Friday Favorites

I went through a phase several years ago - many years ago, actually - of reading almost only true crime novels.  I can't really stomach them, now.  I think it's because I've had children.  Now that so many years have passed since I read that genre, I can't remember which ones I've read, what they're about, or even who the popular true crime authors are.

But there is one book that sticks in my mind like glue.  I'll never forget it.  It's Ann Rule's Small Sacrifices, which was published in 1988.  That was the year I read it and I still remember it well.  I even think about it when I hear Duran Duran's Hungry Like a Wolf, which played a supporting role in this novel about Diane Downs, an Orgeon mother who shot her three children to get them out of the way of her and her married boyfriend.

If you're looking for a fast read and if you like true crime, this is one you absolutely have to pick up. 

Here's a link to Ann Rule's other novels.  She's a fantastic writer and makes true crime reading such a juicy guilty pleasure!

Friday Favorites

This week I would like to share with you what I love about one of my favorite books, The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory.  This book has got to be one of Gregory's best-written stories about a young royal woman in Tudor England.  

Catalina, the daughter of two of the greatest monarchs of all time, was promised to marry into another famous monarchy: the family of Prince Arthur of England.  You may not remember much of him from your World History class because he died young, and after only two years of marriage to Catalina. 

You probably have heard of her second husband, though:  Prince Arthur's younger brother, Henry.  You know the one: Henry the VIII.  The one who took off the heads of all his many wives?  Catalina was his very first wife.  She was also one of only two (if I remember my history correctly) who got out of there with her head intact.

This story isn't really about all that, though.  It's about her.  And it's really, really good.  If you like this era, or any books about royalty or about history, you will love this book!

Enjoy reading!
~Kristan

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  For this week's edition of Friday Favorites, I wanted to share a collection of our most favorite books of all time.  When polling our book club group, I really expected to get at least a few duplicate mentions; but everyone listed different books and there's such a variety here.  I think you'll enjoy this list, and enjoy learning why these books are so loved. 

Here it is:
The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant - Anisa said this is one of her favorites.  Amazon.com Review says this fiction novel "offers an insider's look at the daily life of biblical sorority of mothers and wives, and their only daughter, Dinah."  The Amazon.com Review goes on to say the book shares sensual and emotionally charged stories of the women surrounding Dinah, Jacob's daughter, who only gets a brief mention in the book of Genesis. 


The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood ,by Rebecca Wells - Another favorite of Anissa's, this is the ultimate girly book that tells the story of a begrudged 40-year-old daughter of a "steamy Thornton City, Louisiana" mother whose voice is the narrator of the book, and who is described as being "part Scarlett, part Katharine Hepburn, and part Tallulah."  I'm embarrassed to say that I have not yet read this book (am I like, the ONLY person left?) but I'm adding it to my to-read list!

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, by Jean Shepherd, which Cara would also like to use as her book club selection next time she hosts.  Described as being a "beloved, bestselling classic of humorous and nostalgic Americana," Shepherd writes of a time long ago, when life was slower and simpler, and apparently he has it all wrapped up in a funny little package. 

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4), by Stephenie Meyer - Cara loves the entire Twilight Series, but has dubbed this one her favorite.  I don't do vampires, so I have not read this one, nor any of the other in its series, so I'm taking Cara's and the rest of the world's word for it that this is an addictive series once you get started. 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo - Stacey said she realizes this is a young adult book, but it's beautifully written and has an amazing story.  Barnes & Noble says the book is a "piercingly beautiful story about love, loss, and the power to love again."  It sounds really sweet, so I'm going to buy it for my own book collection and I'm having my son read it, too.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee - Ok, this one is actually a duplicate, because it's one of my favorites, too.  Sunday puts this one at the top of her list.  If you didn't read it in high school, run out and buy it and read it now.  If you did read it in high school, run out and buy it to read again.  That's what I'm doing and I'm so happy about that decision.  I enjoy it much better this time around; now that I'm older I can really appreciate the intricacies of the relationship between father and daughter.  This is Sunday's favorite aspect of the book, too.  This is the 50th anniversary of the book's publication, so HarperCollins has published a special 50th anniversary hardcover edition.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak - Sunday loves this book just as much as To Kill a Mockingbird.  In fact, she says, ".... I love the idea that books/reading can change yourworld, even during horrible times in your life.  I love the relationshipsin this book. They really touch me." 

