood. It is also the story of his trying to come to grips with the fact that there is much he doesn't know about his daughter's life before she was with them.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-74439220485869433862011-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:002011-07-06T11:04:57.330-07:00

David Sinclair, journalist and Sherlock Holmes afficinado, has retraced the steps of Watson and Holmes in real life. Sinclair has spent considerable time researching and wandering to pinpoint the actual locations and buildings in the mysteries. The result is a fascinating trip through the books. My only quibble is that Sinclair treats Watson as a real person, whose accounts he is deciphering

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-54917249048074268532011-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:002011-06-29T08:24:20.700-07:00

Physicist Richard Feynman has been feted as a brilliant scientist and raconteur in a number of biographies in recent years. In Quantum Man,Krauss takes a different slant. He shows the progression of Feynman's science through out his life. He explores Feynman's interaction with other scientists,the plus and minuses of his need to work it all out from scratch,his brilliance, his stubbornness.The

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-72482077150377708042011-06-01T07:19:00.001-07:002011-06-01T07:32:55.981-07:00

My mother and I were blueberry pickers. Strawberries were too much getting down on the ground. And somehow the nape of your neck always gets burned picking strawberries. Blueberries are perfect. We'd head to the pick your own down by the Muskingum River with our big tupperware containers. The farmer would weigh and mark them, so the container could be subtracted at the end of day. Then out to

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-27926161948391702792011-05-23T08:01:00.000-07:002011-05-23T08:13:29.260-07:00

The idea of who inspires John Waters, cult film director, is an intriguing one. Role Models is an eclectic array of people from Johnny Mathis to Lady Zorro, a masked lesbian stripper from Baltimore. Waters has done a good job with some of the people, but I felt some like Mathis needed more focus. Two of my favourites were his exploration of his friendship with Leslie Van Houten, who was a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-19891928893286359062011-05-09T11:08:00.000-07:002011-05-09T11:14:21.906-07:00

Earlene Fowler has hit another mystery out of the park. I am a self confessed Benni Harper addict and I really enjoyed Spider Web. Even Dove and Aunt Garnett are getting along... for Dove and Aunt Garnett. LOL Almost all our favourite characters check in, even Evangeline Boudreaux!The mystery itself centers around a sniper shooting at police officers and a mysterious woman, who seems very

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-11294573400797179332011-05-04T09:18:00.000-07:002011-05-04T09:22:24.925-07:00

Some music wants to change the world for other reasons, 33 Revolutions per minute by Lynskey explores those. People have sung to protest many things through the ages. Lynskey points out in the beginning groups tended to set words to existing tunes and they sang them primarily at their own events. He is interested in when protest songs were words and lyrics were specifically written for that

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-81854160955103506882011-05-04T08:51:00.000-07:002011-05-04T08:52:34.243-07:00

Not a review yet, just a dance because I have the new Earlene Fowler mystery!!!!!!!!

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-15628064765003903292011-04-23T06:10:00.000-07:002011-04-23T06:13:21.749-07:00

A Lesson in Secrets explores a mystery and Maisies life after the death of her mentor. She is called upon to take a lecturing position at a small college and look for people not acting in the best interest of the government. Of course, her regular business of detecting is still busy and her personal life is getting more complicated.How not to tell you too much and still make you read it. Well

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-46671174497892620092011-04-17T10:53:00.000-07:002011-04-17T11:00:28.291-07:00

The goal of the novel Friendship Bread by Gee is a warm fuzzy feeling and she succeeds. I almost didn't read it as it has a glowing comment from Kate Jacobs on the cover and we all know how I feel about her Friday Night Knitting book. Friendship Bread is set in the small town of Avalon near Chicago, but not so near as to ruin it's small town feel. Gee explores the lives of several women, who are

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-15737781898131666342011-04-17T10:34:00.000-07:002011-04-17T10:53:32.344-07:00

Radio Shangri La is a memoir that recounts Lisa Napoli's journey to Bhutan and her emotional journey while there. Napoli meets a man at a party, who offers her the chance to go for on a sabatical from NPR to help at the fledging Kuzoo radio station in Bhutan. I enjoyed many of the elements of this memoir. Her friendships with the Bhutanese and the expats helping in the country. Over the course of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-38208145740240656002011-03-21T12:39:00.001-07:002011-03-21T12:42:14.915-07:00

