Coffee and a Book Chick

Among Others, by Jo Walton

2012-02-06T16:23:00.000-05:00

In my attempt to grow more outside of my comfort zone, I downloaded Among Others by Jo Walton for some science fiction and fantasy reading. It's not normally genres I read, but the few times I have, it's been fairly enjoyable. I guess for me it's an acquired taste, like coffee or wine. I have to regularly try it so I can get more used to it and eventually love it.

Outstanding bloggers recommended this book (full list below). With those strong supporters, combined with an appealing synopsis of the story that includes fairies, magic, the 1970s, Wales, England, boarding schools, and science fiction, all captured in journal entries, I knew it was something I needed to read. It was a bumpy road at first, but I'm glad I read it.

It is a science fiction reader's dream to read Among Others, but it's a reminder that reading does much more for you than just while away the time. This unique coming-of-age tale may incorporate fantasy elements, but it's also about the angst of teen life, the confusion of new friends and first loves, the grief of the loss of family and the awkward steps of meeting new relatives for the first time. Most importantly, it's about finding meaning in your own life by reading books.

It's 1979 and Morwenna Phelps is fifteen-years-old. Just one year before, she and her twin sister played with the fairies that hovered around the ruins of Welsh castles near her home. When their mother began to use more and more dark magic that became a danger, they knew it was their responsibility to fight back. Morwenna ends up losing her twin, and suffering a painful limp for the rest of her life.

A year later, Morwenna has run away from her mother and taken in by her once-absent father and his three sisters. Shipped off to boarding school, her coming-of-age tale is told through journal entries which capture six months of her life, relaying the interactions with new friends at school and her new family at home, and the steady ache of loss without her sister. Although magic is an important piece, it's actually quite subtle in the overall story. It must be remembered that Morwenna is an avid journal writer, so the six months we get to read is only a snippet of her life in which fairies and magic are the norm. The more "real" parts for the reader that are easiest to comprehend are the very rough spots of pain that Morwenna feels as she struggles to find a sense of balance in her new life. She is every bit a teenager who has all of the normal challenges being a teenager can bring, but she also has an added responsibility of dealing with magic and fairies in a world that doesn't believe. To have a mother who is the very source of evil, naturally draws a heavier burden for her.

Morwenna's escape from it all is reading. She voraciously reads dozens of books a week and falls in love with the "interlibrary loan" which allows her to order books from other libraries. Her stash of reading is never empty, and though she occasionally reads historical fiction, it is science fiction that captures her heart. It is the one connection she has with her father, who is also a passionate reader of the genre.

All readers will enjoy elements of Among Others, but science fiction lovers will especially adore this book. Everything Morwenna reads is discussed in full detail, comparing one book to another, etc. Since I am new to the world of science fiction, this initial part was quite a hurdle for me, and at times, I considered putting the book down because I wasn't grasping the references that a true science fiction fan would immediately get. After a while, though, the journal entries became much more fluid, quietly relaying significant events in Morwenna's life, and while I still felt as though there was a disjointed feel to the story (which is sometimes how it feels when it's in a true journal format), I felt much more comfortable with it. Once I got into the rhythm of the story, I couldn't put it down and found that I was jotting down notes on science fiction books that were important to Morwenna (which is why I picked up Ursula le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven and read it in a day, review coming soon.)

I ended up liking Among Others, and liking it a whole heck of a lot. It's impossible for me to say I loved it only because I haven't read the sci-fi books referenced, and for me, it seemed important to the story to understand the books that she loved, and the characters and themes referenced. This story more than likely has multiple layers of meaning that could be debated in the same science fiction book club Morwenna ends up joining at her library, but most of them unfortunately passed me by. There is much more to this story, but I feel I only scratched the surface of its meaning since I haven't read any of the books Morwenna writes about. When a book or character is referenced, if there isn't any explanation attached to it, it's sort of like an inside joke, or something that makes you feel left out. (Reminder to me yet again, this is a journal!)

So here's the success of this book for me: What it effectively did do is motivate me to read science fiction from the 1970s. It seems like this is one of the peak periods when sci-fi became even more popular. Because of that, I did head to the library this weekend and picked up Ursula le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven...and I read it in one day. Granted, it is a short book at less than 200 pages, but it's not often that I read a book that quickly. The review is coming this week and I can proudly state I loved it! More science fiction for me!

Read this if you like science fiction and fantasy books, or if you like stories about boarding schools and magic (even though it's much more than that!). If you are new to science fiction, push through the first entries; you'll eventually get to the rhythm and flow of the story and will find it comfortable, quiet, and a pleasant read. If anything, it will definitely make you a bit more curious about the science fiction section in the bookstore/library. It did for me and I am ecstatic that there is a new genre for me that I never thought to do anything more with than dip my toe into it. I can't wait!

Others said:
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat
Devourer of Books
Entomology of a Bookworm
The Guilded Earlobe (audio review)
Jenny's Books
Leeswammes' Blog
Page247
Rhapsody In Books
Stainless Steel Droppings
Things Mean A Lot
The Written World

Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 1/18/2011
Pages: 304

About the Author

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Jo Walton was born in Aberdare, Wales and is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2011 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award. Lifelode won the 2010 Mythopoeic Award.

Follow the author:

On her blog

This is my first selection for the Science Fiction Experience hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. All reviews from participants can be found here.

A Walk About Town: Somewhere in Southwestern Virginia

2012-02-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. You do not need to have a book blog to join; any blogger can participate. Write about a spot in your town, or in another city you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so we can visit your post. I post on Thursdays, but you can post any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick. If you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

After reading the incredible story Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh, it seemed fitting to be in the mountains of Virginia. Granted, the book took place in the mountains of Pennsylvania, but I was daydreaming about history, and trying to envision what the area looked like seventy years ago.

As you may know, I've been traveling for work quite a bit. I was in Dallas last week, and this Monday I had a meeting four hours west of Virginia Beach in the Salem/Roanoke area in Southwestern Virginia. (Which of course meant listening to an audio book...)

I know, I know. Never take pictures while you're driving, and especially when you're driving in the mountains. About twelve years ago, I drove the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway at night, and let me tell you that the little metal guardrail is not a reassuring sight when eighteen-wheelers are blowing past you and you're at a few thousand feet elevation. White-knuckle driving that night. I gripped that steering wheel so hard that my back, neck and shoulders felt like I did an intense upper body workout the next day. Thankfully for this trip, the area of Virginia I was traveling through was not as frightening, but was beautiful. I can only imagine what it will look like in the next couple of months for the springtime and I can't wait to return.

I wish I had taken more pictures. Next time, I promise. I'll stop at the designated scenic view spot. I missed the road to pull off for it this time, and I was not going to cut anyone off. I mean, it is the mountains.

Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haigh

2012-01-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Haigh has done it again for me, folks. Baker Towers may have been released six years prior to Faith, but it successfully continues the fascination I have for her work. Baker Towers was everything I wanted, and so much more. This blue-collar family saga beginning in the 1940s in a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania was absolutely magnificent. It is a genuine look into the lives of young men and women who helped set another block into the foundation of America and made history.

Bakerton, Pennsylvania is made up of residents who are Swedish, Polish, and Italian immigrants, with the coal mine employing a good majority. In the Novak family, the home is traditional to the time and place. Rose and Stanley, first-generations to America, live in Polish Hill in company-owned housing. Rose, an Italian wife and mother, remains at home to take care of their five children, and her Polish husband, Stanley, works every day in the coal mine. It was never expected that he, provider of the family and gentle disciplinarian, would suffer a fatal heart attack leaving too early his wife and five children to make a place for themselves in a town and in a world that is rapidly changing.

This is the story of the five children who would be members of the Greatest Generation, living in a town whose existence thrives off the hulking mass of coal mined daily from deep in the mountain, resulting in Black Lung for miners and making widows of their wives. Each of the Novak children must find their way through life and whether it's enlisting in the military, or moving to Washington, D.C. and working for the government, or running away with no other goal but to just leave Bakerton, and who cares where you end up, their lives are ultimately filled with family, loss, love, and regrets, and it is a beautiful story with sincere contemplation on the painful choices each of them make. Combined with a glimpse into what life may have been like for those who lived during this time, ignoring the expected vintage nostalgia but instead strongly imbuing the story with remarkable authenticity, Baker Towers captures America during a time that will never be forgotten. The Novaks grow up, marry, and live their lives, and although some escape small-town life, over time they find that their paths invariably meander around and back to the very place that once made them want to flee.

This was impossible to put down, the story weaving between characters and historical events with an efficiency and skill that captured me from the very first page. Quite frankly, it swallowed me up in the time and even made me feel the aesthetics and intangibles; I could see and feel the outfits the characters wore, the jobs they took, and the cars they drove. I also could easily see this as a movie, and with all of HBO's recent endeavors into successful adaptations to the small screen, I think it would follow up quite nicely after their expert remake of Mildred Pierce this past summer, starring Kate Winslet.

Jennifer Haigh is just brilliant with her storytelling, and I decided that she is now one of my favorite authors. Her writing is expressive, moving, and thoughtful, and she has an astounding way to take tough subjects and events and turn them into the most painfully memorable moments of reading that I've had in the past year. I've enjoyed it all and can't wait to read Mrs. Kimble and The Condition next.

What I read over the weekend

In the interview with the author at the end of the book, it wasn't surprising to find that the small tidbits that made the story feel so authentic to the time, came from reading old magazines and noting advertisements of popular products and places. It made me a bit wistful for a hobby I have, so I picked up a few magazines from the 1940s on Saturday. I must admit, you can get lost in reading Life magazine, and over the weekend, I read a few editions from 1943. One issue included pictures from the celebrated photographer Margaret Bourke-White and her series of women in the steel mills. It was definitely a pleasure to read what the country was experiencing at the time, and I wanted to pick up Baker Towers right away and read it all over again.

While I can't predict what 2012 will hold for me with all of the amazing books I hope I'll be reading, I brazenly will propose that Baker Towers will more than likely be in my list of favorite books read this year. Without question, this is my favorite for January 2012.

I loved this book and promise that if you enjoy historical fiction, family sagas, the Greatest Generation, and especially if you love Jennifer Haigh's writing, you will more than likely love this book as well.

Others said:

If I missed your review, let me know so I can link to you here.

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Release Date: 12/27/2005

Pages: 368

About the Author

Jennifer Haigh is the author of the New York Times bestseller Baker Towers, winner of the 2006 PEN/L.L. Winship Award for outstanding book by a New England author; Mrs. Kimble, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction and was also a finalist for the Book Sense Book of the Year; and The Condition.

Follow the author:

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Many thanks to TLC Book Tours. In celebration of the release of Faith in paperback, all of Jennifer Haigh's books are on tour through February 2012. To read all of the reviews at each tour stop, click here.

A Walk About Town: Town Point Virginia Wine Festival

2012-01-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. You do not need to have a book blog to join; any blogger can participate. Write about a spot in your town, or in another city you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate. I will post on Thursdays, but you can post any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

Although this event happened a few months ago, I wanted to share a few quick pictures of the annual wine festival at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia, right at waterside. The 2011 festival held in October was its 23rd year, and yes, it was quite the fun day. It was a beautiful and clear, crisp afternoon, and was a welcome event to reacquaint myself with an area I love. I encourage you to attend a wine festival in your area. You really can't go wrong with paying an entry fee and then wine-tasting away...

Bunheads, by Sophie Flack

2012-01-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I read one of the books I picked up at BEA last year. A Young Adult book (with a beautiful cover) focusing on ballet dancers at a fictional prestigious New York ballet company, I thought it might tip my personal reading scales for something different than what I normally read. I didn't expect that I would enjoy it as much as I did!

Bunheads is a term for a female ballet dancer, one who constantly wears her hair in a bun, which is the common hairstyle for any woman who performs ballet regularly and most especially, professionally. While the book focuses on Hannah, a nineteen-year-old who is trying to juggle relationships with those outside of the theater, the book is actually quite an insightful look into the life of the extremely disciplined dancers that bring the art of ballet to life. As the author Sophie Flack is a former ballet dancer herself, I did not have a difficult time at all believing in the world Hannah lived. It's clear that this may also be loosely based on the author's life, just from reading her biography. After all, she was a member of the New York City Ballet and performed in over 75 ballets at a young age.

At fourteen, Hannah's gift was astonishingly evident and with permission from her parents, moved alone from Massachusetts to New York on scholarship to attend the Manhattan Ballet Academy full-time. With the School of Arts providing the regular course load of writing, math, etc., Hannah is able to continue her schooling. As all of her classmates are ballet dancers as well, there is no turning back from this new life. It's the hope and dream of each of them that they may be able to graduate to become a member of the Manhattan Ballet and ultimately, to be promoted to principle dancer.

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Hannah's made it to the Manhattan Ballet as a "corps" dancer, a supporting cast dancer who could, with enough commitment, make it to be a star. With close friends who are all ballet dancers, each of their personalities shine through, whether sweet and supportive, or jealous and competitive. But when Hannah meets a young NYU student, Jacob, she begins to feel conflicted for what she thought she always wanted in her life and with what might be outside the theater, the "real" world, as the corps of dancers call it. None of them really know what it's like out there at all, as they live, eat, and breathe ballet, exercise, diet, and commitment to the art of dance. But Hannah begins to feel an urge that fulfillment in life might now be better found outside the walls of the Manhattan Ballet.

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For lack of a better way to phrase it, I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It is extremely well-told, with characters that genuinely bounded off the page with their dedication, discipline, and sometimes, dramatic and gossipy sides that was quite believable for a group of people so closely working together. While there are several ballet terms in the book, you don't need to be an expert in the craft to grasp it. I took ballet as a child (I felt fairly confident that Mikhail Baryshnikov and I were meant to marry one day), but I soon found I wasn't as coordinated as I needed to be and dropped it soon after, so I don't remember anything but the basics (plìe, pirouette, etc.) But even if the terms for the movements are confusing, it's not necessary to have the accurate image in your mind, as you can pretty much ascertain that it's a lot of amazingly difficult twists, turns, pirouettes, and leaps. All things aside, it's a lesson to the reader of the complete exhaustion and intense scrutiny of the body that a ballet dancer will go through.

Which is important to point out, of course. Female ballet dancers, like runway models, are expected to have nary an ounce of fat on them, and the puberty that they go through is ultimately delayed because of their intense workouts from an early age. By the time the natural growth of their bodies begins to take womanly shape, it's another battle for them to go through to work out more, diet more, all to ensure that their shape remains lean, and quite frankly, stick-like. It's this excruciating battle that Hannah also fights with that was interesting to read. I felt horribly for them all and wish it were different.

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I relished the glimpses of the logistical elements of the tools professional dancers used, particularly their beautiful pointe shoes and how they wore them in. I had no idea how many pairs of pointe shoes that the dancers go through in a week. Hannah and her friends can go through eight pairs in a week. Eight! It's those little things that shaped the story nicely and was extremely interesting to read. I'm so glad I spent the past weekend with it.

The ultimate finale of this story was surprising and sent an excellent message. I enjoyed every bit of this book. I hope more YA enthusiasts get a chance to read this book and I encourage those who don't normally read YA to give it an honest go. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Others said:

If you have read this book and I've missed your review, let me know so I can link your review here.

Publisher: Little Brown Books Young Readers
Release Date: 10/10/2011
Pages: 304

About the Author

Sophie Flack was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At age seven, Sophie began taking ballet lessons at the Boston Ballet School. She accelerated her ballet training, and after seeing a videotape of Patricia McBride dancing Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Sophie decided that she wanted to dance with the New York City Ballet. At fifteen, Sophie was accepted into the School of American Ballet on full scholarship, and moved to New York City. At age seventeen, Sophie joined the New York City Ballet as an apprentice and became a member of the corps de ballet the following year. As a member, Sophie performed in over 75 ballets. Bunheads is her first novel.

Follow the author:

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First Chapter, First Paragraph: Murder at Bertram's Bower, by Cynthia Peale

2012-01-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

I cannot wait to return back from my business trip and dive into this one. It's part of the Beacon Hill Mystery series, and I haven't read this sort before, but I think I might like it, just based on the first few paragraphs of the book. What do you think?

Boston: The January thaw, 1892. A watery gloom hung over the city like a shroud.

Day after day of heavy, relentless rain had threatened to submerge the new-filled Back Bay, and the miniature lagoon in the Public Garden had overflowed its banks. On Beacon Hill, streams of water pounded the brick sidewalks and cascaded down the narrow streets, splashing women's voluminous skirts, splattering horses with mud up to their blinkers. People clung to their firesides, waiting for winter to return.