The Hunger Games Trilogy, by Suzanne Collins - Having read this entire series twice during the last 6 months, Sunday loves-loves-loves these young adult books because of the way the author tells of the "future."  She says it's also just a great story of "overcoming who you think you are and who you can be."  My son has read the trilogy and he says the same thing:  you can't put it down once you start. 

The Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Sunday was hesitant to admit this one, knowing she would get slack.   And while I'm usually on the look-out for any opportunity to give someone slack, especially Sunday, I can't in good conscience rib her about this one.  I haven't read any of the books, but I was religiously perched in front of the television every single afternoon of my 8th grade year, learning about real life right along with Laura.  Ma taught us how to mend our brothers' breetches, Pa taught us how to milk our cows....  many of the things I learned from Little House on the Prairie I use to this very day.  Sunday says she has so many fond memories of her mom reading the books to her and her sister.  Her particular favorite is The Long Hard Winter.  And I can see why:  because living here in Texas, we absolutely MUST know as many survival tips and tricks as possible to surviving long, hard winters.

A Horse and His Boy, by C. S. Lewis - this is one of the seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  Sunday loves the entire series, but this book especially because of her love for horses, and because in this story the horse can not only talk, but ultimately rescues the human.  She says she also loves the angle Lewis used in writing this story: the boy belongs to the horse, not the other way around. 

Some really great ideas to add to your list of to-reads.  Happy Friday!

Enjoy reading!
~Kristan

Room, by Emma Donoghue

Our August book club meeting was at Anissa's this Saturday night, where we discussed her selection, Room, by Emma Donoghue.  Anissa served a kind-of stuffed lasagna that was absolutely to-die-for.  Cara brought a delicious summer spinach salad, Suzy brought sourdough bread (my FAVORITE!) and this was all followed by a beautiful dessert pizza, handmade by the beautiful and incredibly talented Farrah Fox.  Oh and then there was another dessert that Anissa made:  caramel brownie cheesecake turtle trifle.  I'm not even kidding.

Anissa's stuffed lasagna

We got things kicked off with some wine spritzer-laced conversation that involved Sunday and Cara gettin-jiggy-wid-a guy named Wally who was creeping on them at Shooters.  Apparently Mr. Wally was crushing on Sunday, but she wasn't interested.  He had teeny tiny fingers.  You know what they say about guys who have tiny fingers....

There were mixed feelings on the book.  Anissa and I felt that it needed more meat at the end.  Something a little more gripping, I guess.  Farrah got bored with it altogether.  Or maybe that was Suzy.  I know it wasn't Lisa.

The overall rating, based everyone's feedback, is probably a 3.  I personally would give it a bit more than that, just because I liked how different it was than any other book I've ever read.  I also thought the 5-year-old's perspective was honest and true to a child that age.

Serena, Anissa, Farrah, Lisa, Kristan, Sunday, Suzy, & Cara

After dinner and wine, we realized our movie was about to start, so we hit the road.  Not everyone could come, unfortunately.  Suzy, Sunday, and Cara played the "I'm tired" card and bailed.  I'm not suggesting they weren't really tired, but they were all freshly made up and I'm thinking there may be something to this Wally thing, and Suzy wanted a piece of the action.

Farrah, Anissa, Lisa, our neighbor, Serena, and I packed our juice boxes of red wine, and piled in my car to go see The Help.  Great movie.  GREAT. 

I really want to go see it again, though, so that I can look the characters straight-on, instead of at the odd angle you get when you see a movie FROM THE FRONT ROW.  Ugh.  We really should have gotten there about 45 minutes before we did because the entire town of Cedar Park was there at the same time.  The movie followed along with the book really closely and it was so good!!