I finished Lost Japan by Alex Kerr shortly before the tsunami hit the island nation. So I write with a sense of poignancy as even more is now lost.Kerr has ties that go back to his early life but went to live their permenantly after college. These essays were actually first written for the Japanese audience and were translated only after the book won an award. He writes of the lost of forests

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-66378199363574913112011-01-31T12:32:00.000-08:002011-01-31T12:37:14.433-08:00

I am not the biggest Austenphile around, but I do like her. So this contemporary novel caught my eye. Jane is an Austenphile and Colin Firth admirerer. Her rich aunt decides to help her over this stage of comparing all men to Darcy and leaves her a trip in her will. Jane is to go on vacation for three weeks to live and breath the life of a regency woman. Austenland is an enjoyable novel,

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-62564798394930236592011-01-31T12:26:00.000-08:002011-01-31T12:32:43.569-08:00

Recently read two memoirs by Tucker, the actor from stage and LA Law.Living in a Foreign Language recounts he and his wife's purchase of a house in Umbria as they look at their next stage of life. Family Meals tells the tale the transitition to Umbria and NYC as his mother-in-law needs more and more help as she slips away.The stories are well told and flow lightly. I was particularly impressed

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-27253881112346612662011-01-03T07:44:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:46:29.225-08:00

David Rose has collected a new batch of sarcastic, weird and delightful personal ads from the London Review. The new collection is Sexually, I'm more of a Switzerland. Easy to pick up and read a few for a quick laugh.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-25154652178331764862011-01-03T07:42:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:43:57.467-08:00

Squirrel seeks chipmunk has a big following. However Sedaris's humour seems to be lost on me. I couldn't read anymore after the tale of the manipulative bear who ends up a brutalized dancing bear in a show. sorry.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-55877004781483704792011-01-03T07:38:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:41:39.787-08:00

For better or worse, For richer or poorer is the Horners' recounting of chucking their English life and buying a boat. Damian and Siobhan take turns recounting the adventures and mishaps of taking a boat down the water ways of France with two young children. This was a funny read, but not sure I want to follow in their footsteps. :)

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-27420780366759556102011-01-03T07:33:00.001-08:002011-01-03T07:38:21.266-08:00

Fuschia Dunlop was a journalist who went to learn Chinese in Sichuan provinence. When an opportunity arose to follow her real dream, she signed up at the culinary school in Chengdu. Shark's fin and Sichuan pepper is her memoir interpreted through food. She also chronicles a disappearing time in Chengdu's history. I really enjoyed this and may try one of her cookbooks next!

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-67732145514298647112010-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:002010-11-08T11:02:02.723-08:00

As you may have gathered over time, I like memoirs set in India. Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity by Sam Miller is my latest read. Miller, a London born journalist, has settled in India with his Indian wife and their family. He had lived in Delhi, the old capitol of India before, and been less than in love with the city. However Delhi is now a city roiling in change. It is growing at a rate

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-6062221558187408272010-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:002010-09-22T10:20:25.540-07:00

At Home in Japan: a foreign woman's journey of discovery by Rebecca Otowa. It is a memoir of an American/Australian woman who mets and marries a man from a small town in Japan. It is not full of a lot of personal details, but does a wonderful and graceful job of reflecting on life in rural Japan.I found the information on living in a Japanese house and in a village fascinating. And Otowa has

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-45416281434212898882010-09-03T11:41:00.000-07:002010-09-03T11:53:00.739-07:00

Three Wishes is a memoir written by three late thirty friends with baby dreams and no man in sight. Beth, the oldest, sets the ball in motion by buying vials of sperm 8282. However she then meets someone and passes the vials on to Beth. Beth then gets involved and the seemingly magic vials are passed on to Pam.However the magical ability of of the vials to bring romance doesn't mean smooth

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-61791884103874006962010-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:00:38.109-07:00

Because really like the library patron who recommended it, I slogged through Grossman's The Magician. However the last few chapters were quite good. So this is a mixed review

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-18164175479379929752010-07-27T11:55:00.001-07:002010-07-27T11:58:09.098-07:00

If PBS's History Detectives and the movie National Treasure had a baby, it would be Lost Rights by Howard. There were fifteen copies of the Bill of Rights made originally. One was for the federal government and the other for the 14 colonies. South Carolina's copy was taken during the Civil War. So what happens next.... and it is all true. Well I'm not going to give it away. You have to read

