Waiting on Wednesday

This meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is meant to highlight some great pre-publication books we all can't wait to get our grubby little mitts on.

Chickens in the Road by Suzanne McMinn. The book is being released by Harper One on October 15, 2013.

Amazon says this about the book: Suzanne McMinn, a former romance writer and founder of the popular blog chickensintheroad.com, shares the story of her search to lead a life of ordinary splendor in Chickens in the Road, her inspiring and funny memoir.

Craving a life that would connect her to the earth and her family roots, McMinn packed up her three kids, left her husband and her sterile suburban existence behind, and moved to rural West Virginia. Amid the rough landscape and beauty of this rural mountain country, she pursues a natural lifestyle filled with chickens, goats, sheep—and no pizza delivery.

With her new life comes an unexpected new love—"52," a man as beguiling and enigmatic as his nickname—a turbulent romance that reminds her that peace and fulfillment can be found in the wake of heartbreak. Coping with formidable challenges, including raising a trio of teenagers, milking stubborn cows, being snowed in with no heat, and making her own butter, McMinn realizes that she’s living a forty-something’s coming-of-age story.

As she dares to become self-reliant and embrace her independence, she reminds us that life is a bold adventure—if we’re willing to live it.

Chickens in the Road includes more than 20 recipes, craft projects, and McMinn’s photography, and features a special two-color design.

Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is the first book I've read by Adichie despite the fact that I have her others on my shelves. I have heard such raves about her work that it was almost as if I was afraid to read anything she wrote in case the actual works fell short. And this one, focused as it is on so many controversial issues present in our society today, was probably the one that appealed to me the least. And yet it turned out to be such a beautiful, thoughtful, and powerful novel that I am glad that I didn't just add it to my shelf and figure I'd get to it some future day like so many others.

Centered mainly on Ifemelu, a smart and attractive Nigerian woman, this is a story of incredible depth which addresses many hot-button, polemical topics. It is a novel about race and culture, immigration, lack of opportunity, both in America and in Nigeria, exoticism and otherness, women's place and value in the world, relationship, love, and politics to name just a few. It does not shy away from presenting the reality of both the marginalized and the successful; it skewers all sides, conservatives and liberals alike, for their beliefs and their unthinking acceptance of their side's rhetoric. It changes the conversation and brings a fascinating outside perspective to many long standing arguments.

Ifemelu is raised in Nigeria. Her family is well off and she has many opportunities open to her. She meets Obinze while in high school and the two of them seem to be soul mates. When political unrest causes upheaval at the universities, Ifemelu decides that she will finish her schooling in America, where her beloved aunt has gone. Obinze plans to follow her there but he is frustrated in his efforts and instead ends up in London, illegal and struggling. Ifemelu, meanwhile, goes to America and is shocked at the reality she finds. She struggles to adjust to this new culture with its unwritten and unacknowledged rules and to the laws that restrict her ability, as a foreign student, to support herself while she attends school. She sees firsthand inequalities and insurmountable stumbling blocks every way she turns. Even when she finds work as a nanny, she witnesses casual racism and the assumption that because she is African rather than African-American that she is exotic and intriguing and somehow more. She draws attention to the differences in the ways that African blacks and African-Americans are treated and the way that even well meaning liberals just don't "get it." As she navigates life in America, having relegated Obinze to her past, dating American men, starting a wildly successful blog called Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black, getting her green card, and having the luxury of choosing the extent to which she wants to integrate into American society and how much she wants to retain her own cultural identity, she never quite lets go of hope for Nigeria. And eventually she chooses to make her way back there, to a much changed country, and one she now views with very different eyes than she once did.

Obinze's story of his time in London, always yearning for Ifemelu and America, is told in chapters interspersed with the many chapters about Ifem's life. His is a terrible, distressing story, even moreso than her early years in America. Where Ifemelu overcame much of what she faced, happy-go-lucky, popular Obinze does not and he is ultimately deported back to Nigeria. In the end he thrives in his own country where he could not succeed elsewhere. And as his country changes, he adapts with it, fulfilling and even surpassing his early promise. But he still feels as if he is treading water, not knowing what is missing from his outwardly perfect life. It is, of course, the newly returned to Nigeria Ifemelu, opinionated and determined as ever.