Sunday Taylor Garza

September's book selection is The Enneagram Made Easy by Renee Baron and Elizabeth Wagele, to be hosted by our very own gorgeous, and yet strangely-named friend, Sunday Taylor Garza!  I've already ready it and I know my Type.  I can't wait to visit with you ladies about it next month so we can see if we are truly compatible as friends!  Fingers crossed!

Enjoy reading!
~Kristan

Friday Favorites

I thought it would be fun to start posting a little list of favorites on Fridays - this first posting will be a list of our book club's five favorite book club selections, in a list I'd like to call, "Five Favorite Book Club Selections." 

Here goes:
#1 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett - this was our selection for February or March of 2010 and it's still at the top of our list!  So excited to be seeing the movie this Saturday evening with the book club ladies.  I'll post our review afterwards!  My rating was 5 out of 5 stars.

#2 - Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler - funny, un-p.c., and completely offensive, Chelsea Handler is one of the authors that had us in stitches.  A small group of ladies even went to see her live when she came to Austin last year.  I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

#3 - My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult - our first selection for this book club group, the consensus on this book was that it was deeply moving, achingly sad, and had us in deep discussion - and even debate - more than any other book we've read for book club.  My rating:  5 stars.

#4 - Sweet Potato Queens' First Big Ass Novel by Jill Conner Browne and Karin Gillespie - this is just a good, fun book that is so relatable if you were ever in high school.  The perfect summer read (although we read it in the winter), the book also includes easy Southern recipes that the authors refer to as Funeral Food.  So fun!  This book got 3.5 out of 5 stars.

#5 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - although not everyone in our book club loved the book, Middlesex definitely sparked a lot of discussion, particularly along the lines of, "what the...," and "I can't believe his parents didn't....," or my personal favorite, "what would you do if YOU had a...."  I personally really enjoyed the historical aspect of the book, although it dragged a bit in places.  I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy reading!
~Kristan

Vanessa Carlton Recommends

Singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton is featured in today's Barnes & Noble Review, where she is quoted on three of her favorite books.  The first one listed, A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit, looks amazing.  I'm planning to get it today! 

In fact, it looks so good, I'm choosing this book as our October book club selection.  If you are an Amazon kind of girl, click here to purchase.

When you get a moment, please leave a comment below, letting everyone know what you're currently reading, and your thoughts on it. 

Can't wait to see you ladies this Saturday afternoon! 

Enjoy reading!
~Kristan

Secrets of Eden

Another of Chris Bohjalian's books that I love.  In Secrets of Eden, the story is about a battered wife and brings in elements of religion, infidelity, and murder. The day after Alice is baptized, she's found
in her home, murdered alongside her abusive husband.        
                            
The story follows Bohjalian's typical storytelling style of allowing different characters to narrate their own version of the story, so that the reader pieces it all together.  Although Alice is a battered wife, the book didn't dwell on this element as being the main focus.  The story was really a whodunit and was, for me, a mystery until the very end. 

Secrets of Eden was Lisa's book club selection, so our monthly meeting was held at her house for Sunday dinner.  Perfect time to set the tone for a lunch that was themed along the lines of the book:  Sunday dinner, including after-church food like homemade mac-and-cheese, mozzarella-stuffed chicken breasts, dinner rolls, and salad.  Oh and then there were the sangria mixers.  That part maybe wasn't so churchy.  But Lisa's Catholic, so it worked.

Stacey made a delicious bundt cake.  Well, she said it was delicious, so we'll just have to take her word for it.  She dropped it on the floor as she was leaving to head over.  She even brought a picture of it scattered everywhere as proof.  She called it an Icing-in-the-Cake Cake, which sounds like something I'd devour before heading out the door, then to save myself embarrassment, spread its crumbs all over my floor and tell my friends I dropped it.  I'm not saying that's what happened, I'm just saying that's probably what I'D do. 

We spent the afternoon slurping down our fruity Sunday drinks and worked away at righting all the wrongs of our neighborhood (Suzy has been elected Team Captain of her quadrant of the 'hood because she has no qualms about honking her horn and calling the cops if she sees you getting yanked out of your car by your hair, or if your baby daddy is hot-footin' it up the street threatening to sell all your kid's Garanimals to pay his bills).

