Rebel ReviewsRebel Reviews -http://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2013-06-10T16:29:12ZSquarespaceKindle: Love or Hate?http://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2012/10/25/kindle-love-or-hate.htmlSherri Caldwell2012-10-25T16:48:55Z2012-10-25T16:48:55Z
The Kindle Quandary
I’m not at all sure that I love my Kindle, or the whole concept of e-books. Yes, it is likely to save trees, and that’s super, but, as a reader, as a writer, as a published author*...I LOVE books. I love the feel of the pages, the covers, hard or soft, the graphic presentation. I love placing a bookmark between the pages and seeing where I am, how far along, how far to go. I love being able to flip back to a certain part, or sneak-peek ahead.
[*My book, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss (Conari Press, 2004) -- a fabulous holiday gift idea for the ladies, by the way! -- just came out on Kindle, so I may be evolving "as a published author."]
It was my fellow Midtown Atlanta Book Group members who finally convinced me I should check out a Kindle, maybe. They all started showing up with e-readers at our book group meetings, touting how wonderful it was, in terms of portability and convenience. Being Midtowners and urban city-dwellers, a majority of our book group members reside in condos, where physical space is at a premium. The #1 factor motivating my friends in the move to Kindle was space-saving: "I can fit a thousand books on this thing, instead of trying to make more room on my shelves!"
Space: A Compelling Argument, Indeed
While I don’t like having to get rid of books I don’t want to keep, I do relish putting a much-loved book up on the shelf, finding space, jamming it in, knowing it will be there for me when I want to read it again. I also value the ability to share a treasure, once found, and lend a good book to a friend. It can be challenging to lend (or borrow) an e-book, especially if my lendee doesn’t have a compatible e-reader.
Two Things I Do Like About Kindle:
1) Reading in bed, without disturbing my Prince Charming; and
2) Instant access...
I have been known, when catching up on series fiction especially (i.e. Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, etc. -- erm, obviously, with my kids!) to be so desperate at the end of one book to get my hands on the next, I will dash out to the bookstore to satisfy that horrible sense of withdrawal. With the Kindle, of course, as soon as I finish one book, I have instant access to thousands of possibilities for the next great read, with a click and a credit card, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, holidays included. That is pretty wonderful.
However, the caveat of instant access is this: I am cheap and I like buying books at a discount, even if it’s just the usual 40% off on Amazon.com. Granted, the Kindle prices and the paperback prices on Amazon are usually fairly close -- and the Kindle prices, compared to the $25 - $30 cost of new hardcover books, are definitely a better deal. And it is instant.
After years of ignoring and avoiding the e-readers, I received a fancy Kindle Fire for Christmas last year. (An e-reader is an excellent holiday or birthday gift for a bibliophile.) I tried it. I hated it. The Kindle Fire was too much for me -- too much money to be hauling around in my bag; too heavy to hold up and read at night; too redundant with all the internet capabilities of my iPhone; too many distractions; too fancy. I traded it in for a Kindle Basic with a lighted cover – barebones e-reading, and I liked it -- better, anyway.
I thought I might start buying my book group books on Kindle to read at night, and try and get used to the digital highlighting and notes capabilities. So far, I have read two book group books on Kindle: Shantaram (the book was 900+ pages) and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; but then I had to go buy the paperback of Henrietta Lacks for the pictures and review work that I ended up doing on that book. My daughter wanted to read it, too. (We are on the fence about getting a 15-year-old a Kindle, but I would in a minute if it meant she could access her textbooks and not have to carry 5+lb books back and forth to school in her overloaded backpack.)
I do think an e-reader is the perfect gift for a voracious reader. With my birthday coming up (October 27th, in case you were wondering!), I might even be willing to consider an upgrade, with the lighter, faster, less-expensive Kindle Family available now. Still, I have to admit to an ongoing love-hate relationship with the Kindle, on a book-by-book basis.
We'll see how the story develops...
