The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

 I and also participating in two other memes. The first is Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews and the second is Mailbox Monday which is hosted by Martha from reviews from Martha's Bookshelf this month.. Stop by and take a look!


I'd like to start off by wishing all the Mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day!!! Did any of you get any books for Mother's Day? I haven't, but the day is not over yet!

This was an exciting week for me as I am hosting my first giveaway! It's for a copy of The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to pick a winner tonight and share it with them! You can enter here if you are interested. I did not get as much reading done as I hoped this week because i had a cold and can never concentrate when I have one. I did however manage to read Shelter by Francis Greenslade, review will be posted on the 15th, finish and review The Man Who Changed the way We Eat by Thomas McNamee, finish and review Temptation by Douglas Kennedy, and start When Morning Comes by Francis Ray. My favorite book moment of this week was having G read Lulu and the Brontosaurus to me by Judith Viorst!

Now for what my wonderful mailbox brought me this week!

Won on Twitter

The Last Trade by James Conway - Thanks Dutton!

How To Marry a Duke by Vicky Dreiling - Thanks Forever!

Don't Mess With Texas by Christie Craig - Thanks Forever!

The Mask of Destiny by Richard Newsome - Thanks Walden Pond Press

The Emerald Casket by Richard Newsome - Thanks Walden Pond Press

Won on Goodreads

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

For Review

The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny - Thanks Little, Brown, and Co.

Purchased

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst

How was your week?

Review: Temptation

Title: Temptation
Author: Douglas Kennedy
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Atria
Genre: Fiction
Source: Publisher
My rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): From the New York Times bestselling author of Leaving the World comes the brilliant, breathtaking story about a Hollywood screenwriter whose “overnight success” brings about his biggest downfall. Like all screenwriters in Tinsel Town, David Armitage wants to be rich and famous. Finally, after eleven years of disappointment and failure, big-time luck comes his way when one of his scripts is bought for television, making him the new toast of Hollywood as the creator of a smash hit series. Suddenly a major power player, Armitage begins to reinvent himself at breakneck speed, quitting his day job, trading in his Reagan-era Volvo for a Porsche, and leaving his wife and daughter for a sleek, young producer. Enter multibillionaire film buff Philip Fleck, who proposes an unsavory collaboration to the screenwriter. Armitage takes the bait and suddenly finds himself entering a decidedly Faustian pact—and unknowingly hopping an express ride to the lower depths of the Hollywood jungle.

My Thoughts: Douglas Kennedy takes his readers on a roller coaster ride in Temptation. It comes complete with ups, downs, twists, and surprise turns. Temptation was an easy read but I found that I never knew what to expect next and that kept me turning the pages.  The ending came as a surprise but not an unwelcome one.


As a character I found Armitage to be shallow, selfish, weak, and over the top. These are traits that are usually not good in a character but I think they work here, and he does eventually redeem himself. 


Don't let the cover fool you. This is not a book about sex. It is about control and the lack of it, fame and the cost of it, money and the effects of it.


There was one character where I felt the bad language was a bit much. I know what Kennedy was trying to do with it but I found it a bit off-putting. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the character of Alison, Armitage's agent. She also had some off colored language but it did not seem as out of place.


This was an enjoyable read and more like  3 1/2 , but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I would suggest giving it a try yourself if it sounds at all interesting to you. Temptation was an interesting peak into Hollywood and it's players.

Review: The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat

Title: The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne And The American Food Renaissance
Author: Thomas McNamee
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography
Source: Publisher
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): From his first day on the job as the New York Times food critic, Craig Claiborne excited readers by introducing them to food worlds unknown, from initiating them in the standards of the finest French cuisine and the tantalizing joys of the then mostly unknown foods of India, China, Mexico, Spain, to extolling the pleasures of “exotic” ingredients like arugula, and praising “newfangled” tools like the Cuisinart, which once he’d given his stamp of approval became wildly popular. A good review of a restaurant guaranteed a full house for weeks, while a bad review might close a kitchen down.      Based on unprecedented access to Claiborne’s personal papers and interviews with a host of food world royalty, including Jacques Pepin, Gael Greene, and Alice Waters, Tom McNamee offers a lively and vivid account of Claiborne’s extraordinary adventure in food, from his own awakening in the bistros of Paris, to his legendary wine-soaked dinner parties, to his travels to colorful locals from Morocco to Saigon, and the infamous $4,000 dinner he shared in Paris with French chef Pierre Franey that made front-page news. More than an engrossing biography, this is the story of the country’s transition from enchantment with frozen TV dinners to a new consciousness of truly good cooking.

My Thoughts: This was a fascinating book. My friends consider me a "foodie", though I don't agree. I love to eat at nice restaurants, try new dishes, and experiment with my cooking club. None of those things however make me a true "foodie". I am just not that knowledgeable. Craig Claiborne was a "foodie", perhaps the first in our country, and he brought a desire for that knowledge to a large percentage of people just like me. I never read one of Claiborne's columns but had I, I would have been one of his devoted followers. Learning about the life and career of such a man was a wonderful discovery for me.


McNamee makes Claiborne come alive. As I was reading the book I found myself making the journey with Claiborne and wishing that I was more than just a voyeur. I wanted to be a part of the lavish dinner parties, on the trips to Europe to explore the newest restaurants, and to have written some of the amazing cookbooks which carry the Claiborn byline.

However, as is true with anyone, Claiborne was not just his public persona. He had an unseen, and for that time period, scandalous personal life. He lived with the same demons a lot of us do and had the same character flaws too. This does not distract from the persona of Claiborne but serves to make him someone that more of us can relate to.