In the South End, Officer Joseph Flynn of the Boston police was making his rounds. he had been on the force for less than a year, and he was eager to do well in this job which until recently would not have been given to an Irishman like himself. When he saw the shape on the ground halfway down the alley behind West Brookline Street, he paused. Because it was night, and very dark in that district, he could not immediately tell what the shape was. A heap of refuse, he thought, or a pile of rags. Or, at worst, some drunken tramp from the nearby railroad yards.

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly featured hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share your selection from the book you're reading.

The Breathing Method, by Stephen King (Audio Review)

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. Goodness. This three-hour audio punched me in the face and I loved it. This is the Stephen King that makes your knees buckle from the horror, and I was victim to it. Good gracious. Reeling, I am.

The Breathing Method is the final story in the collection by Stephen King, entitled Different Seasons. It is released separately in audio, and is under 3 hours.

Gathering in an unofficial club, gentleman share stories of their lives and experiences. One evening, a doctor tells a story of a young patient from many years before, who was extremely determined to give birth to her baby, no matter what. And while the doctor has a sense of foreboding about the upcoming event, he isn't quite sure what will happen. After all, the young mother is healthy, smart, and dedicated to planning and doing everything correctly, including following his advice on the appropriate breathing that must be done to help with labor.

This is the Stephen King many are familiar with. Horror through and through. Each moment is written in that simple and genuine way only King can do, and it was difficult to hit the stop button. Thankfully, as total audio time is less than 3 hours, it was a snap to listen to in one sitting.

But be warned. This is NOT for the faint of heart, especially with one scene. *shudders*

Audio Notes: Click here to listen to the 5 minute audible.com sample. (I'm not sure if you need to have a membership to listen, so maybe try here from iTunes, but they only give you 30 seconds.) The narrator is Frank Muller and he. is. DIVINE. I could spend a lot of white space here scribbling about how incredible he was in all capital letters, but that might be a bit much. But, it's true. Yet another man's voice that will not put me to sleep. Thank goodness. Frank Muller, you are my new best friend, sir. I am anxious, ready for the next audio to listen to with you at the helm!

There's not much more I can say except that I would encourage you to listen to the audio version versus reading it, simply because Frank Muller perfectly captures the unsettled and shaky sense of the events. He keeps it suspenseful, brings you to the edge with his emotion, and you are ultimately left a bit dazed.

Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: 04/1/2010
Audio Time: Under 3 hours
Narrator: Frank Muller

Others said:
I didn't find another blogger in my Google Reader who had listened to or read it, but if I missed your review, let me know so I can link to you here. I'd love to see what others thought, so let me know!

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty novels, including The Stand, The Dark Tower, It, The Shining, oh...what more can be written that one doesn't already know? So here you go, click here to visit this cool author's official website.

The Stephen King Project. This is my first selection for the challenge that Kathleen and I are hosting, The Stephen King Project. It was a perfect start! The reviews for January 2012 from project participants can be found here.

The 2012 Audio Book Challenge. This is my second selection for the Challenge hosted by Teresa.

The Sunday Salon: This and That

2012-01-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

Alas, it's karma, my friends. I complain about being busy two weekends ago, but not so much. Behold, I begin my week of traveling for business, and I will be in Dallas for part of the week. Unfortunately, I will not be able to visit anything for fun, as it will be one meeting session all day on Tuesday, team dinner in the evening, and then all day in a meeting session on Wednesday...my, oh my. Which means, for the most part, it will be pretty quiet on this homefront even with the few scheduled posts I have set up.

So a couple things to tell you about:

Audible.com. I just got a membership, and hello? Where has it been all my (blogging) life? Sure, I just started really enjoying audio books, but I had no idea the great deals they would have. Yes, yes, I know I need to finally get a library card in Virginia Beach since I've been living here for all of three months now, but I had to pass this along to you... Audible.com had a fabulous sale the other day, and I picked up five audiobooks for $40. If I had purchased them at regular price, it would have been approximately $100. Deal, right?
The Stephen King Project. I am so excited on the number of participants. Each month, Kathleen and I are giving away something (one book or other bookish stuff) to one participant who linked up a Stephen King review for the month. It's never too late to join, folks, so click here if you are interested.
Challenges I Can Do. Or, at least, do well. Which is why I signed up for Teresa's 2012 Audio Book Challenge. This, this I can do, and not feel pressured.

That's it for now. See you on the other side of next week.

Saturday Snapshot: It's Not That Cold.

2012-01-21T00:30:00.000-05:00

I mean, really. Could a dog and a cat hang out more with each other? Sure, it's colder in Virginia than they're used to in Florida, but it's not *that* cold.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

Weekend Cooking: Noodle Pudding

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

Every now and then when I read a book, I get motivated to look up the food that's mentioned, especially when I've never heard it before, so when the words "Noodle Pudding" danced along the pages of Night Swim by Jessica Keener, I thought I might give it a whirl. It has egg noodles, cottage cheese, and... sugar? I initially expected a dessert of some sort, especially since it has Graham Cracker Crumbs as a topping.

I'm not knowledgeable on the best cookbooks, so after I exhausted Google, I clicked on one option from allrecipes.com and thought it sounded simple and unique. And it was. I liked it a lot and I've never tasted anything quite like this! I found it was actually more suited to be a good side dish for a big family meal. I might make this for Thanksgiving this year.

My husband loved it. He ate it as a side with chicken, and even warmed some up for breakfast.

Here's the family recipe from agk1.

Noodle Pudding

Ingredients

1 (16 oz) package wide egg noodles
1 (16 oz) package cottage cheese
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish.
Cook egg noodles until al dente; drain.
In a large bowl, blend together cottage cheese and cream cheese until smooth.
Mix in sour cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs.
When noodles are done, drain, and return noodles to pot; set on cooled stove top.
Stir 1/2 cup melted butter into noodles.
Combine cheese mixture and noodles into bowl; blend well.
Place into casserole dish.
Topping: Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Sprinkle evenly over top of noodle mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Then, lower temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes.
Cool before cutting; serve warm.

Weekend Cooking is a feature hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is an opportunity each week to share your food love. It is open to anyone who has a food-related post to share. Whether it's a recipe, a film about food, or a book, click here to visit her site and read about the feature. Don't forget to link up your food-related posts each week.

A Walk About Town: Naval Aviation Monument, Virginia Beach

2012-01-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. You do not need to have a book blog to join; any blogger can participate. Write about a spot in your town, or in a city you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate. I will post on Thursdays, but you can post any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter,use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

One of the things I love about Virginia Beach, and the Hampton Roads area, is the strong connection to the military. Norfolk has the largest naval base in the world, and many of the personnel, service members, and staff supporting the base and other bases around it, live directly in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, etc.

Right on the oceanfront, in the same area as last week's visit to The Norwegian Lady, is the Naval Aviation Monument. Dedicated on May 6, 2006, this monument of incredible bronze sculptures by artist Michael Maiden, recognizes not only the Navy, but the Coast Guard and Marine Corps aviation history from the 1900s through today. It was an exceptionally clear and bright day, so since a lot of the beautiful bronze sculptures were difficult to see, I thought a nice sepia filter made it look a little more vintage in the first shot. I love how this is situated right on the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean is visible in the background.

This is what it all means, at the end of the day, right?

Is there a spot in town you'd like to highlight? Link your post below and visit your co-participants.

The School of Essential Ingredients, by Erica Bauermeister (Audio Review)

2012-01-18T05:30:00.000-05:00

Recently, I mentioned that Cassandra Campbell was fast becoming one of my favorite narrators for audio books. There is an atmosphere her voice creates, light and humorous (as in Very, Valentine) or mournful and haunting (as in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks). It's always perfect for the story. So when Sandy commented that I should pick up The School of Essential Ingredients, I did. When it comes to audio, Sandy's an exceptional guide.

I'm never going to get tired of books about cooking food and living life. I love it. The connection of recipes, knowing which spice should go with which dish, and how that translates back to relationships, loss, and love, will fit the bill for me every time, and this story did not disappoint.

The story is told by the eight students taking a cooking class on Monday evenings, their personal stories and memories meaningfully unfolding for the listener. There is humor, tragedy, sadness, loss, and newly found love. Usually, when there are more than three or four characters sharing their stories, it can become overwhelming or confusing, or one character may be completely uninteresting, but not so with this story. All of the characters contributed a significant part of their lives, and not one was overdone, or wasted, or skipped over. It all fit.

At the heart of it is Lillian, the instructor and owner of the restaurant where the classes are held. She, too, has a quietly compelling story, one that has shaped her with whom she has become. She was an exceptional character, the rock of knowledge for each of the students, quickly learning what they needed to be taught. She is what kept them moving forward, both in their cooking skills and in life.

And this line stuck with me, about Tom and his wife, Charlie. It's this character's story which made me cry, and if you've read this book, then you know what I mean.

She was nowhere and everywhere, and he couldn't stop looking.

Erica Bauermeister's novel was released in 2009, and the story has such a sophisticated style that it's surprising it was a debut novel. It's a story that will make you cry and laugh, but most importantly, it will remind you that living is about the here and now, and that while mistakes happen, the choice to never let a moment pass you by is clear. Love, and be loved, and do so with integrity and kindness.

While the school deals with the essential ingredients of cooking, it is by far the fundamental elements of living that are the most important lesson to be learned. I cannot wait to read (or listen to) Joy for Beginners which was released in June 2011.

Audio Sample: Click here to listen to the five minute sample of this book, narrated by the incomparable Cassandra Campbell. She knocks it out of the park yet again, but you know what? It's really no surprise. She's just a phenomenal narrator. You can't go wrong with her.

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Release Date: 01/22/2009

Audio Time: 7 hours

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

About the Author

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the recently released Joy for Beginners. Her debut novel, The School of Essential Ingredients was released in 2009 and has been published in more than 21 countries. She has also co-authored 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide with Holly Smith and Jesse Larsen, and Let's Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14 with Holly Smith. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and currently lives in Seattle.

Visit the author:

On her website
On Facebook

Others said:
Bermuda Onion
The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Bibliophile by the Sea
It's All About Me (time)
Lit and Life
Literary Musings
Raging Bibliomania
Unputdownables
You've Gotta Read This!

This is my first selection for the 2012 Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa.

FTC Disclosure: I purchased this book from audible.com.

2012 Audio Book Challenge

2012-01-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

I swore I wouldn't do any challenges, but I do want to sign up for this one since I just started a couple audiobooks, one of which I'm sure I'll finish tonight. I learned to love audiobooks last year and I want to track my selections. Hosted by the fabulous Teresa, there are four levels:

Flirting: Listen to 6 audiobooks
Going Steady: Listen to 12 audiobooks
Lover: Listen to 25 audiobooks
Married: Listen to more than 25 audiobooks

I'm shooting for Going Steady. It will push me, but I think it's an achievable goal. I'm also looking forward to Teresa's feature of audiobook publishers.

Thanks for hosting, Teresa. So far, there are over 100 participants, so it will be quite a fun year!

Night Swim, by Jessica Keener

2012-01-16T22:44:00.000-05:00

Sarah Kunitz is sixteen-years-old and lives in a suburb just an hour north of Boston in the "perfect" family. After all the recipe for a perfect family is that of a mother and father who both live at home, children, a big house, and money. On the surface, at least, it's perfect. This is the Kunitz family of Boston in the 1970s.

In this quiet and compelling coming-of-age story of the only daughter in a dysfunctional family, sixteen-year-old Sarah has never felt mothered by the woman who now glides through life, a drink in one hand and a pill in the other. A classically trained violinist, was it the arthritis in her mother's hands that forced her to stop playing? Was it inheritance money that caused an emotional distance for them? Or was having a family the mistake? What was it that made Sarah's mother drift through life without being connected with her own children?

It's a question no child would want to ask of their mother, and especially by an only daughter. Sarah is just beginning to find her own place in life, and even a slight connection with her musical mother by developing a strong singing voice. But her chances to learn more of her mother's past are cut short when a car accident in the heart of Boston on an icy night leaves Sarah and her three brothers motherless. Now a new question surfaces: Was the car crash truly an accident, or did her mother choose to leave them?

This was a deeply touching and acutely felt story. Jessica Keener succeeded in building a fully developed character in Sarah, one whose emotional story was laced with flaw, tinged with regret, and ultimately ached to receive motherly guidance in any way possible. While I felt there were a few plot points that went on longer than necessary, those are minor quibbles about a story that felt genuine with every page and character. The sad fact was that it already seemed as though Sarah had always been living without a mother, with the accident securing what she couldn't (or didn't want to) recognize before. That might be what ringed the most genuine in this story. It's not when the person dies that makes you realize that things can never change now; instead, it's realizing that nothing ever would have gotten better even if the person had lived.

Night Swim is an emotional tale of growing up and feeling lost in a big family with parents who are emotionally absent. With summer romances, tough questions, drugs, loss, and heartache, the 1970s will be Sarah's time to make the choices that will shape her future and ultimately, make her whole. I enjoyed this story and anticipate a long career from Jessica Keener; I look forward to reading much, much more from her.

Publisher: The Fiction Studio

Release Date: 1/10/2012

Pages: 284

Side Notes

Although this is not a memoir, readers who enjoy them, along with coming-of-age stories, will find a lot to discuss and think about with Night Swim. A book club will likely feel comfortable to reminisce with their own personal stories of growing up as well.
While the character is a teenager, the reader should know that the story does deal with big topics such as drugs, alcohol, and sex, but this can provide a great opportunity for discussion with your teenager. If they read it, you should, too, and talk about the issues addressed.
Food was occasionally mentioned throughout the novel, and whenever I see something I've never heard of before, I research until I find a good recipe. For that reason, I made Noodle Pudding over the weekend, and I'll be posting it this Friday for Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking meme.

About the Author

Jessica Keener is the author of her acclaimed debut novel, Night Swim. She grew up in Boston and received her Master's from Brown University. A freelance writer, she has published in The Boston Globe Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Inspired House, Coastal Living, Design New England, and Poets & Writers. Her stories have been listed in The Pushcart Prize under "outstanding writers." She currently lives in Boston.

Follow the author:

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TLC Book Tours

Many thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me. The Night Swim tour goes through February 23, 2012. To read the reviews at all of the tour stops, click here.

The Sunday Salon: Blogger Introduces Threaded Commenting

2012-01-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

For my fellow bloggers on Google Blogger (blogspot)... finally, we have threaded commenting. That means we can reply back to individual comments versus having to do it in one bulk response and bolding the commenter's name, etc., etc. Finally. We are no longer behind the times and can keep up with our fellow WordPress friends!

I linked to the article for it above, so it should show you step-by-step how to implement it (only two steps). You do have to use the new Blogger interface, not the old Blogger dashboard (easy switch). If you have a custom blog design and threaded commenting is not working even after you've made the simple required changes, you might need to contact the designer for your blog so they can help facilitate it for you as there might be a need for extra HTML coding to correct it.

Otherwise, it's a cinch to set it up. I love it.

Saturday Snapshot: My Baby Shoes

2012-01-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

One of the benefits of moving and tackling those final boxes is that I come across a gem like this. These are my baby shoes, that even have the baby ID tag from the hospital in Manila, Philippines looped around the buckle. I didn't wear these on my way home from the hospital, of course, as I wore them when I was a little bigger, but it's nice to have them together like this. I haven't seen these in more than five years. They were in my storage unit that I hadn't looked at until we moved back to Virginia Beach. I had forgotten about them completely.

For more of this week's Saturday's Snapshots, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

Weekend Cooking: Filipino Ensaymada and Pandesal

2012-01-13T05:30:00.000-05:00

Moving back to Virginia Beach allows me to return weekly to Angie's Bakery, a Filipino bakery about fifteen minutes from my house. Among the many delicacies available, I am a big fan of ensaymada and pandesal, and every time I go to the bakery, it reminds me of my mother and my family in the Philippines.

As the Philippines was once a settlement of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries, several of the recipes have these Spanish roots. One is Ensaymada, which is a sweet bread pastry. With a cup of coffee in the morning, it is one of the best ways to start your day off. It's a fluffy concoction with a luscious buttery cream coating on top and while it's sweet, it's not rich or overwhelming. It's just perfect.

Pandesal is basically what some may be more familiar with as a breakfast or dinner roll, but it is so much more than that. It's got a hint of sweetness that adds to the flavor without making it too sweet to eat any time of the day or night. It is my absolute favorite. Angie's Bakery in Virginia Beach makes them fresh, and they have a constant stream of people walking in and standing in line to order them. They literally take them out of the oven, put them in the paper packaging and it's impossible to be on your way home without grabbing one and munching as you drive. Not to mention, your car ends up smelling amazing with the warm baked bread scent... If you get a chance, get it fresh and hot after they are pulled out of the oven. They are so soft and delicious and divine.