]]>BOOK GROUP REVIEWS: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lackshttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2012/8/8/book-group-reviews-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks.htmlSherri Caldwell2012-08-08T19:45:46Z2012-08-08T19:45:46Z
[Trade Paperback, 381 pages, $16.00 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com]
Midtown Atlanta Book Group Rating: ★★★★☆
Non-Fiction: Science/Biography
August 2012 Selection
"Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and a multimillion-dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same."
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was one of our book group's best books and discussions in six years of reading together, which says a lot, because we've read 72 really great books! [Take a look: Books We Have Read. See?!]
Although some readers are hesitant to jump in because of the science -- HeLa cells, really?! -- scientists and non-scientists alike enjoyed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The success of the book (and the forthcoming movie from Oprah Winfrey) is due in large part to the author's deftly balanced approach to a remarkable story, offering a unique and fascinating blend of technical writing in layman's terms and tragic human interest with the family history. Rebecca Skloot manages to fulfill the expectations of both groups, leading to great discussion and debate about informed consent and the evolution of ethics and procedure in medical science and research; scientific advances v. privacy and rights of the individual, family and heirs; and contribution v. compensation.
Henrietta Lacks was a poor, black woman with five children, living in Baltimore in the 1940s. In 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital removed cancer cells from Henrietta's cervix, without her knowledge or consent, which was not at all unusual at the time. Henrietta died from the cancer several months later, but those cancer cells didn't die. Henrietta's unwitting contribution to science was to provide the first successful surviving human cell line that, when divided and multiplied, billions of times over, became the basis for many advances in medical science, based on research, study, trials and use of the so-designated HeLa cells.
The tragedy at the heart of this story is that for twenty years, Henrietta's husband and children did not know about her surviving cells, or the multibillion-dollar they facilitated. The family mourned the loss of wife and mother. One of the daughters had been institutionalized in a mental hospital, where she died at age 15. The other children were farmed out to relatives, abused and neglected. They grew to adulthood in abject poverty. Even after they learned about their mother's contribution to science, the family never had access to basic care, education or health insurance, much less the medical advances or medications their mother's cells helped create.
Interest in HeLa, and the tragic story behind the cells, led young writer Rebecca Skloot to begin researching Henrietta's biography. Although the family was initially resistant and suspicious of her interest, Skloot connected with Henrietta's only surviving daughter, Deborah, in 2000. Together, they went through the history, interviewed doctors, researchers and family members, and traveled into the past to piece together the science of HeLa and the biography of Henrietta Lacks. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was published, to instant critical acclaim, in 2010.
The Midtown Atlanta Book Group at Barnes & Noble/Georgia Tech LOVED The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks with a group rating of 4 out of 5 Stars.
]]>Book Group: Books We Have Readhttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2012/7/24/book-group-books-we-have-read.htmlSherri Caldwell2012-07-24T18:22:56Z2012-07-24T18:22:56Z
Coming Up:
June 2013 (06/12/2013) - Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
July 2013 (07/10/2013) - Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Month of the CLASSIC!
August 2013 (08/14/2013) - Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones
January - New Year/New Beginnings
February - Romance/Anti-Romance
March - Memoir/Biography
April - International/Travel - Non-Fiction
May - Ladies' Choice
June - For The Men - Adventure/Manly
July - MONTH OF THE CLASSIC
August - Beach Read/Humor
September - Back to School/Non-Fiction
October - Spooky
November - History/Ancient History
December - Comfort Food/Feel Good
]]>MOVIES: GAME CHANGE on HBOhttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2012/3/5/movies-game-change-on-hbo.htmlSherri Caldwell2012-03-05T17:25:34Z2012-03-05T17:25:34Z
Recently, at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, HBOFilms, in partnership with The Atlanta Press Club and XFINITY, hosted the Atlanta premiere of the movie GAME CHANGE. The screening was followed by a reception and discussion with writer and co-executive producer, Danny Strong.
GAME CHANGE, based on the best-selling book, stars Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, Ed Harris as John McCain and Woody Harrelson as McCain's Senior Campaign Strategist, Steve Schmidt. The movie is a fascinating inside view of the 2008 McCain/Palin campaign. Much like the movie TITANIC -- spoiler alert! -- we all know the ending going in, but that does not detract from the gripping intensity of GAME CHANGE, as we follow the singular story of an unknown political maverick thrust into the national spotlight of a presidential campaign.
