CreativeBooks

French Women Don't Get Fat

2005-09-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

by Mireille Guiliano

At first, I thought this book was certainly ghost-written. Nobody puts in all those annoying French phrases themselves. Perhaps I'm wrong. But I was pleased to see that many of her suggestions are things I'm already doing for myself, and I won't have to attempt that horrible idea of "recasting." Two days of nothing but leek soup! Egads.

I've already written down everything I eat for weeks on end through Weight Watchers. I know what I over-do (cereal, and dairy products in general...I have always loved milk...and chocolate in many of its "poorer" American forms...although I have a natural love for the taste of 70%+ cocoa/bittersweet chocolate she recommends).

I try to drink plenty of water (another WW preaching point). My swimming takes care of the fact that there are few opportunities to walk in America -- stores and shopping areas are built too far from suburbs and many "downtown" areas...my hometown village included. Apparently swimming and yoga are the only "respectable" exertions a French woman can be seen doing, since they "don't do gyms."

I can't really call myself a couch potato since I don't watch a lot of TV (or sit around eating in front of the TV)...My biggest sit-on-my-ass fault lies in reading, and knitting. I try to enjoy every bite of food that goes into my mouth, and I love to cook and experiment with new foods (yes, even leeks).

If anything, this book made me realize how French I really am...already.

Updated at last...

2005-09-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

No book covers (yet) (tinypics.com seems to be cranky about old covers for the moment; I'm not going to try to put up new ones right now...too much work) or Amazon links (look it up yourself! sheesh). Just an up-to-date list of everything I've finished so far this year. Reviews coming soon. I'm caught up halfway through March 2005.

Oh, and I've turned on word verification for comments. A big, wet raspberry to comment spammers. Nyah, nyah!

Everything is Illuminated

2005-09-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

by Jonathan Safran Foer

On Writing

2005-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

by Stephen King

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo...

September

2005-09-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

by Rosamund Pilcher

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2005-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

by SWDNNTBN

The Virgin Blue

2005-08-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

by Tracey Chevalier

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2005-08-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

by SWDNNTBN

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2005-08-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

by SWDNNTBN

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

2005-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

by SWDNNTBN

Quentins

2005-08-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

by Maeve Binchy

Evening Class

2005-08-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

by Maeve Binchy

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2005-08-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

by SWDNNTBN

Maggie by the Book

2005-08-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

by Kelsey Michaels

Dress Your Family in Courdroy & Denim

2005-07-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

by David Sedaris

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2005-07-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

by She-Who-Does-Not-Need-To-Be-Named

A Finnish American Girlhood

2005-07-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

by Helmi Mavis

Love: A User's Guide

2005-07-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

by Claire Naylor

Angels

2005-07-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

by Marian Keyes

The Eleanor Roosevelt Girls

2005-07-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

by Bonnie Bluh

The Ghost Writer

2005-07-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

by John Harwood

Tara Road

2005-06-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

by Maeve Binchy

The Songcatcher

2005-06-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

by Sharon McCrumb

Scarlet Feather

2005-06-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

by Maeve Binchy

The Shop on Blossom Street

2005-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

by Debbie Macomber

A Northern Light

2005-06-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

by Jennifer Donnelly

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

2005-05-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

"Retold by" May Byron

Hans Brinker (or The Silver Skates)

2005-05-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

by Mary Mapes Dodge

Dancing in My Nuddy Pants

2005-05-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

by Louise Rennison

Little Altars Everywhere

2005-05-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

My Father Had A Daughter

2005-05-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Happiness

2005-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Louisa May: A Modern Biography

2005-05-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

At the beginning, this book really disappointed and depressed me. So much so that I almost put it down. Saxton doesn't really get into the meat of her material until about halfway through the book.

Despite her attempts to blame all of Louisa's neuroses on her father (the first half of the book is a damnation of him and his unwillingness to work, weird attempts at mid-nineteenth century communes, and overall coldness towards women, including his wife and daughters), Louisa's spirit, humor, and apparent manic-depression cycles came through clearly.

