Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: Even If I Am


Knowing my pleasure in reading your emails, and writing my own, I wondered if we could ‘keep it simple.’ . . . Only three days and I was falling. Falling hard.

-- Even If I Am by Chasity Glass

GIVEAWAY: Sign up here for a chance to win one of three copies of Even If I Am.  Winners will have the choice of a paper ARC or the enhanced e-book version. 

BACK OF THE BOOK:
At the tail end of a five-year relationship, Chasity thought she knew what love was – until she meets Anthony, the handsome video editor she works with in a busy Hollywood office. Sparks fly as the two quickly become flirty co-workers, sneaking in numerous e-mails, phone calls, and lunch breaks together.

As their bond grows, we follow their blossoming relationship through heartfelt e-mailed conversations. Soon, they are writing six to ten e-mails a day to each other. They write back and forth about everything and anything, getting to know each other and hiding nothing about themselves. One e-mail leading to the next the two fall in love.

Then just as love begins, Anthony is diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.

The story is more than a memoir. It is a conversation between Anthony and Chasity against the backdrop of his diagnosis. even if i am. includes personal e-mails, blog posts, audio interviews, images, and music about their tenderhearted, often humorous, yet always emotional year together.

What began, as a genuine friendship became the love story of their lives.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mailbox Monday


Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict is hosting in July.  Please stop by her fun and pretty blog to see what she has been reading.

I still have a GIVEAWAY going for a new memoir called Even If I Am by Chasity Glass.  Go here for details and to enter for a chance to win one of three copies. 

I got a big stack of books last week, thanks to a stop by Second Glance Books and a Thrift Books mini-spree.


The Girls of Slender MeansLoitering with Intent, and The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark (the third one has the same cover, but I can't find a picture of it)



The Dangling Man by Saul Bellow



Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw



The Poetry of Robert Frost by Robert Frost



Wise Blood, The Violent Bear It Away, The Complete Stories by Flannery O' Connor (an omnibus edition)



The Silent Miaow: A Manual for Kittens, Strays, and Homeless Cats by Paul Gallico (I love the cover)



The Sandcastle and The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch



An Alphabet for Gourmets and Among Friends by M. F. K. Fisher



Mystical Paths by Susan Howatch

Friday, July 27, 2012

Book Beginnings & GIVAWAY: Even If I Am


Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the has tag #BookBeginnings. My Twitter handle is @GilionDumas.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING & GIVEAWAY

I have THREE copies of my BB book to GIVE AWAY, thanks to intrepid book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek.  Sign here up to win an early copy. Details below.


People are really romantic about the beginning of things.

-- Even If I Am by Chasity Glass. Perfect opener for a Book Beginnings event!

This is an interesting book for me. I got a paper book because that is what I read. But the e-book version (on Apple's iPad and the Kindle Fire) is enhanced with pictures, audio interviews, music, and web links that, as the author explains, "permit a truer and more personal telling."

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: The true story of one woman's discovery of youthful innocence, blighted hope, and fleeting faith. Told through emails, blogs, and personal narratives, this honest and raw e-memoir will leave you desperately wanting more.

THE GIVEAWAY:

This is a "leap-frog" giveaway.  This means that I have THREE copies to giveaway to Rose City Reader readers, and each winner will get to host another giveaway for an additional copy.

Winners will have the choice of a paper ARC or the enhanced e-book version.

The contest is for readers in the USA and Canada and is open until Friday, August 3, 2012. There are five ways to enter and each one is worth a chance to win.  To enter, do any or all of the following, but you must leave a comment for each one:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include a way to contact you (email or website address in your comment or available in your profile). If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway.
Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is also acceptable. Leave a separate comment with a link to your post. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to my rss feed, follow me on blogger, or subscribe via email (or tell me if you already are a subscriber or follower). Leave a separate comment for this. (1 entry)

4. Tweet this post on Twitter.
Leave me a separate comment with your twitter user name. (1 entry)

5. Post this on facebook, pin it on Pinterest, Stumble it, digg it, technorati fave it, or otherwise put it out there in the social network. Leave a separate comment with a link or explaination. (1 entry)

There are a lot of ways to enter (maximum of five entries), but you must LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will use random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is open to entries from the U.S. and Canada only. The deadline for entry is 9:00 PM, Pacific Time, on Thursday, August 2, 2012. I will draw and post the winner's name in my Book Beginnings post for August 3, 2012.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Review: Paradise Postponed




When it comes to humorous literature, I see a continuum from books that are almost purely funny, with only a fragile plot for framework, to serious literature written by a witty author able to leaven a heavy story with a little comedy. I personally put P. G. Wodehouse at the one end and Jim Harrison at the other, with Christopher Buckley, Nick Hornby, Kingsley Amis, David Lodge, and Kate Atkinson in the middle, more or less in that order subject to aberration for particular books.

