Mailbox Monday

Two new books came into my house last week. How about you?



Bitter is the Wind by Jim McDermott. This coming-of-age, father/son novel is described as a "deft and timely deconstruction of the American dream." It's getting good reviews, like this one on Huffington Post.



Legends of the Northern Paiute, as told by Wilson Wewa, compiled and edited by James A. Gardner, published by OSU Press. This is the culmination of a cool project to preserve the previously unrecorded Northern Paiute legends. The picture on the cover is Monkey Face Rock in central Oregon.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

Book Beginning: I'm Dyin Here by Tim Grobaty

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I am. I'm dying here. Ask my doctor.

-- I'm Dyin' Here: A Life in the Paper by Tim Grobaty. This collection of essays looks at newspaper life, contemplating that, as the newspaper industry dies around him, this longtime columnist might just die at his job.

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.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Teaser Tuesday: My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

The physical act of cooking gives me enormous pleasure, but I also like watching what it does for others. Even the angriest person is soothed by the scent of soup simmering on the stove.

-- My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl. When Gourmet magazine abruptly shut down in the fall of 2009, its Editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, "disappeared into the kitchen" to figure out how what to do with herself. At 61, she was not ready to retire, but had no plans for what to do next.

Reichl reads the audiobook herself, which I love for nonfiction books.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Book Beginning: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Sorry for not posting last night -- my work day got away from me! I don't usually write here about my work, but the news about the Boy Scouts letting girls has my head spinning.

As a lawyer who has represented over 100 adults who were sexually abused as kids in Scouts, I have big reservations about letting more girls in. Girls have been in Explorer Scouts since 1971. I currently represent six women who were sexually molested by the leader of their coed Explorer post when they were as young as 11. I really think the BSA needs to offer full transparency about its history of sexual abuse before inviting more, and younger, girls to join.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING



One upon a time, there was a man named Jack Gilbert, who was not related to me -- unfortunately for me.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am getting a lot out of this short book. It is aimed at artists or writers, but her thoughts are applicable to anyone who wants to think more creatively about a career or enthusiasm.

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.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Teaser Tueday: The Inheritance of Shame by Peter Gajdics

The political history of Europe, which both of my parents discussed without hesitation, interested me far less than their personal experiences of war, which neither would even mention. I could never ask them anything about their "emotional lives" in Europe, that much I knew.

-- The Inheritance of Shame: A Memoir by Peter Gajdics, published by Brown Paper Press.

Gajdics grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, raised by Eastern European parents who struggled with trauma from their own pasts.

His new memoir explores his struggle of growing up gay, spending years in "conversion therapy" trying not to be, suing his psychiatrist, and finally reclaiming his life on his own terms.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.