GONE GIRL: A NOVEL (2012)

Sunday's paper had three mentions of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl: A Novel and then the magazine I flipped through recommended it as well. Catching up today with Entertainment Weekly, I discovered another article and interview with the author in the Summer Double Issue. Does that seem like a rather insistent message from the universe to you? I mean, I already had ordered Gone Girl to download to my Kindle Fire pre-pub and it has been waiting for my attention ever since.

So I started to read today and am already engrossed and fascinated. The tale is told in two very distinct voices: that of Amy through her earlier journals juxtaposed with Nick's insistence on the facts of the present. Who should the reader believe?

Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Years ago I read Michael Tucker's first book I Never Forget a Meal: An Indulgent Reminiscence and remembered enjoying it. Our lives had some parallels growing up on the East Coast and attending the same college studying theater so I was curious.

All this spurred me to read his first novel After Annie, which just came out this year, about imagined lives based on his relationship with his wife, Jill Eikenberry. Click HERE for what I had to say!

And if that wasn't enough, I requested from my local library Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy, which he wrote in 2007. As one person said in a review, don't read this while you are hungry!

Doesn't everyone share that dream of moving to another country and finding a new life? Most of us will never act out that dream but we can experience it vicariously through charming memoirs like this book. I found the bits and pieces shared concerning the difficulties of the acting professional interesting and have found a new appreciation for Italian food, with which Michael Tucker is seriously in love. The people he meets, the discoveries he makes about Italy, and his love of life in general make this great fun.

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The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size by Julia Cameron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been thinking about loosing weight for years with the results you would expect. None.

For some reason, Julia Cameron's book and her emphasis on writing resonated with me and I have lost over twenty pounds since last fall. But the most extraordinary thing is that I have become more creative. And I use the book as a reminder reading it over and over again to keep moving forward.

The premise of The Writing Diet stems from the author observing that people in her classes on creative unblocking seemed to lose weight as they became more in touch with themselves through writing morning pages and other exercises.

This book isn't the universal answer those of us who are overweight are seeking; but if you are curious like I was, why not give The Writing Diet a try?

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Gone Girl (2012)

My Christmas present this past year was a Kindle Fire, to which I have not entirely adapted. I've collected several books to read but still pick up 'real' books when the opportunity presents itself.

But then a couple of exciting things happened. I turned on my Kindle and it immediately downloaded Gillian Flynn's third novel, Gone Girl, which was just released on June 5th! Raves are popping up everywhere and the prediction is best seller lists in a week! On top of that, word is out that her 2009 title Dark Places will be a film. Guess I know what to read next!

The other exciting thing I discovered was something called Buzz Books 2012. The blurb in this weeks Entertainment Weekly read:

This new free e-book offers something usually reserved for publishing insiders: previews of major titles months before they're released. Read excerpts from more than 30 fall books by big-name authors like Dennise Lehane, Junot Diaz, and Barbara Kingsolver.

You can find this online at Amazon.com for free! And I did! Scanning the introduction, which covered other titles likely to be in high demand, I jotted down what appealed to me to take a more careful look. It will be interesting to see if my reading habits will evolve as I pursue the elusive perfect 'read' during the second half of 2012!.

Armchair BEA Conference Day 4

Yesterday at Armchair BEA was a washout for me because my computer decided it couldn't handle all the tasks I was giving it to do. I'll try to get some time in today but it's already afternoon. The problem with trying to attend from home is that life has a tendency to intrude.

Friday is the last day and the topic is The Future of Book Blogging. I don't want to miss that!

Having been lucky enough to attend a real live Book Expo America in the past, I can vouch for the video clip from Day 2 shared by Emily of  Emily's Reading Room.

Orange Prize Winner Madeline Miller On Why The Classics Deserve Their Revival

"Last night a new star of fiction was born out of an ancient story."

Author Madeline Miller

You might want to read this article from the Huffington Post UK to see what Madeline Miller has to say after winning the 2012 Orange Prize for her debut novel The Song of Achilles. (It's the fourth time in a row that the British prize has gone to an American.)