With that in mind, I can't say that I was disappointed with Paradise Postponed, the first book I've read by John Mortimer, an English author noted for his humorous books (including his popular Rumpole series), but I was thrown off. Without rational basis, I had it in my head that his books were going to be closer to the Wodehouse end of the scale and Paradise Postponed was much closer to the Harrison end – somewhere between Lodge and Atkinson. It took a while for me to enjoy the story while my expectations readjusted.

I ended up enjoying Paradise Postponed well enough, even if I didn't love it. It is my favorite kind of comic story about English village life with the requisite nutty vicar, illicit lovers, country doctor, and mix of difficult and lovable family members, all involved in a series of funny adventures. The story moves between the present in the 1980s back to post WWII days, as two middle-aged brothers try to figure out why their father, a communist clergyman, left his estate to a Conservative cabinet minister.

None of the characters were very likeable, and snarky jibes at Thatcherism have lost their bite after twenty-some years, but the story pulled me in and there were plenty of funny bits. I'm up for the sequel, Titmuss Regained, and will give barrister Rumpole a try.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this or any other John Mortimer book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

This counted as one of my books for the TBR challenges I am doing this year.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Teaser Tuesday:



As far as I was concerned, this meeting was over. We'd covered the walk down memory lane, and I'd squashed the clumsy recruiting pitch, so unless Junior wanted to hear that his father had actually been a government stool pigeon, or wanted to hear about my feelings on the subject of his father pulling some strings to get my tax returns examined, or seducing my wife, then there was little else to talk about –- unless he wanted to talk about the night his father was murdered.
-- The Gate House by Nelson DeMille.

This is the sequel to his incredibly popular book, The Gold Coast. No need to go back and read or re-read the first one -- he gives a lot of reminders like the passage above.

It is still a lot of fun and very funny. 

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Mailbox Monday


Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict is hosting in July.  Please stop by her fun and pretty blog to see what she has been reading.

I got two books last week.



Even If I Am by Chasity Glass.

This is an interesting book for me. I got a paper book because that is what I read. But the e-book version (on Apple's iPad and the Kindle Fire) is enhanced with pictures, audio interviews, music, and web links that, as the author explains, "permit a truer and more personal telling."

Please visit Rose City Reader this Friday, July 27, for the "launchette" of Even If I Am.  I will share the opening sentence(s) on my Book Beginnings on Fridays post and announce the details of a GIVEAWAY. Please check back for an opportunity to win your own copy of this amazing new memoir.


Winter Journal by Paul Auster. I have his New York Trilogy on my TBR shelf. This memoir keeps popping up on my radar, so I am going to try to read it while it is still au courant.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Opening Sentence: The Gatehouse


A week had passed since my return from London, and I was sitting at the table in the dining room of the small gatehouse of Stanhope Hall, my ex-wife's former estate, wading through old files, family photos, and letters that I'd stored here for the last decade.

-- The Gate House by Nelson DeMille.

OK, I know that just yesterday I posted an opening sentence from the National Book Award winner, Mr. Sammler's Planet by Nobel laureate Saul Bellow. But, c'mon! On one of Portland's only summer weekends (80 degrees today and maybe the sun will come out), I need something more fun.

I loved The Gold Coast when I read it 20 years ago. This sequel gets mixed reviews, but it still has to be entertaining. It's Demille!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Book Beginnings: Mr. Sammler's Planet


Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. My Twitter handle is @GilionDumas.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING



Shortly after dawn, or what would have been dawn in a normal sky, Mr. Artur Sammler with his bushy eye took in the books and papers of his West Side bedroom and suspected strongly that they were the wrong books, the wrong papers.

 -- Mr. Sammler's Planet by Saul Bellow. This won the National Book Award in 1971.  It counts as my second National winner for the 2012 Battle of the Prizes, American Version.