I'd like to read more about Louisa, rather than her father. Although I found the failure of his commune experiments (most noteably "Fruitlands," where everyone was forced to eat only apples and drink water) an interesting commentary, considering this book was written in 1977, when our century's experimentation with commune life had recently gone sour.

We interrupt this program...

2005-04-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's taken me all morning just to research the ISBNs, get cover shots, and upload links & pictures of all the books I've read since I last updated on February 9th. Dang, that's a lot of books.

So, here's "just the facts, m'am," until I have time to write my reviews...right now I have to go clean house!

Powder

2005-04-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Lark Rise to Candleford

2005-04-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Sweetest Taboo

2005-03-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

The Gardens of Kyoto

2005-03-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts

2005-03-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Images and Shadows

2005-03-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

I slogged through this one, but it was worth it. The author lived a privileged life, pampered but not spoiled, realistic and open to new experiences. As E would say, and by her own description, she was an Ugly Duckling who grew up to be "just an ugly duck," but she never feels sorry for herself nor does she play the easy role of a self-depreciating humorist.

She was a smart, observant woman who did what she couldto help while living in Italy during WWII. I particularly enjoyed her passages about living a writer's life, which she was lucky enough to choose. She and her husband rebuilt an Italian villa from its ruins, during a war which further ravaged the countryside and destroyed the old way of life there. She leaves passages about the death of her young son to the very last, and never quite explains it all, but leaves you heartbroken and thankful she was able to share what she could.

I've put her war diary, War in Val D'Orcia, on my wish list.

Ten Thousand Islands

2005-03-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

One of the places we visited while in Florida was Sanibel Island, and her sister island, Captiva, recently somewhat flattened by Hurricane Charley. And by recently, I mean six months before our visit. Blue tarps were still visible on Captiva (Sanibel remained mostly untouched) and trees were lopped off at the top.

We decided to eat at Randy Wayne White's rum bar, "Doc Ford's," on Sanibel after our walk along Captiva's beaches. His books were on sale there, of course, as well as every kind of memorabilia you could ever want to pay for. I actually had some of his books at home, more book convention freebies (as I remember it, the publishing house's plebe pretty much shoved his books into my book bag).

Now, I'm not a fan of mystery writing in general, but ya gotta admire the P.R. mill these guys can churn out. A rum bar! Named after your main character! T-shirts and hats with your name on it! I hope RWW is cringing all the way to the bank.

As for the book? Fun to read if you've just been there. But remember, that's coming from someone who doesn't usually read mysteries, but who loves historical fiction. And fiction that is heartily evocative of a real place is right up there on my list of joys in reading. So, likeable if you've been there, likeable if you like mysteries, but otherwise - eh.

Back Home

2005-03-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

This book immediately reminded me of Maeve Binchy's Light a Penny Candle, only for young readers. The author has created a very plausible character and, as always, any book about WWII fascinates me. Quick & enjoyable. I would recommend this to any budding fan of historical fiction.

Isle of Palms

2005-03-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

I occasionally get my fill of Southern writers in just one sitting. This book would be this summer's fill.

The narrator's voice is so annoying, I nearly threw it across the room on several occasions (oh, damn, that is one funny dangling participle. I'm just going to leave it where it is. You can throw a voice, after all...hee). And if I hear one more Lowcountry author going on about the importance of the Gullah language and people (okay, okay, we GET IT already), I will swear off sweet tea forever.

Still, Benton Frank's characters are certainly memorable, and, given this was another of my book convention freebies, I need to just mark this one off as a week of lost reading time and be done with it.

Shadow of Albion

2005-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

I never read fantasy or science fiction (Harry Potter notwithstanding), so I was surprised that this one interested me. It can somewhat be explained by the fact that it was a Florida trip freebie (my folks rented a home that had been sold, it's contents were somewhat up for grabs...funny me, I only got away with a couple of books. Figures).

It's hard to describe the premise, save to say it is a combination of historical fiction (the Regency period) and time-travel, with alternate history thrown in as a result. Now, I enjoy my British history as much as any other public-school educated American, so this one confused me in several ways. But I think it would confuse even those of you who are up on your British AND American history, since the outcome messes with both.

Just put all that out of your mind and admire the atmosphere created by the author. You'll be fine.