Weekend Cooking is a feature hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is an opportunity each week to share your food love. It is open to anyone who has a food-related post to share. Whether it's a recipe, a film about food, or a book, click here to visit her site and read about the feature, and also to link your posts up each week.

A Walk About Town: The Norwegian Lady, Virginia Beach

2012-01-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. You do not need to have a book blog to join; any blogger can participate! Write about a spot in your town, or in a city you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate. I will post on Thursdays, but you can post any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown

In this coastal town in Virginia, shipwrecks are a frequent part of local history.

In 1891, a Norwegian ship named the Dictator wrecked off the coast of Virginia Beach. With a small crew of fifteen, and the captain with his family, the Dictator carried a large cargo of pine lumber and was heading to England from Pensacola, Florida. With repairs scheduled in the Hampton port, the Dictator made her way up the Virginia coastline. It was Good Friday.

With gale force winds, the Dictator grounded into the sandbar and both lifeboats were smashed. All on board were feared to be be lost.

But the Cape Henry and Seatack Lifesaving Stations (the forerunner to the current day United States Coast Guard) began to work tirelessly through the storm and dangerous waves to rescue the trapped passengers. At the end of the day, 8 were saved before the ship fully broke apart by nightfall. The captain's pregnant wife and their toddler, along with five sailors perished. The captain washed ashore onto the beach, alive, but barely conscious.

1918 Va Beach Postcard featuring The Norwegian Lady

Ships in that time frame, had a wooden figurehead carved into the prow of the ship that rested horizontally to the water. The figurehead for the Dictator was found on the beach days later and it was positioned at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Eventually, it was removed due to hurricanes in the area, and unfortunately, the figurehead was lost. As news of the loss of the figurehead in the early 1950s reached Norway, the city of Moss discussed with Virginia Beach the possibility of replacing the missing figurehead. Instead, two statues were crafted; one in Virginia Beach, and one in Moss, Norway. On September 22, 1962, The Norwegian Lady in both cities was unveiled, and in 1974, Virginia Beach and Moss, Norway became sister cities.

Every year on the anniversary of the wreck, a wreath is placed at The Norwegian Lady. In 1995, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway visited Virginia Beach to place flowers at the statue.

The following is inscribed into the statue:

I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home.

Pretty neat story, huh?

What about you? What's going on in your area that you want to spotlight?

Article sources from VirginiaBeach.com, Wikipedia.

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Audio Review)

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

There is a male voice that can read a book to me and his voice won't bore me. FINALLY.

Liz Michalski, author of Evenfall, kept recommending the audio version of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Something else would pop up to distract me for a bit, or I would forget, but I finally downloaded and gave it a listen and now I'm in love with Neil Gaiman. Few authors can read their own works and provide distinctions between characters' voices and really do it justice, but Mr. Gaiman doesn't have that problem at all. His smooth and warm British voice is quite possibly the perfect voice to give life to The Graveyard Book.

Nobody "Bod" Owens has lived his whole life in the graveyard. Well, almost his whole life. Right before he came to live there, he had a proper life with a proper family in a proper house, but he doesn't remember it at all. When The Man Jack came to visit one dark night, the only one in the family who survived The Man Jack's murders was the little boy, the toddler who crawled out of the house and somehow ended up in the graveyard. The Man Jack had missed him and left his job undone.

The little boy is so little that he doesn't even know his own name. The ghosts in the graveyard convene to determine what should happen to him and Mr. and Mrs. Owens have decided to adopt him, which is a bit unusual considering they are ghosts and the little boy is quite human. Were it not for another ghost, Silas, who has access to the outside world, and who has agreed to be the little boy's guardian, the graveyard ghosts would not have granted permission for him to be raised there. The little boy will also have access to the graveyard, which includes learning how to do a few things that only ghosts can do. And so Mr. and Mrs. Owens adopt the little boy and raise little Nobody "Bod" Owens as their own.

I'm not sure if it was Neil Gaiman's voice or the story, or maybe a combination of both that pulled me right in. I loved it. It was sweet, adventurous, dark, and suspenseful. The characters were remarkable and even though I was supposed to dislike The Man Jack, I even found him unique and intriguing. Neil Gaiman was undoubtedly the only possible choice to voice this story, and he did such an effective job distinguishing between Bod's younger voice and his friend Scarlett's, Silas' all-knowing and assured adult voice, along with the evil ghouls and all the other ghosts that Bod would encounter throughout his life while living in the graveyard. This inventive and quirky story is meaningful and fun, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

I highly recommend this middle grade book in audio format, and in fact, would even suggest that you select this versus the printed version. It really is quite the lovely tale to listen to, and if I could paint the perfect evening for you to listen to this, I would suggest a cold and rainy night, preferably in the fall. You should be sitting by the fire, cozy in a blanket, drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

Audio Sample: Click here to listen to the five minute sample on audible.com. I'm pretty sure you'll want to pick up the audio after listening to Neil Gaiman's voice.

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 9/30/2008
Audio Time: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Narrator: Neil Gaiman

About the Author

Neil Gaiman's work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also been honored with 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 4 Bram Stoker Awards, etc., etc...

He is the author of such works as Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, and American Gods, which the 10th anniversary edition has just been released in the U.S. He lives in Minneapolis, MN.

Picture credit: Kimberly Butler

Visit the author:

On his website
On Facebook
On Twitter

Others said:
Beachreader
The Betty and Boo Chronicles
Book Journey
Books I Done Read
Indie Reader Houston
Literary Musings
The Literate Housewife
The Sleepless Reader

Did I miss your review? Let me know so I can add it.

Blog Design Giveaway!

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the day for the $50 towards a Blog Design Giveaway! I'm puttin' this $50 in because I'm so gleefully ecstatic with the work Tawni did, and I want to share with one lucky winner. (To be entered for the giveaway, click on the "Read More" link at the bottom of this post and input your info into the Rafflecopter widget, but please read the interview first).

The Evolution
Those who have been following this blog since its inception have seen the design change fairly frequently because nothing ever seemed right. I played around with the Blogger templates, moved stuff around a lot, but I could only stick with it for it for a few weeks until I had to make changes. One day, frustrated with the adjustments I was yet again trying to implement, I decided to take a quick break and troll through my Google Reader. A post from YA book blogger The Story Siren caught my eye in which she mentioned Forever Design Studio designed her site, so when I clicked on over to look at Tawni's full portfolio, I knew I wanted to put a request in. A couple of months later, voila! Coffee and a Book Chick looks exactly how I wanted it to look, and so much more! And with that, I'd love to introduce you to Tawni... welcome!

Name: Tawni
Design Site: Forever Design Studio
Book Blog Site: The Book Worms

Q - What are the full range of services you provide?
A - I offer just about everything! This includes custom blog designs, book/print designs, logo designs, information and e-commerce web designs, Etsy shop branding, and advertisement/button designs. Most recently, I have been working on blog and book designs. I'm trying to wiggle my way into the book design world, because I truly enjoy it the most!

Q - Do you also design for WordPress?
A - I do design for WordPress! I initially started designing for WordPress and realized just how many bloggers used Blogger. I'm not 100% in the know with Blogger, but I learn with every new project. (note from Natalie: I use Blogger, and I think it's pretty obvious that Tawni knows a lot more about Blogger than she gives herself credit for!)

Q - What is normally your schedule from first discussion to blog design upload?
A - I always have a client fill out the quote form because this helps me get all the details and goodies I need in order to create something they'd love. Once we've talked about details, color schemes, styles and feels, I get started on a concept. If we hit a wall, we start over, but that's okay, because I'm doing it for them. We continue to go back and forth about slight changes until we've completed it and it's time to install the design!

Q - What made you get into designing?
A - When I was about 10 years old, my family had just moved into a new town and I entered a new school. I didn't really have a hard time finding friends, I just missed my old ones and started finding new ones online. I discovered a whole new world of blogging and creativity that I didn't even think was possible. I have always been creative and techie so it really intrigued me. Once other people started taking an interest in my designs, I decided to start up a little business and it's just rocketed from there!

Q - How long have you been designing?
A - I am now 22 (and I don't know where that time went)... so that would be about 12 years! Wow - I didn't even realize.

Q - You're also a book reviewer, yay! Which came first: blog design or book reviewing?
A - Yes! I am the blogger at The Book Worms. Blog design came first, mainly because that was my "books aren't cool" stage. I got over that one though and I adore reading and writing about all the awesome books I come across!

Q - Are you interested in being a designer as your ultimate career? Or, do you have something else you're interested in?
A - As a matter of fact, yes I am! But I want to veer to graphic design only. I'm actually very interested in working in the publishing world, but we will see how that goes! I always ask myself if there is something I love more and if I will ever get sick of design... but, I always come back to it. It's a part of me!

Q - What advice can you give for bloggers looking for a designer?
A - Take your time. I've come across many bloggers who have rushed into working with a designer or chose one just because of the reasonable prices. But, in reality, you should just slow down, take a breather, and choose one who feels right for you and your blog/website or whatever project you may have.

Q - How can people connect with you to discuss a project for their blog (or other design inquiries)?
A - I am currently working on my return for taking project proposals. You can send me an email here if you want to be notified of my return. Once I come back, everyone is free to fill out the quote form and projects will be booked on a first come, first serve basis! (note from Natalie: Tawni will keep a slot open for the winner upon her return in the next month!)

Thank you so much, Tawni! I absolutely LOVE the design!

Rules for Giveaway

Click on log in (either with your Facebook account or with your name and email address). Don't worry, the personal information you entered will not be public.
Click the + sign and the number to enter your name, email address, and blog url, along with other details.
You do not have to be a follower of this blog or have to tweet it out, however it will give you more points if you do which only ups your chances. But, it is absolutely not required, so don't fret.

The winner will win...

$50 towards design options. You can simply use the $50 for whatever items are priced up to that total amount, or you can put my $50 towards more options, or get a full design. (Note: if you decide to get anything that is more than $50, you are responsible for paying Forever Design Studio the balance of anything over $50)
Winner will be announced Thursday, January 19, 2012.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Salon: Well, That's Sort of Busy.

2012-01-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

A hectic week so here's what I want to tell you about...

The blog. I love the new design of my blog by Forever Design Studio so I want to do a giveaway. One lucky winner will win $50 towards a project with this designer. Stay tuned this Tuesday...
A year long project. Who doesn't love Stephen King? Never fear, he's not all horror, so to discover Uncle Stevie (I'm a new fan), Kathleen from Boarding In My Forties and I started The Stephen King Project. Participants have linked reviews at the site already. Feel free to join, but make sure you link your announcement post to the site. It's easier to stay organized that way. And yes, there are levels to this project, but who cares? Have FUN. The levels are there for those who like to track stuff. We are giving prizes monthly, though. Just sayin'.
Audiobook love. Liz Michalski, author of Evenfall, recommended Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, and I love it. I've got a couple of hours left, can't wait to see how it turns out.
More audiobook love. Cassandra Campbell, audio narrator for the books Very Valentine and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Sandy from You've Gotta Read This! recommended The School of Essential Ingredients, so I'll start that today.
STILL Unpacking. *blushes* I moved from Florida back to Virginia three months ago, but one room was filled with boxes that my husband and I hadn't tackled yet. We jumped on it Saturday, so we have at least six trips to Goodwill to donate our stuff today. How did I move all this just to give it away? Argh. So, it feels better to de-clutter.
Life Coaches and Inspiration. A good friend started her business as a Life Coach which is just awesome. Alison has a Master's in Counseling Psychology, is established in her role, and is wicked organized and positive. Her Facebook page is chock full of this positivity and inspiration so swing by and gave her some Facebook love by "liking" her page.

That's on the docket for me. Unpack, organize, listen to The Graveyard Book and The School for Essential Ingredients. Busy day, right?

What about you? What are you doing today?

Saturday Snapshot: The Sky at the End of the World

2012-01-07T00:20:00.000-05:00

Well, it's really not the end of the world, unless you believe the whole Mayan calendar thingy. Which I don't. Not really. I guess we'll see.

This was the sky above a shopping plaza in Virginia Beach a few days before Christmas. The crowd did make me want to run and hide, so I just kept looking up. Nothing was adjusted on this, other than adding a border.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

The Poison Tree, by Erin Kelly

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-05:00

I picked this advanced reader's copy up at SIBA in the fall of 2010. I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to read it.

In this engrossing psychological thriller and stunning debut from Erin Kelly, Karen Clarke is a brilliant young woman with a passion for language. Even at a young age, picking up a new language was a snap for her, and in her later years, it's no different. Even her daughter Alice, at nine-years-old, speaks Spanish fluently. Karen has raised this little girl alone, all while the father, Rex, has been in prison serving out a sentence for murder. And now he's coming home.

Ten years prior, in 1998, Karen was a few months shy from graduation at the top of her class. While Karen's plan was to get a wonderful job, or even go to grad school, things are delayed when she meets Biba Capel. While Karen is quiet and unassuming, a person who fades into the background as others easily ensnare the spotlight, she feels compelled to talk to Biba and offer her language services. Biba needs a coach, someone who can correct her German while she practices for a role in an upcoming play. This chance encounter shifts Karen's summer, and ultimately, her entire future. Before that day is done, she's tutored Biba in her first session, paid for the entire meal along with Biba's train ride home, and been invited to Biba's upcoming birthday party, where she meets Biba's brother, Rex.

The friendship between Karen, Biba, and Rex begins in the Capel's childhood home at Highgate in London, a crumbling mansion which has its own story to share. In a scant three months, Karen becomes a part of their tiny unit and she and Rex fall in love. It's an odd arrangement in the house, three people who are so very different. Biba is adventurous, wild, and recklessly charming. Rex is thoughtful, passionate in his protection of his sister and for those he cares about, his emotional strength making him a self-assured lover for Karen. And Karen, while innocent and naive to this new life, is drawn to the feeling of true friendship and real love. She's comfortable with spending her summer with these siblings, who have taught her more about life and ultimately, herself, than she ever thought possible. But there are secrets with the siblings, and even Karen has one years later, one that if the truth ever were to come out, could change everything. And mixed up in this is the unanswered question of who Rex killed, and why?

It is this very manner of slowly unfolding the story and all of its secrets that is so captivating. Expertly maneuvering between past and present, from one summer of 1998 to ten years later, Erin Kelly keeps the narrative quickly paced and easily engaging. It's a psychological thriller on the edge, a ticking time bomb of fierce passion, secrets, and insecurity which demands all attention to keep reading until the end unfurls with a sadness that was difficult to experience. I was left quite morose, impressed with the story and quiet for the characters' twisted and unfortunate paths taken. Without question, Erin Kelly's talent easily resonates with every page, the events and uncomfortable moments leaving you anxious to find out what happens next, and I will eagerly look for her next work. I highly recommend this book and encourage all who enjoy psychological thrillers, suspenseful reads, and mysteries to read it.

For audiobook lovers: I read this, but I wanted to hear how the narrator sounded. I listened to the five minute sample on audible.com and I really like the narrator's voice. Granted, it's only a snippet, so if anyone ends up listening to the audio, let me know what you think. The voice is what I imagined Karen to sound like.

Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: 1/6/2011
Pages: 336

About the Author

Erin Kelly was born in London and grew up in Essex. She read English at Warwick University and has been working as a journalist since 1998. She has written for newspapers including The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and the Express, and magazines including Red, Psychologies, Marie Claire, Elle, and Cosmopolitan.

The Poison Tree is her first novel, and she has another book out entitled The Sick Rose. She lives in London with her husband and daughter.

Follow the author:

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Do you want this book? The first person who comments with their email address (U.S. residents only), will get this shipped in the mail to them next week.

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A Walk About Town: Moses Myers House, Norfolk

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. You do not need to have a book blog to join; any blogger can participate! Write about a spot in your town, or in another city you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate. I will post on Thursdays, but you can post any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

There are just some spots in a town that don't have the right foot traffic or recognition, and the Moses Myers House in Norfolk is one of those spots that deserves more publicity. Part of the Chrysler Museum's Historic Homes, the house is situated at the corner of Freemason and Bank, and right next to one of the largest malls in the Commonwealth known as MacArthur Mall, but the spot seems to go completely unnoticed. We had no idea how much history was in this one brick house and were completely blown away, yet again, by the story of Norfolk.

I went on a Saturday afternoon, and my husband and I were the only ones there. We received a wonderful guided tour by the helpful staff and enjoyed every tidbit they shared. For us history buffs, the abundance of charm was an unexpected pleasure and I highly recommend a visit. With more than 80% of the furnishings original to the home itself, it made the feel of the house even more intriguing and unique as we walked through small passageways and turned corners. After all, normally when you visit an historic house, you're lucky if you can see anything that is original to the home itself; most of it will be a reproduction, or are simply authentic to the time period only.