Adichie has written an accessible novel that encourages readers to examine their own prejudices and beliefs but she has done so in a way to mitigate the discomfort of doing so enough that people won't automatically shut down in denial. She has not whitewashed life in America for immigrants, for people of color, or for the poor. But she has also acknowledged the imperfection of other places as well. Nigeria harbors prejudices, London harbors prejudices, America harbors prejudices; there is no prejudice free place here, instead there is almost an inherency of prejudice. Her writing is straightforward even if the solutions to the social ills she addresses are not. The chapters are non-chronological but not difficult to follow. Occasionally the non-linearity of the novel leads to some repetition and Ifemelu's blog posts, some of which are included in the narrative, often exactly mirror the plot. They do draw added attention to the issues that Ifemelu, and by extension Adichie, is highlighting but astute readers (and the assumption is that readers of literary fiction such as this are in fact astute readers) don't need the lack of subtlety in order to understand the point. But that's a minor quibble about a work that is masterfully done over all. Anyone who isn't afraid to confront troubling questions and bone deep assumptions will find much to consider here and will then need others to read it too so they can have the conversations it will inspire.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book for review.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Books I completed this past week are:

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
The Fountain of St. James Court or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Partner Track by Helen Wan
Leaving Haven by Kathleen McCleary
The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule
Throw the Damn Ball by R.D. Rosen, Harry Prichett, and Rob Battles

Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:

Better Than Fiction edited by Don George
The Eight by Katherine Neville
Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke
The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti

Reviews posted this week:

An Incurable Insanity by Simi K. Rao
The Fountain of St. James Court or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman by Sena Jeter Naslund

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Happy Rock by Matthews Simmons
The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg
The Purchase by Linda Spalding
Love Potion Number Ten by Betsy Woodman
Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt
Royal Bridesmaids by Stephanie Laurens, Gaelen Foley, and Loretta Chase
Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole
Thursday Next in First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
The House Girl by Tara Conklin
Topsy by Michael Daly
Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss
The Group by Mary McCarthy
The Innocents by Francesca Segal
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Among the Janeites by Deborah Yaffe
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Billy Budd and Other Tales by Herman Melville
Let Him Go by Larry Watson
A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
Boleto by Alyson Hagy
House of Miracles by Ulrica Hume
Paperboy by Tony Macaulay
Silver by Andrew Motion
Faking It by Cora Carmack
The Partner Track by Helen Wan
Leaving Haven by Kathleen McCleary
The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule
Throw the Damn Ball by R.D. Rosen, Harry Prichett, and Rob Battles

Monday Mailbox

After nothing last week, my mailbox had a handful of treasures again this week. This week's mailbox arrivals:

Throw the Damn Ball by R.D. Rosen, Harry Prichett, and Rob Battle came from Plume.

Short poems written by dogs, this looks hilarious.

Love and Other Scandals by Caroline Linden came from my own little self (sometimes it's good to be generous to yourself).

The main character reads a book about sinning and decides to do some of her own in this historical romance. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

Under the Moon by Gabriele Wills came from my own little self.

The third in Wills' Muskoka trilogy, I ordered this one so I can revisit the characters and find out how their story finally ends.

Special Edition Harry Potter Paperback Box Set by J. K. Rowling came from my own little self.

Just because I love the new covers to the Harry Potter novels.

Mr. Putter and Tabby Dance the Dance by Cynthia Rylant came from my own little self.

If you haven't yet fallen in love with Mr. Putter and Tabby, like my daughter and I have, you should.

Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry came from my own little self.

My husband and oldest son play fantasy football together for some special father/son yelling bonding. This one is a Christmas gift to one or the other of them (I'll decide later based on their season long behavior).

If you'd like to see the marvelous goodies in other people's mailboxes, make sure to visit Book Dragon's Lair as she is hosting this month's Mailbox Monday and have fun seeing how we are all doing our part to keep the USPS and delivery services viable.

Sunday Salon: Bibliofeast is Coming! Bibliofeast is Coming! or What Kind of Bookish Events Should You Attend?

