Review: Real Women, Real Wisdom

Real Women, Real Wisdom: A Journey into the Feminine Soul is a collection of 17 essays by women "of a certain age," all reflecting on what they have learned from the stories they have lived. Maureen Hovenkotter, author of 42 States of Grace: A Woman’s Journey (reviewed here), edited the collection and contributed the final essay.

Each piece focuses on, or is inspired by, a "transformative" event in the author's life – death in the family, illness, divorce, or job loss, for example. One essay specifically examines suffering as part of our lives, and another the idea that things don't turn out as we expect, but the themes of suffering and unfulfilled expectations run throughout all the stories.

What makes these accounts of suffering and loss emotionally piercing instead of maudlin is that every writer concentrates on how her experience brought grace into her life, and how she used to the experience to move closer to God or grow spiritually. Many of the women are in a Catholic writers' group together, so they bring a Christian perspective, but none of the essays are dogmatic. One of the authors is a practicing Buddhist, another a self-described seeker, and all share an acceptance of traveling varied spiritual paths.

The authors aren't celebrities, but don't be put off by the somewhat amateurish nature of their publication. Most are professional writers; all are gifted storytellers. The collection will teach and inspire as the stories linger. It is the kind of book that many readers will turn to again and again as they face the same sorts of life challenges as the authors.

NOTES

This book is at the top of my gift list for women over 40 with a spiritual bent, which, when I think about it, is a LOT of women I know.

Teaser Tuesday: Fish With What You Find

After tripping, overtopping my waders and becoming terminally tangled in the logs and snags in the bottom of a hole I should have known about, I was startled by a voice.

"Fishing has an odd way of calming one's soul," said the old man standing midstream where no one had been when I fell.

-- from "The Old Man in the Riffle," in Fish with What You Find by Jim Gilsdorf.

This is a collection of articles, previously published in the Gilsdorf's local Trout Unlimited chapter newsletter, about fly fishing and fly tying. I do neither, but Gilsdorf tells great stories and the book has charmed me.

This would make a perfect Christmas present for any fly fisher. 

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

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit is hosting in October.  Please go by and visit her wonderful blog. 

Many books came into my house last week from a variety of sources:

First, I had lunch with Larry Dennis to discuss his company, Turbo Leadership Systems doing some work with my law firm.  Larry gave me a copy of his book InFormation: How To Gain The 71% Advantage.  I don't read a lot of business books, but I'll read this one.



Second, Bob Sanchez, author and nonfiction editor at the Internet Review of Books, sent me a copy of his mystery, Little Mountain. I don't have a Kindle, so Bob was nice enough to send a paperback, but the Kindle edition is a steal at only $2.99! It looks great -- a Cambodian refugee now homicide cop in Lowell, Massachusetts.



Third, because I completed the Vintage Mystery Challenge, hostess Bev from My Reader's Block sent me a prize -- A PRIZE! For reading books. Does it get any better than that?  I chose An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman because this challenge has me hooked for good on vintage mysteries.



Finally, showing an uncharacteristic willingness to relinquish control, I gave a copy of my "Books to Buy and Read" list to Rachelle at my favorite Second Glance bookstore.  She found several nice copies for me, so I have a stack of new (to me) books, most of them on one or another of my book lists:

The Once and Future King by T. H. White (on the Burgess list)



One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (on the College Board's Top 101 List and the MLA's 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die list)



What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg (in a nice Modern Library edition; on the BOMC's Well-Stocked Bookcase list)



An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (winner of the Costa Book of the Year award)



Old Bones: A Gideon Oliver Mystery by Aaron Elkins (an Edgar Award winner)



A Case of Need by Michael Crichton (another Edgar winner)



The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (in a nice Everyman's Library reissue; on my own French Connections list)



The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award)



The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling (on the Easton Top 100 list)

Review of the Day: Carry Yourself Back to Me

Carry Yourself Back to Me is Deborah Reed's debut novel under her own name, following close on the heels of the publication under her Audrey Braun pen name of the sassy thriller, A Small Fortune.

In contrast to the whirligig adventure of her thriller, Carry Yourself Back to Me is a thoughtful, intense novel with Southern gothic overtones. Set in central Florida in the middle of a freak cold snap, the story focuses on Annie Walsh, a singer-songwriter recovering from the abrupt end of a long relationship with her music producer boyfriend.

