Life Fail #1: Coloring outside the lines | Author Gayle Forman –
When she was in kindergarten, author Gayle Forman’s teachers thought she might have future trouble with reading and writing because Gayle was “bad” at coloring. Can testing performance turn passions into a chore?
Leave Me
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Every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, and every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention–meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.
Surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: she packs a bag and leaves. But, as is often the case, once we get where we’re going we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from herself and those she loves.
With bighearted characters–husbands, wives, friends, and lovers–who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing the fears we’re all running from. Gayle Forman is a dazzling observer of human nature. She has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head on and asks, what happens when a grown woman runs away from home?
About the Author
Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Elle in the US. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.
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Olivia Rawlings is not having a good day. She’s an award winning pastry chef at an exclusive private club in Boston and is having an affair with her married, much older boss. As she presents a flaming Baked Alaska to the crowded dining room, she sees her boss with his wife and somehow manages to drop the flaming dessert and sets the place on fire.
Refusing to hang around to be fired, she escapes to the small Vermont town of Guthrie, where her best friend Hannah lives. Hannah is thrilled to see her, and finagles her into taking a job at the small B&B. The job comes with a place to stay, and Olivia decides to try it.
Margaret Hurley is her new boss, and she is a cantankerous old lady. Olivia can’t understand why this woman who obviously doesn’t care for her has given her a job. Then she finds out it’s to win the blue ribbon for apple pie at the county fair.
Just down the hill from Livvy’s small cottage is a working farm, and she meets Martin McCracken, the son of the owner who is dying of cancer. Livvy becomes enamored of Martin, but he keeps his distance. Meanwhile she is fitting in just fine to the slow and nosy ways of small town life. Orphaned in high school, Livvy finds herself dredging up her early banjo lessons with her father and playing in a local band. Martin plays the fiddle beautifully, and together – dare I say it? They make beautiful music.
When Martin’s fiancee shows up for his father’s funeral, the day after she finally sleeps with him, Livvy runs away yet again; this time she takes off for Boston. But life catches up with her, and she finds herself returning to Guthrie once more.
This is one of those charming novels that are so hard to come by. I just adored this book and it was a one night read for me. There’s even a recipe for apple pie at the end. I’ll let you know if I make it.
NOTE: This book is from the Pamela Dorman imprint and let me tell you, I will read anything that woman publishes – Jojo Moyes, Nicci French, J. Ryan Stradal, Beth Hoffman, and Laura Lane McNeal. She also publishes Luanne Rice but I haven’t read her yet. Guess I’ll have to add her to the list.
8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller. Pamela Dorman Books (August 9, 2016). ISBN 978-1101981207. 384p.
Audible, The National Archives and Bloomsbury released In Their Own Words, an exclusive audio collection of largely unpublished letters from throughout history. The collection is narrated by some of Britain’s best loved performers and most famous voices, including Miriam Margolyes, Daniel Mays and Martin Shaw.
The letters included span some 500 years and mark iconic moments in history including the start of Nelson Mandela’s trial and Churchill asking Roosevelt for America’s support during WWII.
In Their Own Words: A History in Letters
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AUDIBLE, THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES & BLOOMSBURY DEBUT
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Exclusive collection of lettersfeatures writing from Churchill, Catherine Howard, ‘Jack the Ripper’, the Ford Dagenham women and more
Correspondence narrated by some of Britain’s best loved performers including Miriam Margolyes, Indira Varma, Martin Shaw and Daniel Mays amongst others
London, embargoed until 00:01am 25thAugust 2016 – Audible, The National Archives and Bloomsbury today debut In Their Own Words, an exclusive collection of largely unpublished letters from throughout history. Covering centuries of protest, scandal, cultural revolution and technological innovation the series gives audiences an intimate window into the past, documenting momentous events through personal letters from well-known figures and ordinary citizens alike. Bringing together some of the world’s most shocking, funny and poignant writing, the collection spans some 500 years including everything from Catherine Howard’s adulterous love notes, to the letter that marked the start of Nelson Mandela’s trial.