Once upon a time a long time ago, I went to the ALA meeting with my mom's cousin. While I was not then, nor am I now, a librarian, it was my first taste of an event revolving around books and working with books and book nerd that I am, I loved it. Since then, I have gone to a handful of signings and readings. I don't typically attend a lot these because I feel completely tongue tied in front of authors I love and as a result generally end up babbling incoherently to them. I should add here that none of the authors on the receiving end of my verbal diarrhea has been anything less than gracious about my social incompetence so if you fear this same problem, do not let it hold you back! More recently, I have also attended more formal panels and conferences focused on books and the book world. All of these sorts of things, huge conventions, intimate readings, and conferences, are wonderful ways to dive more deeply into reading and the book world. But I have to admit my very favorite event is one that is coming up next week here in Charlotte and is hosted by the Women's National Book Association--Charlotte chapter. It's the annual Bibliofeast in honor of National Reading Group Month.

Bibliofeast is a moveable feast with authors. Let me explain. We meet at a local Italian restaurant (Maggiano's at South Park for those in the area) and have cocktails and dinner. We mill around chatting with drinks in our hand, meeting other book lovers and a few authors, before heading into dinner. We find seats at our tables and then one of nine authors joins each table. As the folks at the table eat, the author talks a little bit about his or her book and then answers questions and chats with those eating. After a predetermined amount of time, the author says goodbye and moves along to the next table and your table gets a new author with whom to chat. Yes, the authors are the moveable part of this moveable feast. And while you enjoy your salad, pasta, and dessert, you get to indulge in casual conversation with most, if not all, of the authors at the event. Now, here's why I love it above other book events. You don't have to worry about what you're going to say to the author. This is huge for me. There's a whole table of people to chat with him or her so if you are feeling particularly tongue-tied, you can just take it all in. But, if you want to speak or ask a question about the book or writing process or life, you can do it in a setting that just feels like dinner with friends. Because it really is dinner with friends. All the folks there are there because they love books and reading (and some of them love writing too). So they are automatically your people. Very cool, especially for those of us who are introverts. And the authors and books are fantastic too.

So now that I've made you jealous already, here's the list of the authors I'll eating dinner with on October 14:

WILTON BARNHARDT, Lookaway, Lookaway | St. Martin’s Press

DIANE CHAMBERLAIN, Necessary Lies | St. Martin’s Press

NORA GASKIN, Time of Death and Until Proven | Lystra Books

SUSAN GREGG GILMORE, The Funeral Dress | Broadway Books

TOMMY HAYS, What I Came to Tell You | Egmont USA

CASSANDRA KING, Moonrise | Maiden Lane Press

REBECCA LEE, Bobcat and Other Stories | Algonquin Books

JAMIE MASON, Three Graves Full | Gallery Books

JOHN MILLIKEN THOMPSON, Love and Lament | Other Press












But it doesn't have to just be me. If you are in the area, you too can come to this really fun event. Important details in case you want to attend:

Place: Maggiano's Little Italy at South Park Mall

Date and Time: Monday, October 14 at 6pm

Books will be sold before and after the event by local independent book store Park Road Books

Tickets available online here

I'd love to meet you if you come, so please find me and say hi. And for those of you who are too far away to join us, the WNBA is hosting quite a few other bookish events for the month. Find out what's going on near you here. Finally, do you know of any other book related events I should attend? Tell me about them in the comments.

Review: The Fountain of St. James Court or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman by Sena Jeter Naslund

Do you ever wonder about artists, writers, musicians? Where do they find inspiration?  What keeps them producing wondrous works year after year?  How do they continually find inspiration in the ordinary world even as they go about their usual lives? What sparks creation? In Sena Jeter Naslund's newest novel, The Fountain of St. James Court or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman, she addresses these questions through fictional creation and modern day writer, Kathryn Callaghan, and a fictionalization of the life of celebrated French portraitist Elisabeth Vigee-Le Brun, friend and artist to Marie Antoinette.