GAME CHANGE follows the campaign from the surprising choice of Sarah Palin as vice presidential running mate to immediate challenges of her candidacy; from super-size ego to stunning ignorance; through the nation's economic collapse in the last months of the campaign; to Palin's self-implosion, near-breakdown and remarkable resurgence as an enduring national political figure.
The movie allows a sympathetic, yet realistic, perspective of Sarah Palin, John McCain and the failed presidential campaign. Julianne Moore gives a brilliant performance, transforming completely into Sarah Palin -- the wardrobe, the hair, the accent and mannerisms. Ed Harris offers a memorable John McCain. Woody Harrelson anchors the movie, in one of his best performances, as the hard-edged, incredulous political operative trying to salvage the McCain campaign.
The triumph of GAME CHANGE is that it is not a political movie, not a dry documentary or any sort of campaign promotion. GAME CHANGE is a unique glimpse of the process of politics and campaigning in the United States in the Media Age, highlighting moments of humanity and absurdity -- a thoroughly enjoyable movie, whatever your political persuasion.
GAME CHANGE premieres on HBO EAST Saturday, March 10th at 9pm ET and ON DEMAND starting March 12, 2012. More info online: HBO: GAME CHANGE]]>NEW Goody Doublewear Ponytailer + Bracelet = Brilliant!http://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2011/11/27/new-goody-doublewear-ponytailer-bracelet-brilliant.htmlSherri Caldwell2011-11-27T14:34:37Z2011-11-27T14:34:37Z
[Disclosure: Yes, this is a blatantly promotional review...at my urgent request (because I couldn't find them in stores yet), Goody graciously sent a Goody Box of the NEW DoubleWEAR Ponytailer/Bracelets and Headwrap/Necklaces for Rebel Review.
The following anecdote is all true...]
Blessed with long hair and lots of it, 14yo Drama Queen and I are the Ponytail Princess and Ponytail Queen, respectively -- always stylish, of course, but with the ever-present hairband(s) on the wrist to instantly transform into our alter-ego ponytail fashionistas, when it gets hot or windy or it's time to pull all that mess back and really get to work.
As seen in PEOPLE Magazine recently: "FINALLY A HAIR ELASTIC BAND ABLE TO DISGUISE ITSELF AS A BRACELET."
I have been waiting for this for years...honestly.
I ripped the ad out (as I often do)(it is my own magazine), in hot pursuit of this fabulous new product...more excited than I should be, about hairbands, but if you constantly have an elastic on your wrist, clashing with jewelry or unintentionally looking like a kabbalah devotee (if it's red)...you understand.
As I mentioned, it's a brand-new product I couldn't find in the stores and I was too excited to wait, so my friends at Newell Rubbermaid, right here in Atlanta (parent company), sent me The Box with four sets of ponytailers (silver & gold) and two sets of headwraps (headbands) to test drive. And we did.
I love, Love, LOVE the ponytailer, which is simply a black elastic band with a two-inch metal tube on it, in silver or gold, three different metal patterns. When you wear the three bands together, it makes a very attractive layered bracelet, so simple, yet elegant. You could wear these as bracelets with just about anything. When you need a hairband, you take one or more off and wrap your ponytail just like normal, sliding the metal tube around to the top. Brilliant!
The headband/necklace is a great idea, too, and my 14yo Drama Queen has been wearing them all over -- a perfect accent to her casual Skater Grrrl style. The headbands come two to a package, one silver and one gold: a much larger black elastic, with a 5" curved metal tube. It makes an attractive choker necklace (single or double) and slides up to be a pretty headband. I haven't quite got the hang of it, and it's a little tight for my comfort, both on my neck and around my head, but headbands always are uncomfortable for me. Drama and I were quite happy to divvy out the bracelets to Mom and the necklaces/headbands to Dear Daughter.
