A Worn Path

Maisie Dobbs Introduces a Strong Female P.I. and Post-World-War-I England

2012-02-21T19:11:00.001-06:00

I am a reader of series. I love the knowledge that one book is followed by another and another, all about a character I have come to know and love. Because I am not usually a fan of historical fiction, I resisted giving in to the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. As oft is the case, I was wrong.

Beloved female investigator Maisie Dobbs has detected her way through eight novels, with a ninth being released in March. I picked up a copy of the first book at my favorite used book store during my honeymoon in January, but I just started reading it two days ago. Two days ago, and I finished it last night -- in less than 24 hours!

Turns out, I do not dislike historical fiction as much as I thought. In fact, when it comes to Maisie Dobbs, I don't dislike historical fiction at all.

The series begins in 1929 England, as main character Maisie Dobbs opens her first investigative office in a less-than-ideal area of town. Her first case seems to be an open-and-shut one, but it leads -- as many things do -- to a more complicated situation.

Winspear expertly weaves Maisie's present with her past. In this first novel in the series, she takes readers all the way back to Maisie's childhood and relates her story from her father's tiny home to benefactor Lady Rowan's large estate to Cambridge University's Girton College. An important part of Maisie's history is also revealed in her work as a Red Cross nurse in France during World War I.

The first novel in particular (and perhaps the entire series, based solely on back-of-book descriptions) is set in the late 1920s, yet is also tied to the Great War and its long-lasting effects. As Maisie's war story unfolds, Winspear delves into some deeper themes that are still relevant today.

Coming up next month is March is Maisie Month, with a tour from TLC Book Tours, which I will be participating in. I'll be reviewing the seventh book in the series, The Mapping of Love and Death. Up until then, I plan on catching up on all the books in the series! The second and third books are in my possession at the moment, and I've already started the second one.

For more about Jacqueline Winspear, visit her website, check out the dates for her upcoming book tour, and visit her Maisie Dobbs blog.

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table Shows Ruth Reichl's Life as a Complicated Series of Meals

2012-02-19T09:32:00.000-06:00

Although most people wouldn't think twice about a food critic's background, Ruth Reichl's life is the stuff that makes for interesting reading. Much more than a foodie memoir, Reichl's look at her early life from childhood to her first job as a food writer wears many hats.

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table is a biography of a poor little rich girl, one who was sent off to boarding school and sailed off to Europe. It is also the story of a hippie living freely in the 1970s, shocking society with her blindness to skin color and normal conventions. It is the story of a child dealing with a parent with mental illness. It is the story of a girl learning to cook first at home (disastrous), then at her father's first wife's mother's house (yes, you read that convoluted relationship correctly). It is also the story of a food writer in the making.

While Reichl came from some degree of wealth, her tone is never pretentious. Instead, she writes candidly about her life in New York City and about her mother's madness, which colored every day of her life. She forgoes some of the privilege she enjoyed as a child in order to escape for periods of time: to the University of Michigan for college, to Europe as a newlywed, to Berkeley as a commune-living chef.

Reichl's relationship with food is a constant in her life, from the molded hors d'oeuvres her mother serves at parties to the wine she tastes in Europe on a buying trip with her local wine seller. Food is more than just food to Reichl; instead, it is a part of her life she can control, one that she can depend on. It is perhaps the thing she relies on the most, the ability of food to please and to comfort as long as one uses fresh ingredients and treats them well.

Often foodie memoirs are not noted for their literary merit, but Reichl manages to both write about her life and food and to do it extremely well. The pages of Tender at the Bone are sprinkled with well-tested recipes, but Reichl's true ability is in her impeccable word choice, her ability to write prose about food and make it sound like poetry.

THE SWALLOW'S PORK AND TOMATILLO STEW

1/4 c vegetable oil

8 cloves garlic, peeled

2 lbs lean pork, cut in cubes

Salt

Pepper

1 bottle dark beer

12 oz orange juice

1 lb tomatillos, quartered

1 lb Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 14-oz can black beans

Juice of 1 lime

1 c sour cream

Heat oil in large casserole. Add garlic cloves. Add pork, in batches so as not to crowd, and brown on all sides. Remove pork as the pieces get brown and add salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, put beer and OJ in another pot. Add tomatillos and tomatoes, bring to a boil, lower heat, and cooke about 20min or until tomatillos are soft. Set aside.

When all pork is browned, pour off all but about a tablespoon of the oil in the pan. Add coarsely chopped onions and cook about 8min, or until soft. Stir, scraping up bits of meat. Add chopped cilantro and pepper and salt to taste.

Put pork pack into pan. Add tomatillo mixture and chopped jalapenos. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover partially and cook about 2 hours.

Taste for seasoning. Add black beans and cook 10min more.

Stir lime juice into sour cream.

Serve chili with rice, with sour-cream/lime juice mixture on side as a topping.

-- Ruth Reichl, Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table (p.230)

To learn more about Reichl, visit her website, read her blog, or follow her on Twitter.

This post is part of the Beth Fish Reads weekly series, Weekend Cooking. BFR describes Weekend Cooking as a place for "anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs." To read more food-related posts from the past week, visit this week's Weekend Cooking post.

Catch Me Delivers Thrills from Lisa Gardner

2012-02-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

D.D. Warren has been through some serious changes in her personal life recently. She delivered a healthy baby boy, Jack, ten weeks ago. Just before that, she moved in with her love interest and fellow police officer, Alex. A visit from her not-so-amicable parents is almost enough to send the Boston homicide detective over the edge.

Before she loses it, thriller writer Lisa Gardner sends some saving grace her way: two complicated cases, perfect distractions for her stress at home. D.D. dives headlong into the first case, the shooting death of a convicted pedophile, out after time behind bars. When the case is linked to another similar death, D.D.'s squad finds themselves investigating a rogue citizen bent on ridding Boston of its child molestors. It's not exactly a case anyone particularly wants to solve. However, always the homicide investigator no matter the victim, D.D. and her team are putting as many hours into this case as they would any other.

As D.D. leaves the scene of one of the murders, she runs into a second case. This time she isn't quite so gung-ho, as the crime hasn't actually happened. Rather, a girl wants D.D. to investigate her own own murder -- which she claims will take place in a few days. Although intrigued, it isn't exactly what D.D. does -- solve crimes that haven't yet occurred. She can't quite decide if the girl's crazy or scared, but something tells her the answer is scared. And so, despite her misgivings, D.D. listens to her story and begins a tentative investigation.