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-53213369738152176702010-07-15T06:14:00.000-07:002010-07-15T06:17:03.644-07:00

Tried reading Never Eat Your Heart Out by Judith Moore, but just couldn't get into it. Thought it would be one of my beloved foodie memoirs, but her life after the first few chapters was just a bit too dark. I don't mind sadness, but want some leavening. However she is a good writer and it might be of interest to others who love memoirs.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-64943375476197598572010-07-14T13:15:00.000-07:002010-07-15T06:12:29.915-07:00

It is funny how you out grow an author. As a teen I was so into Francoise Sagan and now... not so much. I even tried painfully to read Bonjour Tristesse in French. LOLHowever now because the library is offering Mango language lessons online at least the French might be easier. Maybe I just need a new French author.Who have you outgrown?

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-49590844459624000972010-07-13T08:33:00.000-07:002010-07-13T08:33:23.704-07:00

I love memoirs by people who are not famous. I love books about food. So Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg is just about perfect. Each chapter is a little story about her life and her family. And then she ends the chapter with a recipe full of handy helpful little notes. It is fab!"

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-58530616389639309012010-07-13T08:32:00.000-07:002010-07-13T08:32:08.836-07:00

"Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt. Roger and his wife Ginny were living out on Long Island and enjoying life. Then the call came that their daughter Amy had died of a rare heart condition. The couple goes to stay with their son-in-law and help raise the three small kids. This book had the potential of being maudlin, but Rosenblatt is too good a writer to go down that road. It was just a wonderful

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-59885147559448638862010-07-12T07:17:00.000-07:002010-07-12T07:21:05.068-07:00

I was looking for a book for a patron and ran across Ironside's Bridget Jones' Diary for seniors. Marie Sharp is a charming new senior, who doesn't want to do all those worthwhile self-improving projects many others keep suggesting to her. Instead she spends time convinicing best friend and hypocondriac, Penny that she doesn't have prostate cancer. She swears off men. She looses a beloved

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-71036046957565010292010-05-07T13:32:00.001-07:002010-05-07T13:37:19.989-07:00

Well after being rather disappointed with Tango: an Argentine love story by Cusumano, Camille. I hesitated to pick up Hold me tight and tango me home. Could Finn redeem the idea of tangoing away your heartbreak?The answer is yes. Finn is recovering from a divorce and takes up tango. The memoir follows her attempt to learn this new dance and the people she meets. This memoir just flowed

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-83085105241249816372010-04-07T13:16:00.000-07:002010-04-07T13:20:20.511-07:00

The mapping of love and death is the latest Maisie Dobbs mystery. I've re-read the ending three or four times now. Maisie is working through three things in this novel. She is solving the mystery of a soldier murdered on the battlefield. She is considering a relationship. And she is losing her mentor, Maurice.Winspear has done a wonderful job with progressing Maisie forward. I give it five

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-56276291955141903282010-03-19T11:27:00.001-07:002010-03-19T11:33:30.004-07:00

After a string of stinko women's fiction, I picked up School of Essential Ingredients. Ah, a respite! When she was a child, Lillian's mother retreated from the world after a divorce. Lillian used the power of food to "cook her mom back into the world." She now owns a restaurant and teaches a class for amateurs on Monday nights.Each chapter tells the story of a student and how the food triggers

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-74441589839916270932010-01-25T13:03:00.000-08:002010-01-25T13:05:14.707-08:00

British actor and comedian Stephen Fry traversed America visiting all 50 states. I, of course, went to my state first and he had a good time. This a quick read and a fun travelogue. Try Stephen Fry in America. He likes us and you will like him too.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-44937051483145129852010-01-25T12:57:00.000-08:002010-01-25T13:07:51.606-08:00

If you have read Macomber's knitting books, you may like The Friday Night Knitting Club by Jacobs. I enjoyed the characters, but wanted the book to be a little deeper. I also felt the ending was as bad as a song by Bobby Goldsboro. Not sure I'd recommend it or not. Seems like it does have fans, so it may be me. Will probably read the others to see what happens to Dakota.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-41392197059680145252010-01-25T12:55:00.000-08:002010-01-25T12:57:34.593-08:00

