A month or so ago, I volunteered to lead the book club for the Officer’s Spouse Club (OSC) at our base. I thought, “Hey, I’m an English minor, I can do this!” Only two bases into my husband’s Air Force career and I’m volunteering for something I had no idea would be so painful. Brilliant!

So here I am, leader of the book club, perplexed: How do you organize a book club? How do I get people interested in the book club? How do you chose the book? Etc. Etc.

Literally days after I got the list of the first people initially interested, Brooke Reynolds of the fabulous blog inchmark posted this great guide: Books and Pie. So I drafted an email borrowing some of Brooke’s guidelines and asking the women for feedback and book choices:

1. One book each month. You have to have read or know someone who has read the book before you recommend it. Also, try to pick a book that is easy to find (via Amazon, library, local bookstore, etc.). I suggested that the host chose the book.
2. Meet the same day each month. Our location will probably be each other’s houses, however, this is all TBD and is based on how many spouses are interested, where people live, etc.
3. Discuss the book. The book club leader will come prepared with a few questions on cards. Everyone will take one or two and when they think it is appropriate interject with their question.
4. Keep refreshments low-key. Dessert and beverages.

And I haven’t heard back from a single person. Granted, one of the interested parties is one of my closest girlfriends here, but the other five women haven’t made a peep! I’ve decided I’m going to chose a book, time, location, etc. and send out an Evite with the details. However, now I have to decide on a book. I want something that isn’t a difficult read, but is still interesting and thought-provoking. I personally love novels and/or about family sagas, friendships, and women on the verge.

Here are some of my favorites and possible options (for full descriptions from Books•A•Millions’ website click on the book title). The first four I have read; the last four are ones I’d like to read. I’m hopeful some of the spouses are interested in one of these titles. If all goes well, I want to post a review of the book read every month after the we meet.

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I just finished Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki - what a good book!  And well timed considering where I am in life at the moment.  Oscar Wilde once wrote, “In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”   The story is about a family - a mother, father, son, and grandfather - and how that Wilde quote applied to their lives.

In the first half of the book, we meet the son, Lucky.  He dreams of playing soccer for England in the World Cup and scoring an important goal.  He works towards that goal with great intensity, practicing all the time.  He’s also slightly obsessed with Portia, a slightly older, gorgeous girl who works in his grandfather’s shop.  It seems as though his dreams with regard to soccer will be dashed when his teammate drops out of the team, forcing Lucky to take up the position of goalie rather than midfield.

We also meet his mom, Delphine.  She’s a sad character - to all the world, it seems as though she has a picture perfect life.  She has a successful husband who adores her, a well-mannered son with great potential, and a beautiful home.  She herself even had a successful career before she gave it all up for motherhood.  Though her husband’s always been perfect for her on paper, he has irritating habits, and she’s never really felt as though she cared for him as much as he cares for her.  She longs for something more.

Zaki, Lucky’s grandfather, appears to be fairly content to start.  He has a successful son, a grandkid he really enjoys, a corner shop he can close up whenever he feels like it to go gamble, and plenty of younger women with whom he can run around.  Both he and Delphine begin to think about their past - when they were together long before Delphine became involved with her husband.  Zaki and Delphine enjoyed a brief, passionate romance, and they both long for that sort of passion in their lives again.

It’s a story about dreams - both those fulfilled and unfulfilled.  It’s a bit sad, and, I have to admit, I did not get as involved with the characters as I do in some other books.  It is the overarching theme that makes it worth the time - if you don’t get your heart’s desire, do something about it; change something so that you’ll have another chance, and you may yet find it.  If you do get your heart’s desire, don’t allow that to make you too content.  It’s so very important to have goals in life and to work towards achieving those goals.  You have to make sure that your life is always about beginnings, not endings.

I’d give it 3.5/5 stars.

I just finished reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, and I have to share it with you. Molly is the lovely blogger behind one of my favorite food blogs, Orangette. (Side note: I have a lot of favorite food blogs and also have a penchant for hyperbole, so you’ll likely be hearing more from me about the millions of BEST food blogs ever)

In this nonfiction book, Molly recounts the story of her life, interwoven with tales of food. Each short chapter ends with a recipe that somehow relates to the story she just shared.  She brings the reader on a journey through her childhood with her beloved father, who was her foodie inspiration, through growing up, the death of her father, her time living in Paris, and falling in love.

Molly is so endearing and approachable, I just want to give her a hug and be her friend (not necessarily in that order). Of course, I’m a foodie, so I loved that her life has been so infused with food, and I found myself inspired by the way cooking comes so naturally to her.  I also love that she gives a context for each recipe she shares. It makes me much more inclined to try something I otherwise might not have, knowing that there is a touching personal story behind it.  This was a lighthearted, easy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you’re not a culinary type.