Wideacre

2005-02-28T06:58:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to like this book. I absolutely loved Gregory's The Other Boylen Girl, and I'm still looking forward to The Queen's Fool, so I have a passion for historical literature.

This book actually reminded me of Anne Rice's The Witching Hour in that I almost did not finish it (I have never finished Rice's book. It actually gave me nightmares). The problem with Wideacre was not subject matter or creepy detail (as it was with Witching Hour), it was in a main character I just could not like. Still, I did finish Wideacre, and I'm compelled to think it was Gregory's ability to build tension and make history fascinating without overwhelming you that made me read on.

But sorry, no matter how spunky or strong or passionate Beatrice appears, I found her (and her effect on others) unnerving and disturbing. And it wasn't just the incest with her brother Harry. It was the total destruction of a truly interesting world. Gregory spent the novel building it, only to tear it down at the end (or rather, burn it down...but, I give away too much...)

Horse Heaven

2005-02-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

The one prejudice I have against Jane Smiley (and it's an obscure one), is that waaay back when, a number of years ago, I chose to consult a psychiatrist for my depression, and went through lengthy (and boring, I caught her smothering a yawn once) talk therapy, my shrink had Smiley's Moo on her desk for a long time.

Since then, I've avoided Smiley, thinking her a cynical, highbrow writer of liter-AH-ture, read by brainy psychiatrists and other high-end professionals. It did take me a while to get through Horse Heaven, but only due to the incredible twists of characters and plots that mark, for me, one damn hard-working author.

Not only does Smiley give life to the people surrounding racehorses, she gives life (in the form of personalities, and quirks and charms and real pathos) to the horses. Yet another thing to admire in an author. You cared about every one of the five horses whose world she portrayed.

Now, I'm a natural-born horse afficianado, so I'm curious as to whether Moo makes cows as personable...

Pirates!

2005-02-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

No, that's not Johnny Depp on the cover, it's a girl! What a terrific book. Now, here's a book for teens (besides chick lit, I have a fondness for young adult novels) with class. Well-rounded characters, great bits of history (as an American student, I learned nothing about the English port of Bristol; here I learned its importance in the shipping industry), and immensely readable (I've got to stop using that phrase. But it is my ultimate compliment).

I learned a lot about the people who became pirates (including women) and about their life on the high seas. Best of all, it's got Girl Power. Highly recommended.

Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas

2005-02-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

This series is just plain fun. I love the glossary of British teen expressions in the back. The author has a great voice and you find yourself thinking, if not talking (my British accent sucks), just like the lead character -- at a breakneck pace, full of witty observations and self-depreciating comments.

I can read one of these in a day, which tells me the publishers are milking it; all of the books could be combined into one big one, but then the publishers wouldn't make as much money, right? (No, not bitter about my experience in publishing at all, not me!) That's my only gripe. As if teenagers wouldn't be caught dead with a big, thick book in their hands. It's much "cooler" to carry short pocket-sized (or backpack-sized) books, I guess. And get ripped off to the tune of $21 for three smaller books, as opposed to $6.99 for one big one.

Then again, series are the "thing."

7 Stages of Motherhood

2005-02-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

I read this from the very beginning (covering pregnancy & dealing with a newborn, a time I'd rather forget) to the end (teenagers leaving the nest), despite the fact I'm really only dealing with a toddler right now.

My only hangups regarding this book are my own:

1) Uncomfortable passages where she talks about the deep biological link between mother and child (I was adopted, and have a good friend with an adopted son two months younger than my daughter - so, no recommending this book to her).

2) Her own working mom status (throughout her children's lives; I've chosen to stay home, and didn't feel my "story" was covered or given much consideration).

3) Her status as an urban mom (again, I'm in the suburbs, dealing with intense isolation; she regularly croons about her girlfriends and the amount of her sanity saved by having them).

Otherwise, a comforting and enjoyable read. I especially enjoyed the following:

"I actually found what I thought was an ancient grocery list not long ago, which read as follows: 'Three raisins, eight ounces milk, four grape halves, two bites toast, two cups bathwater, one M&M, one third breadstick, one-half teaspoon toothpaste.' I couldn't imagine why I had saved this bizarre scrap of paper, but then it hit me: It was a list of what Nicholas had eaten one Sunday, prompted by my aunt remarking that he looked 'scrawny.'" (pg. 102)

Hee. I can totally relate right now.