In Norman Rockwell: behind the camera was interesting to read about Rockwell's struggles with the move to taking photos for his illustration. ("Real artists use live models" creedo) However as he moved to the countryside, he began using neighbors as models, who couldn't sit for days on end or even hours. Then he learned what the photographs brought to his work. It was also interesting to read the

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-43250469529707177942009-12-11T08:23:00.000-08:002010-07-13T13:38:42.543-07:00

Being in the states, I never got a chance to really hear enough of John Peel. He was one of the most renown DJs in Britian and admired for his knowledge and passion for music. His "Peel Sessions" are legendary.He died suddenly of a heart attack before completing Margrave of the Marshes, which was completed by his wife Sharon. It left me wanting evenmore. Wish he could have written a book on the

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-71780568598030510392009-12-11T08:18:00.000-08:002009-12-11T08:21:30.644-08:00

Hape Kerkeling is a comedian and self confessed couch potato. Not the first person you'd expect to walk the Camino de Santiago across the Pyrenees and the north of Spain. However I found his diary to be insightful, amusing and rich. Try I'm off then.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-80016216333090708632009-11-06T09:58:00.002-08:002009-11-06T09:59:22.206-08:00

Cohen has written an intensely honest memoir in What I thought I knew. She had a wonderful adopted daughter, a great boyfriend and as she entered her forties a settled life. Then she finds out that she is six months pregnant and she's been taking her medicine, which may have hurt the baby. Cohen takes readers on the emotional roller coaster ride with her. At times I got angry with her, but always

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-47813619529410124772009-11-06T09:58:00.001-08:002009-11-06T09:58:36.314-08:00

When I was little I wanted to grow up to dance with Fred Astaire. I didn't realize that he had grown old or that my ability at formal dancing would be so limited. Putting on the Ritz is a well researched biography on Astaire.Because (unlike today's stars) Astaire was a private person, the book is doesn't give you a very personal view of Astaire. However I found the information on his dancing

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-89374525789291827732009-11-06T09:57:00.001-08:002009-11-06T09:57:40.065-08:00

Bourdain started a new genre with Kitchen Confidential - the gritty soap opera of the restaurant kitchen. Sheehan's Cooking Dirty tells the tale of less prestigious kitchens. His tales of the adrenaline, drugs and the cooktop are good, but you may not want to eat out soon.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com209tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-62269164469274793562009-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:002009-11-06T09:56:20.204-08:00

Bill Bryson has written a warm and funny memoir of being a boy in 1950s/60s Des Moines. It was a time before the chain homogenization of American and towns had their own character. It was also the era of the baby boom and there were a million other kids to play with and get into mischief with. Fun read. Check out The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: a memoir.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-20763109783972941252009-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:002009-10-16T14:00:37.225-07:00

Love on a branch line by John Hadfield is a gem of civil servant comedy. Jasper Pye is ready to thow off the shackles of civil servantdom after hearing his girl say he is boring. Before he can actually resign, he finds himself shuttled off to Arcady to close down a WWII research tank housed at an old estate. Instead he get sucked into the whirlwind of Flamborough Hall and the Lord's

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-87241712341586094082009-09-30T11:33:00.000-07:002009-09-30T11:57:04.127-07:00

Outwitting History spins the tale of a young idealist, Aaron Lansky and his friends, who set about to save Yiddish books in the 1980s. As the speakers and readers of Yiddish were passing, the libraries they used and their personal books were disappearing into dumpsters because the younger generation couldn't read them.Lansky and his friends go forth collecting the books and stories of these

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-9887791507805494962009-08-25T08:20:00.000-07:002009-08-25T08:25:50.764-07:00

Ayelet Waldman has written about the guilt women flog themselves and other mothers with. We stay at home. We go to work. We do scrapbooks for baby one. We have two snapshots of the last child. Etc.The Bad Mother is a funny and poingnant book in turns. It is evident upon finishing though that I am not being nearly unkind enough to myself and perhaps Waldman needs to be kinder to herself.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-8426628251388662009-08-25T08:11:00.000-07:002009-08-25T08:16:09.758-07:00

With the new movie Julie and Julia, Child is back in the spotlight. The Way to Cook is one of my favourite cookbooks by her. It is more accessible that Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but Child continues her tradition of teaching the details that make the dish successful. One of Child’s goals is for cooks to learn a “master recipe” which then spins off into other dishes.It is that

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-1661423607709616562009-07-14T07:32:00.000-07:002009-07-14T07:35:29.632-07:00

