The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Historical Fiction/Religious Fiction - 3.5 stars

Considered a modern classic, The Red Tent is the story of Dinah, only daughter of Jacob. In the Bible, her life is merely mentioned within the Book of Genesis.  Anita Diamant brings all of the biblical characters in the story of Jacob to life.

Told in Dinah’s voice, the book tells of ancient womanhood, the rituals and the difficulties in the red tent. It centers on Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah - the four wives of Jacob. They each love Dinah as her own, and they teach her skills and develop her gift for midwifery. The story moves on to when Dinah marries and tragedy befalls her new life, bringing a curse down on Jacob's house that cannot be reconciled.

While the characters may be familiar, the story of the women of Jacob and their propogation of pagan beliefs was a little too mystical for my taste. Diamant's writing was very reminiscent of The Song of Hannah, as was the abundance of sex and the license taken with the Biblical story. In the end, however, I enjoyed the fact that these people were real people, not just characters in a story. This book brought these people to life, and I did enjoy it. 

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

Fiction/Short Story - 3 stars

This short story is a glimpse into the imagination of Walter Mitty, a daydreaming man who is given tasks by his wife while she gets her hair done. He struggles to remember the tasks due to his overactive imagination. A super-short (maybe 7-8 pages) story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has inspired two full-length films. The first, from the 1930s,

starred Danny Kaye and was harshly criticized by Thurber, who thought it was ridiculous. The second, one of my all-time favorite movies, was written and directed by Ben Stiller, who stars as Mitty.

A heartwarming and deep film, Stiller's version is also different from the short story, and I can only wish that Thurber could have seen it.  The story's good, but the movie's awesome.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Youth Fiction - 3.5 stars

Endangered is a compelling tale of Sophie, a young American girl visiting her mother at her bonobo sanctuary in Africa. After her mother leaves for a release site, revolution breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked by roving bands of militant rebels. Sophie and the bonobos must hide in the jungle and travel to find her mother. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.

Megan and I read this 2012 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature in her Montford Book Club before the end of the last school year. In the book, Schrefer asks readers to ponder what safety means to them, the importance of sacrificing to help others, and what strengthens family relationships. We really enjoyed the book, and it was an eye-opener for Megan, who had never read about Africa's revolutionary culture. She also enjoyed reading about the bonobos and their almost human interactions. I highly recommend it for the teen crowd.

The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister

Fiction - 3.5 stars

In this sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients, Bauermeister continues to tells the stories of characters first brought together in Lillian’s cooking classes, adding a few new stories to the mix. Al, the restaurant’s accountant, is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Louise, his wife of 29 years. Chloe, Lillian's young sous-chef who is terrified of love and connection; Isabelle, an elderly woman struggling with giving up pieces of her life due to the onset of Alzheimer’s; and Finnegan, the tall dishwasher whose depth surprises even himself. Tom, the widower who begins a relationship with Lillian, is tested when he discovers that their future is bound together. I enjoy Bauermeister's writing style, and while she does not dwell with any character for very long, the reader gets enough of each person's story to get a glimpse into their struggles. Another quick read, The Lost Art of Mixing is as enjoyable as its predecessor.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Claire Waverley is a caterer who uses plants from her garden to evoke feelings in her clients. She works in her garden, talking to her mysterious apple tree as if it can hear her. Family legend says that if someone eats from the apple tree, he sees the most important event in his life. Claire's sister, Sydney, flees with her daughter from her life across the country with an abusive man. She comes back to Claire in Bascom, NC and finds herself in the very place she escaped. Evanelle, an older cousin, has the gift of clairvoyance, and distributes gifts before the receiver know they're needed. These Waverley women are the talk of the town, and their legacy of loneliness and magic brings them closer together as they find love and friendship. Garden Spells is an enchanting, easy read, and like The Peach Keeper, it's just a good story. It's an awesome read for a lazy Sunday.