The Goody Doublewear Ponytailer/Bracelets and Headwrap/Necklaces are now available in stores everywhere, including Target and Wal-Mart...go get you some! (Great stocking stuffers!)
[You can see more images, and a beautiful model (much better photographic quality, I mean) showing them on the Goody website: www.goody.com.]
]]>BOOKS: Life at The Edge and Beyondhttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2011/10/2/books-life-at-the-edge-and-beyond.htmlSherri Caldwell2011-10-02T15:30:16Z2011-10-02T15:30:16Z"An amazing book for a very special audience..."
[Paperback, 208 pages, $19.95 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com]
I recently met Jan Greenman in the Facebook community: Parenting Aspergers Children - Support Group. She mentioned her book in a conversation thread. I researched and ordered the book on Amazon.com. While I waited for Life on The Edge to arrive, I friend-requested Jan and we had (and continue to enjoy) a wonderful conversation. We hit it off immediately, with the instant recognition of kindred spirits and shared experience.
Life at the Edge and Beyond: Living With ADHD and Asperger Syndrome is an amazing book for a very special audience -- a must read for anyone involved in bringing up a child on the Autistic Spectrum. It is an extremely personal, brutally honest memoir of one family's 18-year journey through the dark forest of having a child who is different, knowing something is "wrong" -- having no idea what -- and the agonizing challenges of education, "expert" advice and opinion, evaluations, labels, diagnoses and often-conflicting recommendations.
From Chapter 11 - Friend or Foe: "Of course every man and his dog has the answer. 'Give him to me for a week and I'll sort him out.' Yeah, right, it's a lifetime's job. Or the more subtle approach, but nonetheless deadly, 'If I were you I would just ignore him, he'll soon get fed up.' If only. Do you think I haven't tried ignoring, tried everything? (Including head-butting him once in sheer and utter frustration.) The hardest thing, as Luke's mum, has been to understand at an instinctive level that his behavior was and is a part of him. And then to juggle that understanding with the confusion, damage and embarrassment that his behavior presents both to him and us, all on a few hours' sleep and with next to no professional help whatsoever in our daily lives."
For many years, Jan and her family struggled from one crisis to the next, feeling like there was no help available, no protection for the mother or younger sister as Luke grew increasingly frustrated, aggressive and violent toward himself and others. Life at The Edge is hard to read in places -- disturbing, even -- as this is the real-life story of a brave mother's fierce love, desperation and advocacy for her child. Jan tells their story with warmth and humor, with a practical edge of hard-won wisdom. At the end of each chapter, she offers practical tips and includes honest experience and insight from Luke and his younger sister, Abbi.
Luke's Tip, page 83: "It was a big relief for me to know that I had another label which explained my confusion and my difference. I knew I was different under the skin and I felt really lonely. When I knew that my loneliness had a name it made such a difference. I tell people that I have Asperger Syndrome. It explains why I behave differently sometimes."
For the parent of a child with similar diagnoses, there is so much here that is familiar and heartbreaking, from difficult social interactions to obsessions to sensory issues and resistance to change; breakdowns and breakthroughs. Parenting a child with any sort of disability or difference is challenging…and often lonely. As my friend Jan Greenman explains: "We belong to a different family. One that we wouldn't choose to belong to, but one that understands, really understands and the relief is enormous." Indeed.
Update: Luke is now 19 years old. He has been able to overcome some of the limitations of Aspergers and ADHD to advocate for himself and others in the Autistic community. He is an extraordinary young man and now serves as a young ambassador for Ambitious about Autism in the UK. Enjoy this 8-minute interview with Luke and his Mum -- you'll be glad you did:
]]>BOOKS: 7-Day Menu Planner for DUMMIEShttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2010/12/18/books-7-day-menu-planner-for-dummies.htmlSherri Caldwell2010-12-18T15:44:59Z2010-12-18T15:44:59Z"New-NEW Culinary Classic...NOT Just For Dummies!"
