BOOK CLUB 2011 Schedule and February Title Giveaway

Jan 112011

5256159881 7ba9c432e6 m picture Last month, Nicole and I announced BOOK CLUB. We will be discussing our first book, “A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear” by Atiq Rahimi from Other Press on January 25th on Nicole’s blog. It is on sale tomorrow, so feel free to join us if you get your hands on a copy between then and now.

Nicole and I have decided to release our entire schedule for the first half of 2011 so you can see what is coming, in case you have the chance to get your hands on any of these books somewhere else.

February: “The Last Brother” by Nathacha Appanah from Graywolf Press – being given away today, and discussed here on Devourer of Books on February 22nd.

March: “Picking Bones from Ash” by Marie Mockett from Graywolf Press – being given away the week of February 7th, and discussed March 22nd on Nicole’s Blog, Linus’s Blanket.

April: “Galore” by Michael Crummey from Other Press – being given away the week of March 7th and discussed April 26th here on Devourer of Books.

May: “The Convert” by Deborah Baker from Graywolf Press – being given away the week of April 12th, then discussed here at Devourer of Books on May 16th (note: we are discussing this early due to BEA).

August: “Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens – being discussed August 23rd. We are not giving away copies of this, but half of you probably have it on your shelves somewhere anyway, and if you have ereaders you can get it free or very cheap. If you want to participate in our readalong in installments, which started this week, check out the schedule over at What’s Old is New.

Our schedule for the second half of the year is still to be determined.

Today Nicole and I are both giving away five copies of “The Last Brother” by Nathacha Appahan, courtesy of Graywolf Press for people who would like to participate in our discussion on my blog on February 22nd.

5317413073 c8ffee140b m picture Here’s the publisher’s description:

As 1944 comes to a close, nine-year-old Raj is unaware of the war devastating the rest of the world. He lives in Mauritius, a remote island in the Indian Ocean, where survival is a daily struggle for his family. When a brutal beating lands Raj in the hospital of the prison camp where his father is a guard, he meets a mysterious boy his own age. David is a refugee, one of a group of Jewish exiles whose harrowing journey took them from Nazioccupied Europe to Palestine, where they were refused entry and sent on to indefinite detainment in Mauritius.

A massive storm on the island leads to a breach of security at the camp, and David escapes, with Raj’s help. After a few days spent hiding from Raj’s cruel father, the two young boys flee into the forest. Danger, hunger, and malaria turn what at first seems like an adventure to Raj into an increasingly desperate mission.

This unforgettable and deeply moving novel sheds light on a fascinating and unexplored corner of World War II history, and establishes Nathacha Appanah as a significant international voice.

If you would like to be considered as a participant for February, please fill out the form below by 11:59pm Central time today, Tuesday, January 11. Your mailing address will be discarded if you aren’t selected to participate or passed onto the publisher if you are. I do not share or retain any personal information.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate – Book Review

Jan 102011

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Published by Gallery, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

All her life, Holly has been somewhat adrift. She tries to have a fulfilling life, including meaningful romantic relationships, but she herself seems unsure of what exactly she wants, and things never quite work out. After her latest failed relationship, Holly returns to her grandmother’s house on Blue Crab Island, off the coast of Maine. Holly’s grandmother is a special women who runs her own Cucinotta, teaches Italian cooking classes, and has been known to tell people’s fortunes – including telling Holly that the love of her life will be a man who loves sa cordula, a dish of lamb intestines with peas. When Holly’s grandmother passes away, Holly inherits everything but her gift of second sight, and must get her cooking skills – and her life – together if she wants to honor her grandmother’s legacy by keeping her store and classes going.

With “The Love Goddess’ Cooking School,” Senate has given us a sweet and well-written book about discovering one’s self and one’s talents. Holly is a likable and well-developed character. I did at times have trouble reconciling her great leaps forward in cooking ability, but I think that Senate supported that well with Holly’s unceasing practice, and the fact that she did grow up around her grandmother’s kitchen in the first place. The romantic angle was somewhat predictable – I knew from the second the love interest first walked into the store that he would indeed be the love interest – but that is not necessarily a bad thing in a fun and uplifting read like “The Love Goddess’ Cooking School.”