Lisa Gardner always tells an excellent story, but she is particularly adept at doing so in Catch Me. She gives readers both the story of the detectives, but also the background for the cases. Catch Me begins two decades ago, with the story of an abused child. With several flashbacks, Gardner fleshes out the present storyline with details from the past.

Additionally, for the first time Gardner really examines D.D.'s character with some depth. As aforementioned, her parents arrive from Florida and play roles in several scenes. Although D.D. has detected her way through half a dozen novels, little time has been spent developing her character. Longtime readers of the series will recall detective Bobby Dodge from the first few books, a character who changed and grew as the series developed. Although his character doesn't appear in Catch Me, Gardner does the same thing with D.D.'s character, allowing her to grow and mature in this latest novel.

If you want to go back and read the D.D. Warren series in order, visit Lisa Gardner's website, or glance back through my previous reviews:

Alone (2005)
Hide (2007)
The Neighbor (2009)
Live to Tell (2010)
Love You More (2011) -- I've never reviewed this? What? Okay, will solve this soon! It's fantastic.
"The 7th Month" (2012)

Gardner is also the author of the FBI Profiler series (whose characters make brief cameos Catch Me), as well as three standalone novels. As far as mystery/thrillers go, you really can't find anyone better than Lisa Gardner. The audio versions of all of her books are amazing, but the print versions are excellent, too!

"This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage" Details Ann Patchett's Success (and Failure) in Love

2012-02-14T07:59:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day posts should be about love, and today's post is. Well, it is and it isn't. Back in December, Audible.com offered a free download to its listeners: an essay on marriage by acclaimed author Ann Patchett. At the urging of friends and family, Patchett wrote down the story of her marriage -- a happy one, by all accounts.

She begins, however, with several unhappy marriages: her grandparents', her parents', and finally, her own first marriage.

"Tell the story of your marriage," my young friend Niki says to me. "Write down how it is you have a happy marriage." But the story of my marriage, which is the great joy and astonishment of my life, is too much like a fairy tale, the German kind, unsweetened by Disney. (Patchett, "This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage")

As a result of her family history, Patchett had no background in making marriage work. She saw her mother choose poorly time and again, and make decisions to follow men cross-country from California to Patchett's hometown of Nashville.

Although she describes her stepfather as a father-figure to her to this day, Patchett holds nothing back when relating the drawbacks of her mother's marriage to him. She and her sister had to exist within the walls of this second marriage, she says, while his kids only visited on summer breaks and holidays. She isn't sure still which group of kids had it better. They had no permanent father in their lives back in California, but she and her sister had to live in that marriage.

After a disastrous first marriage to a man she never really loved, Patchett swore off marriage. It was not for her, she decided. And yet, here she is -- in present day, married to a man with whom she is thrilled to spend her life. How did she manage to get from point A to point B? In this extraordinary essay, Patchett reveals what love means to her, and why after many years she decided to give marriage a go again -- and why it's the best decision she's ever made.

"This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage" is an essay not to be missed, especially on this, the (albeit consumer-market-driven) holiday of love. In fact, it is the perfect thing to listen to on a day like today, when society tells us love is roses and expensive chocolate. The love Patchett describes has nothing to do with those things, and everything to do with choosing to become a better person through your partner.

To get this essay to listen to today -- or any day -- (for free!) click here.

"The 7th Month" Shows D.D. Warren Detecting During Pregnancy

2012-02-13T15:01:00.000-06:00

Before her latest thriller starring Boston detective D.D. Warren hit shelves, author Lisa Gardner released a short piece that detailed some of the time between her last book, Love You More, and her new novel Catch Me. At the end of Love You More, D.D. discovered she was pregnant. This news was unexpected and somewhat shocking to the detective. After all, she hadn't originally planned to be a parent at all, much less in the near future.

E-novella "The 7th Month" reveals D.D. in her seventh month of pregnancy, still on the job (albeit behind a desk). When a movie producer enters the police station looking for a police consultant for a film shooting in a local cemetery, D.D. jumps at the chance to get out from behind her desk. The movie's current retired-police consultant hasn't shown up for work in a day or two, and filming must go on.

Readers of Gardner's previous books shouldn't find it unbelievable that once on set, D.D. begins to unravel a mystery. Although little would be gained from reading this short piece as a standalone, for fans of the series, it's a perfect taste of the detective, on-the-job and with child. Fans won't want to miss this glimpse of life between the novels before diving into Catch Me. And the piece isn't so short that it isn't worth the $1.99 price tag. I estimated it to be about 40-45 pages long, the perfect length for short fiction.

Look for my review of Catch Me within the next day or two!

Godspeed

2012-02-03T08:41:00.000-06:00

Today, I am only thinking about one thing: safe travels for my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew as they travel halfway around the world.

Since 2009, my brother and sister-in-law have lived in Tanzania, doing work to help the people there become more educated and more self-sufficient. In short, to help them create good, productive lives for themselves.

As a mission goes, it has been slow-moving. First, there was the distance to travel -- more than 7,000 miles. Then, there was a new language to learn --eastern Africa's Swahili, but also some tribal dialects like Sukuma. In addition to language differences, there were also many housing and cultural issues to overcome.

In 2010, they traveled back to the U.S. to have my nephew (the cutest little boy in the whole entire world). That November, my mom and dad traveled to Geita, Tanzania via Rwanda to visit them and their first and only grandson. Last summer, my mom and I went back and had an amazing adventure. Besides seeing them and experiencing daily life in a Tanzanian town, we also got to stay overnight near Kilimanjaro, visit a rural village, explore the city of Mwanza, and go on safari in the Serengeti. It was a trip of a lifetime.

This past November, they traveled once again to America, this time for a different kind of life celebration. Instead of a birth, they returned to help with my wedding. Holly was my matron of honor, Jude was my ring bearer, and Carson was a builder-of-decorations and video-camera-guy. My heart swells with the love they showed me and that I feel towards them for coming and helping with this special occasion.

Today they fly home, first to Washington, D.C. and then on to Tanzania. Last night was full of laughter, conversation, and hugs and kisses. Today we are missing them, but certain in the knowledge that they are following their hearts to do good work.

Holly wrote eloquently yesterday about the business of leaving, which you can read here.

Many prayers and well wishes are with them as they travel.

And who knows if I will wait until they return in 2014? As a new nephew will arrive in May, I might just have to make that journey again.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty... Swoon. Faint. Beginning-of-Every-HBO-Series-Sound.