There are many threads to the story as Reed examines the relationships between Annie and her ex-lover, her brother Calder who has been accused of murdering his lover's husband, their parents, and their bachelor uncle. The story moves between the cold, snowy present, Annie and Calder's childhood, and the immediate past that left Annie alone in her cabin and Calder in jail.

By the end, as the threads come together, the reader has been woven into the tale. Reed's descriptions are so tactile – Annie's rough hands, the ice-coated branches of the citrus trees, the warm fur of her dog's coat – and her characters are so authentic that to read the book is to live inside the story.

This book is hands-down terrific.

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

Here is my interview of Deborah Reed, aka Audrey Braun.

Here is my review of A Small Fortune.

Here is some of the buzz on Carry Yourself Back to Me: Reed was interviewed on tv recently. The book got a Publisher's Weekly review.  It was the September choice for the From Left to Write Book Club. Library Journal praised the book and called Reed "an author to watch." And there is a sweet country song tie-in by Brush Prairie.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Fish With What You Find

On another day it's a muskrat or a mink or a squirrel or a possum, or even once a feral pet ferret in Michigan's upper peninsula.

-- from "Roadkill and the Fly Tyer," the first chapter in Fish with What You Find by Jim Gilsdorf.

This is a collection of articles about fly fishing and fly tying. I do neither, but it still appeals to me, maybe because of the cool illustrations of the flies.

A Few More Pages hosts Book Beginnings every Friday.  The event is open for the entire week.

2011 Challenge: The Birth Year Reading Challenge

THE CHALLENGE

I enjoyed the Birth Year Reading Challenge hosted by Hotchpot Cafe. The idea is to read books published in the year of your birth. There is no set number of books to read, but you earn a "candle" for each book and there are pretty terrific prizes.

THE YEAR: 1966

Then came 1966, a remarkable year altogether: a Jewish child was born in Spain for the first time in 374 years, Ronald Reagan was elected boss of California, Indira Gandhi was elected boss of India, the Soviets landed a Luna spacecraft on the moon, John Lennon opined dryly that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, the Grateful Dead moved to a house on Haight Street, the Americans landed a Surveyor spacecraft on the moon, Montgomery Cliff died, the Beatles released Revolver, "Star Trek" was first televised, Namibia declared independence, Jimmy Hendrix changed his name to Jimi, LSD was declared illegal, Catholics began to eat meat on Fridays, Barbados declared independence, the Americans bombed Hanoi, Walt Disney died, Kwanzaa was invented, Tom Stoppard wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arlo Guthrie wrote "Alice's Restaurant," Hewlett-Packard introduced its first computer, Buster Keaton died, Guyana declared its independence, Malaysia and Indonesia declared peace, taekwando was invented, Lesotho declared independence, Thich Nhat Hanh visited America, [and] Bill Evans opened a long run at the Village Vanguard jazz club . . .

-- The Grail: A Year Ambling & Shambling Through an Oregon Vinyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir Wine in the Whole Wild World by Brian Doyle (leading up to the point that 1966 was also the first year that pinor noir vines were planted in Oregon, giving birth to Oregon's wine industry).

THE BOOKS

There may be several books on my TBR shelf that were published in 1966, but without going through them all, it is hard to guess which ones. The possibilities I knew of were:

I, the King by Frances Parkinson-Keyes (I'm a big FPK fan)

The Comedians by Graham Greene (on my TBR shelf)

The Anti-Death League by Kinglsey Amis (which is on the Anthony Burgess list)

REVIEWS = CANDLES

The Anti-Death League by Kinglsey Amis, reviewed here.

LAST YEAR

I did better in 2010 and got two candles for reading:

Indian Summer by John Knowles (reviewed here)
The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann (reviewed here)

NOTE: Updated on January 2, 2012.

Opening Sentence of the Day: The Anti-Death League

A girl and an older woman were walking along a metaled pathway.

--  The Anti-Death League by Kinglsey Amis.

Kingsley Amis is one of my favorite authors. I wanted to read this one in particular because it is on Anthony Burgess's list of his favorite 99 novels.