[Paperback, 342 pages, $19.99 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com]
Being a woman "of a certain age" and married for 20+ years, I have been cooking for a long time. I admit, I am far from gourmet: I don't specialty shop; I don't watch the TV cooking shows or reality shows starring angry chefs and their desperate-to-please minions; glossy gourmet food and recipe magazines make me nervous.
I do have skills. I have one small shelf of cookbooks in my kitchen. I can cover the basics, having more or less successfully fed and nourished a healthy family of five for some time now. Culled from a 25-year-old, well-worn copy of the cooking classic: BETTY CROCKER'S COOKBOOK (1987), family magazines and, in more recent years, recipe searches on AllRecipes.com for the iPhone and iPad, I have compiled my very own cookbook: a mish-mash of photocopies, hand-written classics and typed recipes, all carefully preserved in plastic page protectors and haphazardly "filed" in a white, plastic-coated (easy wipe!), 3-ring binder.
However, having said all of that:
Even with my vast and very practical culinary knowledge and experience, I love, Love, LOVE Susan Nicholson's 7-DAY MENU PLANNER FOR DUMMIES. An instant new-NEW classic, this book should be a treasured kitchen bible for every man, woman or young adult trying to prepare and serve nutritious, delicious, affordable and do-able meals for a family, couple or even healthy meals for one.
Susan Nicholson is a registered dietitian and creator of the 7-Day Menu Planner newspaper column, featured in major newspapers and in online syndication, too. She is a culinary professional and a talented writer with a lot of experience and a great sense of humor, which makes 7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies more than just another cookbook.
7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies gives you a year's worth of weekly dinner idea and recipes that "take about 30 minutes to prepare, contain an average of 30 percent calories from fat, and use common ingredients to save time and money." It is a well-organized and simple roadmap for menu planning, offering great recipes, practical instruction and tips, and a very consistent weekly plan of coordinated dinners: Family Night; Kid's Night (not just for children!); Express Meal; Budget Night; Heat and Eat; Meatless Night; and Easy Entertaining. I love the fact that the week's meals are coordinated to use ingredients in common and a central philosophy of reduce, re-use, recycle and re-format throughout the week's plan. (Trust me, not repetitious, you will not get bored!)
7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies makes planning and preparing meals less of a chore and more fun: simple, easy, quick, healthy and delicious. Whether you are an old pro in the kitchen or a culinary "noob" (as my kids say), make room on your cookbook shelf for a new classic:
]]>BOOK GROUP REVIEWS: The Last Town on Earthhttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2010/9/26/book-group-reviews-the-last-town-on-earth.htmlSherri Caldwell2010-09-26T22:55:46Z2010-09-26T22:55:46Z"Start of a Great Discussion..."
[Trade Paperback, 432 pages, $15.00 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com]
Midtown Atlanta Book Group Rating: ★★★☆☆
Historical Fiction: WWI, Flu Epidemic, Pacific Northwest
September 2010 Selection
"The Last Town on Earth centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever."
Although the book itself turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, with a group
rating of 2.75 (out of 5), the meeting and discussion of THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH by Thomas
Mullen was terrific!
The group loved the concept of this book, the subject(s) (flu epidemic, labor
movement, utopian communities, nationalism, WWI, draft dodging, etc.), the context of historical
fiction and the setting...although that was qualified a bit, as our retired History professor questioned (paraphrased): "How realistic was this setting at this time and place?" Good
question--and it was interesting to try and determine where the fictional town
of Commonwealth might have existed on the map of Washington State.
The disappointment in the book was mainly that it seemed amateurish: the
author's first novel, he brought in a lot of interesting ideas, details and
characters...but the characters were flat and plot development was forced, as if
the author was trying to get everything in and use all his writerly techniques
and strategies, but didn't come out as well as we would have hoped.
Even so, THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH led to an engaging and interesting group discussion about WWI and events of that timeframe on the home front. Sometimes it is the books we don't love that lead to great conversation and debate. After all, that's kind of the point, isn't it?
]]>BOOKS: How to Buy a Love of Readinghttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2010/9/12/books-how-to-buy-a-love-of-reading.htmlSherri Caldwell2010-09-12T20:50:03Z2010-09-12T20:50:03Z"Extraordinary Coming-of-Age for Modern-Age..."