Interestingly, of all of the supporting characters, the love interest was perhaps the least well developed, but this did serve to make the book more about Holly and her self-discovery than about the great love foretold by her grandmother, which was somewhat refreshing. The members of Holly’s cooking class were very well sketched, with problems and realities of their own that added to the overall plot without seeming as if they were forced to do so.

Overall a very enjoyable book, and one I would recommend snuggling in with on a cold winter’s day.

Buy this book from:

Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

Source: Library.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

My First Sunday Salon of 2011!

Jan 092011

Hello friends! I had a great time mostly unplugged over Christmas, reading pretty much whatever I wanted, and that pattern has continued over the past week. Although I am currently reading two books for review, everything I read last week was either a TBR book or from the library, it was quite lovely. I think my decision not to review more than 3 books per week which were sent to me for the purpose of review is a good one.

Here are the books I picked up this week:

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By the way, I am reading Maisie Dobbs for the Book Club Girl readathon, we’re reading one of the books every two weeks in preparation for the release of the newest book this March. The first discussion is Friday, January 14th and they are quick reads, so there is still time to join in the fun!

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In addition to talking about my goals for 2011, and the “A Tale of Two Cities” readalong that Nicole and I started, I also posted a giveaway for Julie Hyzy’s “Buffalo West Wing” and reviewed some great books:

Sheep in a Jeep – Saturday Story Spotlight

Jan 082011

Welcome to Saturday Story Spotlight, where I discuss books my husband and I are reading with our son, Daniel. These are books that he, we, or all of us particularly enjoy.

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margaret Apple
Published by HMH Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Oh, these sheep and their jeep! They are not the most responsible of car owners. First their car stalls, then they push it into a big mud puddle. Finally, when the car has been removed by some friendly pigs, they are so elated that they forget to even steer and crash their jeep once again.

This is perhaps my very favorite book to read to Daniel. I absolutely love Shaw’s rhymes, everything flows perfectly. What I like best about “Sheep in a Jeep,” though is opportunity it gives me for vocal expression. Things start out peachy keen, but before long the sheep are shrugging, leaping, and grunting. It is great fun to read all of these descriptives with the appropriate inflection, plus it provides additional clues, besides simple context, for Daniel to learn this vocabulary. The most fun of all? Daniel definitely understands the book enough to know that unfortunate things are happening. The first word on page 2 is ‘uh oh,’ so he likes to shout that as soon as I flip from page one. He also adds his own commentary of ‘uh oh’ when the jeep ends up in a heap at the end of the book.

So much fun, and great for phonemic awareness. I just became aware when writing this post that there is a whole series of sheep books, where they get on a ship, go to a shop, take a hike. Daniel and I can’t wait to check them out.

5210693610 37ae2ff460 m picture Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

Source: Personal copy
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Original Sins by Peg Kingman – Book Review

Jan 072011

Original Sins: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom by Peg Kingman
Published by W.W. Norton & Co

After an unconventional childhood – leaving Scotland at a young age for India and the Far East – Grace is not quite at east in the quite conventional society of Philadelphia in the mid-19th century, surely her mother-in-law does not approve of her at all. Life becomes even more complicated when her old friend Anibaddh, a former slave, returns to Grace with a secret, one that will require Grace to travel south, into the heart of that institution which she most despises: slavery.

I did not realize when I first picked up “Original Sins” that it was actually the second in a series or, at least, it is connected to a book set earlier with the same main character. Luckily Kingman balances the series/stand-alone book divide well. There are enough references to past events to tip the reader off to the existence of an earlier book, but the necessary backstory is sufficiently explained, without giving away the entirety of Kingman’s first book, “Not Yet Drown’d.”

I found “Original Sins” to be absolutely captivating. Grace is certainly not the typical mid-19th century American woman, she is feminist and abolitionist in a time when all American women still gave the majority of their rights over to their husbands automatically upon marriage and slavery was still very much a given. Some will complain that Kingman’s work is more about thoughts and beliefs than about story and I would not necessarily disagree, but I also do not think that is necessarily a bad thing. Yes, Grace, and other characters, expound on their beliefs in long discourses, but it is all supported by the characterization Kingman provides and, most importantly, it was fascinating and thought-provoking.