Strapless

2005-02-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

This book is my favorite so far this year. It has all the elements: history, biography, and, well -- Paris at the turn of the last century, during La Belle Époque. I confused it with another Madame X book I saw at the bookstore recently, but I'm glad I saw this one at my library and read it first.

There were so many delicious moments of history and intrigue in this book, I don't know where to begin. Oh! And New Orleans, too -- my other favorite city (and one I've actually visited, a number of times). I especially enjoyed the early history of department stores and the description of French womens' behavior in Bon Marche. Fascinating.

Celebration of Fools

2005-02-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

I don't regularly read business books, but since I worked for JCPenney from 1984-1988, I was obviously intrigued by this one. The following also summed up my feelings for my latest company (a small publisher bought out by larger and larger corporations) and made me glad I stopped working for them when I did:

"Penney's had drifted from being a company of merchants to an organization of managers, with its focus changing from serving customers and communities to maximizing sales and profits." (pg. 270)

Replace "merchants" with "quality publishing," "customers" and "communities" with "readers," and you're describing my last employer to a tee.

Lost & Found

2005-01-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

I started reading this BEFORE I started In Her Shoes (see below), but had to put it away. Don't get me wrong, I love all things British, but reading Brit slang and cultural references without a break gives me a headache.

I'm sure under all the (Bridget Jones-inspired) half-speak and wink wink there was a decent character in here somewhere, but there were no surprises in anyone and you knew exactly who was going to end up with whom right from Chapter One. I hate that.

Or maybe I missed the point of the author's characterizations because I didn't understand the references. But hey, I understand Pilcher just fine. You don't need up-to-the-minute pop culture to make a great read. In fact, I think you're better off without them.

In Her Shoes

2005-01-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law and I share a terrible secret...she is my supplier of Chick Lit. Out in the open, she reads super-thrillers like James Patterson and Harlan Coban; I am regularly seen reading a perfectly respectable biography or historical fiction (NOT historical romance).

Alas, we both need to unwind in the privacy of our own homes with filler such as this. Not that I should be quick to dismiss Weiner's work as Bridget Jones fluff (see my next entry up for that type of stuff). Weiner covers serious topics like self-image, manic-depression, and care of the elderly, all while creating likeable characters, getting the romance going, and delivering a satisfying ending.

Her books are immensely readable, something I find difficult with some British authors (again, see above). I finished this one in just under 3 days.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue

2005-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

This was a fascinating trip back through time, via the history of a painting believed by its current owner to be a Vermeer. Yes, you can't help but compare it to Girl With A Pearl Earring, but it is different. More detailed and broader in its scope. I couldn't help but notice that some of the chapters had been previously published as short stories, which I thought to be an interesting way to develop a novel.

It makes sense; as you study different periods of history, you have a different focus, find details for each story that can help set each chapter apart on its own, yet allow it to become part of a whole. History is like that.

The Shell Seekers

2005-01-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

Oh, to be able to write this well. Richly developed characters, well-rooted in history (although I must admit, I believe I lived in the 1940s, because I so immediately identify with any book set during WWII), people that you not only love but ones you pity, parts of yourself recognized. I'm glad Pilcher's books are so long; I hate for them to end.

Irish Gold

2005-01-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

The less said about this book, the better. It's only redeeming quality was the trip down memory lane it inspired, and reveries about my trip to Ireland in 1988. I was shocked to hear Fr. Greely concocted an entire mystery series with these characters. The plot was preachy(haha, no pun intended), the characters boring and "too perfect," Greely's writing, on the whole, repetitive (I found actual phrases repeated verbatim within 2 pages of each other!).

I barely slogged through this, and learned very little in the way of Irish history. Except that perhaps I'd like to see the Liam Neeson movie Michael Collins, to figure out what the fuss is about.

My Book Blog

2005-01-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

I'll talk about the books I read over here. Otherwise, my daily life in Creative Exile is over here.