The novel opens just after midnight with Kathryn cradling the just finished first draft of her novel about Elisabeth Vigee-Le Brun to her chest as she crosses from her stately home on St. James Court, past the murmuring fountain in the middle of the court to her long-time good friend Leslie's new home, with the intention of leaving her new creation at Leslie's door. She is caught in the pride, perfection, and slight melancholy of having finished her latest work. And as she makes her way through the quiet and the dark, she reflects on the things in her past that have led to this moment of initial completion.

Alternating with Kathryn's story is the slight novel she's written about the famous artist. Elisabeth Vigee-Le Brun's passionate and artistic eye was encouraged from a young age and she became a very successful artist at a stunningly young age, entertaining and painting many from the French aristocracy. She was a devoted daughter, cleaving tightly to her mother and her brother after the untimely and devastating death of her father. She became a loyal wife to a challenging husband and a loving and permissive mother to her small daughter, Julie even as she persevered in her art, learning and growing and blossoming as an artist.

Alternating between the two women's stories, the style of narration is quite different in the Fountain sections (Kathryn's) and the Portrait sections (Elisabeth's). Kathryn's story takes place over the course of one long day only and is very stream of consciousness. Moments of her day inspire her to reflect on her past, her three failed marriages, her son and his menacing former lover, and her friends. She looks around her at the beauty of the changing season and paints the place around her in words, her home with its furnishings, her yard and trees, and, of course, the background music of the fountain. She moves through her day in an unhurried, contemplative sort of way, wondering if a man she's interested in will in fact come to visit her as he's promised or if the promise of the day is already fulfilled enough by her finishing her manuscript. The sections centered on Elisabeth, the novel within a novel, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman, that Kathryn has written present most of Vigee-Le Brun's life from childhood, through her success as a painter and her escape from the horrors of the French Revolution, to her eventual return to France as an old woman immersed in the bucolic peace of her country home and the memories of her long life, her continued delight in light and painting, and her sorrowful love for her daughter.

Both narratives are first person but those centered on Kathryn as she goes about her day are much more wandering and divergent than the more controlled, traditional sections centered on Elisabeth.  Each woman speaks of the things that inspire her, the ways in which art, painted or written, is such a part of herself that she cannot abandon it no matter what is happening in her life or in the world around her, the way it saves her very concept of herself. Naslund has written beautifully and very visually in both sections of this character driven novel. The writing is considered and exquisite but somehow uneven in these two tales of artistic women growing older and reflecting on their pasts. The story of Elisabeth is fascinating but feels as if it skims lightly over so much while the meandering, stream of consciousness narration of the Kathryn portions doesn't really serve to help the reader know her as intimately as such a technique would suggest. Naslund is a gorgeous writer but these two narratives don't weave together in equal measure despite their similarity in theme and so the reader will favor one character over another, rushing through one piece of the story to get back to the other. Stunning imagery and interesting themes but a bit of a flat affect.

For more information about Sena Jeter Naslund and the book, find her on Facebook. Follow the rest of the blog tour or look at the amazon reviews for others' thoughts and opinions on the book.

Thanks to Trish from TLC Book Tours and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

Waiting on Wednesday

This meme is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is meant to highlight some great pre-publication books we all can't wait to get our grubby little mitts on.

The Mountain of Light by Indu Sundaresan. The book is being released by Washington Square Press on October 8, 2013.

Amazon says this about the book: From the internationally bestselling author of The Twentieth Wife, a novel based on the tumultuous history of a legendary 186-carat diamond and the men and women who possessed it

As empires rose and fell and mighty kings jostled for power, its glittering radiance never dimmed. It is the “Mountain of Light”—the Kohinoor diamond—and its facets reflect a sweeping story of love, adventure, conquest and betrayal. Its origins are the stuff of myth, but for centuries this spectacular gem changes hands from one ruler to another in India, Persia, and Afghanistan. In 1850, the ancient stone is sent halfway around the world where it will play a pivotal role in the intertwined destinies of a boy-king of India and a young queen of England—a queen who claims the Mountain of Light and India itself for her own burgeoning empire, the most brilliant jewels in her imperial crown.

The Mountain of Light is a magnificent story of loss and recovery, sweeping change and enduring truth, wrapped around the glowing heart of one of the world’s most famous diamonds.