2012-02-01T06:30:00.000-06:00

Joshilyn Jackson has (thus far, at least) established a certain set of ground rules in her novels. There will be strong, flawed female characters; they will be from the south; and a shadow of darkness will lurk in the corners, just beyond where the light manages to reach. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty, Jackson's latest novel, contains both a lot of light and a whole heck of a lot of darkness, all blended into a particular Jackson-style piece of fiction.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty introduces a whole host of fabulous characters, both sort-of heroes and definite villains. At the novel's center are three generations of Slocumb women: Ginny (also known as Big), Liza, and Mosey (or Little). Grandmother, mother, and daughter all live in a little house in the fictional small-town of Immita, Mississippi, which lies somewhere along the Gulf Coast. After Liza suffers a stroke at the age of 29, Big and Mosey serve as caretakers for her. It's not an easy life, but it's their own.

That is, until a pulled-up willow tree in their backyard reveals a secret none of them is prepared to discuss. During the subsequent police investigation, Big and Mosey conduct their own covert operations in an attempt to discover the truth behind the unearthed box. For Big, that means serious rehabilitation work with Liza, as it's clear she holds the truth deep within her broken body. In Mosey's case, it means she and her sidekick Roger turn their investigative abilities into high gear. Roger invents one wild goose chase after another, until Mosey is worn out with his eagerness.

In the process of attempting to solve the mystery under the willow tree, all three generations mature in various ways. Big learns to overstep what she refers to as her "bad year" (which happens once every fifteen years, so far); Liza works to recall the words she needs to communicate; and Mosey gains a deeper understanding of exactly what it means to be a family.

Jackson's villainous characters are every bit as interesting as her mostly-good ones. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty offers up a character list peppered with drug users, self-righteous private-school moms, and cheating ex-wives. Most of the time, Jackson allows just a glimmer of goodness to shine through their cold veneers, but a couple of these characters simply never redeem themselves -- as in life. Their inclusion is a perfect foil for the radiating goodness of the more sympathetic characters.

The deep south is as much a character in the novel as are the characters themselves. As she grew up along Florida's Emerald Coast and currently lives in Atlanta, Joshilyn Jackson is a southern girl born and bred. In short, she knows of what she speaks. She is the south. This is highly apparent in her novels, and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty is no exception. Immita, fictional though it may be, has the bones of a true southern small town. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone (and everything), where the Baptists believe they're going to heaven (while everyone else rots in you-know-where), and where there are backwoods sects like the Duckins that are the stuff of legends.

Full of humor and raw emotion, A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty is quite simply southern literature -- or any literature, for that matter -- at its best. Jackson pulls out all the stops in this fifth novel. Well-drawn characters, a finely nuanced setting, and a darn good story.

Joshilyn Jackson is the author of four other novels, including gods in Alabama (my review here); Between, Georgia; The Girl Who Stopped Swimming; and Backseat Saints (my review here). You can follow her hilarious ramblings on her blog Faster Than Kudzu, or even catch her on book tour for A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty between now and February 18.

Darkness, My Old Friend Takes Readers Back to Lisa Unger's Fictional Small-Town

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Lisa Unger takes readers back to the sleepy (but surprisingly crime-filled) streets of The Hollows, a small town just outside New York City, in her latest book Darkness, My Old Friend.

As in Fragile, her previous novel set in The Hollows, Unger populates her book with a whole host of characters, both old and new. Returning are psychologist Maggie Cooper and her husband Jones, psychic Eloise Montgomery, and high school principal Henry Ivy. In small towns like The Hollows, everyone knows everyone. However, in Darkness, My Old Friend, Unger introduces several new characters for readers to get to know.

Michael Holt has come home to The Hollows after decades away. After the death of his father, Michael returns to his childhood home to prepare it for sale. Back in his hometown, Michael finds himself unable to let go of his mother's disappearance more than a dozen years ago. He hires private investigator Ray Muldune and psychic Eloise to help him solve the mystery once and for all. They, in turn, enlist the help of now-retired police detective Jones Cooper to help them work the troubling cold case.

Jones is also called to assist a young housewife who learns too late what her husband is really like. As she hires him, then immediately disappears, Jones steps carefully around the husband's pointed questions. In the meantime, he works to find her -- dead or alive.

Bethany and Willow Graves make up the final new-to-The-Hollows characters. Hailing from NYC in search of a place more quiet, the Graves family has secrets of their own. Willow, a high school student, has her share of issues that led them to The Hollows. She stumbles into the Marla Holt investigation by accident, then struggles to make her mother believe her.

Although admittedly Darkness contains a somewhat complicated set of storylines, it is an enjoyable read nonetheless. Unger immerses her readers in her small-town universe. Although most small towns don't experience quite so many dramatic disappearances and crimes, the underbelly of small-town life is decidedly complex. Unger gives us a peek behind the curtains of the houses we might normally pass by, and in the process spins quite a fascinating tale.

In addition to Darkness, My Old Friend, Lisa Unger is the author of Fragile, the first book set in her fictional town of The Hollows, as well as eight other novels. Some of these were written under her maiden name of Lisa Miscione, but are being re-released over the next year. Two, Angel Fire and The Darkness Gathers, are already available. For updates from Unger, visit her website, read her blog, like her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

The Accident Propels Linwood Barclay Onto My To-Read List

2012-01-24T06:30:00.000-06:00

Linwood Barclay's latest thriller starts off with a bang -- literally. Although the author kills characters off at every turn of the page, all that death only serves to accelerate his novel rather than squash it. Barclay won't be winning the National Book Award for his efforts anytime soon, but he might just snatch an Edgar or a Dagger. I read this novel every chance I had, and finished it in about two days.

The Accident begins in New York City with a crime in Chinatown in a back alley knockoff handbag shop. Barclay then takes the action to Milford, Connecticut, a suburb, where Glen Garber and his wife live a sedate, family-driven life. But when Sheila Garber is killed in an accident which she seems to have caused, their quiet life is turned upside down.

Things in their small Connecticut town continue to spiral downward, as one crime after another pops up. Glen fights to clear his wife's name, but causes a domino effect as he does so. The most surprising characters in this novel reveal their inner criminal, and I'll just have to stop there. Truly, no plot point can be discussed at any length without revealing too much.