I really love Saul Bellow's books (Henderson the Rain King being the notable exception), but I only read one every couple of years because they are really rich.  I have to be in the mood to work a little.  The payoff is huge -- they are very entertaining, charming, funny, and just plain wonderful -- but they take some attention and thought.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Review: The Spectator Bird



No one can strip a marriage down to find the twinging nerve like Wallace Stegner, but he does it with such a deft and gentle touch that it is beautiful to observe. In the case of The Spectator Bird, which won the 1977 National Book Award, Stegner combined his marital vivisection with an elaborate backstory about a family of faded Danish aristocrats trying to live down their scandalous past.

Joe Allston, a retired literary agent, feels he has gone through his life as a spectator, falling into his career, his marriage, friendships, and fatherhood without much conscious effort on his part. But Joe and his wife Ruth have lived with a pebble in the shoe of their marriage for twenty years, ever since an extended trip to Denmark following the death of their son. When an unexpected postcard from their Danish friend startles Joe out of his grouchy retirement funk, Ruth uses the opportunity to finally learn what happened all those years ago. For the first time, Joe is forced into an active, thinking role in his long-enduring marriage.

Stegner uses Joe's journal from their Denmark trip to move back and forth between the Allstons' current life as affluent retirees on the stormy California coast south of San Francisco and the remarkably gothic story of the Danish aristocrats with whom they became entangled. In between late night sessions of Joe reading the journal to Ruth, they deal with the disruptions of daily life – bad news about a neighbor, storm damage, and an unexpected visit from one of Joe's eccentric former clients.

Combining Stegner's elegant composition with a terrific plot, curmudgeonly humor, and spot-on set pieces about growing old, sex in contemporary fiction, and the "homeland" myths of second-generation immigrants, The Spectator Bird is the rare page-turner that lingers.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this or any other Wallace Stegner book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it. 

NOTES 


The Spectator Bird is my favorite read of the year so far and I can't see anything replacing it.  It may make my all-time Top 10 list if I can think of what to bump off it.  It is an incredible, wonderful, entertaining novel.

It also counts as one of my two National winners for the 2012 Battle of the Prizes, American Version.  There is still time to sign up for this challenge, which involves reading only three or four books.  Click the link above or the badge below for details.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: The Angels' Share

When I had a bad day and my brain buzzed like angry ants and I couldn't think or talk straight, I thought of what the characters I admired would do. . . .  I read for hours a day absorbing so much Victorian literature that my internal diction started shaping into something more formal, more old-fashioned.
-- The Angel's Share by Rayme Waters, published by Winter Goose Publishing.

The engaging heroine is recovering from addiction with the help of Jane Eyre and her other favorite characters from Dickens, George Eliot, and the like.

Rayme Waters wrote a guest post for Rose City Reader explaining how she incorporated the themes and lessons of 19th Century fiction into her novel.


The Angels' Share is already generating buzz. For example, Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce, says it "will completely absorb you.” And Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters, calls it a "compassionate debut novel" and says, "Set in the quiet luxury of Nob Hill, the counterculture of Bolinas, and the evocative wine country of Sonoma, Angels' Share is as tasty as the 1919 Primitivo [the heroine] drinks on this journey of recovery.”

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Born into a tumultuous world of neglectful bohemian parents and an overbearing grandmother, Cinnamon Monday lives through an imagination inspired by the nineteenth-century heroines she admires. As she grows older, and her make-believe worlds are not enough to protect her, she descends into drug addiction and eventual resignation. When this finally leads her to be physically beaten near the point of death, she is saved by a compassionate neighbor named Sam who gives Cinnamon the opportunity to reclaim her life. Now, working at Sam’s vineyard in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley, Cinnamon Monday attempts to put her life in order, find the will to overcome past demons, and utilize her strengths to live a positive, successful life on her own terms.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Mailbox Monday and Giveaway Winners


Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict is hosting in July.  Please stop by her fun and pretty blog to see what she has been reading.

I got two books last week and both look great.



The Christmas Carol Murders by Christopher Lord.  This is the first of hopefully many in a new series of cozy mysteries set in Dickens Junction, Oregon and featuring local bookstore owner Simon Alastair.  It's like Agatha Christie on the Oregon Coast.  And judging from Christopher Lord's blog, it will be a lot of fun.