Moses Myers and his family became the first Jewish residents of Norfolk, Virginia, and the house has passed through five generations of the family who carried on Moses' tradition of public service, and patronized the arts and the theater. Barton Myers, a notable public servant who tirelessly advocated for awareness of Virginia and brought even more business to Norfolk, continued to set the stage for the city that we know today. I think I was the most touched by the story of Moses and Eliza's daughter Adeline, who was engaged to a local grocer named Solomon Nones. He died just a few days before their wedding and Adeline remained single and lived in the family home until she passed in 1823. I could not imagine the pain and sadness she must have experienced. What a tragedy, and my heart broke for her as I looked in on her room.

In one room at the top of the house, a small desk is positioned with a multitude of personal and business letters, correspondence by and to the Myers family. Of course, these are photocopies, but they are available for you to pick up and closely read, and quite frankly, I could have pulled up a chair to the small desk that the Myers' used and read all day. Fascinating stuff! The letters I read dealt with someone being beat up at a dock, and another discussing the results of the Yellow Fever epidemic which killed approximately 2,000 Norfolk residents. Pictured here is a letter detailing the prohibition of Jews from trading, and how Moses' son was almost unable to retrieve a passport. (Click on the image to read it).

Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the world, Norfolk Naval Station. This base currently supports 75 ships and 134 aircraft, and also houses the largest concentration of Naval forces. Were it not for Barton's efforts and hard work in the early 1900s, this port would more than likely not be the military powerhouse it currently is today. Barton was also the Executive Director of the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, which brought more public awareness on this famous settlement.

This is truly an integral piece of history for both Norfolk and America, and it's a shame more don't know about this amazing family. I strongly encourage you to learn more about this site, the family, and the Chrysler Museum. For more details on visiting the house, please click here.

This is at the top of the house. Notice the shorter doors!

Artist: Thomas Sully

Side note: Remember how my blog looked just last week (before the awesome new design by Forever Design Studio!), with the portrait of this woman in my header? That was painted by Thomas Sully... what a shock to me when the staff informed us that the artist for the paintings of the family was none other than... Thomas Sully! Small world (sort of), right?

What about you? Tell us about a spot in your town that you recently visited by linking up your post here!

Trying Again ~ Holiday Giveaway Number 2

2012-01-04T10:35:00.001-05:00

Holiday Giveaway Number 2! I had some challenges earlier with posting (completely user error!), so here goes again. Click the "Read More" link at the bottom to access the Rafflecopter entry form.

Here are the details:

This is open to U.S. residents only as I'm personally shipping this package to the winner
One entry per person
The giveaway closes Sunday morning, January 8, 2012 at 12 midnight EST (New York GMT)

Here are the books that you can win!

They are:

Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin (ARC copy)
Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Skipping a Beat, by Sarah Pekkanen

Click on the "Read More" link at the bottom of this post to get to the Rafflecopter entry form. Rafflecopter seems pretty simple to enter your details. You can either login with Facebook, or login with an email address. Then, click on the +1 to enter your name, and then the next +1 to enter your email address. If you win, I'll connect with you to get your mailing address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holiday Giveway Coming Soon...

2012-01-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Well, if you tried to click in your Google Reader to enter my fantastic Holiday Giveaway #2 and got to "This Page Does Not Exist.." or something like that, it's because I was having some issues with the Rafflecopter widget. I've heard Rafflecopter is fantastic for giveaways, and it looked great on the post, but when you just looked at the main site, it was adjusting my Link Within widget and looked funky.

So, stay tuned... a giveaway of five more books is coming soon...

Announcing The Stephen King Project 2012

2012-01-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

Care to join me and Kathleen from Boarding in My Forties? I think you do. After all, this is going to be a fun one.

Recently, I was mulling over how to include more Stephen King into my reading. As you know, I've become a fan of his work recently by reading 'Salem's Lot, The Colorado Kid, and 11/22/63 over the past two months, and I was shocked. Yes, he writes horror, but he also writes speculative fiction, time travel, and basically does one hell of a job creating characters, situations, and successfully communicating to the reader genuine human interactions that people have.

So when I read a post of Kathleen's, it stuck with me. She wanted to eventually read all of King's books and it got me thinking about maybe hosting a challenge. A year long one.

Thus, The Stephen King Project was born! After some tweets and emails, here is the overview!

The Stephen King Project Overview

This will run from January through December 2012
Anyone can join. But you should have a blog OR an account with Goodreads, Shelfari, etc., so you can write your reviews and we can visit via the link at The Stephen King Project.
The Project will be hosted at The Stephen King Project review site. Participants should link their reviews to the Linky there.
Audiobooks count.
E-books count.

What Are the Commitment Levels?

A King Novice: 1 book
A Lil Bit of King: 3 books
A King to Balance It All: 6 books
A King Legend: 9 books
A King for All Seasons: 12+ books

What About the Movies?

Hell. YEAH. Same rules from the above apply, except...
You can mix and match but you should have more books than films in your end-of-year total tally.

What Should You Do Now?

Write an announcement post on your blog.
You don't have to put a list of books together in your announcement post. Or you can, whatever works for you.
Use one of the blog buttons below in your announcement post.
Enter the link to your announcement post at The Stephen King Project Announcement Post (not the Project Overview post).
Every time you write a review, enter the link to it for the appropriate month at the review site. (On the 1st of each month, a new entry will be posted at the review site, and you can link up your reviews there).
At the end of each month, one participant from that month will be selected via random.org and will win a book from either Kathleen or I (or we may both have a book to give you). The book may or may not be King-related.
At the end of the year, one participant from the year will win a $50 gift card!

So here are the blog buttons to choose from:

More Around the Web

Feeding My Book Addiction is hosting a readalong for 11/22/63 in January. Click here to join it!

And Leighanne from Leighanne's Lit is hosting The Dark Tower Challenge! Go to her site to read more about this challenge, and you better believe I'm joining that one.

The Sunday Salon: What's Up For the New Year?

2012-01-01T10:10:00.002-05:00

Which one are you?

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. (Edith Lovejoy Pierce, English poet)

Or...

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. (Mark Twain)

Ahh, my friends. Everyone has written such glorious posts on personal, professional, and blogging goals, and I could pretty much blend all of them into what I want, too, since they are all perfect. I want to read more, achieve my professional goals in my day job, and while I'd love to increase my readership here at the blog, I'm really more interested in just having a whole heck of a lot of fun in these areas of my life and be content.

But, to get to some nitty-gritty things? I plan to...

Be more creative in 2012: scrapbooking, learning to knit, journaling more, finally learn Italian and not just the hodge-podge of words and sentences I know. Maybe I'll take part in something similar to the #Reverb11 project? Is there something you're familiar with that you can suggest to me?
Read more: Young Adult books, science fiction, fantasy
Consistency: I want to either post a little more frequently, or post consistently for weekly events (Saturday Snapshot, The Sunday Salon)
A Walk About Town: I really want to keep my weekly feature going. I love how it motivates me to traipse about town and record its originality for my own future nostalgia. While everyone can join, it doesn't have a lot of participation, but I enjoy it. The idea, though, of doing it on a weekly basis, for 52 Thursdays in 2012, is frightening in its massive scope of being consistent to that extent! I may eventually switch it to a monthly installment, but for now, I'll extend it in its weekly form for a little while longer.
Challenges, challenges: I do better with short challenges, but I'm thinking of hosting a year long one. It will start late because I just thought of it, but hopefully details are coming soon...
Drama in the Blogging World: I've read a lot about the drama throughout the year and how blogging has changed for veteran bloggers. For my part, I'm thankful that I'd like to stay far away from the controversy, but I hope veteran bloggers stay around, and continue to participate. I've benefited from their expertise and knowledge, and I know that the new bloggers who will start in 2012 will also benefit. Honestly, I blog because I love to write, read books and record my thoughts, and try new things within this electronic universe. I love seeing the changes that everyone goes through within their lives, reading, and blogging, and it makes me enthusiastic for each day I press the power button on my Mac.
Professional Reviewing: I don't think I'm interested in professional reviewing anymore. Halfway through 2011, I was accepted with a fabulous group of other reviewers to actually get paid to provide reviews for Shelf Awareness! How exciting! But, I never wrote one single review for them. Reviews are only published if they are positive, and it made me just a wee bit uncomfortable. The main reason, however, is that I was simply overwhelmed with managing the number of books I was inundated with and my regular day job! While I read several books sent to me, trying to maintain a consistent read/reviewing schedule while my "real" job requires a lot of travel from city to city for meetings that I had to prepare PowerPoints, spreadsheets, and the like.... oh, my, it was challenging to balance it all!
Vlogs: I have done a few over the past year and a half, and I'd really like to do more. My husband purchased the Sony Bloggie Touch video camera for me for Christmas and I love it! (It's sort of like a Flip video. The name "Bloggie" doesn't have to do with anything related to blogging, I don't think. It's just a flippin' awesome video mini-camera, I love it).

So those are the things I'm planning to achieve this 2012. For the most part, I just want to see what I can do to extend my creativity a bit more within the blogosphere, and ultimately, to have much, much more fun!

Saturday Snapshot... Mt. Trashmore & the Boat

2011-12-31T05:48:00.000-05:00

This rowboat was positioned on the grass by the peaceful lake at Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach when I was there a couple of weeks ago (visit this week's A Walk About Town post to find out why this beautiful place has this name). I loved the way the light reflected off the water and I punched up the filter a bit to give it this hazy look to it.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

Here's to the Best of Everything in 2011

2011-12-31T05:30:00.000-05:00

Had to post my favorite gift...the keyboard for the iPad...

My heart is full.

Another year has come and gone and with that, some exceptional (and some a little ho-hum) reading. Blogging continues to be a blast these past two years and being a part of this wonderful community is amazing. And I love the new design Tawni at Forever Design Studio created, and I finally feel I have something that represents me and my blog. (I have something fun planned to feature the work she did, so stay tuned).

I also can't wait for another year with the bloggers I already know, and I'm excited to meet those who will be starting up in 2012. Everything about this world has been so. much. fun. So here's to you!

The biggest achievement for me this year is that I've now incorporated audiobooks into my reading experience and I am better for it. How have I let audiobooks slip me by all this time?

For this list, I've included audio and printed books into this combined overview, simply because I didn't listen to enough audiobooks to warrant its own separate list. The list also includes anything I've read in 2011, but doesn't necessarily mean it was published in 2011.

In no particular order, my favorites I read or listened to this year were

11/22/63, by Stephen King
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penny
Caribou Island, by David Vann
The Distant Hours, by Kate Morton
Faith, by Jennifer Haigh
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Passage, by Justin Cronin
The Passion of Artemisia, by Susan Vreeland
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
The Second Duchess, by Elizabeth Loupas
Skipping a Beat, by Sarah Pekkanen
The Victorian Chaise-Longue, by Marghanita Laski
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
The Wolves of Andover, by Kathleen Kent (retitled to The Traitor's Wife)

So those were my favorites. And if I had to pick only one book to be at the very top of my list, it would have to be 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I loved everything about that book.

Here's to another year blogging with all of you, reading, and sharing some fantastic reads and commiserating over the not-so-fun ones! Thanks for reading and welcoming me into this wonderful community!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (Audio Review)

2011-12-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

This is one of the best non-fiction books around. Hands down. And for those of you who profess to not enjoy non-fiction? Pshaw, try this one and change your mind you shall. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Cassandra Campbell, and listened to this with rapt attention to the 12 hours and 30 minutes within a day and a half. This story will not let you down.

More than sixty years ago, Henrietta Lacks was a young married mother, and was suffering from cervical cancer. She and her husband made the regular journey to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment, and it soon became evident that it was an aggressive form of cancer and she soon died painfully. During one of her treatments prior to her death, her cells were taken to be included in trials to see if they would regrow on their own. Up until that point, the team attempting this was unsuccessful. They didn't have much hope with yet another grouping of cells.

But Henrietta's cells did regrow. What became of those cells, known as "HeLa," have done so much for science that the list of benefits Henrietta's cells provided is innumerable. The only thing was that her cells were taken without her knowledge, or her family's knowledge. Those who did have her cells, these immortal cells that magically continued to regrow, became wealthy while Henrietta's family was never given a dime.

This is a riveting and suspense-filled story of Rebecca Skloot's journey to bring the story of "HeLa" to the center stage, which ultimately showcases Henrietta and her family in the forefront as well. Documenting the progress of science because of the HeLa cells and weaving in this deeply personal family story, this non-fiction book will make you angry as you learn about the injustices brought upon one woman and her body, and more than likely will also leave you in awe of all the things that HeLa helped. The ultimate discussion regarding ethics is also addressed, and if a patient should be informed that their cells or other tissue are taken which may be given over for research and potential financial gain. The ethical questions and debates on whether or not you own your own body's waste and cells is fascinating and frightening at the same time. Arguments against informing a patient have brought up that it would bring science's progress to a standstill because patients will be bartering for the highest dollar for their tissues, and withholding it in order to achieve that. Of course, the debate the other way is that this is your body, your tissues. Shouldn't you have a right to negotiate where pieces of you go and how they are used?

When you sign all of the medical release forms, do you read everything? Probably not. But if your cells or other items were taken from you and science benefited from it, wouldn't you want to also personally benefit from it? I think so. But in the Lacks' family, they never benefited, and in fact, didn't even have health insurance. Can you imagine the travesty of this? The family of the woman who suffered painfully and died from a horrible disease, unknowingly gave her body over to science which benefited greatly (and still benefits as the cells continue to regrow), but her own family rarely visits a doctor because they have no insurance to help them with the payments.

Probably some of the more fascinating and scarier sections of the book actually comes at the end, when recent cases are reviewed in which tissue disposal is debated. I was stunned at what could happen even today, and began to wonder if, while HeLa has helped so much, if we've really advanced at all in the question of ethics. Of course, one side of me thinks that yes, of course we have, but then there are these cases that make the whole foundation of common sense and fairness buckle and tremble.

This is an absolutely amazing story, written with passion and knowledge, and bringing this education to the average person who doesn't know a lick about science. It's easily readable and understandable, and it will generate much debate and discussion. Without question, I highly recommend this book for book clubs, and really for anyone who wants to give non-fiction a try. This will leave you speechless and convert you over to reading even more non-fiction.

And why will you love this via audio? Cassandra Campbell is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. She has the perfect voice to bring this story to life and, quite frankly, you just can't go wrong when she's leading the charge and voicing a story.

About the Author (from her website)

Rebecca Skloot has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. She is an award winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; and many other publications. She specializes in narrative science writing, and has explored a wide range of topics, including goldfish surgery, tissue ownership rights, race and medicine, food politics, and packs of wild dogs in Manhattan. She has worked as a correspondent for WNYC's Radiolab and PBS' Nova ScienceNOW. She and her father, Floyd Skloot are co-editors of The Best American Science Writing 2011.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is Rebecca Skloot's debut book, and took more than a decade to research and write. It is being translated into 25 languages and will also be produced into an HBO movie.

Rebecca Skloot currently lives in Chicago, but also heads to the hills of West Virginia to write, save stray animals, and knit. An avid knitter, she continues the family tradition of her mother, Betsy McCarthy, who is a professional knitter.

Follow the author:

On her website
On Facebook
On Twitter

Others said:

Raging Bibliomania (audio)

You've Gotta Read This (audio)
Bermuda Onion

At Home With Books

My Book Retreat

Linus's Blanket

Thinking About Loud!

A Walk About Town, Mount Trashmore, Virginia Beach

2011-12-29T07:39:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. Anyone can participate! Write about a spot in your town, or a spot you've visited, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate and although I will post on Thursdays, you can post yours any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

What's that, you say? A beautiful spot called Mount Trashmore?! Why, yes. I do say.

Who would ever think that a spot in Virginia Beach, which was once a landfill, would become one of the most unique, beautiful and fun spots in town? Whether it's going for a run around the beautiful lake, flying your kite on a windy day at the top of the "mountain", or watching the fireworks with family on the 4th of July, the spot called Mount Trashmore would be one of the best places to be.

Take a look at this glorious stairway up to the main lookout point. I visited on a beautiful and cold, crisp day, the type of day I just never got when I lived in Florida. I'll be revisiting again in spring when the grass is a lush green. (The last photo is my favorite since the two people at the top were doing some form of interesting dancing. It certainly shows the scale and size of the place). In one section of the park, there's even a cool skateboarding facility, and from what I understand, professional skateboarders including Tony Hawk, have visited here.

First opened in 1974, it's a remarkable example of being able to reuse what was once a trash-filled area of almost 200 acres, and turn it into a lively and healthy land with walking trails, picnic spots, volleyball courts, and a kid's playground. It's no surprise that the park clocks in over a million visitors a year. Well done, Virginia Beach!