The Accident is about the crimes inside us all, from the smallest white lies to the larger, punishable-by-law crimes. Barclay's characters are well-written and his plot flawless. I had previously only read one Barclay thriller, 2009's Too Close to Home; now I'll be downloading his backlist onto my Kindle Touch. If you're looking for a fast-paced, engaging thriller, The Accident is the book for you.

Married to Bhutan Describes a Land Where the Spirit Can Find Peace

2012-01-20T06:30:00.000-06:00

Isn't it funny how fabulous books just sometimes fall into your lap? You aren't looking for them -- in some cases, you don't even know about them. Linda Leaming's Married to Bhutan was one of those books.

Every October, I attend the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee. This past fall, author River Jordan was speaking on a panel about faith, which I was dying to attend. I had read -- and adored (read my review here) -- her nonfiction memoir-of-sorts, Praying for Strangers, so it was a no-brainer for me to attend her session at the Festival. Also on the panel with Jordan was author and missionary Katie Davis, and joining them was Linda Leaming.

The connection between these three women was at first difficult to understand. Jordan wrote a book about praying for people. Davis does mission work in Uganda, Africa, and is foster mother to thirteen orphaned and abandoned girls. Leaming wrote a book about uprooting her Nashville life and moving halfway across the world to Bhutan.

As Leaming spoke, her love for Bhutan was evident in both her words and in the way her eyes lit up as she spoke about the country. She rambled a bit, like a schoolgirl in love -- and that's a spot-on comparison. Leaming flew to Bhutan on a stopover from India during a world-wide trip whose other stops included Italy and France. But the streets of these beautiful countries couldn't hold a candle to the flame she was carrying for Bhutan's mountains and rivers.

She eventually made Bhutan her home, and Married to Bhutan is her love letter to that Himalayan country. In this memoir, Leaming details her life teaching English in a Bhutanese school, learnng to wear a kira, and struggling to communicate in a difficult and unknown-to-her language.

After reading Married in Bhutan I (sort of) want to visit the country, and I definitely understand Leaming's inclusion in the panel on faith. Although hers is not a novel of religion, it is a novel about finding your way spiritually. In Bhutan, Leaming has found a place where her spirit is at home, even though she may not believe in the Buddhist teachings her husband and his countrymen follow. She is at rest there, and often faith is just that -- finding a place of comfort in which to just be.

You can follow Linda Leaming on Twitter or on her blog, Married to Bhutan. She is currently at work on a second book. (And although this is mentioned exactly nowhere above, Leaming is quite funny. Her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor pops up throughout the book as a nice respite from the often-serious manner in which she describes her new homeland. It's a perfectly balanced book! Also, I read this on my new Kindle Touch, and the e-book is on sale at Amazon right now for $1.79. So you must snap it up.)

Red Mist Thrills This Kay Scarpetta Fan

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. Kay Scarpetta has moved on after her near-death experience several months ago. She's working steadily to rebuild the Cambridge Forensic Center, a forensic research company created solely by her and the people she loves. Dawn Kincaid, her attacker, is safely ensconced in prison while awaiting trial. Dawn's mother, also incarcerated but in Savannah, Georgia, has been contacting Kay via letters and email. As the always-curious scientist, Kay travels to Savannah to see what her would-be killer's mother has to say in a face-to-face visit.

Once there, Patricia Cornwell's seasoned medical examiner finds herself tangled in a complicated web of deceit. Her reasons for being called to Savannah turn out a bit differently than she first expected, and Scarpetta's dismay at being deceived almost outweighs her sense of right and wrong. In the end, she agrees to help by working an old case that involves a current female death row inmate -- one who is close to execution.

All of the usual suspects end up in Savannah -- Marino, Lucy, and Benton all make the trek to be near Kay. Readers of recent Scarpetta novels will also remember NYC prosecutor Jaime Berger, who appears in a somewhat different (and highly interesting) role.

Several things pleased me about Red Mist, the latest Scarpetta novel in a string of nineteen about the medical examiner, which Cornwell began writing more than twenty years ago.

First of all, Cornwell places the reader firmly inside Scarpetta's head. In several books, Cornwell switched from first-person point-of-view to third-person, a move that distanced the reader from her main character. According to an interview in December with ABC News, Cornwell stated that she made a definite decision to switch back to Scarpetta as narrator.

Books such as "Predator," "Trace" and "Book of the Dead" replaced Scarpetta's first-person narration with an omniscient third person that directly exposed readers to the sadistic imaginings of the perpetrator, which the author began to feel uncomfortable with.

"I started finding it was disturbing to me. I couldn't sit in my chair for very long. I couldn't eat at my desk anymore. I grossed myself out. I never eat at my desk anymore," Cornwell said. "In the early books, you hold Scarpetta's hand. It's a much safer journey from her point of view."

Another thing that made me glad (and that kept me up nights reading this novel) was that Cornwell returned to the older days of her Scarpetta novels, in which the focus was truly on the ME's character. In a few of the novels, Scarpetta hardly seemed the point. Rather, the novels were a jumping point for Cornwell to write about the government and the military. While Scarpetta's role as a military ME does factor into Red Mist in a small way, much larger is the focus on her as a human being.

Relationships between the long-standing characters rank high on Cornwell's list of important themes in Red Mist. Not only do readers experience some details about the inner workings of Kay and Benton's marriage, but there are also some key moments in Kay's relationships with both Lucy and Marino.

In addition to all my reasons for being glad, Patrica Cornwell spins a darn good yarn in Red Mist. Even readers unfamiliar with Scarpetta and her motley crew will appreciate the nuanced plot of this novel. I did feel as though the end wrapped up rather quickly, but then again -- the novel is more than 500 pages long, and I had been staying up to the wee hours of morning to finish it. So perhaps the ending could have been slowed if I had read it at a normal pace!

For my review of Cornwell's last Scarpetta novel, Port Mortuary, click here.

Holiday Reading: Books for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

What better way to celebrate a holiday than to learn about it through reading?

The teacher in me says there is no better way. Although we aren't in school for me to teach my students today, I thought I would share some book suggestions with you. Even if you don't get around to reading them today, perhaps you'll take a dive into them at a later date.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday that was first celebrated in 1986. It falls on the third Monday in January each year, near King's birthday on January 15.