We did spend a good, honest five minutes talking about The Secrets of Eden.  Everyone seemed to have enjoyed it, giving it probably about a 3.5 stars out of 5, if I had to guess at gunpoint.  Thank you for hosting, Lisa Lou!

Next month's selection, chosen by the gorgeous and ever-crafty Anissa Alepa, is Room by Emma Donoghue.  If you haven't started reading it, get crackin'!  It's a great book!

Kristan, Farrah, Lisa, Sunday, Suzy, and Stacey

Enjoy reading!
KB

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

This is my favorite of Chris Bohjalian's books.  He typically writes about touchy subjects; things that make you question (and possibly reconsider) what you really believe when it comes to certain controversial topics.  That's one of the things I love about his writing.

In The Double Bind, he writes a modern-day story about Laurel, a college student who's attacked while riding her bike in New England, then becomes active as a volunteer for a homeless shelter to help her heal. 

Laurel bonds with Bobbie Crocker, an elderly man who lives at the shelter and talks cryptically about his boxes of photographs, saying they contain pictures of Hollywood legends.  He tells Laurel stories of his childhood as the son of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, two unfaithful lovers from F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby. 

In the beginning, Laurel believes like everyone else that Bobbie is a delusional homeless man, but when he dies suddenly, she becomes obsessed with him and begins to piece together evidence from his mysterious boxes of photos that lead her to believe that he was telling the truth.  The story moves back and forth from the 20's to today, weaving in Laurel's own story from her childhood to the day of her attack, and Bohjalian waits to tie it all together with a big, delicious bow till the very last page. 

If you like psychological twists and turns, you will love this book!  You can really sink your teeth into it and if you're like me, you'll be left with an eery feeling of, "oh my gosh, NO WAY."  My plan is to go back and re-read it, now that I know the full story so that I can see if I'm able to pick up on little hints along the way. 

You MUST read this book!

John Grisham Recommends Michael Harvey

Barnes and Noble posted a few weeks ago that John Grisham highly recommends author Michael Harvey, saying, he's a must-read.  Since John Grisham is The Man, I took him for his word and bought a special two-book bundle for my nook. 

In the first of the two books, The Chicago Way, private investigator Michael Kelly narrates the murder mystery in a voice that sounds very old-school Chicago.  You can envision him sitting in a darkened office with cigarette smoke circling up from an ash tray, with slow, cheesey saxaphone music in the background.  I really almost couldn't stick with it much past the first 5 or 10 pages. 

I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because around page 10, BAM!  I was sucked in big-time.  It was one of those things where I was just reading along and then I was like, "Wait - what?  Did I read that right?"  Then I had to re-read that last paragragh to make sure I had it right.  I LOVE when books make me do that!

Michael Kelly is a lippy former-cop who backs down to noone and has an especially hard time backing down from the ladies.  Kelly has a tough outer shell from a childhood spent under the steel toe of his daddy's boots, but is a handsome softy that makes for a very sexy combination. 

I'm now almost finished with the second book in the bundle, The Fifth Floor.  Almost as good as the first, just a little more of a political spin.  All in all, these are good, old fashioned murder mysteries that I'd give probably 3.5 stars out of five.  Not fantastic, but not bad at all. 

Thank you, John Grisham, for the introduction.  Michael Harvey is an author I'd recommend, too!

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

This, Amy Chua's latest book, is her memoir as a parent to her two daughters, both now teenagers.  A Chinese woman raised in a very traditional home and married to a Jewish American, one can only imagine the family-planning discussions that went down in that house before Baby Number One came.  You know, the discussions about what church to attend, public school or private school, whether to spank or not. 

If these were the only things you and your spouse had to work out, you had it easy compared to Chua.  She brings new meaning to "helicopter mom," forcing her kids to practice their musical instrument of choice for hours upon hours, and never allowing her girls even to have sleepovers with friends. 