Movie review - Chef

Movie - 5 stars

I know this is a book blog, but every once in a while I have to comment on other media that moves me. In Chef, Jon Favreau writes, directs, produces and leads an all-star cast in a truly entertaining comedy about passions and relationships. Chef Carl Casper (Favreau) has one too many bad reviews from a harsh food critic (Oliver Platt) and decides to resign his position as head chef of a restaurant due to creative differences with the restaurant's owner (Dustin Hoffman). Carl heads to Miami with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) and son, and decides to strike a deal with his ex's ex-husband (Robert Downey, Jr.) to purchase a food truck. Reuniting with a former member of his kitchen staff (John Leguizamo), Carl finds his passion again for the kitchen, forms previously unrealized bonds with his son, and embarks on new adventures with old adversaries.

Chef showcases three things I am most passionate about - 1. Strong family bonds and caring people. 2. Incredibly attractive culinary creations. 3. Awesome soundtrack. It also showcases the phenomenal talent of Jon Favreau, one of my favorites who is also known for Four Christmases, the Ironman series, Swingers and Friends. The relationships he's developed in his previous works are all highlighted here as some of the Hollywood elite captured some of the smaller roles in this (Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Hoffman, etc.).  I loved this movie!!!

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Fiction - 4 stars

Judd Foxman's father has died, his wife has cheated on him with his boss, he's quit his job (see previous for reason) and he's moved into a basement apartment of a noisy house inhabited by a Chinese couple. He's not doing well. On top of all of this, his father's final wish is for his (dysfunctional) family to sit shiva and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. Longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and former passions are reawakened in this week-log remembrance of a man they all loved but barely knew. This is one of the books I won during Barnes & Noble's Page to Screen weekend giveaway, and I am so lucky. I probably would not have picked it out myself. I can see why they've made a movie of the story, and I highly recommend it for anyone feeling a little down about their own dysfunctional family.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

In her novel, The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen blends friendships, sibling relationships, and Southern hospitality into a sweet story with a very happy ending. Thirty-year-old Willa Jackson returned to her rural North Carolina home in Walls of Water to escape her failures. Instead of escaping them, she faces them head-on, reconnects with her family, and begins new relationships that she never thought she'd have.  In the meantime, she becomes involved in a 75-year-old murder mystery involving her grandmother and the beautiful mansion her family occupied in the 1930s. While not a Pulitzer Price winner, the book club candidate is an easy read, perfect for the beach or to read while sitting on your front porch swing, sipping sweet tea. It took me all of two days to read it, and I loved every minute of it.

The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

Fiction - 4 stars

Do you ever read a book and think, "Wow, that was just a really good story"? That is exactly what I thought when I finished this last night. When I saw that the movie was coming out, I knew I had to read it first, and I'm so glad I did. Morais includes such vivid charaterization and vivid scenes of food preparation, I know the movie will be beautiful. Loosely based on his relationship with Ismail Merchant (the late producer behind Merchant Ivory films), Morais writes a beautiful story of an Indian boy, Hassan, whose family moves from India after the death of his mother. After a short stint in London, they move to Lumiere, a small village in the French Alps. There, Hassan learns the art of French cooking, and gathers relationships that carry him through his adulthood and his ultimate achievement, 3 Michelin stars. It's just a really good story.  Read it, you won't be sorry.
Bonus for me, it includes a few Indian recipes from the book and movie. Can't wait to try them out!

Among the Janeites by Deborah Yaffe

Non-fiction - 4 stars

I got this nook book on a whim, mainly because of my ever-increasing love for all things Jane Austen. This non-fiction work by journalist Deborah Yaffe is made up of profiles of a cross-section of members of the Jane Austen Society of  North America (JASNA) and beyond. From Cisco Systems co-founder Sandy Lerner, who spent $20 million of her buyout money on the purchase and renovation of Austen's Chawton House in England, to a speech pathologist who thinks Mr. Darcy and other characters have mild autism, to a nurse practitioner who sees "borderline personality disorder" in some of the characters, to Arnie, who sees subtle clues, disclosing a "shadow story" of abuse beneath the surface,Yaffe writes about fans, fanatics, scholars, and the occasional oddball who all have a deep love, if not obsession with Jane Austen and her works. I really enjoyed the witty style of Yaffe's writing, and I enjoyed learning about the society's founding and annual activities. mostly though, I learned that I am not alone in my love for Austen, and I learned that I am not nearly as fanatical as those profiled in the book. I just like Austen's writing, and her books make darn good movies.