Here is a smattering of book lists from around the web that either provide information about King and his life, or are more general books about the Civil Rights Movement to which King devoted himself:

Last year on MLK Day, the Huffington Post provided a list of nine books about King's life.
Last January, the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog listed three books about the movement and one collection of King's writings and speeches.
This year About.com asked Brooklyn booksellers to recommend books about King and the Civil Rights movement, totaling twenty books for both children and adults.
ReadingRockets.org compiled an excellent list of books about King and the movement for children, including both picture books for reading aloud and books for beginning independent readers.
NPR's Backseat Book Club Pick for January 2012 is Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963, a book that provides a child's view of the 1963 church bombing in Alabama, a pivotal event in the Civil Rights movement. Young readers can submit questions during or after reading the novel, and NPR will ask Curtis submitted questions during their wrap-up interview at the end of the month.

Weekend Cooking: (Wedding) Cheese Pie

2012-01-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

**This is a post that I revamped from my never-got-off-the-ground cooking blog, Down Home Girl Cooks. Maybe one day I'll go back to it -- especially during the summer months -- but for now, I'll combine all sorts of posts on A Worn Path, bookish or not.**

On my wedding day, I got up fairly early. 7am saw me putting in a load of laundry, making a run to my local Wal-Mart, and... baking Cheese Pies. Yep, you read that right -- I was baking and doing laundry the morning of my wedding! You see, my guy doesn't really like regular cake, so I had decided his groom's cake would be cheesecake -- a treat he loves. In all the preparations and decorating, I hadn't had time to bake, until that morning.

Cheese Pie is a recipe that has been in my family for years. I don't remember who originally made it or where the recipe came from, but it's been a favorite for more than a decade. We call it Cheese Pie because it's sort of a cross between a cheesecake and, well, a pie. It actually bakes up into its own crust with a cheesecake-like center and a sour cream topping. Not overly sweet, like cheesecake can sometimes be, but instead pretty perfect.

Cheese Pie Recipe

Pie:
2 - 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened -- let it sit outside refrigerator or soften it in the microwave by zapping for no more than 5-10 seconds)
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter glass pie pan and set aside. Beat cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth with a whipped texture. Add eggs and sugar. Mix well, until creamy and pourable. Pour into a buttered pie pan and bake for 50 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on, as you'll be returning the pie to the oven soon. In the meantime, mix up the topping.

Topping:
8 oz sour cream
1/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Mix all three together until smooth. When pie has cooled for 20 minutes, pour topping into the center that's been created as the pie cooled. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Take pie out and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or longer if necessary, until serving.

This post is part of the Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking series. According to her blog, "Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs." It's a fun way to start the weekend off, with lots of links to recipes and all things foodie. To see this week's links, click here.

I Love You Like a Love Song, Baby: Wedding Music

2012-01-13T10:13:00.001-06:00

Gratuitous Honeymoon Photo

No, we decidedly did not play any Selena Gomez songs at our wedding (but my stepson would have loved it if we had!). Instead, I created an iTunes playlist of songs I love. After hours of listening (my car rides almost became torturous, so determined was I that I would listen to every.single.song.on.the.playlist.in.order every time I went somewhere), I finally came up with what I thought was a delightful mix. Although I'm sure some would wonder if a thirty-year-old or a fifty-year-old added some of the songs (two by Don Henley, anyone?). I didn't want to fill up the blog with videos that would take too long to load, but I've linked to YouTube videos of all the songs if you want to take a listen.

Before the ceremony:

"January Wedding" ~ the Avett Brothers
"Feels Like Home" ~ Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt
"Forever" ~ Ben Harper
"Grow Old With Me" ~ Mary Chapin Carpenter
“For My Wedding” ~ Don Henley
“The Luckiest” ~ Ben Folds
“True Companion” ~ Marc Cohn
“Make You Feel My Love” ~ Adele

Bridal party entrance:

"Marry Me" ~ Train

Bride's entrance:

"So Are You to Me" ~ Eastmountainsouth

Finale:

"You are the Best Thing" ~ Ray LaMontagne

Reception:

At the reception, which held many more people (the ceremony itself was just immediate family), we kicked it up a notch. I'm not sure guests could really hear the music, but having it in the background made me happy. I played all the songs from the ceremony, plus several more upbeat tunes. Here are some of my favorites:

"Let's Get Married" ~ Jagged Edge

"By Your Side" ~ Sade

"I Could Not Ask For More" ~ Edwin McCain

"Every Time I Close My Eyes" ~ Babyface

"You and Me" ~ Penny and the Quarters

"Taking You Home" ~ Don Henley

"Cowboy Take Me Away" ~ Dixie Chicks

Sometime I will get back to talking books; you'll have to indulge me a few wedding-related posts.

January Wedding

2012-01-07T22:02:00.000-06:00

It was a beautiful, amazing, Pinterest-inspired wedding.

It just happened tonight, so I can't post much, but here's a preview.

A lot of hard work by a lot of fabulous people made everything exactly as I'd pictured.

I love my wonderful husband, both our loving families,

and all of our friends.

Can you tell I'm practically floating?

And tomorrow? Honeymoon in the mountains!

Best of 2011 Reading List

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-06:00

Here it is (on January 4): my favorite reads from 2011. Last year I did a much better job of posting precisely on January 1. But despite my tardiness, you'll be pleased. There are TONS of books you need to read.

Although 2011 was not my most prolific reading year, it was a good reading year. Last year I calculated that I read approximately 100 books (factoring in books that I read but didn't complete -- 95 books read, plus fifteen abandoned). This year I read 92 books and only gave up on three. So this year yielded overall fewer titles, but more enjoyable reads.

I've broken my favorites up into categories. It's true that some could fit into multiple categories, but I've placed them where I felt they were best. If you aren't big on a particular genre, but want to read a book from that category, give it a go! Not all mysteries are created equal, and the same is true with every genre. You may love one book in a particular category and hate all others. (Case in point, I READ A SCIENCE FICTION BOOK THIS YEAR! Multiple ones, actually, if you count the Hunger Games series.)

