Tag: one book at a time

Thursday Book Talk : “Fool,” by Christopher Moore
July 9, 2009 reading

Thursday Book Talk : “Fool,” by Christopher Moore

Fool: A Novel Christopher Moore (blog) William Morrow, 2009 (hardcover) (ISBN 0060590319 / 9780060590314) Fiction, 336 pages First sentence: “Tosser!” Cried the raven. There’s always a bloody raven. Book description: Here’s the Cliff Notes you wished you’d had for King Lear—the mad royal, his devious daughters, rhyming ghosts and a castle full of hot intrigue—in a cheeky and ribald romp that both channels and chides the Bard and all Fate’s bastards. It’s 1288, and the king’s fool, Pocket, and […]

Thursday Book Talk: “The Unit,” by Ninni Holmqvist
June 25, 2009 reading

Thursday Book Talk: “The Unit,” by Ninni Holmqvist

Disclosure: I received an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book for review through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. The Unit: A Novel Ninni Holmqvist (translated from Swedish by Marlaine Delargy) Other Press, 2009 (paperback original) (ISBN 1590513134 / 9781590513132) Fiction, 272 pages First sentence: It was more comfortable than I could have imagined. Book description: One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised […]

Thursday Book Talk: “Escape,” by Carolyn Jessop
June 18, 2009 reading

Thursday Book Talk: “Escape,” by Carolyn Jessop

Escape Carolyn Jessop (with Laura Palmer) Broadway Books, 2008 (ISBN 0767927575 / 9780767927574) Nonfiction/memoir, 448 pages First sentence: “Escape. The moment had come.” Random clip (page 91): “After several terrible years with Faunita, Audrey said, Merril was forced to marry Ruth. He resisted this marriage as well, until he was reprimanded by the prophet and forced to wed.” Book description: When she was eighteen years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with […]

Monday Book Talk: “The 19th Wife,” by David Ebershoff – TLC Book Tour AND GIVEAWAY
June 15, 2009 reading

Monday Book Talk: “The 19th Wife,” by David Ebershoff – TLC Book Tour AND GIVEAWAY

This review is part of a virtual blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours in connection with the paperback release of The 19th Wife. Thanks to Lisa of TLC for arranging for me to obtain a copy of the novel (in hardcover) for review. Author David Ebershoff is also on a “real” book tour to promote the paperback release. He will be in the Los Angeles area on Monday, June 22, reading and signing books […]

Monday Book Talk: “The Laws of Harmony,” by Judith Ryan Hendricks
June 8, 2009 reading

Monday Book Talk: “The Laws of Harmony,” by Judith Ryan Hendricks

I received this book for review through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. The Laws of Harmony: A Novel Judith Ryan Hendricks Harper, 2009 (paperback) (ISBN 0061687367 / 9780061687365) Fiction, 496 pages First sentence: “The heat is a presence. Palpable and relentless, it rolls over Albuquerque like a hot iron.” Random clip (page 300): “I buy a double espresso from a woman who has a little cart set up right by the entrance every Saturday and head […]

Monday Book Talk: “Dating Jesus,” by Susan Campbell
May 25, 2009 reading

Monday Book Talk: “Dating Jesus,” by Susan Campbell

I received this book for review through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl Susan Campbell Beacon Press, 2009 (hardcover) (ISBN 0807010669 / 9780807010662) Memoir, 215 pages First sentence: “The devil is in an air bubble floating beneath my baptismal robe.” Random clip (page 149): “Though Roman Catholic, Flannery O’Connor was Christ-haunted. No matter how far she traveled or what she wrote, Christ was floating right by […]

Monday Book Talk: “The Senator’s Wife,” by Sue Miller
May 18, 2009 reading

Monday Book Talk: “The Senator’s Wife,” by Sue Miller

The Senator’s Wife Sue Miller Vintage, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 0307276694 / 9780307276698) Fiction, 320 pages First sentence: From her perch in the middle of the backseat, Meri surveys the two in front—her husband, Nathan, and Sheila, the real estate agent Random clip (page 23): “She makes her breakfast and sits listening to the news on the local public radio station. There’s much talk, about a year later, about the recovery from Hurricane Andrew in Florida.” […]

Wednesday Book Talk AND GIVEAWAY: “Mojo Mom,” by Amy Tiemann
May 6, 2009 reading

Wednesday Book Talk AND GIVEAWAY: “Mojo Mom,” by Amy Tiemann

Thanks to Jessica Chun at Gotham Books/Penguin Group for offering a review copy of this book! The book is currently available in bookstores and online. Mojo Mom: Nurturing Your Self While Raising a Family Amy Tiemann, Ph.D. Gotham Books, 2009 (ISBN 1592404553 / 9781592404551) Nonfiction, 256 pages From the Introduction: What is Mojo? Mommy Mojo is the feeling you get when you are at the top of your game, juggling the many facets of your […]

Tuesday Book Talk: “Bad Mother, ” by Ayelet Waldman
May 5, 2009 reading

Tuesday Book Talk: “Bad Mother, ” by Ayelet Waldman

The publisher provided this book as a pre-publication ARC for review purposes. It’s available in bookstores as of May 5, 2008. Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of GraceAyelet WaldmanBroadway Books/Doubleday, 2009 (hardcover) (ISBN 0385527934 / 9780385527934)Nonfiction (memoir/essays), 224 pages First sentence (from the Introduction): The morning after my wedding, my husband, Michael, and I were lying on a vast expanse of white linen in the bridal suite of […]

Monday Book Talk AND GIVEAWAY: “What to Read When,” by Pam Allyn
April 13, 2009 reading

Monday Book Talk AND GIVEAWAY: “What to Read When,” by Pam Allyn

Thanks to Jessica Lee at Penguin Group USA for making this book available for review! What to Read When: The Books and Stories to Read with Your Child – and All the Best Times to Read Them Pam Allyn Avery Books, 2009 (paperback) (ISBN 1583333347 / 9781583333341) Nonfiction (education/reading), 336 pages One of my favorite parts of the early years of parenting was reading aloud with my son. I believe that you can’t start this […]

Sunday Book Talk: “Home Girl,” by Judith Matloff
April 5, 2009 reading

Sunday Book Talk: “Home Girl,” by Judith Matloff

Thanks to Julie Harabedian at FSB Associates for making this book available for review (months ago – sorry it’s taken me so long to get to it)! Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block Judith Matloff Random House, 2008 (hardcover) (ISBN 1400065267 / 9781400065264) Nonfiction/memoir, 304 pages First sentence: I needed to get a second look. After all, I had just pledged our entire savings on a house in Harlem, without informing […]

Sunday Book Talk: “Gods Behaving Badly,” by Marie Phillips
March 15, 2009 reading

Sunday Book Talk: “Gods Behaving Badly,” by Marie Phillips

Gods Behaving Badly: A Novel Marie Phillips (author’s blog) Back Bay Books, 2008 (paperback) (ISBN 0316067636 / 9780316067638) Fiction, 320 pages First Sentence: One morning, when Artemis was out walking the dogs, she saw a tree where no tree should be. Book description: Being immortal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Life’s hard for a Greek god in the 21st century: nobody believes in you any more, even your own family doesn’t respect you, […]