If you are interested in food at all I think that this biography is definitely worth the time to read. I not only learned a lot about the food revolution in America but I was left with a respect for what it took to make it come about, not to mention a compelling need to go out and buy The New York Times Cookbook.

Monday's Bookishly Beautiful #5

Who couldn't use a book lift-me-up on Monday mornings? This meme will consist of anything related to books that could also be considered beautiful, art, or uplifting. It could include pictures, quotes, book covers that caught your eye, products that celebrate books, beautiful locations that promote books, or anything else pertaining to books that brightens your day. We all see something different as beautiful which will make this meme a real joy to peruse through as you and others in the blogging community join in. Please link back to A Library of our Own and leave a comment with the link to your post. Thank you and I can't wait to see all of your Monday's Bookishly Beautiful posts!

Late last week a few Tweets on Twitter brought this post on Danny Fein’s Litographs project from Brain Pickings to my attention. These lithographs are beautiful and such a tribute to great literature classics. Take a look for yourself and please check the Lithograph's collections page for more amazing examples and the option to buy the ones you like!

'Think not, is my eleventh commandment; and sleep when you can, is my twelfth.'

This 24 x 36 inch print (full view at top, close-up zoom at bottom) includes approximately the first third of Moby Dick. The 18 x 24 inch print includes approximately the first sixth of the book.

'What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.'

This 24 x 36 inch print (full view at top, close-up zoom at bottom) includes the full text of The Catcher in the Rye. The 18 x 24 inch print includes approximately the first half of the book.

'If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.'

This 24 x 36 inch print (full view at top, close-up zoom at bottom) includes the full text of both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The 18 x 24 inch print includes the full text of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

'I was surprised, as always, be how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.'

This 24 x 36 inch print (full view at top, close-up zoom at bottom) includes the full text of On the Road. The 18 x 24 inch print includes approximately the first half of the book.

'...for the shield may be as important for victory, as the sword or spear.'

This 24 x 36 inch print (full view at top, close-up zoom at bottom) includes approximately the first third of On the Origin of Species. The 18 x 24 inch print includes approximately the first sixth of the book.  

 Peter Pan

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”

This 24 x 36 inch print includes the full text of Peter Pan. 


And now...My favorite
  

EMMA

“If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”

This 24 x 36 inch print includes approximately the first third of Emma.  

Mailbox Monday #5

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Martha from reviews from Martha's Bookshelf this month. This meme allows bloggers to showcase the new books they have received over the last week. Warning: this meme can definitely lead to book envy!

This week I have also decided to participate in two new memes. The first is Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews and the second is The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Stop by and take a look!

Won

On Celestial Music by Rick Moody

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Storms Of My Grandchildren by James Hansen

 

For Review

True Believers by Kurt Anderson - Thank you Random House

The Cranes Dance by Meg Howry - Thank you LibraryThing and Vintage

Shelter by Frances Greenslade - Thank you Free Press

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd - Thank you Random House

Temptation by Douglas Kennedy - Thank you Atria

The Moment by Douglas Kennedy - Thank you Atria

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray - Thank you Goodreads and Crown

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - Thank you Goodreads and Harper

IF by Jena Rausch (not pictured)

Purchased

Love Always by Harriet Evans

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

What goodies did your mailbox bring you this week?

Review: The Underside of Joy + A Giveaway

Title: The Underside of Joy
Author: Sere Prince Halverson
Length: 307 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Against the backdrop of redwood forests and shimmering vineyards, Seré Prince Halverson's compelling debut tells the story of two women, bound by an unspeakable loss, who each claims to be the mother of the same two children.

To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule--never turn your back on the ocean--and a sleeper wave strikes him down, drowning not only the man but his many secrets.

For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother, Paige, abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral, intent on reclaiming the children, Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joe's story. "Ella's the best thing that's happened to this family," say her Italian-American in-laws, for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ella's quest for truth.

The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige, but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars--both physical and emotional--to the families' deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis.

Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the natural beauty of the novel's setting, Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotions.


My Thoughts: I really, really enjoyed this book! It was well written and an easy read. The subject matter was not easy but the writing pulled you in and made this book extremely readable. I loved Ella. She was real. I could see myself doing a lot of the things that she does which made me relate to her even though I have not had the same experiences. 


This is a story about family in it's many forms, about loss, about not being perfect, and about forgiveness. Do yourself a favor and read this book! I don't think you'll be disappointed!


Giveaway!!!

This is my first giveaway!! Yay!! I purchased this book through Amazon to read for the Manic Mommies Book Club, hosted by Bookworm with a View and then I received a copy in the mail from a giveaway I'd forgotten I'd entered. Thank you Manic Mommies! I would like to pass this second copy along so that someone else can experience this lovely book! Please use the Rafflecopter below and I will announce the winner on Monday, May 14th!  Good Luck!
 Edited to state that this giveaway is for the US only

Review: Little Bee

Title: Little Bee
Author: Chris Cleave
Length: 267 pages
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.

It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
This is the story of two women: Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again-- the story starts there...

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

My Thoughts:This was a very interesting story.  I'm not going to say anything relating to the plot as I wish to respect the author's wishes. I loved hearing from Little Bee. Her character and point of view were compelling and well written. I felt as if she was speaking directly to me. She managed to make me feel empathy for her and slightly ashamed of "Us" as a population at the same time. This book will make you question your own beliefs as well as tell you the story of a world few of us think to consider. Are you curious? If so it is worth your time to see what the fuss is about.