Quirky Commentary Around The Clock
"The Beach Trees" by bestselling author Karen White is a mystery and a love story all rolled into one.
Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, the book transports the reader with lyrical language and unforgettable characters.
The book is one of the latest selections from the BlogHer Book Club and you can read my review here.
I'm a member of BlogHer's new book club and I've posted my first review this week. It's a review of the novel "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok.
The story is about a girl, Kimberly Chang, and her widowed mother who come to the United States from Hong Kong seeking a better life. Unfortunately, they find their dreams more difficult to realize than they ever thought possible.
You can check out my review on the BlogHer book club web page.
Enjoy!
The novel "Lipstick in Afghanistan" by Roberta Gately tells the story of an idealistic young American nurse who goes to Afghanistan after 9/11 as a humanitarian aid worker.
After arriving in the small town of Bamiyan, Elsa learns to live with the bare essentials, to navigate cultural differences, and to treat a population ravaged by war and poverty, with very few resources.
Roberta Gately knows her subject well since she's served as a nurse and humanitarian aid worker in Africa and Afghanistan. Her knowledge of the sights, sounds, customs and culture provide "Lipstick in Afghanistan" with a unique authenticity.
One of the other great things about the book is it doesn't only tell us Elsa's story but tells the story of Parween, a young Afghan girl whose life is irrevocably changed with the arrival of the ruthless Taliban.
Elsa and Parween eventually meet and become friends and work together to improve life for the community's residents.
Continue reading ""Lipstick in Afghanistan:" Women Helping Women" »
Ladies and Gentlemen, drum roll please!
I'm pleased to announce we have winners in my "Running from the Devil" book giveaway.
And the winners are.....Laurie Carlson and Diana Orgain!
Laurie and Diana have won brand new paperback copies of "Running with the Devil" and I've already sent them to my local mail carrier for delivery.
Congratulations Laurie and Diana!
Thanks to everyone for playing and keep an eye out for future book giveaways.
Ladies and Gentlemen, drum roll please!
I'm pleased to announce we have a winner in my "Motherhood is Murder" Book Giveaway.
And the winner is...Becky Haase!
Becky has won a brand new paperback copy of "Motherhood is Murder" and I'll be sending that out to her just as soon as my mail carrier arrives.
Thanks to everyone for playing and keep an eye out for future book giveaways.
There's nothing like a good book and especially around the holidays.
Whether it's reading to the kids around the Christmas tree or taking a break with a cup of hot chocolate and a mystery or romance, reading is a pleasure that never gets old.
If you're still looking for the right book as a gift or you're just looking to discover a new author one place to check is Bookreporter.com. They've got daily contests, book reviews, book clubs, newsletters and forums.
And remember, you've still got a couple of days to enter the "Motherhood is Murder" book giveaway and the "Running from the Devil" book giveaway.
Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!
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Other Cool Book Links
101 Book Blogs You Need to Read
White Readers Meet Black Authors
Yesterday I began my "Motherhood is Murder" book giveaway.
Today I've got another goodie for you. It's the thriller, "Running from the Devil" by Jamie Freveletti.
To enter, tell me in the comments below the most important thing you look for when choosing a mystery novel.
You have until 9 PM EST on December 13th to enter. That's when I'll hold a random drawing and announce a winner.
If for some reason I can’t contact you within 48 hours another winner will be chosen.
Good luck!
It’s book giveaway time!
I’ve got copies of three books that I’ve reviewed over the last couple of months to give away.
First up is "Motherhood is Murder" by Diana Orgain.
To enter, tell me in the comments below the most important thing you look for when choosing a mystery novel.
You have until 9 PM EST on December 12th to enter. That's when I'll hold a random drawing and announce a winner.
If for some reason I can’t contact you within 48 hours another winner will be chosen.
I'll announce my next book giveaway tomorrow.
Good luck!
Jamie Freveletti is a writer I've only recently discovered. I received review copies of her latest book, "Running Dark" and her first thriller, "Running from the Devil" a couple of months ago.
Because like a lot in my life right now, my reading is way behind schedule, I only got the chance to pick up "Running from the Devil" at the end of the summer.
Can I just say, I couldn't put it down.
The action takes place after a plane crash in the Colombian jungle. On board is Emma Caldridge, a cosmetics company chemist who becomes the sole escapee from a band of guerrillas who've taken the surviving passengers hostage.
An ultra-marathon runner, Emma has to fight injury, the elements, and her own fears to stay alive and evade capture.
A fabulous new female lead, who's also the star of Freveletti's latest, "Running Dark," Emma is a quick-witted biochemist who uses her knowledge from the laboratory as a weapon in her fight to survive. The book is a roller coaster ride of a read, and if you love thrillers you won't go wrong with "Running from the Devil."
As soon as I get another break, "Running Dark" is next on my reading list.
And as we get closer to the holidays I'll have a great big book giveaway--yes, I know I promised one at the end of the summer, what can I say, I'm a cockeyed optimist when it comes to time management--which will include Freveletti's two books, "Uptown" by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant and the latest from Diana Orgain.
I'm always a little nervous reading books with black characters.
Ah, but that's crazy, you say? Why would you ever think that way?
Well because I've been burned one too many times by writers, black and white who perpetuate stereotypes without batting an eye. Good stereotypes, bad stereotypes and everything in between.
However, I'm happy to say that "Uptown," by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, is a novel that doesn't do that in any way.
It's a novel that beautifully captures a time and place while introducing us to characters that remain in your head, long after you turn the last page.
The main character, Avery Lyons, is a woman who's been literally running from her past for years. That is until a family tragedy forces her to return home to Harlem and face her demons head on.