Without further ado, here they are. In order by most-read category to least-read, then in the order they were read, the best books I read this (last) year:

Mystery

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (review copy)
Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark (review copy)
Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward (hardback)
The Ridge by Michael Koryta (review copy)
Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner (Audible)
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich (ebook)
The Drop by Michael Connelly (review copy)
Fragile by Lisa Unger (Audible)

Non-fiction

Bossypants by Tina Fey (library)
The House on First Street by Julia Reed (used)
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (borrowed)
Love Wins by Rob Bell (borrowed)
Falling for Me by Anna David (review copy)
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl (used)
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (Audible)

Literary Fiction

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (ebook)
Solomon's Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson (library)
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (review copy)
So Much For That by Lionel Shriver (library)
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (hardback)
I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson (used)

Southern Lit

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch (used)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Audible)
Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews (Audible)
Coming Up for Air by Patti Callahan Henry (review copy)
Gone With a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West (used)

Women's Fiction

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers (used)
The McCloud Home for Wayward Girls by Wendy Delsol (review copy)

Young Adult

The Hunger Games -- Hunger Games trilogy book #1 -- by Suzanne Collins (library)
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (Audible)

Science Fiction

Ready Player One by Ernest Clive (review copy)

I am surely but steadily making a turn away from women's fiction. Although some books from earlier categories could also fit in that genre, typical "chick lit" simply isn't my thing anymore. Southern literature, usually my mainstay, also moved down on the list this year, as I read many less titles set in the south than ever before. Nonfiction rocketed to the top, second only to mysteries, which I've always loved. Also? Audiobooks became a staple. If you haven't looked into an Audible account yet, you should really give it a try.

I hope your reading life was full in 2011 and continues to be so in 2012. Until next time, happy reading! (I know you have plenty of books to choose from now!)

Books You Should Read. No, Really.

2011-12-27T22:24:00.000-06:00

Author Amy Greene

Because this is a book blog, I'm often recommending (or not recommending) that you read this book or that book. You can even find my favorite reads over on my Goodreads page (which hasn't been updated in a while except for basic info, like a simple list of books I've read and am reading).

I was exploring author Amy Greene's website the other day, and saw a list of book recommendations she posted back in the summer. Instead of doing it meme-style and putting Xs beside the books on that list I've read, I thought I'd just share with you the books I've read and loved from her list -- and then add some more that I've also loved.

Why Amy Greene? Deep down in my heart I'm a lover of southern literature first and foremost, even though I read a lot of other genres. Greene wrote Bloodroot, one of the best examples of southern lit in 2010, and I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Southern Festival of Books last fall. Since she's a excellent recent example of my reading roots, I feel as though our reading recommendations would be similar.

Without further ado, a sampling of the books I love from Amy Greene's recommended books list:

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Olive Kittredge by Elizabath Strout
Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

And some I will add to this must-read list of favorites:

My Antonio by Willa Cather
O, Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Me and My Baby View the Eclipse by Lee Smith
Clay's Quilt by Silas House
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler
The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke

If you want to read about the best books I read this year, come back later in the week. That post will be up by the end of the year!

Holiday Treats & Eats

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Everyone loves to make something special for the holidays, and I'm no different. Yes, I like to read, but I also like to cook!

Pinterest has been an inspiration for me -- as it has been for many, I'm sure. It's hard to go to a holiday party lately without hearing someone say, "I saw it on Pinterest!" or "Did you find that on Pinterest?" Here's a little taste of what I've made this year:

Source: mylifeasamrs.com via Joanna on Pinterest

This delicious baked brie is best served with apple slices. I had both crackers and apples, and the apples went fast! It was the perfect dessert/appetizer for Christmas with my girls this year.

Source: stamps4fun.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I made a variation of these sticky cinnamon buns for Christmas Eve Eve breakfast on Friday morning. My nephew pronounced them "nom nom" and my dad ate two! I cooked up some bacon to go with them; I thought the sweetness could use a little smoky salt flavor. I followed the recipe exactly, except I added a step -- I dipped the uncooked biscuit dough in melted butter, then in a sugar-cinnamon mixture before adding them to the pan. Just an additional few hundred calories. No big deal, right?

Source: myrecipes.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I actually didn't make this yet -- but I'm going to, I think. I made it several times last year, and it was a hit every time it was placed on a table. I have to thank Southern Living for this one!

Source: howsweeteats.com via Jenny on Pinterest

This cake batter bark from How Sweet Eats made it into my gifts for co-workers this year. I didn't do the bottom chocolate layer, and I should have. It was a bit too sweet with just the white chocolate cake batter layer.

Source: chocolateandcarrots.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I also included this in my co-workers' gifts. I made it with milk chocolate rather than dark. I prefer dark, but I think milk is a bit more everybody-friendly.

Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

These cake batter truffles are on my list for today, as is this:

Source: loveandoliveoil.com via Joanna on Pinterest

That's right. Cookie dough truffles. And, if I'm being honest, these:

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Oreo truffles! Yum, yum! Merry Christmas!

So this is Christmas...

2011-12-24T10:23:00.002-06:00

During the Christmas holidays, I have a recurring song playing in my head:

"So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun... "

- John Lennon, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

John Lennon & Yoko Ono Billboard, 1969

This year it seems so apt, with the war in Iraq finally coming to an end and all those troops coming home for the holidays. I haven't heard much about this in the news. NPR did several days worth of coverage during my last week of school before Christmas break (when I was still driving to work each day and therefore, listening to the radio each day), and author Sara Paretsky posted this on her Facebook page a couple of days ago:

"We seem to have ended the war in Iraq with almost no acknowledgement in public. As the wife, daughter and sister of veterans, I'd like to thank the people who gave many years of their lives, those who gave their lives, those who gave their physical and mental health, to undertake this service. The transition home will not be easy for some, especially in this bad economy. I know there are many organizations out there to support returning vets; one that I give money to is Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America. If you have a favorite, especially one that helps with housing or jobs, please post it here. And may our troops in Afghanistan return to us soon."

Paretsky's 2010 novel Bodywork explored PTSD and its effects on military men and women traveling home. (Read my review of the novel here.) She also provided a link to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America website, which you can visit for more information. If you feel like you haven't done enough this holiday season, it would be a great way to finish off your giving.

Speaking of giving, my brother and his Mbegu Films endeavor now have a partner in SmallHD, a camera technology company that has worked on big Hollywood and NYC projects like Entourage and the Today show. Mbegu Films will strive to provide communication and education in East Africa on topics such as clean food habits, vehicle safety, and much more. If you're interested in giving to this project, or partnering with them in their quest for education, contact my brother Carson McNeal via Mbegu Film's Facebook page or by visiting the Mbegu Films website.

I don't know about you guys, but I am just about as ready for Christmas as I'm going to be! My gifts are (almost) all wrapped, house is clean, laundry going, groceries for Christmas dinner bought, and I'm about to head out for a last few items. Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a warm and cozy Christmas Eve.