What about you? Have you had a chance to walk about town and want to share a fun, education, and hip spot on your blog? Add your link below and make sure you visit other participants!

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

2011-12-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

In this Young Adult post-apocalyptic story of the future of North America, the only surviving continent, a scientific attempt to eradicate all diseases results in new generations having a limited life span. Boys can only grow up to reach the age of twenty-five before a fatal virus attacks their system and kills them. Girls only live to the age of twenty. Because of this known death sentence, maturity is escalated and marriages begin young for reproduction. Rhine, a sixteen-year-old living in Manhattan which is completely different from what we know it to be, is kidnapped by the Gatherers to be sold as a bride into a wealthy home in order to continue their bloodline. Separated from her only family, her twin brother Rowan, she is hurried into a car with other young girls, while gunshots ring outside of the car for those not deemed worthy of the sale.

Arriving at her new "home," Rhine, Jenna, and Cecily, become the young brides for the son of the house, Linden. Cecily, the youngest bride at thirteen, is away from the orphanages that are so common in this new future and is excited about her new life. Rhine and Jenna, unhappy at being separated from their families, initially direct their hatred to their husband, Linden, but it's his father who is the lurking and malevolent presence. As a member of the "first generation" that engineered the accidental virus, he is now relentlessly pursuing the antidote at all costs and his presence hints at much more he is capable of doing. It's up to Rhine to figure out a way to ultimately escape a mansion with no visible entrance, to return to her twin brother, and to also deal with the conflicting emotions of loyalty for her sister-wives, and the passion she has for a servant in the house, Gabriel. Slowly, Rhine also begins to realize that Linden isn't the warden of this extravagant "prison," but rather his father is the one to fear.

Note: Keep in mind that this is my opinion only and I'm sharing with you my reading experience of this popular book, so please check out the other reviews I've linked to at the bottom that can give you a different perspective. There are a few mini-spoilers throughout this review, but nothing I think could affect what you might expect or already know about this book, but to play it on the safe side, only those who have read the book should continue to read on...

What I enjoy about science-fiction is that both the plot and the actions are, while a bit far-fetched at times, usually plausible. I'm no expert on science or evolution, but with Wither, I was nagged by my logical side and I often debated the inconsistencies. I tried to tell myself to let it go, but I was reminded that this is not what you do with science fiction; normally, you can feel the foundation of the story and imagine this new world. Sometimes, you can even close a book and reflect on the possibilities outlined in the story and believe it could happen. With Wither, unfortunately I was left confused and disappointed. I thought the story was interesting and the pacing was good, but I was uncomfortable with several aspects in where the story went and, most especially, in the character development.

In Rhine's old life, North America is desolate and her options are nil. Her parents were killed and she and her twin are left to fend for themselves in a house that is fiercely cold and filled with rats. With little food to keep them alive, they are forced to sleep in shifts so they can keep watch for any potential intruders. The Manhattan they live in is an industrial and bleak wasteland of factories and there is no hope...

But now, Rhine lives in a sprawling mansion, with food so incredible and in unlimited quantities. There are golf courses, pools with incredible underworld holograms which give one the illusion they are swimming in underwater shipwrecks, or swimming with schools of fish and dolphins. There is a full library of books to read, custom clothing to wear and magical baths to take.

Let me get this out of the way: Abduction and rape are nightmares, and completely illegal in the world we know today. In the world Wither portrayed, though, I don't think there would be a need for abductions to supply girls for marriage. Here's why: This new post-apocalyptic world is about a few generations into this automatic virus which kicks in at certain ages depending on gender. I would imagine "survival of the fittest" would come into play and each person would now be vying for the opportunity to escape their squalid life in a wasteland, to move into a mansion and have unlimited food and warmth for the short amount of time they had on earth, right? In the world of Wither, it would seem that the overall mindset would now change as each generation is born, and the goal would be to end up in one of these marriages. After all, it's not as though not being in a marriage gives you the chance to live longer: Everyone dies at 25 and 20, bottom line, whether married or not. If it's "freedom" Rhine's looking for, wouldn't she rather sacrifice this version of it in order to live in comfort rather than almost dying every day, miserable conditions swallowing her up? I think people would be fighting to get into the mansions, and abductions wouldn't be common at all.

My other frustration was with Linden and Gabriel, the two that create a love "triangle" for Rhine, which is a loose description for something that doesn't feel fleshed out and might be coming in the next installment. But I felt nothing for either of them, which may be because I didn't know much about them. Linden is described as fragile and weak but has a brilliant mind for architecture, and he pines for his true love, Rose, the wife before Rhine, Jenna, and Cecily show up. That's it. There aren't long conversations with him, he doesn't seem interested to ask anything at all about Rhine's life before coming to his house, he doesn't understand the eventual bond that the wives have with each other, and overall, he seems pretty weak-willed about everything. I don't understand why Rhine, a seemingly tough young lady, would feel even the slightest bit of interest for him.

The servant, Gabriel, is only familiar with the orphanage he lived in before being purchased to work as a servant in this mansion. Other than that, he is so vaguely described and there isn't even a physical description of him. I even went back to the point of when he first enters the story and still couldn't find out what this kid looked like. At some point, Rhine describes him as being bigger than Linden, but it seems like anyone could be since Linden is so frail. It wasn't until the end of the story that I finally found out he had blue eyes. I still don't know what color hair he has, though.

But the primary angle I couldn't understand with Gabriel was his motivation to leave this life. He's only lived in an orphanage before working in this extravagant mansion, and I couldn't grasp his willingness to risk it all for one of the wives. I could write it off and say he just loves Rhine, but I think there's only so much of the "willing suspension of disbelief" that I can give. Did he fully understand the risk he was taking? I don't know.

With a statement like the one below, I expected to really know Gabriel and why they had such a connection with each other.

Gabriel's voice can reach me anywhere. Even in a hurricane. (p.185)

This is my opinion only, so please do take a look at the below links. I will seek out the second book to see how it plays out. My disappointment for Wither is centered around the fact that this is such an interesting idea for a story, and the author does have a wonderful ability at times to convey actions and events, that these inconsistencies stick out and brought such a disappointment. Here's what I think would have been interesting for our hero, Rhine: I would have much preferred Rhine to plot for a way to take over the house, locate her brother and bring him to the compound so that they could all be safe together. Why leave all this food, warmth, and shelter behind?

Did I miss it? What did you think of this book?

This book will be included on an upcoming giveaway, so stay tuned!

Others said:
The Story Siren
Rhapsody in Books
Devourer of Books
The Story Girl

About the Author

Lauren DeStefano is the celebrated author of the popular Young Adult dystopian fiction The Chemical Garden Trilogy. The second book to the series, Fever, will be released by Simon & Schuster in February 2012.

Click here to visit the author on her website.
Click here to follow the author on Twitter.
Click here to like the author on Facebook.

The Sunday Salon...Merry Christmas To You and Yours...

2011-12-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

Many of you have seen this picture before but I just love it.

Photo of my amazing Roma the Dog by Digital Graces.

Saturday Snapshot...Don't Forget About the Animals...

2011-12-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

You know that bumper sticker that promotes rescuing animals and it reads, "Who rescued who?" That's how I feel about my two former strays: Roma the Dog and Puppy the Cat. My husband found Roma on a busy road and had she stepped a few feet to one side, she would have been smack dab in the middle of 45-mile per hour traffic. We took Puppy the Cat in after he was kicked out by a neighbor in Florida because his ex-girlfriend dumped him and he just wanted to get rid of the cat. In the four years we've been blessed to have them in our lives, these two have done more for me and my husband than we ever would have imagined. We are so very lucky.

Clearly you can see that I prefer a lot of blankets on my side of the bed, which apparently is their preference as well...

I encourage you to remember the animals who are alone this holiday season. Don't bypass a dog on the street; instead, call the local SPCA to help pick them up. And one way you can always help is to donate dog food, cat food, toys or beds for the animals in your local SPCA. Or better yet, bring a pet home with you.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshot, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

The Leftovers, by Tom Perrotta

2011-12-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

It's probably because of my recent completion of Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel, that anything that came after would feel like a breeze of a read. I was feeling pretty invincible anyway, and The Leftovers came through as a thoughtful read that begs to be taken in at once, all during one sitting. While introspective enough to give me pause, it wasn't overbearing.

After a sudden and unexplained disappearance of an unidentified number of people around the world, the residents of one small town called Mapleton, try to piece life back together again. Into this aftermath of a new post-apocalyptic world three years later, some join a cult called the Guilty Remnant, requiring members to take a vow of silence and decide to live in a community with others who also believe that the old world is gone and the new one is upon them (which is also a world they believe won't last very long for anything from the past to matter). Others fall into a wild party life, or some choose to follow the last-minute prophet who springs up in the midst of confusion. The rest just try to move on. In a world that is now trying to simultaneously figure out what caused this mass disappearance, those who haven't disappeared have to pick up the pieces and deal with the feelings of loss, denial, and guilt.

At the heart of this story is the Garvey family, a family of four who didn't lose anyone in their immediate family, but have been jarred in an emotional way. Jill, the young teenage daughter of Kevin and Laurie was an "eyewitness" to her best friend disappearing, and their older son Tom, can't quite seem to feel tethered to the way society once was. Kevin and Laurie try to do their best, but ultimately, each of them make choices that take them all in completely different directions. And when Laurie makes a drastic decision to join the cult of silence, the Guilty Remnant, it leaves Kevin and Jill to make order out of their own lives without her. Moving out of the family home, Laurie takes on this new world with others who are dressed in white, smoke cigarettes to declare their presence, and patiently stalk Mapleton residents to be the town's silent reminder that the end is near.

Around town are a variety of characters who are each affected by the disappearance in a variety of ways, skillfully created by Tom Perrotta, and all of them heartbreaking. This is my first time reading his work and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the balance between good and bad, order and chaos, and the overall flow of the story. It kept my interest and I didn't want to put it down. For you fast readers out there, it's going to be a snap to finish this one in a day.

But (and I hate to admit this) I was also just a teensy bit disappointed because I was eagerly turning the pages when I first started this, so it's probably too harsh of a word to use. I'm new to Perrotta's work, so while I initially thought this would be a story which would allow the reader to understand what happened and why, I was surprised that instead it became more about the exploration of small-town suburbia, and the sometimes mistaken impression that a big house and car doesn't always mean that everything makes sense or that one's life is fulfilled. I know now that Perrotta is known for this unhinging dive into the psyche of "things that are supposed to be just fine but really aren't," and in retrospect, I can appreciate the artistry of what was accomplished in this work. It's not to say that this story isn't poignant, or that the characters aren't real; quite the opposite. In fact, my mouth hung open with the genuineness of each character's confusion and how they handled it; it was an honest approach to the possible scenario of, to put it bluntly, "What the hell happened?"

My sense of detachment to the book, though, is minimal and was more in the sense that I felt I was waiting for something to happen, to be explained. To have an answer. I know that's how it was supposed to be designed, to leave you contemplating bigger questions than just the answer to, "No, really, but why?" I realize because of this reaction that both the Guilty Remnant cult from the book and another group called the Barefoot People, would guffaw and scoff at me. But I was anticipating something that would be the explanation of a lot of the mysteries of the story, and perhaps that was my problem. As I mull it over now, I'm not at all unhappy with the book at all, I'm just a little dazed. I loved the book for its characters, the dialogue, the interesting moments and snippets of each of their lives as they try to create some sort of understanding in the midst of the ambiguity. But as the reader, I wanted to understand more, get more of a foundation, other than just closing the book and feeling like one of the many confused residents of the town of Mapleton.

But, please, don't get me wrong; I don't want you to think this story isn't good because it really is. I'm conflicted simply because I feel the story is so powerful, mesmerizing in some instances, and heartbreaking in others. I probably came into it with a different expectation for the end result, so I advise you with this if you've not experienced Tom Perrotta's work before, or if you think this book might be a suspenseful thriller: This is a quiet story, fused at its center with the humble defiance and strength of the average and everyday person. And that's a beautiful thing. To be able to capture a glimpse into what makes each of us important, unique, and ultimately strong, is no easy thing, and Perrotta handled it with a deftness that made it completely obvious to this novice-Perrotta reader why he has quite the fan following. Just don't go into it with the expectation that it will be a fast-moving novel with a lot of twists and turns or even, a lot of practical insight or answers, as more of it is a philosophical process, or just more a book to experience the characters alone. So in that, it is absolutely worth it.

I'd highly recommend this for a book club; this story is perfect for discussions and debates.

FTC Disclosure:

I received this advanced reader's edition from St. Martin's Press, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Others wrote:
Sophisticated Dorkiness
Book Addiction
Fizzy Thoughts
Literate Housewife (audio review)
Nomad Reader

Watch this blog, this book is going to be included in a future Giveaway...!

About the Author

Tom Perrotta is the incomparable author of The Abstinence Teacher, Little Children, Joe College, Election, The Wishbones, and Bad Haircut. His most recent novel, The Leftovers, has already received numerous accolades and was named one of the "Best Books of 2011" by O the Oprah Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Amazon.com, GQ, NPR (Fresh Air), The Washington Post, The Seattle Times, and The Book Page. He is married to Mary Granfield, and they live with their three children in Boston, Massachusetts.

Click here to visit the author on his website.
Click here to be added to the author's mailing list.

A Walk About Town, The Route 58 Delicatessen, Virginia Beach

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick. Anyone can participate! Write about a spot in your town, include the button for A Walk About Town, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You don't need to include a picture to participate and although I will post on Thursdays, you can post yours any day of that week. Just make sure to add your link to the most recent week's post here at Coffee and a Book Chick, and if you're on Twitter, use the hashtag #AWalkAboutTown.

This is my dream. For either Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives or Adam Richman from Man vs. Food to come visit Route 58 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and give this deli/café/restaurant the proper attention they deserve.

*Warning ~ there will be a lot of CAPITAL LETTERS in this post.*
People, LISTEN. If you are in Virginia Beach, you must head to The Route 58 Delicatessen to EAT.

And, oh, I do mean eat. A LOT.

When we first walked in, the hustle and bustle of this cozy joint was perfect. With a retro feel and wicked awesome 1950s-style signs, I knew this was going to be *the* spot that would quickly become a regular hang out for us.

Talk about character!

Not only are the menus (pictured below) made to look like magazine advertisements, but even the owner Jeff Goldberg's REPORT CARD when he was a kid, is laminated and tacked to the wall. It was hilarious, setting just the right kick-back-and-relax atmosphere.

And. The. FOOD. Fellow lovers of food, I am not kidding. If you are in Virginia Beach ever, and I MEAN EVER, stopping at the Route 58 Deli is now my requirement for you. Let's just say that when one of the slogans on a server's t-shirt reads, "If you finish, we made a mistake," then you know you're in for the type of food that makes your eyes bug out when the server brings it to your table. And when other diners then peek over your shoulder to ask what you got, that's another good sign.

I'll start out with the coffee. I drink mine black with one sugar in it, and my husband has his with cream and sugar. We both ended up asking for to go cups when we neared the end of the meal, it was THAT GOOD.

And for the food? Ahhhh. I had a Potato Knish, which was some magical creation of hot, flaky, soft bread wrapped around mashed potato and more magic. I'm still dreaming about it. My husband ordered something called "The Almost Famous" omelet with PASTRAMI and CORNED BEEF HASH and a gazillion other tasty things in it, but it also had MORE corned beef hash on top of that, and then it was finished off with two potato latkes balanced on top, almost like an exclamation point at the end of it all. It was in your face eating pleasure. (Guy? Adam? Did you wanna visit yet?). To do this plate true justice, I would suggest you just visit Route 58 now and order it. Suffice it to say that my husband eats everything on his plate every time, but this time? He could only eat half of "The Almost Famous."

The place is inviting, the decor is retro-amazing, the food is to drool over and pack your bellies with, and the service is TOP NOTCH. The owner, Jeff Goldberg (still just a kid from Jersey, per his site), and his super-fantastic staff (thanks, to our server Rachael, who happens to be a blog writer herself at The Witty Hippie), have a rock solid deli that would make New York, Chicago, and Boston drool and dream.

"Go, you must," said the ever-wise Yoda to the awesome blog reader. "Tonight. And then, with a belly content, you sleep."

The owner's report card! Ha! Below grade level, my a#$

LOOK AT THIS!! Eat this Potato Knish in one sitting. Dare ya.

Join me this week! Have you walked about your town and want to share something fun, educational, or intriguing that represents where you live? Write up a post, add the button to your blog, and enter your blog link to the Linky below.

Science Fiction Experience 2012

2011-12-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

I wasn't planning on joining anything in 2012, and if I did, it wouldn't be many. Considering 2011 was a bust of everything I had such high hopes for, the idea of participating in 2012 was unnerving.