With around 80 pieces expertly curated by Dr Hester Vaizey, the collection is grouped into six, thematic chapters: ‘Companions, Comrades, Lovers’, ‘Espionage & Deception’, ‘Allies, Diplomacy & Foreign Relations’, ‘Protest, Revolution & Rebellion’, ‘Scandals, Loopholes & Murder’ and ‘Cultural, Technological Change’. Notable highlights include (full contents in Notes to Editors):
– A letter from Churchill to Roosevelt asking for America’s support during WWII
– Letters from the Ford Dagenham women rallying one another to strike for equal pay
– A letter sent to the Houses of Parliament warning MPs of the gunpowder plot
– Letters sent to the Home Office urging for the decriminalization of homosexuality in the 1960s
– Letters lamenting ‘class antagonism’ aboard the Titanic after its fateful maiden voyage
– Cryptic letters sent to the police from ‘Jack The Ripper’
– A letter from Idi Amin to Queen Elizabeth II inviting her to celebrate Ugandan independence
Working with some of Britain’s best loved performers, In Their Own Words has been beautifully brought to life by a BAFTA and Tony award winning cast including Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter), Indira Varma (Game Of Thrones), Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed), Daniel Mays (Mrs Biggs), David Haig (Four Weddings & A Funeral), Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey) and Rhashan Stone (Desmond’s) amongst others (full list in Notes to Editors).
Tracey Markham, UK Country Manager at Audible, said: “We’re thrilled to have worked with the National Archives and Bloomsbury to bring such a unique and compelling collection of letters to life. From Churchill to the Kray Twins, it’s packed with a weird and wonderful selection of writings, narrated by some of Britain’s finest performers. Whether you fancy a bit of history on the way home from work, or want something to make you feel inspired on your morning run, it’s a great listen for every occasion.”
Dr Hester Vaizey, Publishing Manager at The National Archives, said: “Reading old letters can feel like stepping into a time machine, taking us back to the moment when the author set down their thoughts and feelings on paper. Letters contain the full array of human emotions, from love to hate, from fear to excitement. This anthology of letters has been selected from the 126 shelf-miles of documents held in The National Archives and offers a fascinating insight into the lives of men and women who are no longer with us.”
Contents
–Companions, Comrades, Lovers
o Medieval family politics: Letter from Isabelle of Angoulême to Henry VIII
o A doomed queen: Catherine Howard’s letter to her lover Culpepper
o Lean meals for the Earl of Leicester: Elizabeth I drafts a playful thank-you letter
o ‘Slaving during master’s pleasure’: Bonded labour in eighteenth century Maryland
o Britain versus the South Pole: Telegram sent to Captain Oates’ mother announcing his death
o Letter from India: K B W Sharland, 26 July 1917, Pashan Camp, Kirkee, India
o Medals into munitions: The fight at home: Funding the First World War
o An appeal from Pioneer Baggs: A tragic attempt to keep a son from war
o The Caravan Club: Raids on homosexual clubs in the 1930s
o Children of the Overseas Reception Board: The sinking of the SS City of Benares
o ‘Tell her my grief has no end’: Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson: a life, from Guiana to Soho
– Espionage & Deception
o Digging for King and Country: Leonard Woolley and T E Lawrence
o Carl Lody, the spy in the Tower: Letter from a convicted German on the eve of his execution
o From bank clerk to British spy: The origins of Britain’s leading Second World War spy
o Operation Mincemeat: How a dead body deceived the Axis in the Second World War
o Animals and the War effort: GI Joe the hero carrier pigeon
o The Gerson Secret Writing Case: J O Peet and coded correspondence in the Second World War
o The first female British spy: Christine Granville: a female Second World War agent
o Double agents and the Cold War: The disappearance of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean
– Allies, Diplomacy & Foreign Relations
o Reburying the hatchet: The return of Napoleon Bonaparte’s remains to France
o Nationality and naturalisation: Karl Marx’s application to become British citizen refused
o ‘Wonderful things’: Discovering Tutankhamun’s tomb
o The end of ‘peace in our time’: Lord Halifax and the declaration of war
o Operation Pied Piper: what to feed the children?: Government guidelines for caring for evacuated children
o The most unsordid act in history: The origins of Lend-Lease
o Nuclear weapons and the new world order: Letter from Attlee to Truman
o An invitation to the Queen: Idi Amin invites Elizabeth II to celebrate Ugandan independence
– Protest, Revolution & Rebellion
o Braveheart: A letter from the King of France regarding William Wallace
o ‘Terrible blow this Parliament’: A warning about the Gunpowder Plot
o ‘Ye have not yet done as ye ought’: A letter from ‘Captain Swing’ – the agricultural unrest of 1830
o ‘… we may lie and die in a land of plenty …’: Thomas Henshaw’s demand for redress in the ‘Hungry 40s’
o Class antagonism onboard the Titanic: Did your class affect your chances of survival?