Lisa Unger's Fragile Explores Small Town Secrets

2011-12-22T09:40:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I kept seeing the name Lisa Unger splashed all over the book blogs I read. Her newest novel, Darkness, My Old Friend had been released, and her fans were raving about the book. I added both Darkness and her earlier novel Fragile, which Darkness followed, to my to-read list. When Audible ran a special a couple of months ago, I downloaded Fragile because mystery-type novels are my favorites for listening. Unexpectedly (because I had nothing to base it on, never having read her books), Unger's Fragile knocked my socks off. I listened to it in a matter of days, even though it ran about twelve hours -- which would normally take me at least a week or two of listening.

Fragile takes place in The Hollows, a New York City suburb. Because of its distance from the big city, The Hollows functions as more of a small town than as a typical suburb. Children are born and raised; some leave, but more stay. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone; it's impossible to go to the store or take a walk without saying hello to a neighbor. Psychologist Maggie Cooper escaped for a while, but after attending college in NYC, she fell for a boy from her high school. She and Jones Cooper have created a nice life for themselves in their hometown: he, a police detective; she, with a successful in-home counseling practice; and their teenage son Rick, getting ready to apply for and leave for college.

But every small town has its secrets, and The Hollows is no different. Lisa Unger carefully reveals just enough, one thing at a time, to keep readers in suspense and to spin a fabulous tale of deceit and -- yes, murder. Twenty years ago, a girl named Sarah disappeared one afternoon. A man went to prison for her murder, but Maggie's mother -- and others -- always had their suspicions about his innocence. When another girl disappears in present-day The Hollows, that old mystery begins to surface in the minds of the town's citizens.

Unger's strong suit is her ability to include a multitude of characters without confusing the plot. Instead, the inclusion of so many major and minor characters adds to the small-town atmosphere the novel creates. The reader feels as though he or she is present in The Hollows, and knows every citizen intimately. From Maggie's elderly mother, to a local pest-control guy, to damaged police officers, high school students, and even a self-proclaimed psychic, Unger peoples Fragile and The Hollows with a cast of characters readers will love.

The good news is that Unger, while new to me, has written half a dozen other books that I can now go back and read -- as can you! For more info on Unger and her books, visit the author's website or her blog Notes from the Margin. Recently she shared that Fragile has been optioned by TNT to be a movie in their Mystery Movie Night series. TNT is bringing many favorite mystery novels to life on the small screen with MMN, including Scott Turow's Innocent, Lisa Gardner's Hide, and now, Fragile.

Winning! And a New-to-Me (And Maybe You) Must-Read Author

2011-12-14T19:54:00.000-06:00

Although it may seem like it, I have not forgotten about last week's giveaway! The winner is Amy Curee. Congrats, Amy! Be looking in your mailbox for a package from Penguin...

This isn't the last you've heard from Ellen Meister's The Other Life. I'll keep you updated on news from its production for HBO.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In other news, I have a book you must read (or add to your Christmas list). Back in the summer, I started seeing book bloggers post about author Lisa Unger, a name I had never heard. I finally bought her book Fragile from Audible a month or two ago when they were running a special where you got $10 of credit if you purchased four audiobooks. It was amazing (I listened to the hours-long audiobook in just a few days), and so I immediately-after purchased the audio version of its sequel, Darkness, My Old Friend, which was published in August.

A full review will come soon, but until then, I urge you to look up Unger and these books. She has apparently written a few other novels, which will soon be on my to-read list, as well.

Enjoy the last half of your week, and happy reading!

Planning a January Wedding on Pinterest

2011-12-09T06:30:00.000-06:00

My wedding is in exactly four weeks. FOUR WEEKS! Although I feel like I haven't done anything at all, and as though there is still so much to do, I actually have been working fairly steadily towards my wedding goals. Pinterest, the great spot for creativity/ black hole for time spent on the internet, has inspired many of my wedding projects. Today I'm going to share the pins that have inspired me the most, and those whose projects are in the works or completed.

First, the color scheme. I waffled on this for quite some time. After all, it is a January wedding, and most typical wedding colors scream of summer. I wanted something wintery, but not your usual icicles and pale blues. I decided on dark gray and green after seeing this pin:

Source: beautifulcliche.tumblr.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Besides the colors, I've relied heavily on Pinterest for decoration inspiration. This tablescape really says it all:

Source: boards.weddingbee.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Although my reception will look not-at-all like this in reality, I've taken the colors, the green and white flowers, the green and gray (of course), and the natural elements and woven them all together. Outside the ceremony, my dad has created a version of this sign:

Source: aislewithstyle.blogspot.com via Nancy on Pinterest

My friends and I created lace, twine, burlap, and ribbon candle jars for the tables based on this idea:

Source: annabooshouse.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I've decided baby's breath is my primary flower, and burlap is a definite. (Plus, I made my own version of the signs.):

Source: heygorg.com via Nancy on Pinterest

I have a (faux) fur (and my dress looks amazingly similar to this dress, albeit thousands of dollars less):

Source: wedding.theknot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I've created my own version of a program styled like this one:

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

These are printed and tied with green ribbon for the kiddos:

Source: lovelyindeed.com via Joanna on Pinterest

A fascinator has been borrowed from a friend who got married last fall:

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Scrabble magnets are made and ready to leave the party as favors:

Source: ohweddings.net via Joanna on Pinterest

An entrance way will be created by my brother:

Source: projectwedding.com via Joanna on Pinterest

And twig wreaths with our initials will hang on the doors as guests enter:

Source: thepaintedhive.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I'm excited! And busy! And excited! More pictures to come, especially following the wedding. In the meanwhile, get yourself on over to Pinterest and find some inspiration of your own!

The Other Life Offers a Look (Or Possibly More) at the Path Not Taken

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

Quinn Braverman is a woman in mourning. On the surface, everything seems fine. She is happily married to a devoted husband; she has a young son who adores her; and she has a new baby on the way. But Quinn is an emotional disaster underneath her thin veneer of contentment. After she and husband Lewis receive difficult news about their unborn daughter, years of grief and regret catch up with Quinn, and she quickly reaches her breaking point.

In her novel The Other Life, Ellen Meister examines the two pivotal events that haunt Quinn: her mother's suicide, first and foremost; and her break-up with Eugene, a troubled radio personality whom Quinn was in a relationship with just prior to her marriage. The mother-daughter relationship between Quinn and Nan, her mother, is in many ways typical. However, Meister throws mental illness into the mix, as well. Nan has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a disease that eventually causes her demise. Meister expertly illustrates the often-difficult, but always-loving interactions between the two women. She does so in a wide array of scenes, from flashbacks, to private moments of Nan painting, to moments which are pure fantasy.