Also, it was published in 1966, so it counts as one of my books for Hotchpot Cafe's Birth Year Reading Challenge. It may be my only candle, unless I get around to The Comedians by Graham Greene.

Teaser Tuesday: Voodoo Vintners

In the wine world, the self-important Robert Parker, with his comb-over and air of gravitas, has come to represent fustiness and, worse, buffoonery.  The new wine celebrities are young, idealistic, and borderline certifiable.

-- Voodoo Vintners: Oregon's Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers by Katherine Cole. She doesn't pussyfoot around.

I've been interested in learning more about biodynamic winegrowers, especially local ones, ever since I read Rowan Jacobsen chapter on biodynamic wine making in California in American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields, reviewed here.

OSU Press sent this to me and it is definitely a great reminder of what terrific books they turn out.

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

Food Freedom is on Facebook and twitter. Click on the chicken for more information.

Mailbox Monday

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit is hosting in October.  Please go by and visit her wonderful blog. 

Thanks to a stop by my favorite Second Glance bookstore, I have a big stack of new (to me) books, most of them on one or another of my book lists:

The Mandelbaum Gate by Muriel Spark (on the Burgess list)



The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and on the BOMC's Well-Stocked Bookcase list)



Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone (winner of the National Book Award and on the All-TIME Top 100 list)



Monsieur: Or, The Prince of Darkness by Lawrence Durrell (the first book of The Avignon quintet and winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize)



Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell (not on a list, but I loved the cover)



The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope (not on a list, but I am on a Joanna Trollope jag)

Opening Sentence of the Day: Voodoo Vintners

In September 1982, Moe Momtazi sat on a motorcycle with his heart in his throat and his hands gripping the waist of a drug runner.

-- Voodoo Vintners: Oregon's Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers by Katherine Cole. Any book about wine making that starts out like this should be good!

OSU Press sent this to me and it has piqued my interest.  Rowan Jacobsen had a very interesting chapter on biodynamic wine making in California in American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields, reviewed here.  I want to learn more, especially about what is going on here in Oregon.

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Food Freedom is on Facebook and twitter. Click on the chicken for more information.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Real Women, Real Wisdom

In my 61 years on this planet I have come to accept that almost everything can change.

-- from the Introduction to Real Women, Real Wisdom: A Journey into the Feminine Soul by Maureen Hovenkotter, author and editor.

We all belong to someone, or the Great Someone, but we often forget.

-- from "Motherhood and Daughterhood: Love and Goodbye" by Barbara Underwood Scharff, the first essay in the collection.
I only just started the book, but I had the opportunity to meet with many of the women who's essays are published in the collection.  They are a terrific and inspiring group of women and I am very much looking forward to learning their stories.

Maureen Hovenkotter and some of the authors will be at Wordstock in Portland next week.  Stop by to meet them.

THE BOOK: In Real Women Real Wisdom, 17 ordinary yet extraordinary women—most in their 50s and 60s—reflect on the challenges, mysteries and ultimately the triumphs in their lives. Their stories tell of the transformative experiences of loss, suffering, life-threatening illness, recovery, and forgiveness, as well as the quiet moments of reflection that have led to their personal encounters with the Divine. The journeys they share hold great wisdom, hope and inspiration for all who read about them. (Publisher's description.)

THE AUTHOR/EDITOR: Maureen Hovenkotter is one of the 17 authors of the book and the editor of the collection.  She has written about faith and spiritual matters for a number of publications, including The Oregonian, The National Catholic Reporter, St. Anthony Messenger and The Catholic Sentinel. In the fall of 2003, her husband of 33 years was killed in an accident. She wrote about that experience and the subsequent pilgrimage journey to discover herself in 42 States of Grace: A Woman’s Journey (reviewed by me here). She shares her reflections on life and spirituality in her blog, Travelin' with Charlie. The mother of two adult children and grandmother of one, she lives outside of Portland with her golden retriever, Charlie. She is currently enrolled in a formation program to become certified as a spiritual director.

A Few More Pages hosts Book Beginnings every Friday.  The event is open for the entire week.

Opening Sentence of the Day: Girl From the South

Gillon lay in bed with her eyes closed.

-- Girl From the South by Joanna Trollope.

I only reacently started reading Trollope's books and am hooked. This one is particularly interesting because it is split between London and Charleston, South Carolina.