I read Ruth Reichl's new book Not becoming my mother and was somewhat disappointed. Reichl has spent most of her adult life telling amusing stories about her mother's crazy antics. This book is a penance of sorts and a rediscovery of her mother. Her mother's life was stiffled by the conventions of society and she drives Reichl to break those bonds. I wanted to like this book more than I did.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-87966181176385163752009-07-14T07:28:00.000-07:002009-07-14T07:31:59.994-07:00

I first read about the area of Calabria in a memoir by Annie Hawes. Calabria is Italy's unloved stepchild, but I don't know why. Calabria is the poor southern end of the boot of Italy and held in some contempt by the rest of the country. After reading Rotella's ode to the area and its history, you will think differently. Rotella's family comes from this area and he recounts his visit and

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-43380300103893880882009-06-22T08:43:00.000-07:002009-06-22T08:48:55.666-07:00

Recently I read about the Wee Mad Road. While reading more on the net about it, I ran across Warren Rovetch's The Creaky Traveler in the North West Highlands of Scotland. I read the first Creaky Traveller guide and will be looking for his guide to Ireland.The book is the story of he and his wife travelling in the North West Highlands. It is also a book with tips for travel when you are "the

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-54639708371587921062009-06-15T13:36:00.000-07:002009-06-15T13:45:37.248-07:00

The sign read Wee Mad Road. How could you not travel down a road with a sign like that? The road less travelled changed the lives of Jack and Barbara Maloney. They found a B&B to stay on in Coigach.Several years later the daughters are out of the house and they take the plunge. They sell their house in Minnesota and chuck it all. They return to Coigach for two more years. This is the story of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-12816068056279301272009-06-03T10:47:00.000-07:002009-06-03T10:55:58.086-07:00

I've read a couple of very different titles lately.Summer on Blossom Street by Macomber is what it is. It is cotton candy reading. I knew from the beginning what would happen, but it was a fun little read. You don't have to have read the earlier books about Blossom Street but it helps.My Word is My Bond by Roger Moore. Moore and Dalton are my two favourite Bonds, so I thought I'd give this a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-30475568320770086102009-05-01T12:11:00.001-07:002009-05-01T12:25:01.813-07:00

Some family you are born into and some you create yourself. Earlene Fowler's new novel Love Mercy explores those bonds. The novel bounces between Rett, Love and Mel telling their stories. Rett is Love's granddaughter, who has been raised away from her late father's family. Broken hearted the 18 year old has run away to her little known grandmother's. She hopes to figure out her messed up

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-27010292631415603892009-04-27T06:06:00.000-07:002009-04-27T06:19:16.601-07:00

Horse Boy is Rupert Isaacson's story of his son's autism and the family's search for a healer. Isaacson has longstanding ties with shamans in Africa.Isaacson and his wife meet in India and fall in love. They are living in Texas when their son, Rowan, is diagnosised with autism. Rowan's bonding with a neighbor's horse leads Issaacson's decision to look for shaman's in Mongolia and Siberia. The

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-34855136698414644772009-04-19T11:51:00.000-07:002009-04-19T12:04:13.491-07:00

Minal Hajratwala spins the tale of her family's scattering around the globe from India. Leaving India follows her family to Fiji, South Africa and America.I enjoyed Hajratwala's memoir of her family and herself in pieces. I wasn't always sure it created a cohesive whole. It might have been interesting for her to have divided the book into two.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-88979846969595040342009-04-19T11:32:00.000-07:002009-04-19T12:13:03.220-07:00

Frat boy may be too harsh a term for someone, who can charm readers as easily as Bryce Corbett can. And charm you with his tales of Paris he does. In a play on Nevil Shute's novel about Australia, Australian Corbett has dubbed his adventures A Town Like Paris.When the book opens Corbett has followed his true love to London, only to no longer have that true love. So broken hearted and looking for

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-37659357204883061732009-04-06T08:44:00.001-07:002009-04-06T08:52:16.281-07:00

Well after several books I didn't enjoy as much, I'm back to my books set in France habit.A Summer in Gascony tell the story of Martin Calder's summer job on a farm in the Gascony area of Southern France. The book is a nice mix of life on the farm and his adjustment to the rhythms of the land. From herding sheep to working with crops, Calder gets a good work out at Auberge, a farm and B&B. He