A sudden inheritance of real estate thrusts Avery into the middle of a big time property development deal and re-ignites family tensions, and memories of betrayal. Add to that, an attractive newspaper reporter who's covering the real estate deal and Avery has her hands full.
"Uptown" is set in the ever changing world that is Harlem, USA. It's hip, it's brash, it's got its hustlers and its upper crust. Its got its working class and its old money, and they all collide in a vibrant collage that goes much deeper than just skin color.
An entertaining read from beginning to end.
Eat Pray Love, the new Julia Roberts film based on the bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert has a good heart. Unfortunately, a good heart doesn't necessarily make a good movie.
The film tells the story of writer Elizabeth Gilbert who, after leaving an unsatisfying marriage and a life that feels like it's spinning its wheels, decides to travel to Italy, India and Bali. As she tells her good friend Delia, played by Viola Davis, "I want to go someplace where I can marvel at something."
So off she goes, eating pasta, developing her Italian, and learning to meditate. As she travels, she meets new friends and tries desperately to find her own heart.
Though I haven't read the book, I heard Elizabeth Gilbert speak at Oprah's Live Your Best Life Weekend last spring and found her to be truly inspiring. The problem is, inspiration doesn't always translate well from a book to the big screen.
Journeys of self-discovery can make for dramatic storytelling, but the tricky part is that most of those journeys happen internally, and are difficult to translate to film. Narration helps, as it does in this movie -- but mostly what you end up with, as you also do in this movie, is lot of shots of pensive, insightful gazes, or in this case, scenes of meditation.
Director Ryan Murphy tries to resolve that problem with flashbacks from Elizabeth's life, but those are only moderately successful. And at a running time of 2 hours and 13 minutes, Murphy needed to use a heavier hand in the editing room.
As far as what's very good about the movie, Julia Roberts proves once again that she has grown into a skilled and likeable actress that can give even the thinnest material some depth. Javier Bardem? What a lovely hunk o' man, not to mention a good actor. He doesn't show up until way into the movie, but he perks things up substantially. Someone please put these two in another movie together because their chemistry? As they would say in Italy, "Abbondanza!"
Continue reading ""Eat Pray Love" and Julia Roberts: Almost A Winning Combination" »
"Who is Don Draper?"
Last night's premiere of the AMC drama Mad Men began and ended with variations on that question. Each time, it was from a reporter, and each time, it was directed at the dapper '60s ad man, Don Draper (Jon Hamm).
That single question successfully launched us back into the meticulously stylized world of Mad Men and its fascinating, hard-drinking, hard-loving, cigarette-smoking characters. The show opens one year after Draper, and his fellow rebels from ad agency Sterling Cooper, break off and form their own company, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
On the personal side, Don's life has disintegrated. He's living in a dingy apartment, having his meals prepared by a maid, and accepting fixups from Roger Sterling (John Slattery) of all people. When one of those fixups, a Virginia Mayo look-a-like who lives at the Barbizon, doesn't go for Don's sexual advances -- after all, she's breaking her own dating rules by going out with a divorced man -- he turns to a low-rent hooker.
Continue reading ""Mad Men" Returns: Who is Don Draper? (Spoilers)" »
Looking for a good book to take to the beach? Check out Diana Orgain's new mystery, "Motherhood is Murder."
Some of you may remember I met Diana at last year's BlogHer and subsequently did a review of her debut novel, "Bundle of Trouble."
In "Bundle of Trouble," new Mom, Kate Connolly became embroiled in a murder mystery involving her brother-in-law. Finding she had a knack for detecting and wanting to have a flexible way to make some bucks and not return to the corporate life, Kate decided to try her hand at being a PI.
In Diana's new mystery, "Motherhood is Murder," Kate hooks up with members of a new mother's group, but things go haywire when one of the ladies is murdered. Though the police are on the case, it's up to Kate to sort through the suspects and find the real killer.
Add to that taking care of a husband, a 7 week old baby, and trying to fit in breast pumps, exercise and keeping track of her mother's boyfriends, Kate's life is hectic but she approaches it with humor and smarts.
"Motherhood is Murder" is light, fun reading, and a cracking good mystery to boot.
You can read an excerpt of "Motherhood is Murder" on Diana's website but better yet, enter my summer book giveaway in a couple of weeks to win your own copy. Stay tuned for details.
Lists are always fun, because they stir up a healthy debate about who was included, who was excluded and who was too low or high.
First of all, take a look at the list.
Done?
Okay, first let's talk about number one Homer Simpson. Um, really!
I know he's a pop icon, but I gave up on The Simpsons years ago, partly because Homer was just too much of a buffoon. Talk about giving dads a bad name -- though, given how many BlogHers mentioned Homer in last week's "My Dad's a Character" contest, I might be in the minority with this.
Celeb Interviewer Chats About Johnny Depp, "Avatar" and "Jerk" James Cameron: An Interview with Author Christopher Heard - Part 2
Yesterday, if you're a smart and loyal reader--and all of my readers are--you read Part 1 of my interview with Christopher Heard, whose new book, "Kiefer Sutherland, Living Dangerously" is a bio of "24's" Kiefer Sutherland.
Christopher Heard's been a film reviewer on TV and radio and he's written celeb bios on Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, director John Woo, and "Titanic" and "Avatar" director James Cameron.
So read on to find out why Heard thinks James Cameron's "a jerk," why he was pulling for Kathryn Bigelow to win the Best Director Oscar, how Johnny Depp took him to get his first tattoo, and why seeing "Avatar" was one of his worst movie experiences.
We started off talking about Mickey Rourke and playing the Hollywood game.
Continue reading "Celeb Interviewer Chats About Johnny Depp, "Avatar" and "Jerk" James Cameron: An Interview with Author Christopher Heard - Part 2" »
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