My copy is an ARC from Jessica Glenn Book PublicityThe Christmas Carol Murders will hit the shelves in September. 




The Paris Directive by Gerald Jay.  This is another first of a series and looks like the opposite of a cozy -- all international espionage, embassy bombings, hit men, etc.

My copy came from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Last week, I hosted a giveaway for three ARCs of The Angel's Share by Rayme Waters, published by Winter Goose Publishing. The three lucky winners will get ARC copies of their own, plus another to giveaway on their blogs, with thanks to book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek




Huge thanks to everyone who participated! Using random.org to pick, the three winners are:


Click these links to read Rayme Waters' essay on how Victorian literary heroines inspired The Angels' Share and the Book Beginning for The Angels' Share.

Please check back tomorrow for a Teaser Tuesday post featuring Rayme's book. 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Guest Post: Rayme Waters, Author of The Angels' Share

Release date: August 15, 2012.

I am so pleased to have my very first guest post here on Rose City Reader. Rayme Waters, author of the soon-to-be-released debut novel, The Angels' Share, explains how she incorporated the themes and lessons of 19th Century fiction into her novel.

Please visit my giveaway post for a chance to win one of three advanced readers' copies of The Angels' Share. The deadline to enter is tomorrow, Sunday, July 15, at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

And see my Book Beginnings post for the opening sentences from The Angels' Share.



HOW MY LOVE OF VICTORIAN LITERATURE INSPIRED THE ANGELS’ SHARE
OR
HOW THREE HEROINES SHAPED MY HEROINE

by Rayme Waters

The more reality TV stars publish books, the more I find myself re-reading the classics. Novels where hard work, perseverance, and love triumph are infinitely more rewarding than any analysis of a Kardashian wedding.

When I began working on The Angels’ Share, I hoped to write the kind of book I wanted to read myself. Now that I’m finished, I can say my heroine, Cinnamon Monday, shares traits with my favorite female characters from Dickens, BrontĂ« and Austen. I didn’t set out to create Cinnamon in their image, it happened organically while I was writing—the kind of gift a writer hopes to gain by also being an avid reader.

Cinnamon Monday grows up in the 1970s counterculture with very little parental protection or guidance. I put my heroine into this tough situation because one of the questions I wanted to ask in the novel was “Can you raise yourself though literature?” From the moment she begins reading, Cinnamon discovers that novels, the classics in particular, help her to navigate the morally ambiguous era she lives in.

Heroines, the female protagonists of a story are often known for their achievements and noble qualities. These following three heroines from 19th century British literature have shaped Cinnamon’s story and made her path to redemption possible. I’m hoping you already know this trio of fantastic females. If not, you’ve got some good suggestions for your reading list!

Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre

When I couldn’t sleep, I’d click on my lamp and pick a passage at random. Jane Eyre always had something new to tell me. In the pages of Jane, Charlotte BrontĂ« renders an escape plan from the hedge maze of a forlorn childhood, a narrative blueprint for lost girls, a way to navigate dark dead ends and come blinking into the peopled light.

Jane is Cinnamon’s main moral touchstone. Although you don’t need to be familiar with Jane Eyre to enjoy The Angels’ Share—the story stands strongly on its own— lovers of Charlotte BrontĂ«’s most famous novel will be rewarded another layer of depth and some fun twists and surprises from Jane Eyre references in The Angels’ Share.

Elizabeth Bennett, Pride and Prejudice

Austen entertained with manicured perfection, everyone getting what they deserved, but I didn’t trust it. What happened to Lizzie Bennett when she was alone with Darcy and his darkness returned?

Cinnamon is quick witted and feisty in ways similar to Elizabeth Bennett, and also shares Elizabeth’s wish for honesty, acceptance and true love despite her meager circumstances. But while Cinnamon enjoys Austen’s flawless dialogue and chessboard plotting, she wonders, if marriage at twenty-two to man with Darcy’s moodiness, can really be the happy ever after Jane Austen promises.

Esther Summerson, Bleak House

(N.B. Of the three heroines I mention, Esther is probably the least known. She’s fantastic, though, and I highly recommend making her acquaintance. Charles Dickens felt the same way—Esther Summerson is the only female narrator he ever created.)