Although many readers find the book offensive in the way Chua raised her daughters, finding her treatment of them cruel at times, and although she was more of a disciplinarian that I could ever find it in my soul to be, I loved it.  I found myself agreeing with her at times when she spoke of how lenient and permissive American parents can be. 

Chua's writing is smart and funny, and I felt her self-depracation was warm and endearing.  I'm just glad she's not MY mom! 

To buy this book, click here.

Water for Elephants

If you are reading this, I'm happy to say (although I should be sad for you) that you weren't raptured when Jesus came on meeting day, May 21st.  As it turns out, everyone I know is still with us.  This could say something about the people I surround myself with, though.

We had a small group at our meeting - only Anissa, Sunday, Lisa, Stacey, Cara, and Farrah attended.  We had circus food:  hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, and tons of candy.  Even mini-margaritas, since I completely forgot beverages, so we had to split the pre-made margarita concoction seven ways!  Ha!

Everyone who read the book, "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, loved it.  I have recently realized how much I love historical fiction and a good writer can make you feel like you are a part of whatever time period their story is in.  Sara Gruen really makes the reader understand what it was like to live in the 1930's, and what it was like to be part of circus life in that day and time.  You could almost feel how hot and dirty they were all the time, living in box cars.

There were some areas that involved some animal mishandling, but I am usually very sensitive to this sort of thing and I think the author handled this in a way that made the reader aware of what was happening, but didn't describe things in a shocking or gorry way.  It was nothing like when Suzy talks about her history with cats. 

This book is a love story and a story of compassion for others.  The ending was so beautiful!  It almosts makes me want to join the circus, but then I realize that my house is usually hot and dirty, and there's always as much chaos as being in a circus tent, so... why leave?

After the meeting, most of us gathered our circus candies and our juice-box wines (thank you, Farrah) and went to the movies to see Something Borrowed (Water for Elephants was showing at an insanely early time).  It was a funny, although pretty predicatable movie.  The girl time was priceless, though.

Farrah is hosting June's book club and she's chosen, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua.  The book is an exceptionally fast read and a must-read for anyone who second-guesses their parenting decisions.  The author is smart, witty, funny, and selfdeprecating and is just a fantastic writer.

Hope you have had a great start to your summer and are getting in lots of reading time!

Enjoy reading,
Kristan

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

This book was actually March's book and I realize we're almost out of May... I'm behind, as usual, on updating the blog.  My Half-Year Resolution is to start updating more frequently.  Dare I say every two weeks?  It's optimistic, I realize.

Me Talk Pretty was Mia's book choice and, although I only read about half of it, I enjoyed it and do intend to finish.  (I'm still on this Henry the VIII train and I just can't get off).  We Leanderites loaded up in one car and headed southy to Mia's, where she had the most delicious meal prepared.  We had a baked potato bar with all kinds of toppings.  The gruyere bechamel sauce was a very nice touch!  Ana made from scratch an insanely rich cheesecake with dark chocolate edges.  Oh em gee.... it was divine!

Everyone really loved the book and over dinner we perused some of his sister, Amy Sedaris's, books from Mia's personal collection.  We especially enjoyed, and I totally intend to purchase her book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.

Also discussed over dinner: 
Sunday brought handmade Guatamalan bracelets that she was selling for her friend at work.  While beautifully crafted, I think Cara worded it best when she asked, after having hers strapped on, "Where's my hawk?"  It really did look like a landing leather for wild birds.  Nevertheless, they were hot sellers and I think everyone purchased one, except for me because, why would I cover up the only skinny part of my arm?  When I tried one on, I looked like I was suiting up for a mock battle, Roman Gladiator-style, at the Renaissance Festival.

Stay with me, ladies, it just gets better and better....

Brazilian waxes.  Not sure where the name came from because Mia and Ana ARE Brazilian and they shared that Brazil is absolutely NOT where this style of wax job originated.  Also, for those of us who haven't dared to "take it all off," as it were, we learned from a Brazilian herself that the grow-out phase of this grooming technique is extreeeeemely uncomfortable.  We then launched into a Brazilian debate:  is it worth it?  Considering the blood-curdling pain to have gigantic hair folicles ripped from paper-thin skin, followed by a month-long case of the itchies, we decided a landing strip may be the way to go.