But... I'm feeling pretty invincible after finishing Wolf Hall last night.

When I read that Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings was hosting a Science Fiction Experience from January 1, 2012 to February 29, 2012, and NOT a challenge, I was nervous, yet intrigued. Carl also hosts the RIP Challenge, which 2011 was my first time joining. This helped me realize I do better with shorter events than year-long ones. I've only put a toe in the water for Science Fiction in the past, so I figured, why not? It couldn't hurt. Besides, I have these books from George R.R. Martin that I'm eager to try. So I'm ready to jump into the fray.

As Carl writes in his intro, there are no rules. Just have fun. It's not a challenge, and it also encompasses both reading and television participation. I think I might be ready. What about you?

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 5 and 6 (finale)

2011-12-18T00:40:00.000-05:00

Note: This is the final post for the Wolf Hall Readalong which took place over the past three weeks. Be prepared for spoilers in this post, of course. Readalong participants should add their post's link into the Linky below so we can read your thoughts. Don't forget to visit other readalong participants.

*throws confetti*

I cannot even believe it. I can finally watch the four-part HBO miniseries when it comes out (sometime in 2013?). I finished Wolf Hall late last night and surprisingly, after my first struggles with the book, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. And while this book was intriguing, intelligent, and fascinating, it also felt like such a journey over the past three weeks that I am now exhausted! But happy. This was a true chunkster of a book and I'm so thankful I had the paperback cover; I think my hands would have given out holding the hardcover book to read each day.

Final Thoughts

I closed the book with sadness. I know Hilary Mantel has partitioned the story into a trilogy and that 2012 brings a new book, but many of you may know that I much prefer stories to be told all at once, versus in this new trend of series/trilogies. I also understand that there is so very much to this story that putting this all into one book would have been nearly impossible; surely there would have been too many edits that would have parsed down both the story and the writing that ultimately it would have been much to difficult to enjoy if it was one book. I get it, I'm just simply stamping my foot on my frustrations with trilogies and the fact that it takes a year or more before the next in the series comes out. I hate waiting.

In this version of the tale of Henry VIII and the dueling battle for who the rightful queen should be, Cromwell comes out on top as a caring, loyal, generous and brilliant man. I have written this (or similar to it) every week and I say it again: Cromwell is THE MAN. He's just not one to be pushed around. Fools are those who feel they can beat him. But one thing that interested me even more so was that Cromwell could never understand how people looked at him. It always surprised him when he hears it said about him; even his own son Gregory knew this and understood the gossip. Later in the book, this passage resonated with me:

I shall not indulge More, he thinks, or his family, in any illusion that they understand me. How could that be, when my workings are hidden from myself? (pg. 536)

Hilary Mantel is successful in beautifully portraying what life might be like in the early 1500s, within the courtly and political world that Cromwell was a part of. While simultaneously weaving in these political tensions, it is the human side that rounds out the character and shows him to be one worth fighting for. Measured in his calculations and countenance, Cromwell is the very man you'd want to have on your side. The tale is haunting, with Mantel relaying ambiguously who is saying what, and while that was initially confusing (and continued to occasionally be) it finally moved past that into a comfortable rhythm that seemed to make sense. While I fought with the story initially in the first thirty or so pages, concerned that I was going to walk away unhappy with the way it was written, I instead realized that there was a method to the unclear madness, which made for a much better and more compelling story of Cromwell's life. What has stuck with me the most these past three weeks is that Cromwell's love for family was so grounded and strong. He may have grown up with a horrible and abusive father, but Cromwell looks at all in his household as part of his life and people that he needs to watch over and protect. He regularly thinks of his wife and children who died years before, and he mourns the new chapters in his "people's" lives, as they begin to make new lives outside of his home with their spouses. He misses the sounds of babies and the pitter-patter of children's feet; Hilary Mantel virtually reached out of the book with her writing and made you feel everything. What an amazing piece of work.

I look forward to her second book and I recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction, particularly the Tudors, but I would also recommend this to those interested in political strategy and intrigue. It's quite the story, one you just will not forget. (Just remember that when you see the word "he," more than likely it's probably Cromwell speaking or thinking the thoughts.)

Major Events

Cristophe joins the household at Austin Friars. (How many people will Cromwell take in? A young man with a shady past, he is loyal and ready to be a Cromwell man. I wouldn't mind having this kid on my side as well; as Cromwell points out, Cristophe is like a version of Cromwell.)
In 1533, Lady Anne and King Henry finally take their wedding vows. Anne is crowned Queen of England shortly thereafter.
Cromwell gets a new post, chancellor of the exchequer.
Thomas More is pronounced as poor. (I must admit, this made me happy. I felt the man was a vile nut job, so his misery didn't bother me in the least bit. Especially when it was alluded to that he was more interested in his daughter and not his wife).
Anne gives birth to a girl, then loses her second child while giving birth.
Cromwell takes in Elizabeth Barton, the "prophetess" and begins to question her. Away from the priests and monks who touted her as someone who could communicate directly with God, she is now considered more ordinary. She confesses that she is a fraud and is eventually executed.
Mary Boleyn is pregnant with Lord Stafford's child. Anne thinks it's Henry's child so she puts Mary out. (Seriously, Anne, did you think Henry was actually going to be loyal to just you?)
Richard is promised in marriage to a young woman of France.
Rafe has secretly married Helen, another person Cromwell took in because she had two children with a husband who may have been dead and used to beat her all the time.
Cromwell gets another title no one has ever held before: Vicegerent in Spirituals, deputy in church affairs.
Thomas More is put to death. (No love lost there)

A few players that made me research more

Eustace Chapuys

Elizabeth Barton

Stephen Gardiner

Passages (the third one is my favorite)

For a moment, he seems like a carved statue, like a simpler form of himself, or one of his own ancestors; one of the race of giants that roamed Britain, and left no trace of themselves except in the dreams of their petty descendants. (pg.413)

When a woman withdraws to give birth the sun may be shining but the shutters of her room are closed so she can make her own weather. She is kept in the dark so she can dream. Her dreams drift her far away, from terra firma to a marshy tract of land, to a landing stage, to a river where a mist closes over the farther bank, and earth and sky are inseparate; there she must embark toward life and death, a muffled figure in the stern directing the oars. In this vessel prayers are said that men never hear. Bargains are struck between a woman and her God. The river is tidal, ad between one feather-stroke and the next, her tide may turn. (pg. 447)

He is conscious that his son is taller than he is: not that it takes much. He steps sideways, though only in his mind, to see his boy with a painter's eye: a boy with fine white skin and hazel eyes, a slender angel of the second rank in a fresco dappled with damp, in some hill town far from here. He thinks of him as a page in a forest riding across vellum, dark curls crisp under a narrow band of gold; whereas the young men about every day, the young men of Austin Friars, are muscled like fighting dogs, hair cropped to stubble, eyes sharp as sword points. He thinks, Gregory is all he should be. He is everything I have a right to hope for: his openness, his gentleness, the reserve and consideration with which he holds back his thoughts till he has framed them. He feels such tenderness for him he thinks he might cry. (pg. 489)

The fate of people is made like this, two men in small rooms. Forget the coronations, the conclaves of cardinals, the pomp and processions. This is how the world changes: a counter pushed across a table, a pen stroke that alters the force of a phrase, a woman's sigh as she passes and leaves on the air a trail of orange flower or rose water; her hand pulling close the bed curtain, the discreet sigh of flesh against flesh. (pg.566)

Thank you to everyone who joined in the readalong and I'm so excited we finished! Post your thoughts on your blog and add the link to the Linky below (don't forget to visit the other participants).

Saturday Snapshot - Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach

2011-12-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

After Thursday's humbling and inspirational visit to Grommet Island Beach Park for my feature "A Walk About Town," I had a few pictures of Rudee Inlet and the Virginia Beach Boardwalk that I wanted to share. The angle here is right around the 2nd street area for both the inlet and the start of the boardwalk. I don't know about you, but while I enjoy going to the beach on a warm day, I think I actually prefer it when it's a bit cold, with a little bit of wind. Something about it makes it a bit more peaceful.

For more of this week's snapshots, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

A Walk About Town, Grommet Island Beach Park, Virginia Beach

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick throughout the month of December. Anyone can participate; for those who do, simply write a post, include the button you see to the left in the sidebar, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You do not need to include a picture to participate.

"A beach park & playground for every body."

It's time to put aside simple disagreements with others. Not only is it the holidays, but no matter how big it might feel at the time, anything is pretty inconsequential after you visit Grommet Island Beach Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

On the History tab of Grommet Island's web page, the tag line reads "From Adversity, the Birth of an Idea." Nothing could be more compelling and humbling. In 2006, at the incredibly young age of 33, Josh Thompson was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A passionate surfer, Josh was forced to begin a new chapter in his life.

While family and friends headed to the beach one summer day, Josh had to stay back because there just wasn't any access to the beach that could accommodate his wheelchair, nor was there any place that he would be able to get across the sand to the shoreline and see the waves he loved. It is this obstacle that inspired Josh's father Bruce to begin the plans to create a place that would be accessible to everyone. The city of Virginia Beach also came through and with the help of the city and local companies, not to mention the resounding support of the residents of Virginia Beach, Grommet Island Beach Park at 2nd Street became a reality and just last year, in 2010, the Grand Opening was held. Since that time, more than $4 million has been raised to support research, park funding, and the ALS association.

This is one of the most extraordinary places I've ever been to. The vision of creating a spot for anyone, regardless if they were in a wheelchair or not, to comfortably access the beach and shoreline also produced a playground and a statue of father and son surfers. I loved every moment today, but I started to wonder about other beaches in the country, in the world. How easy is it for someone who is wheelchair-bound to access the shore and see the ocean that brings peace to many? How could you help make a difference in your community?

It is an unprecedented location and I was honored to be there today. I tip my hat to Bruce Thompson, the city and residents of Virginia Beach, the companies supporting it, and most especially to one surfer named Josh.

To see more about the site and to make a donation, please click here. For more information on the ALS Association and to make a donation, please click here.

To participate in A Walk About Town and to highlight a spot in your area, grab the button in the sidebar, write up a post, and then add your link to the Linky below.

Winner of Holiday Giveaway Number 1

2011-12-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

Click Here... are you on Pinterest, too?

A quick post for the winner of Holiday Giveaway Number 1 ~ Ellen from Fat Books & Thin Women! I don't know if she's in Albania or New Jersey right now, but the following books in the below picture are going in the mail this week! Congratulations!

Weekend Cooking: Blueberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-11T16:14:00.000-05:00

This is my first time participating in Beth Fish Reads' weekly meme and I'm so excited to share this one with you. I was in the mood to make something with blueberries for my husband's co-worker as a thank you to her and her husband for hosting a party and I stumbled upon this recipe at The Travel Bite. (I don't have a lot of cookbooks for some reason, so I normally just jump online.) My goal is to be much more creative in 2012 so being more in the kitchen are on the list, along with scrapbooking and journaling. I used to do all of this years ago, but work has pulled me away from most of that. So, these Blueberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies looked like they might just do the job.

And. They. DID.

Oh, my goodness. They weren't overly sweet, they were just right! The punch of the blueberry and the sweetness of the white chocolate were a wonderful combination and the dough has an almost cake-like consistency. I can see why The Travel Bite writer wrote that she would eat these for breakfast also. YUM. (By the way, you MUST visit her site, it is delish).

The recipe came from The Travel Bite and the box to put the cookies in (along with ribbon and sticker) is Martha Stewart.

Maine Blueberry & White Chocolate Chip Cookies*

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup medium-cut oats (not quick cooking)
2 cups flour
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup fresh Maine blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw and drain) I used regular blueberries

*I used regular blueberries; no Maine options here, but the regular ones worked just fine!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sour cream, and sugars and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add the egg and mix until smooth.
Add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt to the mixture and combine.
Fold in the oats, then the flour and mix until just blended. Fold in the white chocolate chips and the blueberries.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and barely dry to the touch. Try not to allow the cookies to brown.
Eat!

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and 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, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 3 and 4

2011-12-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Note: This is the second of three posts for the Wolf Hall Readalong co-hosted by Nicole at Linus's Blanket and me, so be prepared for spoilers. Readalong participants should add their post's link into the Linky below so we can read your thoughts. Also, remember to use the hashtag on Twitter #WolfHallReadalong so we can stay in the loop with everyone if there are questions (or grumbles).

This week's section was much longer than our first week, but my, oh my. I love what I'm reading now and the action stepped up considerably in this section, don't you think? From Cromwell and Johane breaking up, to Henry VIII meeting with the King of France, to monks being burned at the stake for their support of Tyndale...oh, my. The pacing, at points, felt to me as though it were a suspenseful thriller of momentous events, punctuated by the stillness of deep sorrow which made my heart ache.

Cromwell continues to be an all-around exceptional human being in this representation from Hilary Mantel, and while at times it felt almost unbelievable that he could be this perfect, I went along with it because of the beautiful writing. While simultaneously loyal to family and friends, Cromwell is also a brilliant adviser, a tough and reasonable strategist. Not to mention, he is an animal lover (and endearing enough is the fact that he likes to name all his dogs Bella). Again, there are splashes of reminders that he can also hold his own when it comes to a fight. He's just THE MAN, in this story at least. As you all may recall from last week, I'm not especially knowledgeable about the Tudors, so I am trusting that, while personality traits may be fictionalized, the events itself are accurate. Regardless, despite any doubts, when I compare Thomas Cromwell to Thomas More in this book? Thomas More was a malevolent, vile creature who tortured people and was abusive to his wife. Cromwell continues to be a just and loyal man.

Two players in this section that made me research a bit more

Thomas More

Charles Brandon

Major Events

Cromwell gets a seat in Parliament, representing Taunton.
The King's advisers are preparing no fewer than forty-four charges against the cardinal, from the violation of the statues of praemunire (the upholding of a foreign jurisdiction within the king's realm, to buying beef for his household at the same price as the king, financial malfeasance, to failing to halt the spread of Lutheran heresies. (Good gracious. If there were any indication that the cardinal was not liked before, it's fairly evident now. Nonsense charges.)
Thomas' sister and brother-in-law succumb to the sweating sickness. (Thomas has lost his wife, his two daughters, and his sister and brother-in-law. I can't believe how sad this has become, but while I realize these were not the healthiest of times, it's still so depressing.)
Cardinal Wolsey is arrested November 1, 1530 and dies November 29, 1530 from an unnamed illness. (I felt for Cromwell, as this man was key to him and treated him well. It was a sad moment that Cromwell wasn't with Wolsey in his final moments.)
On the last day of 1530, Cromwell is sworn into the King's council.
Thomas and Johane, his sister-in-law, who had begun discreetly dating after his wife passed away, break up in one of the most moving sections of the book. (p.288)
Harry Percy claims he and Lady Anne Boleyn are married, causing a brief stir of potential calamity for the Boleyns' quest to have Anne be the Queen.
Cromwell and Mary Boleyn have a moment in which they somewhat kiss, but it appears she was initially waiting for Lord Stafford. (Gah. I was thrilled for Cromwell, but then was embarrassed for him that she's waiting for someone else.)
The prophetess, Elizabeth Barton, predicts to Henry VIII that he will only reign for seven months if he marries Lady Anne.

Again, my, oh my. So many events occurred throughout this week's section that with Mantel's construction of events and writing, it became a completely engrossing week for me and I couldn't put it down. I still feel conflicted about Cromwell because while part of me initially believed he seemed a little too perfect, I look at my notes and am reminded that less than one month after Cardinal Wolsey dies, Cromwell is then sworn into the King's council. I feel a little uncomfortable by this at first, because I want Cromwell to be this perfect man, but for him to now be a supporter and trusted adviser of the king who turned his back on Wolsey was unnerving. Of course, I then am even more conflicted, since really, what else can Cromwell do? Turn down being part of the King's council? Not really. This was the time of torture, burning at the stake, etc.

A Few Passages

Why are we so attached to the severities of the past? Why are we so proud of ourselves for having endured our fathers and our mothers, the fireless days and the meatless days, the cold winters and the sharp tongues? It's not as if we had a choice. Even Liz, once when they were young, when she'd seen him early in the morning putting Gregory's shirt to warm before the fire, even Liz had said sharply, don't do that, he'll expect it every day. (p.287)

"I hope I can always look myself in the face. And you, Johane, you should always have a fine glass to see yourself. As you're a woman worth looking at." You could write a sonnet, Thomas Wyatt could write her a sonnet, and not make this effect...She turns her head away, but through the thin film of her veil he can see her skin glow. Because women will coax: tell me, just tell me something, tell me your thoughts; and this he has done. (p.288)

Any year before this, the king would have gone to pray at Becket's shrine and leave a rich offering. But Becket was a rebel against the Crown, not the sort of archbishop we like to encourage at the moment. In the cathedral the incense is still hanging in the air from Warham's interment, and prayers for his soul are a constant drone like the buzz of a thousand hives.... Rafe visits the shrine. It is his first time. He comes back wide-eyed, saying it is covered in jewels the size of goose eggs. (p.365)

Click here for more images

Another week of beautiful writing and a compelling story. I am ecstatic that I am reading this book.