Everyone involved expected justice, but all they got was an expensive, soul consuming trial that eventually reduced the estate’s value to zero. In Dickens, litigation was like a disease, catching and deadly. I wanted nothing of it.

A subplot of The Angels’ Share involves legal wrangling over Cinnamon’s family money. Esther Summerson watched those she loved driving themselves crazy as parties to the endless lawsuit of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. At some point, Cinnamon must decide if she is going to become a party to the fighting or let it go.
With the help of Esther’s wisdom, Cinnamon leaves a heartbreaking family squabble behind and creates a healthier future.

Audre Lorde once said, “There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.” Certainly using ideas from BrontĂ«, Dickens and Austen in modern novels is nothing new. But 19th century heroines still have plenty of wisdom for modern readers just as they did for Cinnamon Monday. Their experiences guide her throughout the novel, lighting her path when all seems lost. Jane, Elizabeth and Esther are Cinnamon’s guardian angels, helping her through her story, moving her away from suffering and toward happiness. She listens to them and she is saved.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Book Beginning: The Angels' Share


Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

Leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.

TWITTER: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the has tag #BookBeginnings. Maybe in connection with #FridayReads, if you participate in that twitter event. Thanks!

Also, if you are on Twitter, please leave a comment with your Twitter handle.  I have tried to find everyone, but know I have missed some. My Twitter handle is @GilionDumas.



MY BOOK BEGINNING & GIVEAWAY REMINDER

My Book Beginning is from a great debut novel called The Angels' Share.

Thanks to intrepid book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek, I have THREE advanced copies to giveaway.  The details and sign up page are here. The giveaway ends this Sunday, July 15, at 9:00 pm Pacific Time. 

At first, I thought I was alone. I woke face down in the gravel to rivets of pain when I tried to blink or move or take more than a tiny sip of air.

The Angel's Share by Rayme Waters, published by Winter Goose Publishing.

GIST: The story of a recovering meth addict who rebuilds her life working for a small Sonoma County winery. With elements of both a love story and a mystery, The Angels’ Share is a great read for book clubs.


Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce, says it "will completely absorb you.”

Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters, calls it a "compassionate debut novel" and says, "Set in the quiet luxury of Nob Hill, the counterculture of Bolinas, and the evocative wine country of Sonoma, Angels' Share is as tasty as the 1919 Primitivo [the heroine] drinks on this journey of recovery.”

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Born into a tumultuous world of neglectful bohemian parents and an overbearing grandmother, Cinnamon Monday lives through an imagination inspired by the nineteenth-century heroines she admires. As she grows older, and her make-believe worlds are not enough to protect her, she descends into drug addiction and eventual resignation. When this finally leads her to be physically beaten near the point of death, she is saved by a compassionate neighbor named Sam who gives Cinnamon the opportunity to reclaim her life. Now, working at Sam’s vineyard in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley, Cinnamon Monday attempts to put her life in order, find the will to overcome past demons, and utilize her strengths to live a positive, successful life on her own terms.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Review: Greene on Capri

 

What literature fan would not want to read a book called Greene on Capri: a Memoir, by Shirley Hazzard? Graham Greene. The enchanting island of Capri. Written by a National Book Award winner.  All good.

But wait. The title explains both its appeal and its limits. This is Hazzard's memoir, her memories of Greene, focusing only on his time, in his later years, when he owned a house on Capri and regularly spent a month there every spring and autumn. The two met at a Capri restaurant in 1960, when Hazzard interrupted a conversation between Greene and his dining companion to offer the lines of a poem Greene was trying to remember. She and her husband remained friends with Greene until his death in 1961.

Although their friendship lasted many years, it was mostly limited to a seasonal series of cocktails, dinners, and outings on Capri's rocky shores, followed up with occasional correspondence. There is only so much one can write about that kind of social relationship, mostly distilled to observations of Greene's personality and character, rather than descriptions of particular events. For example, Hazzard examines Greene's disinterest in aesthetic beauty, including the spectacular natural beauty of Capri. In contrast, Greene was a voracious and eager reader:
Promptly generous with time and public praise for new books that please him, he brought enthusiasm to his reading. A fresh book never ceased to be a possibility, a promise. It was, I think, his only consistent form of optimism.
Hazzard's memoir is worthwhile for these observations, but they are not enough to fill a book, even one as short as this.  She fills in the spaces with Roman emperor Tiberius' lingering influence over Capri, the island's history as a haven for artists and writers since at least the 1700s, and thumbnail portraits of famous and infamous member's of Capri's 20th Century expatriate population, including Norman Douglas, Harold Acton, and Compton Mackenzie. This is all fascinating stuff, even if the connections to Greene are slim.