In case I haven’t convinced you, I’m taking a hint from PJ and including the official blurb via Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Wizenberg’s debut shares the same basic format as her Orangette blog—favorite recipes interspersed with personal reflection—but constructed around a much tighter family narrative. Memories of her father, for example, begin with his cherished formula for potato salad and an attempt to recreate his French toast, but also include a variation on scrambled eggs that spurred a comforting moment as he was dying of cancer. The second half of the memoir focuses on her blossoming relationship with Brandon, who started out as a fan of the blog, became a long-distance boyfriend and eventually moved to Seattle and married her—of course, she shares the recipes for the pickled carrots they served at the wedding as well as the chocolate cake she baked for dessert. Though there is an emphasis on desserts, the recipes cover a variety of meals, none beyond the range of an ordinary cook, and Wizenberg’s directions are laced with a charming voice that strikes a neat balance with the reflective passages. Her strong personality stands out among her generation’s culinary voices.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

E’s post reminded me that I’ve been meaning to do a run-down of the vampire series I’ve read for y’all.  I’m going to put some of it under a cut since there is one Twilight “spoiler.”  Here goes:

1. Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer: I read all of these the weekend that the last book came out.  Despite my seeming dedication to them, I’m not impressed.  The writing was pretty bad - how many times did Edward really need to tell Bella that they shouldn’t be together?  And it seemed as though Meyer forgot that the books needed an actual storyline until more than halfway through.  I thought the movie was a lot better - cut a lot of the useless stuff and condensed the story quite nicely.  And don’t get me started on the fourth book; I cannot believe that was classified as young adult.  All that said, if you like young adult stuff with some angsty romance and vampires, check it out.  Just don’t read them all at once because you’ll be irritated with how predictible everything is.
2. The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith: To me, this is the original YA vampire series.  I read them back in 1991 when they first came out since I was already an L.J. Smith fan.  The whole time I was reading Twilight, I was thinking, “Boy, I remember The Vampire Diaries being so much better.”  So I re-read them recently.  And I still think they’re better.  They’re definitely written more simply, but there’s just something about the Elena-Stephan-Damon love triangle that’s so classic and perfect - and far superior to the half-@ssed triangle in Twilight.  {Read the rest of this entry…}
   

When Feisty twittered about the House of Night series, I knew I had to grab the first one and check it out.  And I must admit, it’s pretty awesome.  Picture Harry Potter only slightly more grown-up and with vampires.

The Premise:  The book is set in present day Oklahoma, only in a reality where vampires exist.  You become a vampire not by being bitten, but by being chosen, or “marked”.  Zoey, a high-school student, is marked by the vampires and therefore is sent to the vampire school, the House of Night.  Hogwarts for vampires, if you will.

The first book in the series centers on Zoey finding her special vampire talents and meeting her new friends at the House of Night.  Zoey is a special fledgling vampire, who is going through the change far more quickly than her classmates, and who has attracted the attention of Erik, an upperclassman hottie.  That, in addition to her very unique talents, quickly make her the leader within her group of friends and also immediately earn her an adversary in Aphrodite, the leader of the ‘popular kids’.

My vote?  Read and love, as I did.  I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Part one found here.

Part two = Tunes and Timing

A. Tunes

One of the most intense debates in the running world is whether or not to run with music. I know the prospect of running without an MP3 player to those of you who can’t leave home without it might seem awful. The problem is that most half and full marathons forbid the use of music because they believe it can distract the runner, and potentially lead to an accident if you can’t hear a car coming your way. That’s not to say that some marathoners don’t sneak in their headphones, which I say is their own choice, but technically it IS against the rules and I’m not exactly a rebel :)

I ran both halves and also my full without music. For my training runs I only use music when I am running alone and running more than 10 miles simply to stave off boredom. I promise you that if you go sans music your mind will find things to think about and honestly, it can be totally therapeutic. It’s just you, the road, and your thoughts—-but I will admit that sometimes you just don’t need to solve the world’s problems during a run.

My iPod shuffle is my lover boy for times like these and I dig a mixture of tunes for my runs. I know a lot of runners are always looking for new songs so I figured I’d share my newest ‘Spring 2009′ playlist for your entertainment.  I hope you like techno and rap music or you might be severely disappointed.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I am a sucker for “young adult” series such as Harry Potter, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Twilight, so when I saw the Pretty Little Liars books I had to pick them up and check them out (er, voraciously complete them).

Premise: Junior High group of friends in affluent suburban Pennsylvania is traumatized when their leader, Alison, goes missing at a sleepover.  Fast forward to high school and someone calling themselves ’A’ who knows all of the group’s secrets AND what happened to Alison, begins stalking said group of friends.

I admit it, I’m addicted.  Sara Shepard does a fantastic job of building up each of the characters with a) motive, b) likability, and c) secrets and flaws.  The story is written in present-day, but flashbacks to times with Alison give hints into her disappearance and the circumstances that led up to it. 

Is Alison ‘A’?  Could she have been alive this whole time?  And if Alison isn’t ‘A’, how does A know all of their secrets and why is A stalking them?  We find this out over the series, which so far includes Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, Unbelievable, Wicked, and the soon-to-come Killer.  I’ve read the first four and I can tell you that I’m going to rush to get Wicked after the ending in Unbelievable.