Worthy 2012 Titles

These are not necessarily books published in 2012 but rather the best of what I have read so far this year. They are listed in the order read from oldest to most recent. They are a random mix of non-fiction, juvenile, romance, mystery, and thriller. #BUTHATSJUSTME.

WIRE TO WIRE in a Occupy Wall Street Library

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Erik Larson)
"Erik Larson has once again proved he is a master of narrative nonfiction. This is a page turner set during Hitler's rise to power." (2012 paperback)

Bad Things Happen (Harry Dolan)
"Literate mystery fans, rejoice! Crisp, clean writing and plotting draw you in and keep you hooked. Harry Dolan is an author to watch." (2009)

Steal Like an Artist:10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative (Austin Kleon)
"It doesn't take long to read but it is inspiring and it's better in book format. I've already bought a copy for a friend. This is a great little book!"  (2012)

Wire to Wire (Scott Sparling)
"Intriguing, disturbing, and perfectly balanced, WIRE TO WIRE may change the way you look at the world and your place in it. Read it." (2011)

The Icon Thief (Alec Nevala-Lee)
"A first novel and literate thriller about the Russian mafia, the International Art World, and secret societies that is beautifully written." (2012)

Save Queen of Sheba (Louise Moeri)
"I just had to reread this gem of a story that I remembered from my days of reading juvenile books as an adult. It remains perfect. A wagon train is attacked by Indians and there are only two survivors, David (12) and his spoiled sister, Queen of Sheba (6)." (1981)

After Annie: A Novel (Michael Tucker)
"If you like solid writing, interesting characters, and a good story set in the theater world, you may be willing to put up with the cantankerous Herbie Aaron who is trying to survive his beloved wife's death from cancer. It's worth it." (2012)

Then She Found Me: A Novel (Elinor Lipman)
"Love. Love. Love. Elinor Lipman. She writes charming, literate stories that seem light and airy but underneath - ah, yes underneath - share a message. You want her characters to be your friends." (1990)

#ArmchairBEA Introduction

So today Armchair BEA features introductions from participating bloggers. I have gotten that far in figuring out what I am supposed to be doing! If you don't know what I'm talking about you can visit the Armchair BEA website. This absolutely fabulous idea allows those of us who can't make it to New York to be part of the publishing industries premier event.

The first task is to answer some questions so here goes.

Retired from the world of libraries, I have been blogging for five years to keep in touch with the world of books. I write about random things that appeal to me that have any loosely defined connection to reading and books.

Retirement Reward

 I am (in no particular order) a mother, grandmother, actress, singer, director, reviewer, reader, blogger, genealogist, friend, and time traveler.

My Bunny

Michael Tucker's Living in a Foreign Language (pub. 7/07) is bookmarked and sitting by my favorite chair. I recently read his first novel After Annie (pub. 3/12) and wanted to read more of his writing.

What I'm Reading Now

Sitting down to dinner with Chief Inspector Gamache at the Bistro in Three Pines would be an incredible experience. If he wasn't available, his creator Louise Penny, would be a most acceptable stand-in.

Author Louise Penny

 Recently I have found it necessary to invoke the Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 (She's such a doll!) and expect that will occur more frequently as I get older. The saying "So many books, so little time." becomes more and more true with age.

Publishing Industry Gathers For Annual Convention

Today is the beginning of BEA (Book Expo America) where we all find out what is going on in the publishing industry. After this gathering we will know what is 'hot' and what is not. Here's a great article to read if you want the inside scoop on the event - Publishing Industry Gathers for Annual Convention.

I signed up to attend Armchair BEA this week and so far have no idea what I am supposed to be doing. That might have to do with the fact that I haven't read the instructions yet.

We got offered a free sofa and have spent the morning cleaning and re-arranging to make room for it. That's probably not a really good excuse but it's the best I can do right now.

More later once I find out what I'm supposed to be doing.