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-90886888332070114522009-04-04T10:17:00.000-07:002009-04-04T10:22:14.387-07:00

Street Gang is the history of Sesame Street. However I don't think it was the history of Sesame Street that I was looking for.Davis is a good writer, but for me there was too much about the early lives of the various creators in the show. I had thought it would be more about the actual making of Sesame Street. I did find Cooney's struggles to get the show on air and keep it on air interesting.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-72529869220130705262009-03-16T08:30:00.000-07:002009-03-16T08:37:04.507-07:00

Perhaps my family isn't obsessed enough with weddings or I'm just too yankee, but Somebody is going to die if Lily Beth doesn't catch that bouquet was not for me. Metcalfe and Hays are funny authors, who have written a humourous review of Southern wedding customs.My family tends to have small weddings; although I have been a bridesmaid in several three ring circus weddings. This may be why I just

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-84045292073230059532009-03-02T12:56:00.000-08:002009-03-02T13:01:06.138-08:00

After reading Breach of Peace by Etheridge, I wonder if I would be brave enough to be a Freedom Rider. I'm not sure and it disappoints me.Etheridge found the mugshots of the 1961 Freedom Riders in Mississippi. Inspired and intrigued, he tried to interview and photograph as many of the Freedom Riders as he could find. I look at the mugshots and many are soooo young. Readers hear about their

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-22125089620426383492009-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:002009-03-01T12:49:41.636-08:00

I am a sucker for an expat book. If someone buys a house in a little village, I have to read all about it. I'll never be French (no matter what I do) is my latest wander in France. Greenside, however, has picked Brittany in the north not the south of France. He went the first time with a girlfriend, who wanted to spend several months. His love affair with her didn't last, but his love of the

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-43911441503759465472009-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:002009-01-19T08:57:29.229-08:00

On my way out to lunch I grabbed a book off a cart of recently returned books. It was the third book of Patrick Taylor's series on two Irish country doctors. I would read them in order, but it is okay to be out of order.This series focuses on Barry Laverty, a young doctor fresh out of med school. He has joined a country practice, which is lead by Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly in Balleybucklebo

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-3707078925740543412008-12-04T10:35:00.000-08:002008-12-04T10:43:55.460-08:00

I was torn about which of my book blogs to put this in, but this really isn't for younger kids.Ryan and Jimmy by Shoveller is the true story of a dream, a friendship and a civil war.Ryan was a first grader in Canada, who learned people were dying because they didn't have clean water. He decided to raise money for a well. Most people figured he'd loose interest, but he didn't and his determination

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-67220253562147387162008-10-20T06:42:00.001-07:002008-10-20T06:57:26.725-07:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an enchanting little book. Set at the end of World War II, it is a series of letter from the members of the Society and Julia, an author.The first letter is from Dawsey, a farmer and member. He has been captivated by a book by Charles Lamb, which Julia used to own. He writes to her asking what other books he might try next as she liked this too

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-16567983218856805232008-10-03T10:49:00.000-07:002008-10-20T06:58:02.189-07:00

"Does people do it?" was the catchphrase of the author's uncle. If it was a job people did, he'd try his hand at it too. It was tough times in Oklahoma. Fred Harris, senator and presidental candidate, took that phrase as his personal motto as he took on challenging tasks and opportunities.The memoir tells Harris' tale of the move from a hard scrabble life in Oklahoma to the corridors of power in

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-6485555137418848452008-09-20T10:01:00.000-07:002008-09-20T10:21:40.396-07:00

I just read two memoirs by women. Dewey by Vicki Myron is by a librarian, who writes about her life and intertwines it with the life of Dewey, the library cat. Heather Lende lives miles away from Iowa, but also lives in a small town... in Alaska. Dewey was shoved into a book return at the public library in Spencer, Iowa. Myron and her co-workers fix the half frozen, frostbitten kitten out of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-68179314039318523642008-09-03T08:41:00.000-07:002008-09-03T08:46:19.383-07:00

Chosen Forever is Susan Richard's follow up to the memoir Chosen by a Horse. She talks about the struggle to get her work pubished and the aftermath or afterglow of finally getting it published. The impact of her childhood abandonment continues to haunt her in this memoir. She has to deal with her anxiety and her estranged family during the book tour. However she also gets to deal with

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-40666479491842564272008-09-03T08:37:00.000-07:002008-09-03T08:41:15.492-07:00