[Paperback, 389 pages, $15.00 U.S. - Review copy provided by publisher.]
"Carley wanted to feel a story, be in it the way TV let you--laugh and cry and not analyze--instead of think it the way...every English teacher she'd ever had said you had to do with books." -- page 109
I loved the concept of this book: Nouveau riche parents in a wealthy (fictitious) enclave of Long Island hire an author to live-in and write a novel for their dear daughter's Sweet Sixteen -- to, literally, buy her a love of reading (since she's a reality-TV junkie and "never met" a book she liked), and also to impress the Joneses in their exclusive, incredibly snobbish community.
As a parent, author, teacher and book fanatic, I appreciate the challenge of engaging the electronic media generation in an appreciation of -- even a cursory interest in! -- the written word. So I loved the concept. I read the book. I hated the book. At first.
Initially, I was thrown off by the upscale setting and tabloid lifestyle, the blatant image-consciousness and stereotypes of horrible adults and their spoiled offspring. It was so overdone (I hoped). The characters were so cruel to each other, relationships and circumstances so messed up and dysfunctional. The book-within-a-book and reality-TV scenarios were so layered and complicated. I hated it. However, by the end of the first read, I was drawn in by the characters, especially 16-year-old Carley, her tenuous self-image and her tragic relationship with her golden-boy best friend/object of lust and devotion, Hunter Cay.
In 10 years of reading and reviewing books, I have never done this, but I gave it a second go and as I re-read, I loved it. The second time through, reading with a different perspective, thinking of kids these days, I understood better who the characters were and where the author was taking them. I found it quite brilliant.
How to Buy a Love of Reading is a coming-of-age novel for the modern-age: Books v. TV v. Life. Although our main character, in the beginning, hates books, she spends a great deal of her time in a world of make-believe and re-editing, what she calls "Afterstories," where she can re-work the plot of her life and make things work out the way she wants. Carley's great breakthrough comes when she begins to understand other people and life through the stories they offer the world, whether written or not.
In the end, I love Carley, her friends and mentors (but not the adults/parents in her world): three damaged writers and a girl who hates books, but loves TV, especially reality-TV.
"i get ur point about how people can't save each other for real.
but I still think we need stories that tell us we can.
Just so we won't stop trying."
-- Carley, page 351
]]>BOOK GROUP REVIEWS: The Lost Cityhttp://www.rebelhousewife.com/rebel-reviews/2010/6/12/book-group-reviews-the-lost-city.htmlSherri Caldwell2010-06-12T14:45:23Z2010-06-12T14:45:23Z"South American Adventure...a great pick!"
THE LOST CITY
by Henry Shukman
(Vintage Books/Random House, 2007)
[Paperback, 321 pages, $15.95 U.S. - Buy for less at Amazon.com]
Midtown Atlanta Book Group Rating: ★★★☆☆
Fiction: Adventure
(June selection in honor of Father's Day)
Jackson Small, a 21 year-old British ex-soldier, amateur artist/adventurer, wanders down to Peru to search out lost civilizations, and somehow find himself, in the jungles of South America. The Lost City is a contemporary adventure set in the very remote mountainous regions of Peru, where drug lords and shady government/military operatives vie for power and economic control. Jackson has suffered tragedy and breakdown in his young life, but manages to find romance and unexpected, even surprising, success in his quest. Supported by a cast of unusual characters, aided by covert, and often ambiguous, forces of good and evil, very little is as it seems -- or as it is represented -- in The Lost City.
In general, Midtown Atlanta Book Group enjoyed The Lost City, particularly the lush descriptive writing and skillful use of words that offers an almost-poetic portrait of a country and culture we have not read about before. The characters are colorful, if at times the action and sequence of events is implausible. Overall, The Lost City is characterized by flashes of brilliance -- descriptions, characters, message -- muddled in ambiguity and a lack of story architecture.
As a book group selection, The Lost City led to great discussion and offered something different for a very diverse group -- a great pick!