What is noticeably missing is a little more information about Hazzard herself, which would go a long way to provide context for her relationship with Greene. By the time she wrote Greene on Capri (published in 2000), Hazzard had published two volumes of short stories, three non-fiction books, and three novels, including The Transit of Venus, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1980. But in this memoir, she does not mention her own writing at all, leaving any reader unfamiliar with her work wondering what she had in common with Graham Greene that would develop into a 30-year friendship and why she had the clout to write about it. Even less is said about her husband Francis Steegmuller, although he was quite a distinguished man of letters who had won two National Book Awards for his non-fiction.

Greene on Capri is still a wonderful book, even if it is tantalizingly incomplete as any kind of biography of Graham Greene or history of Capri.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

It might be a short book, but it inspired a long review! This one counts as one of my choices for the TBR Challenges I  have going and for the Memorable Memoirs Challenge.  It also put me in the mood for the Graham Greene Challenge.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: Paradise Postponed


She was known to be beautiful and thought to be impossible, but she was an asset at a party.  Her tireless activity was felt to be in search of a great and glittering marriage and her final acceptance of the dullish Nicholas Fanner was widely held to be something of a defeat.
-- Paradise Postponed by John Mortimer.

This is my favorite kind of comic story about English village life.  This one moves between the present in the 1980s back to post WWII days.  There are the requisite nutty vicar, illicit lovers, country doctor, and mix of difficult and lovable family members, all involved in a series of funny adventures.

I've gathered many of John Mortimer's books on my TBR shelf, including several of his Rumpole books,  but this is the first I've read. I am enjoying it and have the sequel, Titmuss Regained, to look forward to.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Mailbox Monday & GIVEAWAY



Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict is hosting in July.  Please stop by her fun and pretty blog to see what she has been reading.

I got one terrific book last week and have THREE advanced reader's copies to GIVE AWAY, thanks to intrepid book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek.  It looks like a novel that would really appeal! It is not available until later in August, so sign here up to win an early copy.

THE BOOK

The Angel's Share by Rayme Waters, published by Winter Goose Publishing.

GIST: The story of a recovering meth addict who rebuilds her life working for a small Sonoma County winery. With elements of both a love story and a mystery, The Angels’ Share is a great read for book clubs.


Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce, says it "will completely absorb you.”

Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters, calls it a "compassionate debut novel" and says, "Set in the quiet luxury of Nob Hill, the counterculture of Bolinas, and the evocative wine country of Sonoma, Angels' Share is as tasty as the 1919 Primitivo [the heroine] drinks on this journey of recovery.”

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Born into a tumultuous world of neglectful bohemian parents and an overbearing grandmother, Cinnamon Monday lives through an imagination inspired by the nineteenth-century heroines she admires. As she grows older, and her make-believe worlds are not enough to protect her, she descends into drug addiction and eventual resignation. When this finally leads her to be physically beaten near the point of death, she is saved by a compassionate neighbor named Sam who gives Cinnamon the opportunity to reclaim her life. Now, working at Sam’s vineyard in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley, Cinnamon Monday attempts to put her life in order, find the will to overcome past demons, and utilize her strengths to live a positive, successful life on her own terms.


THE GIVEAWAY

This is a "leap-frog" giveaway.  This means that I have three (3!) ARCs to giveaway to Rose City Reader readers, and each winner will get to host another giveaway for an additional copy.

The contest is for readers in the USA and Canada and is open until Sunday, July 15, 2012. There are five ways to enter and each one is worth a chance to win.  To enter, do any or all of the following, but you must leave a comment for each one:

1. Leave a comment on this post. You must include a way to contact you (email or website address in your comment or available in your profile). If I can't find a way to contact you I will draw another winner. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway.
Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is also acceptable. Leave a separate comment with a link to your post. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to my rss feed, follow me on blogger, or subscribe via email (or tell me if you already are a subscriber or follower). Leave a separate comment for this. (1 entry)

4. Tweet this post on Twitter.
Leave me a separate comment with your twitter user name. (1 entry)

5. Post this on facebook, pin it on Pinterest, Stumble it, digg it, technorati fave it, or otherwise put it out there in the social network. Leave a separate comment with a link or explaination. (1 entry)

There are a lot of ways to enter (maximum of five entries), but you must LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT for each one or they will not count. I will use random.org to pick the winners from the comments.