After deciding on the next book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, chosen by yours truly, we wrapped it up for the night.  Hope you enjoyed - or plan to enjoy - one of the books mentioned in today's blog!

Enjoy reading!

An Apology for Sunday

That is Sunday Garza, not the day of the week. 

It was brought to my attention a few months ago that I have not written minutes or a blog about any of the book club meetings that have been hosted by Sunday.  I found that to be a strange accusation, then realized it was true. 

What happened?  Am I jealous of Sunday?  Threatened by her cooking?  Her ability to read any length novel in only one night?  Her magnetic laughter, that attracts pretty people from near and far?  Her.... popularity?

I have no explanation and no excuse.  And - I'm embarassed to admit - no memory of the latest meeting that was held at Sunday's house.  Well, I suppose I do have a FEW memories.  There was a fabulous Southwest hominy soup, pitchers of margaritas, and some discussion about an upcoming class reunion for Liberty Hill grads.  I know it was a fun-filled evening because they always are, especially when they're at Sunday's house.  The details are just a little blurry....

As a refresher, the book was The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  It's Sunday's favorite book and I absolutely fell in love with it, too.  It was very different - members of the group either loved it or hated it.  I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, but I do highly recommend reading this book! 

Thank you for hosting, Sunday.  And please accept my dearest public apology for flipping you the proverbial bird on all past parties hosted by you.  I love you!!

The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big Ass Novel, by Jill Connor Browne & Karin Gillespie

Hi ladies, 

If you missed the January meeting at Anissa's, you missed great food, great conversation, and great outfits.  I was stunning in an off-the-rack black nylon-blend blouse, a teal velvet ruched scarf, pleated jeans, and cowboy boots.  My jewelry was faux diamond & crystal drop earrings, silver and teal bangles and teal rhinestone bauble ring. 

I don't remember what the others were wearing. 

Anissa served Funeral Food from the month's book club book, The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big Ass Novel:  Chicken Shit, Chocolate Stuff, and Revirginators (special thanks to Lisa, who provided cranberry juice for these!).   Everything was dee-lish and served up at the dining room table in beautiful dishes... just like a proper Southern mean should be!  Farrah brought Pig Candy, which was sickeningly delicious.  Bacon and brown sugar... really??  It's disgusting and yummy, all at the same time.

Also served up were some of these little nuggets:

Stacey's burning desire to get the hell out of our neighborhood and move to Crystal Falls, where nobody talks to each other.  And that's the reason she wants to live there.

Suzy's philosophy against goodie bags at birthday parties (and frankly, her non-belief in birthday parties in general, since her daughter has yet to even have one). 

Anissa's darling furry boot-topper cuffs (oh yes... she was wearing those!) 

Kindle vs. Nook....  Sunday insists that Kindle won the competition, however she's on her fourth - or is it FIFTH one?  I don't know.  I can only keep up with the ONE nook I've ever had.

A local 80's band that plays at Shooter's in Cedar Park... Big Question of the Night:  does the lead singer have JUNK?  Yes or no?  Stacey pulled up a crotch pic on her iPhone, which we zoomed wwwaaaayyyy in on and passed around for everyone to inspect.  The consensus?  Pardon the pun, girls, but it was a hung jury.  We simply couldn't tell. 

There was also talk of some disturbing activity at the Wal-Mart right here in our own beautiful Cedar Park, Texas.  People necking in the parking lot, spanking the monkey behind the shrubbery, and some good old big, black junk hanging right out front.  I personally find this all a bit of a turn-on, but the other girls seemed grossed out, so I played along like I did, too.

And since we can't seem to have a gathering without discussing Stacey's dog's anal glands, we were graced with that discussion... AGAIN.

So there you have it! 

February's book is The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.  It is SOOO GOOD.  Sunday will be our hostess and the meeting is Friday at 7pm.  I hope everyone can make it!  The theme will be along the lines of the book... think pea soup, wasa crackers, stale bread and such.