Next Month: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton
with THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton for extra credit!
[July is the annual Month of The Classic for Midtown Atlanta Book Group]
;)
;)
- PARTS 4 & 5 - by Gregory David Roberts
by Eleanor Brown - Rated 2.75 / 5 Stars
by Jennifer Egan - Rated 3.4 / 5 Stars
by Beryl Markham - Rated 3.4 / 5 Stars
by Tatiana de Rosnay - Rated 3.2 / 5 Stars
by Ken Kesey - Unrated
by David Sedaris - Rated 2 / 5 Stars NEW *LOW*
by Erik Larson - Rated 4 / 5 Stars
by Agatha Christie - Rated 3.6 / 5 Stars
by Mario Varga Llosa - Rated 3.7 / 5 Stars
by Colum McCann - Rated 3.6 / 5 Stars
by Ernest Hemingway - Rated 3.4 / 5 Stars
by Tim O'Brien - Rated 4.25 / 5 Stars
by Kathryn Stockett - Rated 3.5 / 5 Stars
by Norah Vincent - Rated 2.4 / 5 Stars - *LOW*
by Stacy Schiff - Rated 3.8 / 5 Stars
by Paul Harding - Rated 2.8 / 5 Stars
by Hilary Mantel - Rated 3.125 / 5 Stars
by Harper Lee - Rated 4.4 / 5 Stars
- Rated 3 / 5 Stars
by Daniel Stashower - Rated 2.79 / 5 Stars
by Thomas Mullen - Rated 2.75 / 5 Stars (REVIEW)
by Tom Robbins - Rated 3.25 out of 5 Stars
by Edith Wharton - 4.5 / 5 Stars - NEW *HIGH*
by Edith Wharton)
by Henry Shukman - Rated 3.15 / 5 Stars (REVIEW)
by Jonathan Safran Foer - 2.5 / 5
by Greg Mortenson - Rated 4.1 / 5 Stars (REVIEW)
by Zora Neale Hurston - 4.2 / 5 *HIGH*
F. O'Conner - 3.5 / 5 Stars
by Annie Proulx - Rated 3.8 / 5 Stars!
by Elizabeth Strout - Rated 3.7 / 5 Stars
by Stieg Larsson - Rated 3.5 / 5 Stars
by Mary Roach - 2.6 / 5 Stars
by Aravind Adiga - Rated 3.2 / 5 Stars
by Peter Matthiessen
by William Faulkner
by Barack Obama
by Geraldine Brooks
by Junot Diaz
by Markus Zusak
by Jhumpa Lahiri
by Mohsin Hamid
by Cormac McCarthy
by Arthur Miller
by Nathan McCall
by Amanda Foreman
by Jane Austen
by Robert Pirsig
by Joshilyn Jackson (REVIEW)
by Madeleine Albright
by Ian McEwan
by Irene Nemirovsky
by Gariel Garcia Marquez
by Rajaa Alsanea
by David Fulmer *SPECIAL GUEST AUTHOR*
by Diane Setterfield
by Salman Rushdie (REVIEW)
by Jeffrey Eugenides - *A FAVORITE*
by Gustave Flaubert - *WE LOVE OUR JULY CLASSICS*
by Kiran Desai
by John Banville - *MAN BOOKER PRIZE*
by J.R. Moehringer (REVIEW)
by T. Egan (REVIEW)
by Anita Diamant
by David McCullough
by Audrey Niffenegger
by Claire Messud
by Catherine Texier
by Geraldine Brooks
Recently, at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, HBOFilms, in partnership with The Atlanta Press Club and XFINITY, hosted the Atlanta premiere of the movie GAME CHANGE. The screening was followed by a reception and discussion with writer and co-executive producer, Danny Strong.
(1987), family magazines and, in more recent years, recipe searches on AllRecipes.com for the iPhone and iPad, I have compiled my very own cookbook: a mish-mash of photocopies, hand-written classics and typed recipes, all carefully preserved in plastic page protectors and haphazardly "filed" in a white, plastic-coated (easy wipe!), 3-ring binder.