My one, idiosyncratic, gripe is the main character's name -- Gillon.  She is named after a famous street in Charleston. My problem is that I am listening to the audiobook and my name is Gilion (with a hard G and rhymes with "million"). Her name sounds like a very common and, to my ear, unattractive mispronunciation of my own name, causing a tiny, involuntary wince every time I hear it.

Teaser Tuesday: Carry Yourself Back to Me

Cold fog quiets the birds and shifts like hot steam above Lake Windsor to the east.  Minutes earlier hailstones sliced past Annie's bedroom window and skipped off the ground like pearls on concrete, escaping in all directions.

-- Carry Yourself Back to Me by Deborah Reed.

This is my second Teaser Tuesday from this book because I am savoring it. I love it. Annie is a singer-songwriter in central Florida. Her brother is in jail, charged with murder.  Her ex-lover with a new, pregnant wife just showed up on her porch.  Bad memories from her past are resurfacing. This is a great story!

Here is some of the buzz: The author was interviewed om tv yesterday. The book got a Publisher's Weekly review.  It is this month's choice for the From Left to Write Book Club. Library Journal praised the book and called Reed "an author to watch." And there is a sweet country song tie-in by Brush Prairie.

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

Mailbox Monday and Giveaway Winner

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia at A girl and her books (fka The Printed Page), who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

The wonderful Amused by Books is hosting in September. Please visit!

I got one book last week and am also announcing the winner of last week's giveaway.

GIVEAWAY WINNER

Laurel-Rain Snow, the author of several delightful blogs, including Rainy Days and Mondays, as well as her own novels, won a copy of Real Women, Real Wisdom: A Journey into the Feminine Soul by Maureen Hovenkotter, author and editor.

This is a "leap-frog" giveaway, so LRS will also have the opportunity to host her own giveaway for another copy.  And, contrary to what I wrote in the giveaway post, these are final editions, not ARCs. 

THE BOOK: In Real Women Real Wisdom, 17 ordinary yet extraordinary women—most in their 50s and 60s—reflect on the challenges, mysteries and ultimately the triumphs in their lives. Their stories tell of the transformative experiences of loss, suffering, life-threatening illness, recovery, and forgiveness, as well as the quiet moments of reflection that have led to their personal encounters with the Divine. The journeys they share hold great wisdom, hope and inspiration for all who read about them. (Publisher's description.)

THE AUTHOR/EDITOR: Maureen Hovenkotter is one of the 17 authors of the book and the editor of the collection.  She has written about faith and spiritual matters for a number of publications, including The Oregonian, The National Catholic Reporter, St. Anthony Messenger and The Catholic Sentinel. In the fall of 2003, her husband of 33 years was killed in an accident. She wrote about that experience and the subsequent pilgrimage journey to discover herself in 42 States of Grace: A Woman’s Journey (reviewed by me here). She shares her reflections on life and spirituality in her blog, Travelin' with Charlie. The mother of two adult children and grandmother of one, she lives outside of Portland with her golden retriever, Charlie. She is currently enrolled in a formation program to become certified as a spiritual director.

THANKS: Thanks go to Maureen Hovenkotter and Grey Wing Press for providing two copies for this giveaway.

THIS WEEK'S MAILBOX

I got a copy of the darling Cakespy cookbook: Cakespy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life by Jessie Oleson. 

Oleson is the author of the irresistible CakeSpy blog and the book is chock full of recipes, photos, and Oleson's adorable illustrations. 

This has major Christmas gift potential.

State of the Blog: Part Three, the Challenges

Fall is in the air! I am running out of time to finish my challenges.

To keep track of my reading for the year, I like to do quarterly blog assessment posts.  This one takes a look at the challenges I'm working on in 2011. The first part addressed my lists. Part Two dealt with my author lists.

NOTE: If you are working on any of these same challenges, please leave a comment here on on my main challenge post. I would like to read your main challenge pages and any reviews.

CHALLENGES HOSTED BY ROSE CITY READER

I am hosting the two Battle of the Prizes Challenges again in 2011. The challenges run from February 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012.



2011 Battle of the Prizes: American Version

 

Like in past years, this challenge pits National Book Award winners against Pulitzer Prize winners. There are two ways to participate -- either read one book that won the Pulitzer Prize, one that won the National Book Award, and one that won both; or read two Pulizer winners and two National winners.