This contest is open to entries from the U.S. and Canada only. The deadline for entry is 9:00 PM, Pacific Time, on Sunday, July 15, 2012. I will draw and post the winner's name in my Mailbox Monday post for July 16, 2012.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Review: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

 

Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is the classic tale of split personality, examining how the forces of good and evil develop within the same psyche. Everyone knows the basic plot by now, so the book doesn't have the shocking surprise ending it had for its original 1886 audience.

It is still worth reading, or even re-reading, because Stevenson could spin a yarn with the best of them. The story rips right along, with plenty of suspense and drama, and even some humor. Stevenson can be very droll, with lines like this, describing the fusty narrator, Mr. Utterson: "his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object."

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde should be on everyone's Must Read list.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

This was my "re-read" choice for the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Sarah at Sarah Reads Too Much.   It also counts as one of my books for the Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Book Beginnings: Paradise Postponed


Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

Leave a link to your post. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING



"I had a disagreeable dream," the old man said.

-- Paradise Postponed by John Mortimer.  

That is a troublesome opening sentence for me because, as a rule, I dislike the recounting of dreams in fiction.  A personal dislike.  But it works here -- the full opening scene is very good.

I've gathered many of John Mortimer's books on my TBR shelf, including several of his Rumpole books,  but this is the first I've read. I am enjoying it and have the sequel, Titmuss Regained, to look forward to.

Review: The Hapless Valet


Len Stevens brings sparkle and snap and a little old-fashioned Hollywood glamor to his debut mystery novel, The Hapless Valet. In what will hopefully be the first of a series, the dashing hero Draper Burns – a “gentleman’s gentleman” fresh from duty in the French Foreign Legion, with a penchant for Shirley Temples, a way with the ladies, and an eye for fancy men’s watches – is sent to evaluate his employer’s investment in a movie being filmed in Portland.

After a suspicious “suicide” on the movie set, Draper starts seeing connections between the film’s stars, a retro jazz club, an animal rights protest turned ugly, local thugs, a right-wing tabloid, and a Mexican drug lord. There are times when the sheer number of characters and sub-plots verge on overwhelming the story, but Stevens manages to keep it all moving forward and eventually ties up every loose string – even the thing about the watches.

As a cross between James Bond and Bertie Wooster, Draper Burns makes an appealing hero. And Stevens make an appealing new author, with an ear for dialog and an eye for comic detail. The Hapless Valet is a fun, off-beat mystery that is sure to entertain.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

See my interview of Len Stevens, here.

State of the Blog: Part Three, the Challenges

 
Four times a year, I review the books I've read to that point and see what kind of progress I've made on my books lists and reading projects.  2012 is half over, but I've made some progress on the many challenges I joined this year.

This is the last of my three quarterly blog assessment posts.  The first part addressed the book lists.  Part Two dealt with my favorite authors. 

The list of all the challenges I've joined (so far) this year is here.  So far, I've completed four of the 24, made progress on another 16, and haven't started four.


First, the three challenges I am hosting here at Rose City Reader.  There is still plenty of time to sign up! Click on the title to go to the main challenge page.

EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE
(finished, but for one more review)

  Second, the challenges I've joined:

I've read a lot of book with my ears -- 25 out of my goal of 40 -- but haven't reviewed very many.

BIRTH YEAR READING CHALLENGE

None yet, but I plan to read Graham Greene's The Comedians very soon -- as soon as I can figure out if it was really published in my birth year.

BOOKS PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST YEARS OF MY LIFE CHALLENGE

None yet.  This is a three-book challenge, so I had better find some overlapping options if I hope to finish.


EASTERN EUROPE READING CHALLENGE

MT. TBR, OFF THE SHELF, and the TBR PILE CHALLENGES



    None so far, but now that it is summer, I am in the mood.

    VENICE IN FEBRUARY CHALLENGE 
    (finished)