Two new memoirs on working libraries have been released - Free for all by Don Borchert and Quiet, Please by Scott Douglas. Both work in California libraries, but as a librarian I can report that some things seem to be universal. This does mean that some stories seem to repeat in a way. Borchert is a father and came to libraries after working a number of other jobs. Douglas is a young man, who

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-2132467431434511732008-07-15T09:47:00.000-07:002008-07-15T09:52:23.755-07:00

Designated Daughter is a tandem memoir between Fulford and her mother. After the death of her father, Fulford stepped in to help her eighty some year old mother. Each chapter concludes with reflections from her mom.The book is by turns touching and funny. The two share a wonderful mother daughter relationship; although both are very different. As a designated daughter myself, this memoir

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-24108878394133720512008-07-14T06:13:00.000-07:002008-07-14T06:41:21.620-07:00

Greetings from Bury Park is Sarfraz Manzoor's tale of being the rebellious son of Pakistani immigrants. His rebellion is fairly mild by most standards, but seems rather wild to his Pakistani parents. The soundtrack of his life is the work of another son, who was singing about conflict with parents etc - Bruce Springsteen.Manzoor, a journalist and documentary filmmaker, writes of the conflict

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-47525480198397830732008-07-03T09:16:00.000-07:002008-07-03T09:33:22.729-07:00

Choosing You is Alexandra Soiseth's story about choosing to be a single mom. As a woman , who also chose to be a single mom, I had thought I would enjoy this book. I don't know why, but I couldn't get into it. For someone who chose to be a single mom, perhaps I thought she was a bit whiny.Soiseth decided that she isn't waiting for Mr Right anymore and does artificial insemination. She does not

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-3412920896291754462008-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:002008-06-28T07:57:37.120-07:00

Mary Roach has dissected the world of Cadavers and haunted the world of the afterlife. Now she explores the scientists, who study sex.Bonk is not a sex manual, but an exploration of what science has thought of sex over time and how we evaluate issues relating to sex. The book is always interesting and sometime very funny.

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-22346808818517192422008-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:002008-06-28T07:52:27.347-07:00

Following up on his first memoir, Hills of Tuscany, Ferenc Mate has chronicled his catching the wine making bug. A Vineyard in Tuscany tells of the hunt for land to plant a vineyard and then some how making an overgrown hillside fullfill your dreams.I enjoyed the first book, but the second is even better. Mate really had me smiling as I read about his trials and tribulations whether it was

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-19100292902290078682008-06-23T07:07:00.000-07:002008-06-23T07:25:05.972-07:00

Ronnie Wood is long time member of the Rolling Stones. I saw him talking about his biography , Ronnie, on Top Gear and decided to give it a try.Raised in council flats near London's Heathrow airport, Wood grew up in a working class family, who knew how to have a good time. The family also had a very strong musical and artistic bent. Wood learned the guitar and played in a series of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-28342138910508140292008-05-19T07:44:00.000-07:002008-05-19T07:49:55.398-07:00

Firoozeh Dumas has returned with a new memoir Laughing without an Accent. As with her first set of recollections, she moves back and forth in time between her youth in Iran and southern California and her life as a parent and author. I really liked this new set of memories. Perhaps as a fellow parent, I enjoyed it even more as I agree with her about raising kids in our society. Still funny

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-23167899107026643282008-05-15T09:56:00.000-07:002008-05-15T10:08:44.384-07:00

Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers were unlikely to be friends, but once they became friends the friendship changed both of their lives.The Soloist is based on columns that Lopez, a reporter for the LA Times, wrote. Lopez ran across a street person playing a violin. The performance seemed more extraordinary when he realized the artist had only two strings on his violin. Lopez learned that Ayers

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-71157511747472311252008-05-02T06:44:00.000-07:002008-05-02T06:50:32.655-07:00

I was drawn to Gilded Lili, a biography of striptease artist Lili St. Cyr, because of Rocky Horror. One of the songs mentions her name and the title caught my eye.Lili St. Cyr was a striptease artist of the 50s, who was born into poverty and took stripping as a way out. She found the fame and fortune that she was looking for. Unlike todays strippers, she was an artist with storylines and as

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-34955609811418288962008-05-02T06:24:00.000-07:002008-05-02T06:41:01.852-07:00