What did you think of the Parts 3 and 4? Post your thoughts on your blog and add the link to the Linky below. If you are participating and don't have a blog, go ahead and leave your thoughts in a comment below. If you have already read it, feel free to add your thoughts as well!

Saturday Snapshot... Coffee and a Book...

2011-12-10T00:46:00.001-05:00

I'm currently in the second week of the Wolf Hall Readalong that I'm co-hosting with Nicole at Linus's Blanket. This is how I spent one quiet afternoon this week, reading this exceptional novel, happily sipping a warm cup of an amaretto latté in an Italian bakery and café here in Virginia Beach called Rigolleto's. Pure heaven.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

A Walk About Town, Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia

2011-12-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

A Walk About Town is a weekly feature hosted here at Coffee and a Book Chick throughout the month of December. Anyone can participate; for those who do, simply write a post, include the button you see to the left, and add your link in the Linky below so that we can all visit your post. You do not need to include a picture to participate.

This week's "A Walk About Town" feature was an absolute thrill. To think I've never visited the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia when I lived here before (and it is free)! Walter Chrysler (the son of the car guy*), donated thousands of art objects from his PERSONAL art collection. An unbelievable collection, it boasts artists such as Salvador Dali, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keefe, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Henri Matisse, Edward Hopper, Jackson Pollack, and much more... Click here to see their collection highlights.

I actually went to see the special Colorama exhibit by Kodak, which featured scaled down versions of the 18 x 60 feet photographs once placed in Grand Central in New York through the 1960s, but I couldn't take any pictures due to Kodak copyrights. However, I did buy a book about it (touristy me!) and I'll take a funky picture of that and post it for Alyce's weekly Saturday Snapshot at At Home With Books. (If you haven't participated in that meme before, you should! So much fun).

I couldn't believe the sheer magnitude of this museum for the small city of Norfolk. The first floor alone has THE LARGEST glass collection in the WORLD. The WORLD, people. In Norfolk, Virginia. 10,000 objects spanning 3,00 years take up a good section of the museum. And yes, there is quite the selection of Tiffany's art, lamps and all. The museum also has an extensive glass studio which includes a workshop and class schedule (yeah, I'm not taking any classes, as I am quite accident-prone).

Did I forget to mention that there was a wine tasting with jazz music playing in the ballroom this evening? It was quite the experience to appreciate amazing artwork while listening to lovely live jazz in the background.

This was a real treat and I'm looking forward to this weekend for the museum's Historic Houses.

Chrysler Museum of Art Entrance

Ballroom Floor (Wine Tasting)

Glass Chess Set

Tiffany's Stained Glass

Gustave Doré (French) 1866-68

Frank Kline (American) 1940

And then here's a silhouette of me looking at a really cool wall of photos of celebrities. I punched up the grittiness of the picture because I was in a funky art mode. There ya go.

What about you? If you want to recap a spot about your town this past week, why not join A Walk About Town?

*[Edited 12/30/11 to include correction on William P. Chrysler, Jr.]

Holiday Giveaway Number 1

2011-12-07T12:25:00.000-05:00

In an effort to rid my shelves (and to give you all a gift), I'm planning to do a round of giveaways this month (and maybe next month, too). The winner of this Holiday Giveaway # 1 will receive all of the books in this picture.

Each of these five books were discussed or reviewed here on the blog. You do not need to have a blog or be a follower of this blog to win these books. Entries must be posted in the Google docs form by Sunday, December 11, 2011.

The Ruins, by Scott Smith
The Life You've Imagined, by Kristina Riggle
Raven Stole the Moon, by Garth Stein
The Oracle of Stamboul, by Michael David Lukas
Exit the Actress, by Priya Parmar

Fill out the Google Form below (bear with me, it's my first time using this form!):

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Faith, by Jennifer Haigh (Audio Review)

2011-12-06T10:19:00.000-05:00

Faith is often debated. An intangible subject, the weight is immeasurable yet uplifting, but can also be a crushing burden. In Jennifer Haigh's novel, the McGann family is at the very center of one of the most scandalous times in the Catholic community when Sheila's brother, a Catholic priest, is accused of the worst thing a priest, a man, can be accused of. Kath Conlon has accused Art of molesting her young son, Aidan.

In a torrential sequence of events, Art's sister Sheila and her brother Mike are brought together in the Boston suburbs of an Irish-Catholic family to deal with their tight-lipped mother and aging father, and simultaneously dealing with their own pasts and insecurities as they come to terms with the accusation. It devastates each in their own way, and of course, Art most of all. Relieved of his duties as a priest, he is relegated to a separate apartment, unable to wear his vestments and practice the Sacrament. Alone, and unsure of his next steps, any solace he may have found with his family is also troubled, and through Sheila, the one in the family with the least amount of faith, she tells the story bravely, assuredly, although with trepidation. It is with respect that each character's story is shared through Sheila's eyes.

In light of the terrible subject matter, it is beautifully told. Jennifer Haigh's writing is casual and heartfelt, relaying each event succinctly, in a quiet way that delivers the devastation suffered by two families. With the overlaying scandal of the Catholic community and its priests are two proud and tough Boston Irish Catholic families struggling to fight back and redeem each other, both in the public and with each other, but most importantly, for themselves. A moving and dedicated story, Jennifer Haigh's novel is a study of loyalty, truth, and ultimately, faith.

Therese Plummer is the narrator for this 10 hour, 7 minute unabridged audio, and she does an incredible job capturing the Boston accent, and creating distinction between each character. I think she does the most heartfelt and effective job as she voiced Kath Conlon, the mother of Aidan, the young boy. Kath is simultaneously mature and naive, and yet tormented by the poor choices she makes in her own life. Plummer's voice is the most pure, the most honest with this character, and it was tough to listen to at times.

An excellent audiobook and one that even the staunchest opposer of audio will find enthralling to listen to. Either way this story is experienced, whether through print or audio, Faith by Jennifer Haigh will easily generate debate and dialogue, and will be an excellent choice for a book club.

About the Author (from her website)

Jennifer Haigh is a novelist and short story writer. Her first book, Mrs. Kimble, won the 2004 PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. Her second, Baker Towers, was a New York Times bestseller and won the 2006 PEN/L.L. Winship Award for outstanding book by a New England author. Both have been published in nine languages. Other fiction has been published in Granta, Ploughshares, Five Points, Good Housekeeping, and other places. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Jennifer Haigh is a graduate of Dickinson College and the Iowa Writer's Workshop. She now lives in the Boston area but doesn't get out much. She maintains a large, lively circle of imaginary friends.

Click here to visit the author on her website.
Click here to become a fan of the author on Facebook.

About the Narrator (from her website)

Therese Plummer is an actor and award winning voice over artist living and working in New York City. Favorite roles to date include TV: Rose Nerrick, The Good Wife, Andy in Law and Order: SVU. Therese is an award winning narrator of audio books and records for Audible.com, Recorded Books, John Marshall Media and Duart.

Click here to visit the actor on her website.

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 1 and 2

2011-12-04T16:30:00.001-05:00

Note: This is the first of three posts for the Wolf Hall Readalong co-hosted by Nicole at Linus's Blanket and me, so be prepared for spoilers. Readalong participants should add their post's link into the Linky below. Also, remember to use the hashtag on Twitter #WolfHallReadalong so we can stay in the loop with everyone if there are questions (or grumbles).

Here is a quick evolution of my reading of Parts 1 and 2 of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel:

What. The. Heck. Is going on? Who. The. Heck. Is talking?
And then, OH! There is a way to read this book. Thomas Cromwell is always "he."
Ohhh, ok. Now that I get that, now I really like it.

Once I understood that the dialogue never identifies Thomas Cromwell by name (thanks also to the Twitter conversation with @bookmagicdeb), and that he is always referred to as "he," things began to progress more smoothly. I actually started to really enjoy the beautiful writing and the story itself.

The Two Primary Characters

Thomas Cromwell

Cardinal Wolsey

Recap of Parts 1 & 2

I know virtually nothing about the Tudors, and any education I do have is from the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johannson and Natalie Portman. In this story, it's Thomas Cromwell's perspective, and it opens in the year 1500 with an extremely bloody scene of Thomas being beaten to a pulp by his father Walter. Thomas is fifteen-years-old and decides that this is the last beating he will endure from his father, so he runs away and spends his years overseas in various locations, but spends most of his time it seems, in Italy. The law becomes his passion and he ends up becoming the legal right-hand-man of Cardinal Wolsey who is in service to King Henry VIII. Henry is currently married to Katherine (known as Catherine of Aragon), and is pursuing a divorce from her in order to marry Anne Boleyn. It's Cardinal Wolsey's responsibility to make this happen, and if he is unsuccessful, things could go very badly for the Cardinal and anyone in his service, including Thomas.

This is not the happiest of stories. I just felt bad for everybody as I read.

Major Events

Cardinal Wolsey is evicted from his home (I felt SO BAD when he was kneeling in the mud).
Henry VIII is trying to get approval to divorce Katherine so he can marry Anne Boleyn. (Henry is just a jerk. Big ego).
Thomas Cromwell's wife dies one summer to the "sweating sickness," or the plague.
The next summer, Thomas Cromwell loses both of his two young daughters to the plague, the feisty Anne and the young Grace. (I couldn't believe it! First his wife, and then his two young daughters. Horrible, horrible).
The cardinal is unsuccessful in getting the courts to approve the divorce for Henry, and allegations begin to crop up against the cardinal and accuse him of trying to be more important than the King.

No question about it, even with all of these dramatic events happening, you have to pay close attention as you read Wolf Hall so that nothing passes you by. But, so far it is worth it, and I'm eager to get going with Parts 3 and 4.

Favorite Passages

He understands his need to sleep; he never got much sleep himself, with Walter stamping around, and after he ran away he was always on the ship or on the road, and then he found himself in an army. The thing people don't understand about an army is its great, unpunctuated wastes of inaction: you have to scavenge for food, you are camped out somewhere with a rising water level because your mad capitaine says so, you are shifted abruptly in the middle of the night into some indefensible position, so you never really sleep, your equipment is defective, the gunners keep causing small unwanted explosions, the crossbowmen are either drunk or praying, the arrows are ordered up but not here yet, and your whole mind is occupied by a seething anxiety that things are going to go badly because il principe, or whatever little worshipfulness is in charge today, is not very good at the basic business of thinking. It didn't take him many winters to get out of fighting and into supply. In Italy, you could always fight in the summer, if you felt like it. If you wanted to go out. (p. 34)

He would have explained, if he'd known what sort of explanation Wykys would understand. I gave up fighting because when I lived in Florence, I looked at frescoes every day? He said, "I found an easier way to be." (p.37)

What did you think of the first two parts? Post your thoughts on your blog and add the link to the Linky below. If you are participating and don't have a blog, go ahead and leave your thoughts in a comment below. If you have already read it, feel free to add your thoughts as well!

Saturday Snapshot...The Statue of King Neptune

2011-12-03T11:10:00.001-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I was with how this picture turned out a couple of weeks ago. This is the King Neptune statue down at Virginia Beach's boardwalk, dedicated to Virginia Beach in 2005 and sculpted by Paul DiPasquale. Granted, it's much bigger than this (34 feet!), but isn't it cool how the clouds look behind it? I did use a filter with it, and it enhanced the shot even more.

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, please visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

Wolf Hall Readalong - Twitter Chat

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Wolf Hall might be a beast of a read (hence the Twitter birds with attitude above), so this is just a quick note to all of the Wolf Hall Readalong participants: Nicole and I are looking forward to everyone's thoughts on Sunday by way of your posts, but we also thought that for those on Twitter, we could take the conversation further by using the hashtag #WolfHallReadalong. When you're posting about it, feel free to use that hashtag so we can keep updated with everyone. Can't wait for Sunday!

New Feature: A Walk About Town, Prince Books, Norfolk, Virginia

2011-11-29T16:25:00.001-05:00

I need motivation to "re-visit" the city I used to live in years ago.

Although I have lived in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area (Hampton Roads) before, being away for almost six years made me look at it differently. I'm proud of this little spot in Southeast Virginia, and I wanted to reintroduce myself to all the fun and local sites.

So "A Walk About Town," a new feature here at Coffee and a Book Chick, was born. For December, I'd like to highlight each week a place I've visited. After the month, I'll evaluate and decide if it will continue. Since I also travel frequently for work, I might also want to do a quick recap of something about the city that I enjoyed. No boundaries here, you know?

And then I thought...about extending it out to anyone who may want to participate. So I've attached a Linky at the bottom of this post.

The Plan

For the month of December 2011, every Thursday (or Friday), I'll post about a place I've visited in the past week.
Whether it's a book store, a restaurant, a movie theater, or a new shop I've been meaning to visit, I want to document it.
The blog button in the sidebar is open for anyone who wants to participate.
Those who do participate, add your post to the Linky below.
You don't need to add a ton of pictures, or any at all. Do what you like.
You don't need to join every week. Whenever you like. Just post your link to my weekly post.

The picture above is actually of a street in Norfolk in front of Prince Books, an independent bookstore I'm featuring today.

So that's the plan. I hope you'll join me as I'd love to take a peek into your local town, or a city you've visited!

Prince Books, an Independent Bookstore in Norfolk, Virginia
Imagine my delight when I learned that Norfolk, Virginia had an independent bookstore. With its warm and inviting atmosphere, a lunchtime café and a great bookstore staff, I knew it was going to be *the* place to go to for author events.

Prince Books opened in 1982 and focuses on poetry, history, biography, boating, travel, and also features a children's section (along with YA titles). The books I bought were The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, The Complete Fairy Tales by George MacDonald, and The Redbreast by Jo Nesbø. I cannot wait to attend the events they'll be hosting in 2012!

Look at all the Penguins...

The shopfront at night when we left

My Holiday Book Picks for the Men In Your Life...

2011-11-29T12:04:00.001-05:00

I have never put a list together on this blog, but got to thinking about what book I might give as a gift to my husband. He does read, but occasionally. He's not the voracious reader nut-job that I can be.

So for the upcoming holiday season, I racked my brain thinking of books that might capture his attention. He's not into the old classics, and likes non-fiction, but will read a solid fiction novel that isn't pretentious. If you know someone who's like that, then take a look at the below. I came up with nineteen that I would recommend, in no particular order.

11/22/63, by Stephen King. Duh, of course this would be on here. I'd recommend this to my dog, I want everyone to read it. I loved this book. Time travel, the assassination of JFK, stalking Lee Harvey Oswald...this grabs you from the first page and doesn't let you go. Oh, the range of emotions I went through as I read this! Click the link above to read my review and you can probably feel how much I loved this story.

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin. Because it is awesome. The first book in The Song of Ice and Fire series, this fantasy fiction story sets the stage for the Land of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros. Alternating chapters from eight characters introduce you to the major Houses and their battle for the Iron Throne.

And the HBO series is fantastic.

The Passage, by Justin Cronin. Long, but a great read. A dystopian novel that dives into the creation of the contemporary vampire, a beast generated from a twist in the military science labs, it escapes and devastates the world as we know it. Part of the book is in our current world and then once the world "dies," it switches to the post-apocalyptic world with new characters. Some didn't like this switch because you can get pretty invested in that first half since it. was. just. so. good. While the shift was a little jarring, once I got used to the new characters, I liked it. The second book is coming out in 2012.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. If he likes Bram Stoker's Dracula, he might like this one. Told in an epistolary format (journal entries and letters) and set in the '70s and then also flashing back to the '30s, I loved the Victorian Gothic-style (which, yes, could be slow at times) and the haunting and dark feeling as I read it. It's got those slow points, but the journey through Europe is picturesque. Keep Google around so you can bring up pictures of every place that is visited. I also would advise reading this by yourself on a cold and rainy day. By yourself.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. My husband and I read it and loved it. I think everyone knows the overall gist of the story. Essentially, it's a futuristic world in which the remaining population that was once North America is divided into twelve districts. Each year, two children per district are picked to go up against each other in the brutal Hunger Games. In order to be the last man standing, they have to kill every last contender. Sounds horrifying, but man, this is a great story. The first two books were fabulous, the third was a little disappointing for me. But, The Hunger Games movie comes out next year, so why not read at least the first book?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larssen. Originally planned to be a ten-book series before the author passed away, only three were published. Set in Sweden, a young woman who is a gifted computer hacker and overall genius partners with a journalist who, while just being convicted of the crime of slander, has also been hired to uncover a family secret. Twisted and graphic, but a doggone good story. And, yes, the Hollywood film version comes out soon. The original Swedish version is fantastic, so it'll be interesting to see if the remake is just as good. I like this one, but didn't care as much for books two and three.