The fantasy aspect rarely works for me as a reader, but in Meister's hands, even the most unbelievable impossibility seems an easy reality. Quinn has long been aware of a parallel life that exists, one in which she stayed single and (somewhat) happy with Eugene. In that world, her son Isaac and her unborn daughter do not exist; her marriage to Lewis was never a thought. Now, for the first time, Quinn begins to consider crossing over from her "real" life to the parallel one accessible through various portals she can simply feel.

Can she leave Lewis, Isaac, and the baby, while simultaneously leaving behind all the heartache of this life? Is the life she's living on the other side that much better than what she has?

Meister has written a novel that speaks of the human spirit, with all its desires, selfishness, longing, and greed -- and yet, Meister also writes of enormous love and sacrifice. In her hands, Quinn is not a monster who dreams of leaving her family, but rather a broken woman seeking solace from all that ails her. As a reader, I struggled with Quinn's decisions as much as she did. Rather than seeming purely selfish, Quinn is a vibrant character who will fill readers with genuine empathy.

Ellen Meister is the author of two other novels, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA and The Smart One. HBO has optioned The Other Life as an upcoming television series. Meister's publisher, Berkley Trade (a division of Penguin), is offering a giveaway copy to readers of A Worn Path. Scroll down or click here to enter to win your own copy of the novel. For more about Meister, visit her website or her blog Side Dish.

Monday Giveaway: Ellen Meister's The Other Life (Optioned by HBO as Upcoming Series)

2011-12-05T17:05:00.000-06:00

I, like many other Americans, love me some Sunday night HBO. This is the night that begat Sex and the City, The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, and many more favorites. When a book has been optioned by HBO, you know that a) it must be pretty good and b) it must get all kinds of crazy at some point. In this case, yes, it is; and yes, it does.

Ellen Meister's The Other Life is a little bit like The Time Traveler's Wife, but without most of the lovey-dovey moments. In fact, Meister's form of time-and-space travel is not so much time travel as it is parallel universe travel. That's right -- I said "parallel universe."

Before you instantaneously tune out and click over to another website, hear me out. You'll hear the whole story tomorrow, when I post my review, but suffice it to say: this gal (not a sci-fi/ fantasy fan) loved this book. Like, read-it-on-the-elliptical-at-the-gym loved it. And that is not easy. It may look easy, but sweating it out while balancing a book on a half-inch shelf is not simple. It takes enormous balancing and holding skills. It takes want-to (as in, you really have to want to read that book in order to do it).

Berkley Trade, a division of Penguin, is offering readers of the blog a chance to win a copy of Meister's The Other Life. In the novel, protagonist Quinn Braverman faces multiple life-altering choices. A quick look at the book from the author's website:

Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it's possible to cross from one life to the other.

That does have the ring of an HBO series, doesn't it?

In order to enter the contest to win a copy of The Other Life, fill out the form below. In addition to the usual name, email, and address questions, I'm also asking you to weigh in on the book's theme. Obviously, parallel universes aren't reality. But what if they were? What would you choose? The life you're living, or one you regret giving up? Tell me about your life choice, and I may share it on the blog when I announce the winner.

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Need Some Holiday De-Stress Reading? Pretty Little Liars Novels Wicked, Killer, and Heartless Are Up to the Task

2011-12-01T06:30:00.000-06:00

PLL author, Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series is like the whipped cream on top of a steaming mug of hot cocoa: light, unnecessary, but delicious all the same. I can read books from this series in a day or two, usually sandwiched between heavier books or during times when I'm super-busy and need a distraction. I don't usually feel as though each separate entry in the series deserves a review all to itself; if you have read them, then you are well-aware that they are serial stories, much like a soap opera. One sort of bleeds into the next, and so on.

I read book five, Wicked, in the summer and number six, Killer, back in October. Last month I read Shepard's seventh PLL book, Heartless, in less than 24 hours. My guy had surgery, and I had several days spent in waiting rooms and then caring for him afterwards. Shepard's books are welcome distractions at times like those. The PLL world pulls you in and makes you forget about real life for a little while. Then you get so involved in their particular brand of crazy that you can't pull yourself away until you've read every last page.

Wicked starts, as each book does, exactly where the last book left off. In this case, Shepard has her work cut out for her. In the fourth book she wrapped up several of the mysteries that had been dangling for the first few books in the series. As a result, a whole new set of problems is introduced. (This is the point you might want to stop reading if you're unfamiliar with the series. SPOILERS ahead.)

"A," the long-time tormenter of Aria, Emily, Hannah, and Spencer, is dead. Or is she...? In Wicked, Shepard introduces a new "A," one with a vendetta against the girls that seems just as strong as Mona's. Basically, the girls continue living their fabulously wealthy teenage lives, full of new love interests and even new friends, in Hannah's case. At the end of the novel, the girls discover a body in the woods, which rockets them back into the media spotlight.

Book six, Killer, is titled after Emily's nickname from middle school -- so-called because of her inclination to jump to Ali's defense back then, like a loyal pet. The killer -- Ali's -- is the focus of this novel, as the girls begin to doubt their certainty that Ian murdered Ali. Other possibilities pop up from their past, including Ali's somewhat creepy (but extraordinarily good-looking) brother Jason. They also suspect policeman Darren Wilder after he seems less than enthusiastic about listening to their stories. When the woods are aflame at the novel's end, all of the girls believe they see a girl running away who looks disturbing like their dead friend.

Shepard turns everyone against the infamous foursome in the seventh novel, Heartless. Each girl spirals downward as the media slays them and even their friends and family turn away from them. The Ali-sighting seems a bit too much for everyone, and as a result the girls find themselves alone. Well, all alone -- except for "A." She -- or he -- is back and more in control than ever. "A" sends each girl on a private mission, with disastrous results.

If you haven't yet read any of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars books, December is the perfect month to give them a try. Who has time for heavy reading when the holidays are coming up and everyone is stressed to the max? Trust me when I say that they'll capture your attention for a while and distract you from that ever-growing list of gifts to buy and cookies to bake.

Need to refresh your memory on the first four books before you dive into five, six, and seven? Read about Pretty Little Liars (#1) and Flawless (#2) here, Perfect (#3) here, and Unbelievable (#4) here. And if you enjoy the series, you're in luck. Shepard has written ten books so far, with an eleventh one set to release in summer 2012. The tenth book in the series, Ruthless, comes out this Tuesday.