I'm going with the 4-book option this year.  I've read one of each so far:

• Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, for one of my Pulitzer choices (reviewed here);
• Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, for one of my National Choices (reviewed here).

Possible National Award winners for my second choice:

1. The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck
2. Them by Joyce Carol Oates
3. Morte d'Urban by J.F. Powers
4. The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams (from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program, so I could scratch it off two lists)

 Possible Pulitzer winners for my second choice:

1. One of Ours by Willa Cather
2. Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis

2011 Battle of the Prizes: British Version

Just as in 2010, this challenge is to read books that won the Man Booker Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.  This has the same set up -- either read one winner of each prize and a double-dipper, or read two of each.

I will have to go with the 4-book option, because I've read all three of the double-dippers. So far, I've read:

• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel for a Booker choice (reviewed here);
• Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd for a Black choice (reviewed here).

Other possible Booker picks are:

1. How Late it Was, How Late by James Kelman 
2. Shindler's List by Thomas Keneally

Other possible James Tait Black picks are:

1. The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch
2. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

2011 CHALLENGES I AM PARTICIPATING IN

The challenge titles link to my main challenge posts.

Foodie's Reading Challenge

Margot at Joyfully Retired is hosting a challenge for 2011 that I am very excited about: The Foodie's Reading Challenge!

I signed up at the "Bon Vivant" level to read four to six books.  I've already read four, and will probably read some more before the end of the year. I am on a Food Freedom kick, so food books are stacking up on my nightstand.

So far, I've read:

1. The Food of France by Waverley Root (reviewed here)
2. Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin (reviewed here)
3. American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields by Rowan Jacobsen (reviewed here)
4. The Onmivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (which I haven't reviewed yet, but discussed here)

Others in the running include (in no particular order):

• The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights by David E. Gumpert
• James Beard on Food Delights and Prejudices by James Beard
• On the Town in New York by Michael Batterberry
• Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
• The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley by Elizabeth Romer
• Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl
• Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee
• Epicurean Delight: The Life and Times of James Beard by Evan Jones
• American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields by Rowan Jacobsen
• Vie De France: Sharing Food, Friendship and a Kitchen in the Lorie Valle by James Haller
• French Spirits: A House, a Village, and a Love Affair in Burgundy by Jeffrey Greene
• A Cordiall Water by M. F. K. Fisher
• The Feasting Season by Nancy Coons
• Dumas on Food: Selections from Le Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine by Alexandre Dumas

And it might be a good idea to include this one:

French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano

Chunkster Reading Challenge 

 

Wendy at caribousmom is hosting this fun challenge again this year.  The challenge sign-up post is here.

Since I didn't reach my chunkster goal in 2010, I am scaling down a bit in 2011 and signing up for the "Chubby Chunkster" level this year.  That means reading four books over 450 pages long.

So far, I've only read one chunkster with my eyes. I've read a couple more with my ears, but audiobooks don't count -- the tactility of big fat books is a main point of the challenge.

So far, I overlapped with the Foodie challenge on The Food of France by Waverley Root (reviewed here), is quite the Chunkster.

I'm still planning on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  That's my "big book" for 2011.  I don't know which others will strike my fancy.

The Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge

The Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge is hosted by My Reader's Block.  The goal is to read mysteries written before 1960.  I signed up at the "In a Murderous Mood" level with the goal of reading four to six books, by at least two different authors, by the end of the year.

So far, I have read six, but I only reviewed one. So I have completed the challenge, but in a pretty half-assed way.

1. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthor Conan Doyle
2. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout
4. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers (reviewed here)
5. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
6. Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers 

Birth Year Reading Challenge 2011

I am participating in this challenge, but I keep forgetting to put up a post.  Or to read the books.

But I finally got my hands on a copy of The Anti-Death League by Kingsley Amis (on the Burgess list), so I am going to get at least one candle.

Any ideas for other books published in 1966?

International Anita Brookner Day

I had good intentions for participating in International Anita Brookner Day.  I finished my one book, A Friend From England, but I didn't review it. I hope that Thomas at My Porch hosts the challenge again next year so I can have a second chance.