Band of Brothers, by Stephen E. Ambrose. My husband read this one and it's also one of my favorite books of all time. It's the true story of Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division of the U.S. Army during World War II and I loved the HBO series, too.

Major Winters is my hero, as are all the gentlemen featured in this book.

The Monster of Florence, by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. True crime set in the beauty of Florence, an American author and an Italian journalist team up to uncover the story behind who really was Il Mostro di Firenze, a serial killer who murdered lovers in their cars. Viciously murdered. And as they investigate even further, they realize that there is even more to learn about the Italian system of justice as well, to the point that both Preston and Spezi were incarcerated by the Italian police. I've heard that George Clooney is bringing this to the big screen. He's a good choice for Douglas Preston, I think.

Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penney. The only one in the Inspector Gamache series that I've read, this sixth installment is a quiet thriller set in the cold tundra of Quebec City. On vacation from his job and recovering at friend's home after a bad investigation, Gamache can't seem to get away from murder. When a body is uncovered in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society and may have ties to a four hundred year-old secret and the city's founder, Samuel de Champlain, Gamache becomes involved in the investigation. This easily stands well all alone, but I've heard the entire series is one to read. I loved this one and I have it on my to do list to read it in order.

The Last Ember, by Daniel Levin. A young archaeologist, now lawyer, becomes swept up in a suspenseful thriller that takes him from the ruins of Rome to the Temple Mount in Israel.

A quick read that gives more than one history lesson, and I loved every page.

Psycho, by Robert Bloch. Well, this is just a twisted classic, and you all know what it's about. The movie did an excellent job of staying close to the book.

"Mother...?"

Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Set in Sweden in 1981, this vampire story is completely without the glittery vampire sparkle and instead has a whole lot of creepy gore and disturbing moments that were horrific and brilliant, with so many enthralling layers to the story.

I didn't care for the original Swedish movie, though, so just stick with the book for a gift.

'Salem's Lot, by Stephen King. This is Stephen King's second novel published, set in a quiet and creepy town that seems closed off from the rest of the world. King does this a lot in which the town becomes its own character and this is a great example of it. It's a vampire story, yes, but it is extremely scary. And the vampires in this story are nasty and vile.

Stephen King is THE MAN.

From Before the Blog Days

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. It's the 1100s and one monk wants to succeed in getting the world's largest Gothic cathedral built. A myriad of characters drives this historical fiction novel and oh, my goodness, it is terrifying, incredible, and heart-wrenching. This is close to a thousand pages or some crazy number like that, but I read it in three or four days. Yeah, it's that good. The sequel is World Without End and is apparently just as good.

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World, by Steven Johnson. This is going to sound disgusting, but who knew that a non-fiction book about how the human body's waste can kill would be so interesting? But, there's so much more to this book. Set in 1854, the incredible city of London still has absolutely no way to stay clean with garbage and their sewer system. And yes, human feces gets in their public drinking water, and cholera begins to kill. This fascinating book dives into the science of how two men in 1854 found the source of disease and set the stage for how epidemic outbreaks can be avoided and handled in the future.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Ah, the movie is decent, but it's not quite like the book. This non-fiction book shares the quirky characters of Savannah, Georgia and coincides with a murder that brought one of Savannah's long-time residents to the courtroom.

The City of Falling Angels, by John Berendt. Back with another non-fiction book about quirky characters, John Berendt selects Venice, Italy with the backdrop of La Fenice Opera House and when it burned to the ground. I didn't love it as much as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but it's still good.

The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larsen. The stories of both the development and struggles of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the first documented serial killer, H.H. Holmes, are told in alternating chapters and it is incredible. Excellent non-fiction. Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio will be starring in the film version as the disturbing H.H. Holmes.

Shadow Divers, by Robert Kurson. This made me fall in love with scuba-diving even though I probably will never scuba dive since I'm a wimp around dark water. But, for two deep wreck divers, diving in the dangerous and frigid cold waters is a sport they are passionate about. When a a World War II German U-Boat submarine with no identifying markers is found sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey in early 1991, more than 200 feet deep and is not one documented by historians, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler lead a secret expedition to solve the mystery to uncover which submarine it was and who was on it. Such an incredible story and I couldn't put it down.

What do you think? Is my list a hit or a miss? Let me know what you would also add.

11/22/63, by Stephen King

2011-11-28T19:04:00.001-05:00

11/22/63. The day JFK was assassinated. A nation was devastated, stunned that a President was taken. Could it have been stopped? What if you could change history?

Let's get this out of the way. I loved this book. LOVED IT. There are 849 pages to this sucker, and not one page is a drag. (Look at me, I'm using lingo not quite current anymore, and it's all because I got sucked into this story and felt like I lived Jake Epping's time travel adventure in the late '50s, early '60s). This is a brilliant piece of work, and if I end up making a "Top 10 Books I've Read in 2011" list, this is going smack dab in the number 1 slot. (It's two days away from the last month of the year, so I feel pretty confident about my odds. I could be wrong, but...I don't really think so).

I've recently started reading Stephen King's work. I've been choosy, selecting ones considered King classics, so when 11/22/63 was being touted as the next best thing, I was hesitant. Selfishly, I wanted to wait until others read it.

But then I got a Klout perk, downloaded it to my iPad, and was snagged from the first page into this time travel adventure and read it just under a week. For me, that's insane.

Jake Epping, a small town New England teacher who recently went through a divorce from a struggling alcoholic, is introduced to this time warp by a good friend who invites him to help change history. In some freak of who-knows-what, there's some sort of wonky rabbit hole in his friend's diner that transports him from 2011 to 1958. The crazy thing is it always brings Jake to September 9, 1958, no earlier or later. Same time every time, and even crazier is that no matter how long Jake stays "in the past," when he returns to 2011, he's only missed two minutes. That's it. Whether he spends a day, a week, or even a few years, whenever he returns, it is only two minutes later "in the present."

So what's a time-traveling good guy to do? The closest major event to 1958 is the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, which spiraled a flurry of events including Robert Kennedy's assassination, Martin Luther King, the Vietnam conflict. Some events could be associated with JFK's death, some maybe not...but it's up to Jake to take his friend's place and live five years in the past and, hopefully, save a President. While living "in the past," he meets a multitude of memorable characters (both good and downright troubling), obsessively stalks Lee Harvey Oswald, becomes attached to a community that makes him feel at home, and falls in love with the incredible and amazing Sadie.

Let's also address this: It is not a horror story. It is all time travel.

What I really enjoyed is that King doesn't waste time trying to explain the science or logistics of why there's a rabbit hole, and why it only deposits you on the same day and time in 1958, or even why only two minutes have passed when returning to the "present." It just is what it is, and that works just fine in this chunkster wallop of a story. I'm not the most experienced sci-fi reader, but I like to think I'm fairly logical. When a book presents me with some convoluted explanation on why something is happening scientifically, I tend to try to poke a hole in it. King, though, doesn't quibble over this, so as the reader I don't have to sit, wonder and worry if something really makes sense. It's as though I'm being told, "Look, the time/worm/rabbit-hole just drops you on September 9, 1958 every time. Why try to figure that out?" So I didn't worry about it.

What is important to discuss is something often debated with time travel: If you change the past, even just slightly, will it have a positive or negative effect on the future? It's that "butterfly effect" which is evaluated in depth and it made me wonder what I would choose to do. I sure am glad I don't have to worry about that.

I love this picture. (image source)

Stephen King is a MASTER. In the short time I've gotten to know his work, it's refreshing. He leaves the pompous BS alone that some storytellers can succumb to within their fiction, and just tells a story humbly and genuinely, which is probably why his horror is so scary and why his non-horror is also loved. It isn't fake. And in this book, it is simply Jake's story and he tells it all in the first person and describes how he takes on another identity in a time when he hasn't even been born yet, how he has to acclimate to the culture shock of living in a world he knows, but doesn't really know, and simultaneously battles an unseen presence that does everything possible to make sure that the past is not changed.

This is a multi-layered story of coincidences, along with Jake's struggles to stop awful events from happening to good people. All of this in the writing of another author might have gotten jumbled and lethargic. Instead, King deftly maneuvers through the story lines, successfully weaving in history and science-fiction, all the while taking you along for the ride so simple to understand that you're left dealing with the raw emotion of each event.

The bottom line is there's a lot to tackle in this book, what with Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK, and the other events Jake tries to change along the way. And then there is also the other side of living, the human side of love, loss, and regret. It's beautiful and I will not lie, I choked up towards the end. When that last page comes, I felt like I was punched in the gut that it was all over. I hated leaving these characters. Do you remember when you were younger and when you read a book you loved, you hated that the story ended not because it was a good book that was now over, but because you had to suddenly face the reality that the characters you fell in love with really didn't exist? I don't know about you, but I experienced that when I was a kid, and I felt that tonight when I finished the book. I loved Jake, Sadie, Deke...every single one of the good guys. I miss them already.

Favorite line

"Goose walked over my grave, I guess." (Sorta like getting goosebumps).

Regrets?

That I'm a new fan of Stephen King so when he brings back a character from a prior book, I don't realize it at all. I instead just like the character and then I find out from friends that so-and-so is from such-and-such, and man, did they love them. It bums me out that I couldn't experience fan-girl joy when a character returns. It's probably a lesson I should read King's work in the order of when it was published.

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty novels, including The Stand, The Dark Tower, It, The Shining, oh...what more can be written that one doesn't already know? So here you go, click here to visit this cool author's official website.

The Sunday Salon... 11/22/63, an Indie Bookstore, Wolf Hall Readalong...

2011-11-26T15:17:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks but the Thanksgiving holiday certainly brings it all back to a reset. There was a ton of food, and quite a ton of reading. I've been enjoying 11/22/63 by Stephen King and am ready to move onto the third installment of George R.R. Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire series with A Storm of Swords. I'm in a reading peak of happiness.

I also visited Prince Books in Norfolk, Virginia yesterday, and I cannot wait to post on this independent bookstore. While I wish we had an indie bookstore in Virginia Beach, I'm completely willing to drive the twenty-five minutes to this incredible shop. I can't wait to share with you! Question: How long do you have to drive to go to your favorite indie bookstore?

Also... as a reminder, the Wolf Hall Readalong commences today for reading (or before). Do. Not. Be. Scared. Let's read!

The first time to post on Parts 1 & 2 will be next Sunday, December 4th. I'm excited to co-host this with Nicole from Linus's Blanket, who has a wonderful blog, and a blogger I've been chatting with on Twitter about our similar reading interests. Check out her site, it's fantastic!

I'm also nervous about reading this book because I've heard a lot about it. Good and bad, but mostly all reviews stating that complete focus must be given when reading. Any distraction will result in leaving you lost and confused. Not that I drift a lot when I read a book, but we all know it can happen, and I don't want to miss a thing.

We have fourteen participants with blogs joining the readalong (including me and Nicole), and a few more without blogs who will also be joining either through posting comments on the blog, or on our Facebook sites (Coffee and a Book Chick or on Linus's Blanket). This is pretty exciting and I can't wait to see everyone's contributions. As I've been tweeting out there, "The more the merrier," or... "There is safety in numbers!"

I did receive an email asking if they could listen to the audiobook instead of reading it, and the answer is: Absolutely! Jump to the blog post by clicking here to read the introductory info and to post your intent to participate by either adding your blog link to the list, or by adding a comment if you don't have a blog. As you can see in that post, Nicole and I are completely flexible, there are no hard and fast rules at all, and it's so not a big deal on how you want to experience the reading, when you want to post, yada, yada. Let's just read this beast of a book together and commiserate on any questions or love we have for the story!

Happy Reading,
Natalie ~ the Coffee and a Book Chick

Saturday Snapshot...Chicagoland...

2011-11-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, I delivered a presentation in Chicago for business that I was nervous about. Thanks to extra preparation (and all of your good Twitter-vibes), it went extremely well. Here are a couple shots from Chicago that I love. The first is a view out of my hotel window right around the corner from Michigan Avenue, and the next is from Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Who knew ceilings could be that interesting?

For more of this week's Saturday Snapshots, visit Alyce with At Home With Books.

First Chapter, First Paragraph: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2011-11-21T21:42:00.001-05:00

[A little long on the entry this time around for First Chapter, First Paragraph, but I am confident that this will intrigue you to consider reading this new Stephen King venture. If you are new to Stephen King (as I am in the past couple of months), I think you will enjoy this intro to his writing].

I have never been what you'd call a crying man.

My ex-wife said that my "nonexistent emotional gradient" was the main reason she was leaving me (as if the guy she met in her AA meetings was beside the point). Christy said she supposed she could forgive me not crying at her father's funeral; I had only known him for six years and couldn't understand what a wonderful, giving man he had been (a Mustang convertible as a high school graduation present, for instance). But then, when I didn't cry at my own parents' funerals - they died just two years apart, Dad of stomach cancer and Mom of a thunderclap heart attack while walking on a Florida beach - she began to understand the nonexistent gradient thing. I was "unable to feel my feelings," in AA-speak.

"I have never seen you shed tears," she said, speaking in the flat tones people use when they are expressing the absolute final deal-breaker in a relationship. "Even when you told me I had to go to rehab or you were leaving." This conversation happened about six weeks before she packed her things, drove them across town, and moved in with Mel Thompson. "Boy meets girl on the AA campus" - that's another saying they have in those meetings.

I didn't cry when I saw her off. I didn't cry when I went back inside the little house with the great big mortgage, either. The house where no baby had come, or now ever would. I just lay down on the bed that now belonged to me alone, and put my arm over my eyes, and mourned.

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly feature hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. To participate, share your selection from the book you're reading.

Coffee and a Book Chick

Among Others, by Jo Walton

A Walk About Town: Somewhere in Southwestern Virginia

Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haigh

A Walk About Town: Town Point Virginia Wine Festival

Bunheads, by Sophie Flack

First Chapter, First Paragraph: Murder at Bertram's Bower, by Cynthia Peale

The Breathing Method, by Stephen King (Audio Review)

The Sunday Salon: This and That

Saturday Snapshot: It's Not *That* Cold.

Weekend Cooking: Noodle Pudding

A Walk About Town: Naval Aviation Monument, Virginia Beach

The School of Essential Ingredients, by Erica Bauermeister (Audio Review)

2012 Audio Book Challenge

Night Swim, by Jessica Keener

The Sunday Salon: Blogger Introduces Threaded Commenting

Saturday Snapshot: My Baby Shoes

Weekend Cooking: Filipino Ensaymada and Pandesal

A Walk About Town: The Norwegian Lady, Virginia Beach

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (Audio Review)

Blog Design Giveaway!

Sunday Salon: Well, That's Sort of Busy.

Saturday Snapshot: The Sky at the End of the World

The Poison Tree, by Erin Kelly

A Walk About Town: Moses Myers House, Norfolk

Trying Again ~ Holiday Giveaway Number 2

Holiday Giveway Coming Soon...

Announcing The Stephen King Project 2012

The Sunday Salon: What's Up For the New Year?

Saturday Snapshot... Mt. Trashmore & the Boat

Here's to the Best of Everything in 2011

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (Audio Review)

A Walk About Town, Mount Trashmore, Virginia Beach

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

The Sunday Salon...Merry Christmas To You and Yours...

Saturday Snapshot...Don't Forget About the Animals...

The Leftovers, by Tom Perrotta

A Walk About Town, The Route 58 Delicatessen, Virginia Beach

Science Fiction Experience 2012

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 5 and 6 (finale)

Saturday Snapshot - Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach

A Walk About Town, Grommet Island Beach Park, Virginia Beach

Winner of Holiday Giveaway Number 1

Weekend Cooking: Blueberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 3 and 4

Saturday Snapshot... Coffee and a Book...

A Walk About Town, Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia

Holiday Giveaway Number 1

Faith, by Jennifer Haigh (Audio Review)

Wolf Hall Readalong, Parts 1 and 2

Saturday Snapshot...The Statue of King Neptune

Wolf Hall Readalong - Twitter Chat

New Feature: A Walk About Town, Prince Books, Norfolk, Virginia

My Holiday Book Picks for the Men In Your Life...

11/22/63, by Stephen King

The Sunday Salon... 11/22/63, an Indie Bookstore, Wolf Hall Readalong...

Saturday Snapshot...Chicagoland...

First Chapter, First Paragraph: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Saturday Snapshot: It's Not That Cold.