The People of the Abyss by Jack London

Non-fiction - 4.5 stars

I did not know what to expect from this book, as London is mostly known for his Yukon-set fiction, but I will have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this piece of mostly non-fiction work. In many ways an essay on the social issues in the turn of the 20th century East End of London, The People of the Abyss is a peek into the lives of millions at that time and outlines the challenges faced by them to eek out a meager living. It also addresses the homeless situation, perpetuated by the laws and the social programs of the time - a problem we face even with today's homeless society. I really enjoyed this peek into history, a glimpse of the true horrid nature of life in places such as the famed Whitechapel. London pulls no punches describing the wretched nature of the impoverished subculture of workers and homeless. I highly recommend it for those interested in British History or for those interested in social history. Filled with monetary breakdowns of income vs. expenses and with the vivid descriptions that are true to London's style, this book is a true piece of history itself.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Historical Fiction - 5 stars

Swoon! In this eighth installment of the Outlander series, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, the story of Jamie and Claire Fraser continues into 1778. In the cliffhanger from the previous book,  An Echo in the Bone, Jamie Fraser returns from "the dead" to discover that Lord John has married Claire to protect her from the British Loyalists. Meanwhile,  William has discovered who his father really is, Ian has fallen in love with a Quaker, and Claire is busy trying to stay sane. No spoilers here - I'll merely say that things don't calm down upon Jamie's return.
 
The Frasers are under the illusion that Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. However, all is not peaceful at Lallybroch. She and Roger embark on their own journeys in search of family.

According to Barnes and Noble review, "Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the brilliant next chapter in a masterpiece of the imagination unlike any other." I whole-heartedly agree.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Historical Fiction - 4 stars

The description of Wolf Hall from B&N says:

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

While this description is certainly accurate, it does not get to the meat of what the book is about. It is really a biopic of the life of Thomas Cromwell, beginning with his adolescence and continuing through the death of Thomas More and the beginning of Henry's disenchantment with Anne Boleyn. Cromwell certainly lived an adventurous life, which prepared him for the political wrangling of Henry's court. I liked this book as it deals in one of my favorite historical periods. However, I can only give it 4 stars as Mantel's writing style can be difficult. This winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize is informative and sweeping, but not for fans of light reading.

 

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

Non-fiction - 4 stars

In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson retells stories from her childhood with her sister, dealing with the antics of her absurd father. As she gets older, her husband, her daughter, and lots of psychiatric specialists help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today.

I got this book in a two-for-one sale with Craig Ferguson's, and I am so glad I did. Between Ferguson and Lawson, I laughed for two weeks straight. This book is hilarious, mainly because I can relate to many of the stories she tells, including one about a rattlesnake. I absolutely loved it.

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson

Non-Fiction - 4.5 stars

In order to realize the American Dream, Craig Ferguson journeyed from the mean streets of Glasgow,  Scotland, to Hollywood. In American on Purpose, he recounts his stumbles through several attempts to make his mark—as a punk rock musician, a construction worker, a bouncer, and, tragically, a modern dancer.

Ferguson repeatedly used and abused drugs and alcohol, addictions that eventually led to an aborted suicide attempt. His success as a standup comedian eventually let to success on The Drew Carey Show and later as host of the Late Late Show. According to Ferguson, though, his greatest triumph was his decision to become a U.S. citizen, a milestone he achieved in early 2008.

I laughed out loud nearly the entire time I read this book. Ferguson is very matter-of-fact about his addiction, his failure, and his love, but his true talent is storytelling. I loved it, and I knew I liked him for a reason.  

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Youth Fiction - 3.5 stars

Choose to lie, or you will most certainly die. This is the introduction the reader gets to, Conner, a nobleman who devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son, Jaron, and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are less then honorable, but he must be chosen to play the prince or he will be killed. 

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's palace, treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, may prove more dangerous than all of the lies.

Megan and I read this incredible Game of Thrones for middle-schoolers for her school book club, and we were both impressed with the storyline, with the character development, and with the integrity of the main character. We both highly recommend it!