o ‘Wrong and wicked punishment’: Sir Douglas Haig defends Field Punishment No. 1
o A letter of farewell to his mother: Patrick Pearse: executed for being a leader of the Easter Rising
o Animals in a cage: Women’s petitions for equal participation in Parliament
o The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: Dedication to the Jewish people of Poland
o The League of Coloured Peoples: The mixed-race babies of the Second World War
o ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’: Notes on the trial of Nelson Mandela
o Sexual Offences Act 1967: The decriminalisation of homosexual acts
o Shooting at the Berlin Wall: The Cold War and the fight to stop the flow of people to the West
o For ‘all women everywhere’: Ford Dagenham women strike for equal pay
– Scandals, Loopholes & Murder
o Can a child be deemed an animal?: The case of James Stannard – child welfare in the 19th century
o Copycat Rippers: Letters to the police from ‘Jack the Ripper’
o A pattern emerges and a serial killer is uncovered: The case of the ‘Brides in the Bath’ murders
o A storm in a whiskey tumbler: Diplomatic drinking in prohibition America
o ‘Impassioned Obscenity’: The Cerne Abbas Giant
o Commander of the death camps: Josef Kramer, commandant of Bergen-Belsen, writes to his wife
o Christine Keeler and Stephen Ward: The scandal that rocked the early 1960s
o ‘The Kray twins done it’: Murder at the Blind Beggar
o ‘One for the pot’: The World Cup is stolen
– Cultural, Technological Change
o The cantankerous father of computing: Charles Babbage and street music noise
o Electric trains: Seashore sabotage
o ‘A flyer capable of carrying a man’: The Wright brothers’ negotiations with the British government
o No women drivers allowed: Men from the London Trades Council threaten to strike
o Disappointed fiancées: The right of married women to work in the civil service
o The introduction of the contraceptive pill: Allowing ‘improper demands’ by women?
o ‘A good thing to be laughed at’: Harold Macmillan approves of his TV satirisation
o Aliens in the Mendip Hills: Correspondence to and from the Ministry of Defence
Narrators
– Miriam Margolyes
– Indira Varma
– Martin Shaw
– Daniel Mays
– David Haig
– Robert Bathurst
– Rhashan Stone
– Arthur Smith
– Stephen Critchlow
– Jessica Dennis
– Nicholas Boulton
– Simon Kane
– Adam Hall
About Audible Ltd.
Audible, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 200,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
About The National Archives
The National Archives is one of the world’s most valuable resources for research and an independent research organisation in its own right. As the official archive and publisher for the UK government, and England and Wales they are the guardians of some of the UK’s most iconic national documents, dating back over 1,000 years. Their role is to collect and secure the future of the government record, both digital and physical, to preserve it for generations to come, and to make it as accessible and available as possible. The National Archives brings together the skills and specialisms needed to conserve some of the oldest historic documents as well as leading digital archive practices to manage and preserve government information past, present and future.
Comments Off on Audible, The National Archives and Bloomsbury debut In Their Own Words | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
Lily grew up in an abusive home; she wasn’t abused, but her father beat her mother on a regular basis and Lily grew to hate him for it. Her escape was watching the Ellen Degeneres show each afternoon, and her way of venting was her journal, but instead of “dear diary” she wrote her journal entries as letters to Ellen instead. She never sent them, of course, but she kept all her journals and considered Ellen a friend, one that basically saved her sanity.
Atlas is homeless teen and he moves into the abandoned house behind Lily’s, and she befriends him. Eventually they fall in love, but Atlas had an uncle who was willing to take him in, so he left the small town in Maine for Boston, and then joined the Marines.
Lily moves to Boston too, starting her own floral business. Her first employee is Allysa, who wanders in and not only becomes Lily’s right hand but also her best friend. It’s only kismet that the most attractive man Lily ever met ends up being Allysa’s brother Ryle. And then Lily runs into Atlas, stirring up those old feelings, but she’s determined to make things work with Ryle.
This is a story about friendship and relationships and abuse and love. Growing up in an abusive home, Lily – like many people – judged her mother for not leaving. But as an adult, when she finds herself in a similar situation, she learns how difficult it is to leave, and why so many women stay.
This was a one night read for me, I couldn’t put it down. These characters were so well drawn that they really brought this story to life. Abuse isn’t always a black and white situation, and Hoover illustrates that beautifully.
The amount of abuse that goes on in this country is absolutely horrifying, and this book may be powerful enough to get even one person to leave, or at least to understand what may be going on in their family or with friends, and that would be a wonderful thing. Either way, the level of compassion and empathy expressed for both the abuser and the victim is refreshing, educational and inspirational.
It Ends with Us is an important and compelling read, and sure to make my best books of the year list. Don’t miss it.