Verdict?  If you liked the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, the Pretty Little Liars series will not disappoint!

(Image by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)

Although I was a book publicist for several years, I haven’t written an actual full-length review of a book since book reports were mandatory in seventh grade — and I don’t intend to start again now! However, I would like to share with you my thoughts on some books I recently read, starting with…

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

From Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn’s new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who’s raised 17 children, and Aibileen’s best friend Minny, who’s found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I am a HUGE HUGE fan of Stephen White’s books (did I say HUGE?). So much so, that every few years I go back and read them all again, in sequence.  Stephen White is an author in the classic suspense tradition of John Sandford - and similar to Sandford’s Prey series, which by the way are also beyond fabulous, White’s books all center around one main character, Alan Gregory, a clinical psychologist in Boulder, CO.  Alan’s wife Lauren Crowder, a deputy district attorney in Boulder, his neighbor Adrienne, a urologist, his best friend Sam, a police detective, and his practice partner Diane carry significant storylines in all of the books as well.

A few things make these series of books one of my favorites (if not my favorite):

1) I love sequence and story lines.  Each of these characters has been a part of my entire fiction-life as an adult.  Each book builds upon the last.
2) The character of Alan Gregory is incredibly well-written.  He’s smart without being cocky, impulsive without being stupid, and completely relatable.  And on top of that, the supporting characters are so developed that they can (and do later in the series) carry a book on their own.
3) With Stephen White, it’s the little things, as well as the plot, that are important.  The way he describes the meals that Lauren and Alan are eating… Or the description of their dog’s beard after drinking water… Not a single detail is left unfinished and each nuance is carried through the storyline.

Now, before I delve into my review of Harm’s Way (which was actually the third Stephen White book I re-read this week, but is the oldest of the three hence my reviewing it first), I have to say one thing.  And it’s important.

Although the books are all written such that you can pick one up and not need to read the predecessor books to have the current book make sense, all of Stephen’s books are so great and their personal stories develop so well over the series that I can’t recommend enough that you READ THEM IN ORDER.  That means, start with Privileged Information and move on from there.

The other evening, I picked up my old paperback version of Harm’s Way.

As with most of White’s books, Harm’s Way’s plot centers around a crime that has been or will be committed that Alan, Sam, Lauren, or another character, must help solve.  In Harm’s Way, that unfortunate crime is the murder of Alan’s neighbor and friend and Adrienne’s husband, Peter.  Peter has a troubled past and at the behest of Adrienne and the request of Sam, who is investigating the case, Alan begins to put the pieces of Peter’s past together with the list of suspects in the present to solve the case. Soon Peter’s murder is wrapped up into two others and the police fear a serial killer is on the loose.

Because the victim is a friend, this book has a great deal of emotion and the grief that is felt is palpable, yet it doesn’t overpower the story and isn’t emotional in the sense of being distracting.  The focus in White’s books is always on the plot, which is fast-moving and concisely delivered.  I definitely rank this book as one of my favorites of the series.

This installment in the Alan Gregory series was written in 1997 - but picking it up Tuesday night and reading it through, it felt incredibly current (except perhaps for the lack of cell phones!).  Although White’s writing has obviously grown and matured over the years, the older books are still so strong.

I can’t recommend these books enough!  Has anyone else read the series (or the Prey series, which I also love)?

E.

Self-portrait in a Hammock {From Author’s Personal Collection}

It’s Summer Time! Many are going on vacation or are simply having “staycations”. For me, this means my leisure reading increases.  To keep up with my literary needs, I’ve tried two different websites. I’ve been using both for the last couple of months. I thought I would share my finds with EAD readers.

{Disclaimer: I am in not affiliated with either of these sites and I am not receiving any reimbursement for endorsement of either of these sites.}

Paper Back Swap - www.paperbackswap.com

Books I’ve received through Paperback Swap
{From Author’s Personal Collection}

From their website:

How the Club Works
* You have books in good condition that you do not want to keep.
* After you have Posted the first 10 books to your bookshelf, you get 2 “startup” credits from PBS to get you started swapping.  After that, you earn credits by sending out books to others. Only the first account for a household receives startup credits.
* You may order any available book for 1 credit each (paperback/hardcover). audio books cost 2 credits each.
* If you want a book that is not currently available, you can place it on your Wish List and we will notify you by email when it is available for you to order.  You can even have it sent to you automatically when it becomes available, with no email necessary.
* When a book is requested from you, we notify you by email, provide the address for you to send it out, and even provide a wrapper!
* wrap and mail your book.
* When the requestor receives it, you earn 1 credit (2 if it is an audio book). Yes, you pay the postage to send out your books, but when you request a book, the sender ships it to you free of charge!
* The books you receive from PBS are yours. We hope that you will repost them to share with other members when you have read them, but you can certainly keep them, or give them away. Similarly, the books you send out to others belong to their new owners.

{Read the rest of this entry…}