Although “Original Sins” is certainly not for everyone, people who are intrigued by the exchange of ideas about religion, freedom, and human rights will certainly find themselves engrossed. Highly recommended.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

Source: Publisher
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Tale of Two Cities Readalong: The Marrying of Many Projects

Jan 062011

5323907481 ca5ef72243 m picture As you may know, Nicole and I have about a million projects going on together. We have finally come up with one thing that incorporates all of the big ones: a “A Tale of Two Cities” readalong.

Before you ask, we did NOT get the idea from Oprah. We have been talking for about six months or so about reading Dickens as it would have been read at publication: in installments. So, when we decided to participate in the list swap challenge together, it didn’t take us long to choose “A Tale of Two Cities” as the book we wanted to read together.

“A Tale of Two Cities” is actually a very appropriate choice for Nicole and I, because we are both devoting a fairly significant portion of our reading time right now reading classics and the works they have inspired for our podcast, What’s Old is New. In this case, what is old is still sort of old, since we are reading the original way, but we will still be discussing each installment on the Tumblr as we go. Installments begin on Saturdays, and there will be a discussion post up by Monday or Tuesday for others to join in as they read along.

5256159881 7ba9c432e6 m picture Then, as a culminating discussion for everyone who reads “A Tale of Two Cities” in the first part of this year, whether they read in installments with us or not, we will be discussing the book on Nicole’s blog as our August edition of BOOK CLUB.

We hope you will consider joining us. If you would like to see the complete schedule at the What’s Old is New Tumblr. Actually, if you think that you might ever want to read “A Tale of Two Cities” in installments, I suggest you check out the post, because it was much more difficult than we would have thought to get a schedule of which chapters belong together, and we are happy to have made it easier for others to figure out.

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy – Giveaway

Jan 062011

Yesterday I reviewed the first book in Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef series. The fourth book in this series, “Buffalo West Wing,” was released earlier this week and I ended up with two copies from the publisher, so I thought I would share the wealth and give one away to one of my fabulous readers (the other one is staying firmly ensconced on my shelf until I have read books two and three and I can get to it as well).

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I haven’t had a chance to read “Buffalo West Wing” yet, but I would be surprised if it was really necessary to read the first three books first. The sense I get from Hyzy’s writing is that she is the kind of author who would catch up her readers quickly. I really enjoyed “State of the Onion,” however, so I would say that it would be worth winning “Buffalo West Wing” and picking up the others (they are mass market paperback and cheap!).

Because I am sending this out myself and it is a nice little lightweight mass market paperback, I can open this contest up internationally. Please fill out the Google form below by Friday, January 14th at 11:59 pm Central (US) and I will choose a winner that weekend.

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State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy – Book Review

Jan 052011

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
Published by Berkeley Prime Crime, an imprint of Penguin

As a White House Assistant Chef, Olivia Paras – Ollie, to her friends – has plenty of stress in her life, particularly as her boss and mentor is retiring and she is up against cooking school rival cum television personality for his job. The last thing she needs is anything distracting her right now, but unfortunately nobody told that to the man who broke into the White House grounds as she returned from a break with a commemorative frying pan for her mentor. Suddenly, Ollie finds herself in hot water, embroiled in a course of events. (sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Although I don’t read them very often, I love a good cozy mystery for a change of pace and, as such, I’m so excited to have found Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef series. In my opinion, a cozy is good if it is engaging, the reveal is not overly obvious, and the plot does not become completely ridiculous. “State of the Onion” was absolutely engaging, I found myself reading a hundred pages at a time easily, and even yelling at Ollie when she was about to do something stupid and dangerous. As to the reveal, I had a definite idea as to who the bad guy might be, but Hyzy kept me vacillating between two possibilities right up until the very end. As for the plot, I’m sure there were things that were not completely accurate, but it was nothing for which I could not suspend disbelief, particularly with Hyzy’s engaging storytelling.

I’m very much looking forward to continuing this series, which is now up to four books, with the publishing of “Buffalo West Wing” on January 4th. Recommended.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

The newest book in this series, “Buffalo West Wing,” was just released. Buy it from Powells*|Indiebound*|Amazon* – or check out my giveaway tomorrow

Source: Publisher, via author’s publicist.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love by Andrew Shaffer – Book Review

Jan 042011

Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love by Andrew Shaffer
Published by Harper Perennial, an imprint of Harper Collins

If philosophers are the wisest among us, and even by their very name called lovers of wisdom, then surely they should excel at romantic relationships, n’est pas? Alas, that seems not to be the case, as Andrew Shaffer clearly shows in “Great Philsophers Who Failed at Love.”