8/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover. Atria Books (August 2, 2016). ISBN 978-1501110368. 384p.
Sister Abegail Ntleko (activist and author of EMPTY HANDS) discusses the path we can take to lead a fuller life, and shares stories from her own journey.
Empty Hands: A Memoir: One Woman’s Journey to Save Children Orphaned by AIDS in South Africa
Empty Hands is the inspiring memoir of Zulu nurse and healthcare activist Sister Abegail Ntleko. Growing up poor in a rural village with a father who didn’t believe in educating girls, against seemingly insurmountable odds Sister Abegail earned her nursing degree and began work as a community nurse and educator, dedicating her life to those in need. “Her story tells us,” says Desmond Tutu, who wrote the foreword to the book, “what a single person can accomplish when heart and mind work together in the service of others.”
Overcoming poverty and racism within the apartheid South African system, she adopted her first child at a time when it was unheard of to do so. And then she did it again and again. In forty years she has taken in and cared for hundreds of children who had nothing, saving babies—many of them orphans whose parents died of AIDS—from hospitals that were ready to give up on them and let them die.
Empty Hands describes the harshness of Ntleko’s circumstances with wit and wisdom in direct, beautifully understated prose and will appeal not only to activists and aid workers, but to anyone who believes in the power of the human spirit to rise above suffering and find peace, joy, and purpose.
“Ntleko’s story, which she tells in simple language, is inspiring and moving. She neither dwells in nor dramatizes the hardships she has faced, preferring instead to focus on ‘fill[ing] her hands with love and then spend[ing] all that love until [her] hands are empty again.’ A brief, genuine, heartfelt memoir of an awe-inspiring life.”—Kirkus Reviews
“A tenaciously hopeful memoir by a South African nurse who mothered hundreds of children orphaned by AIDS, all in the spirit of ubuntu—the Zulu belief that you are only a person because of other people.” —O, the Oprah Magazine
About the Author
Born into extreme poverty in KwaZulu-Natal, Sister Abegail Ntleko overcame tremendous obstacles to obtain an education and become a nurse, eventually becoming one of South Africa’s preeminent community activists. She received an Unsung Heroes of Compassion award presented by the Dalai Lama in 2009. Now 79 years old, Sister Abe has built and managed two orphanages serving hundreds of young people and has helped thousands of children and families affected by HIV. She has also personally adopted and fostered more than 30 children, and her latest project, the Kulungile Care Centre in Underberg, has become home for her large family.
Comments Off on Sister Abegail Ntleko on why we should let go of worry and embrace life | Ramblings | Permalink Posted by Stacy Alesi
The underwater waterfalls of Mauritius – an effect caused by sand runoff into a deeper underwater rift – have always been a fascination. But when the falls begin to grow rapidly and local marine wildlife begins dying off in droves, environmental activists worldwide become concerned. Carrie Anderson, a well-known free diver and marine biologist, is part of a team investigating the incident. Their hope is to understand exactly what’s causing the massive growth of the falls and determine the ramifications if that growth continues.
When a routine dive results in the death of her diving partner, Carrie is the first to admit that she herself was lucky to have survived. But giving voice to exactly what went wrong is more difficult than it might seem. See, Carrie witnessed and experienced something she can’t quite explain. Something that defies everything she’s ever experienced in her dives before. Something so potentially terrifying that it could mean devastating results for everyone.
But she’ll need proof if she’s to have any hope of getting people to listen.
Unknown terrors from the deepest depths of the ocean… Brian Keene’s latest seemed like it would be the perfect summer horror read. Unfortunately, Pressure doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
The story and characters are quite thin. There’s no science, no development of the plot, and no atmosphere. Nautical-based horror should have tons of atmosphere, in my opinion. And as someone with major fears of open water, I’m pretty easy to satisfy in that regard. As for the characters, most of them get a few lines of backstory and that’s about it. No fleshing out, no emotion, and nothing to connect the reader to them and make us care about what happens.
There is, in spite of all of that, a certain amount of simple fun to Pressure. If you’re willing to forgo rich detail and simply appreciate the fact that it’s short and doesn’t require a whole lot of attention or thought. And that’s fine sometimes. I simply hoped for – and expected – something more from Keene.
8/16 Becky LeJeune
PRESSURE by Brian Keene. Thomas Dunne Books (June 21, 2016). ISBN: 978-1250071347. 288p.
Andrew Gross has written probably the most moving novel that I have read.