Debbie Macomber visits Blossom Street again in her new book Twenty Wishes. This time the focus is off of the yarn store owned by Lydia. The focus this time is on Anne Marie, owner of the bookstore and three other widows. The group meets on Valentine's Day. As part of their conversation the idea of making a list of twenty wishes comes up. Each woman has different goals. As with most of the

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-90511947961974844152008-04-30T06:51:00.000-07:002008-04-30T06:56:19.234-07:00

I recently checked out Taking Back Childhood by Nancy Carlsson-Paige. The book outlines how the media is taking away childhood. She explains how it effects play and cognitive develoment. The book is very well written. She avoids the textbook trap, which some scholars fall into. Having said that, I couldn't finish the book. I agree with much of what she says, but it just made me feel like a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-16990124858159841552008-04-07T13:41:00.000-07:002008-04-07T13:48:59.649-07:00

Okay I've talked about several Starbucks based books lately and didn't mean to read another. However a patron recommended How Starbucks Saved My Life very vigorously, so I got on the hold list.Gill was the archtypical adman - the travel, the big accounts, the pressure, etc. Then he got to old for a young man's game, at least in the eyes of the young men. Loosing his job, his marriage, etc in a

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-84794999288761933282008-04-07T13:34:00.000-07:002008-04-07T13:40:42.857-07:00

I am intrigued by Indian culture. I listen to BBC Asian from time to time. I own Bhagra CDs. I've turned my fair share of old sari's into curtains etc.So when Michael Wood wrote a book called India, I had to give it a try. I really enjoyed it and now want to find some accesible translations of some of the poetry/oral histories he talks about. It covers a very wide swath of time and therefore

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-88194538879641900962008-03-27T06:20:00.001-07:002008-03-27T06:26:36.059-07:00

Kelly Corrigan is a daddy's girl. Her father is a larger than life personality, who has influenced her view of life. The Middle Place is the story of how in her 30's Kelly's discovery of her breast cancer. Shortly afterwards she learns her father's cancer is back. She explores her life and her journey into being a wife, parent and an adult. While the subject of cancer is sad, her book is an

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-35920038115932079872008-03-27T06:05:00.001-07:002008-03-27T06:15:40.092-07:00

Books about Starbucks interest me. They are an interesting company. Beloved by their patrons. Studied for their customer service style. Vilified for "Starbucking" a neighborhood. Starbucks is in the midst of a shake up and refocusing after being hit by the current economic slump.They recently showed up in Alex Frankels book on front line service experiences. The Starbucks Experience by

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-63349742603788297982008-03-27T06:01:00.000-07:002008-03-27T06:05:04.658-07:00

I got hooked on veterinary memoirs with Herriot. I've enjoyed many over the years. Nick Trout is a British vet, who practices in the Boston area. Tell me where it hurts takes a number of his best animal stories and wraps them together into a day in the life of a vet.I enjoyed parts of this memoir a lot, but I think I like the animal stories best and didn't enjoy the parts where he discusses

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-9215394055843368512008-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:002008-01-07T12:48:04.736-08:00

I read Jan Karon's books about Mitford and Father Tim regularly. I stayed up late last night to finish Home to Holly Springs. In it Father Tim receives a mysterious unsigned message asking him to "come home". With his wife's blessings, he and his dog Barnabas drive to Mississippi.I enjoyed this book and visiting with characters I care about. However I think it tries to wrap up too many

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-49994119016805652982008-01-07T12:30:00.000-08:002008-03-27T06:33:19.856-07:00

Alex Frankel worked the front lines at a number of major companies - UPS, Enterprise Rent A Car, the Gap, Starbuck, etc.He chronicles his experiences in the various corporate cultures in Punching In. As a journalist, he felt like an outsider in many of the jobs and at others he clicked. He also examines the new wave electronic screening during hiring, group interview techniques, etc.I really

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6133556.post-50333384445124988652007-11-13T13:18:00.000-08:002007-11-13T13:39:47.541-08:00

The cost of health care drives the lives of so many Americans and ruins the lives of many more. Howard Staab is no different. As a self employeed contractor, he was uninsured. And he earned too much to get apply for medicare. So when he needed heart valve surgery costing $200,000 with a $50,000 down payment day of, what was he to do?Maggi Ann Grace, his girlfriend, and he investigate the idea of

elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02782128510719136642noreply@blogger.com2