Thirty-seven philosophers, including greats such as Socrates, Plato, Kant, Locke, and Sartre, have their love lives chronicled in “Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love.” Their stories range from merely an excessive number of marriages and divorces, to legal adoption of one’s younger lover, to the accidental murder by strangling of one’s spouse.

“Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love” was supremely well executed. Each philosopher has a chapter between two and four pages long, where their contributions to the world of philosophy, along with their scandalous love life, is chronicled. Shaffer walks at least two fine lines: providing the reader with enough information on each philosopher’s contributions that their inclusion makes sense, but not overwhelming the narrative with philosophical detail which not all readers may understand; and providing an informative narrative which is funny, but not to the point of being ridiculous. In both cases, Shaffer achieved exactly the right balance.

A fascinating book. although I’m surprised that Shaffer’s wife didn’t turn around and leave when he mentioned on their honeymoon his proposed topic. Highly recommended for those interested in philosophy, history, and human nature.

Buy this book from:
Powells.*
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.*
Amazon.*

Source: Publisher.
* These links are all affiliate links. If you buy your book here I’ll make a very small amount of money that goes towards hosting, giveaways, etc.

Looking Back at Christmas Reading, Looking Ahead to 2011

Jan 032011

In case you missed it, I posted my ‘best of’ list last week, all the books I gushed about in 2010.

Hello, friends! I feel like I haven’t been around for a long, long time. Really, it has only been a week and 1/2 since I was blogging regularly, but since I’m used to blogging pretty much every day, it was very strange for me. It was also very nice, though. Since I was not trying to maintain content here, I had a little more freedom to read what I wanted, including reading books that are a few weeks out. The fact that I wasn’t writing also helped me get a lot of reading done. From the Christmas reading list I posted before the holidays, I finished 8 of the 24 books:

Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love by Andrew Schaffer
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld
You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon
The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
A Thousand Rooms of Dreams and Fear by Atiq Rahimi

I am also halfway through Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, which is sort of like reading a whole additional book.

I probably could have finished another 2 books if it weren’t for Jane Eyre, which really dragged for me.

—————————————————

I am not going to talk about resolutions, per se, but there are a couple of things I want to start out the year doing, to see how they work, and at least one of them affects you, dear readers.

Other than during theme weeks (no more than one per month) and for Saturday Story Spotlight, I will not be reviewing more than three books sent to me for review per week. I’m doing this for a few reason. For one thing, it will help me read farther ahead, so there are not times I’m staying up late to finish a book that I want to review the next morning. In addition to just being less stressful, reading farther ahead will also give me more flexibility to pick up a book the second it comes into the house if I want to, even if it isn’t being released for months. Plus, if I am already scheduled three weeks ahead, that will make it easier for me to pick up a book from my TBR pile or that I have out from the library.

Now, you may see content like D.E.A.R., giveaways, guest posts, or discussion posts on the two days a week I am not reviewing books sent to me for review, or you may even see reviews of audio, TBR, or library books, or even old review copies I never got to but still really want to read. However, I have also given myself permission to only post those three days during any given week, so you may not be seeing new content here daily, at least for the next few months.

One thing I really hope to do this year, especially since I’ll be reading ahead, is to keep up on getting reviews written and scheduled. I’m going to try to make Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings my writing time. I’m hoping having scheduled times will help keep me from being lured away from my writing by my books, although of course I can write any time the muse hits.

What kind of blogging resolutions are you trying out this year? Blogging more regularly? Less often? Reading more? Less? Commenting? Social media? I want to know!

Newer Entries

Devourer of Books

BOOK CLUB 2011 Schedule and February Title Giveaway

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate – Book Review

My First Sunday Salon of 2011!

Sheep in a Jeep – Saturday Story Spotlight

Original Sins by Peg Kingman – Book Review

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy – Giveaway

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy – Book Review

Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love by Andrew Shaffer – Book Review

Looking Back at Christmas Reading, Looking Ahead to 2011

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