To say that it is an emotional roller coaster is the truth, but does not do it the justice it deserves. The book involves a lengthy look at the real horrors of a Nazi concentration camp and the daily struggle of the people trapped there just to somehow survive.
I am a fan of Mr. Gross, and in my opinion this novel is far and away the best work among many good works that he has given us.
In 1944, Alfred Mendl is taken away from his family in Poland, and along with many others is sent to a men’s concentration camp. His notes and papers on his work are taken from him and destroyed. The Nazis have no idea that they confiscated work that only one other person in the world has, and which when combined with work done by other scientists could start a war – or win one.
Nathan Blum, a Polish Jew who has successfully escaped from Poland but was forced to leave his family behind to be slaughtered, has certain requisite qualities that make him the ideal man for a scheme to rescue Mendl from the camp. He is Semitic in appearance, speaks both Polish and German. He is assigned to desk work for the U.S. army in Washington but desperately wants to do something more important for the war effort. The plan to rescue Mendl involves actually breaking into the camp he is at, and bringing him out to be sent to the United States to work with the scientists currently at work attempting to build a nuclear weapon. To be successful there must be an almost impossible combination of events that occur.
There is not one single way to put down the book without finishing it, and the reader arrives at a surprising end literally drained of emotion. Vivid descriptions of the horrors prevalent in the camp cannot fail to stir any reader who has only experienced the Holocaust through reading history. Andrew Gross brings us there and creates an ambience that will stay for quite a while.
8/16 Paul Lane
THE ONE MAN by Andrew Gross. Minotaur Books (August 23, 2016). ISBN 978-1250079503. 432p.
Many years ago I learned a speed reading technique of sorts. It’s not for reading books, but rather looking at books. As a librarian, we get in tons of new books every day and there is no way to read them all. But this technique, that started out as How to Read a Book in Five Minutes then progressed to Ten Minutes, is very helpful at getting a good feel for a book.
I decided to test it out and asked a co-worker, Barbara, to pick out five romances that she was very familiar with, since I hadn’t read a romance in probably twenty years. I locked myself in a room and spent about an hour using this technique and looking at these books. Then I sat down with Barbara and told her about each of the books. We were both astounded at how much I got out of these ten minute reads.
Spring forward a few years and I’m in library school, where my professor assigns us to read a book out of our comfort zone. I chose a romance, again because back then I wasn’t reading any. The book I selected was NATURAL BORN CHARMER, the winner of the American Library Association Genre Fiction Award as the Outstanding Romance of 2007. As I was reading it, I kept thinking it seemed so familiar yet I knew I had never read it. The further I went, the more it kept gnawing at me until I finally realized that one of those ten minute reads was by this same author.
I loved that book and by now I think I’ve read all her books, so I’m always excited when she has a new one. The Chicago Stars series is like most romance series, it is completely unnecessary to read them in any kind of order, they all stand alone beautifully. The series centers around the fictional Chicago Stars football team and each book is about one of the team. Phillips writes smart, sexy books that have a lot of humor, and I would say she is my favorite contemporary romance writer.
First Star I See Tonight is another excellent addition to the series and it has one of the prettiest covers Phillips has ever had.
Cooper Graham was the star quarterback for the Stars, and for some reason, a woman is following him. Piper Dove is that woman and she is determined to live up to her father’s legacy and become a top notch private detective. Except Graham spots her, so she improvises, telling him she’s actually his stalker, albeit a harmless one. And that my friends, is the “meet cute.”
Graham is newly retired from football, and has opened up an exclusive, swanky night club. He eventually hires Piper, ostensibly to help out with security – but she quickly becomes his bodyguard, not that he thinks he needs one. They are a great couple, but face a lot of bumps along the way. But this is a romance and a happy ending is required, and Phillips does not disappoint. Another winner in the Chicago Stars series, and a terrific read. I loved it.
8/16 Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™
FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. William Morrow (August 23, 2016). ISBN 978-0062405616. 384p.
Tyler Knott Gregson (author of ALL THE WORDS ARE YOURS) discusses how aspects of living in Montana pull him away from his writing, including animals and the weather.
ALL THE WORDS ARE YOURS
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Here starts the journey
Every day for the past six years, Tyler Knott Gregson has written a simple haiku about love, and posted it online. These heartfelt poems have attracted a large and loyal following around the world. This highly anticipated follow-up to Chasers of the Light, presents Tyler’s favorites, some previously unpublished, accompanied by his signature photographs, which capture the rich texture of daily life.
This vibrant collection reveals the intimate reflections of one of poetry’s most popular new voices — honest, vulnerable, generous, and truly present in the gift that is each moment.
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