What Others Are Reading...

Hidden Brain 
by Shankar Vedantam
How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars, and Save Our Lives

Washington Post Review -
www.washingtonpost.com/wp
dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012201974.html

The Almond by Nedjma

"Nedjma", the novels pseudonymous author writes about love and sex in the Islamic world.

Book Review Blog - http://lailalalami.com/2005/nedjmas-the-almond/

The New York Times Review - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/books/review/12HARRISO.html

Never Let Me Go

By Kazuo Ishiguro

This book has been made into a movie starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan and is in theater's now.

The New York Times Book Review - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/17/books/review/17KERRL.html

The New York Times Movie Review - http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/movies/15never.html

Book Club - October 19th Meeting

This month's Book - Freedom

Favorite book related quote of the meeting - “You had me at 200 pages.”

Favorite YHTBT quote of the meeting - “You’re in the soup with that shirt Pratt.”

(YHTBT - You Had To Be There)

For our first book, we picked something light, easy, and fun to read to give everyone a feel for participating in a monthly book club.  So we thought we were ready for a more serious and challenging book for the second month.  Boy, did we over shoot!  We picked Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  Definitely a book that has drawn major attention in the media.  We even picked it before it was announced to be on Oprah’s Book Club.  A sure sign we were on the right track!  But to finish in one month would take some major dedication.  And I believe I mentioned previously that those who have joined so far have careers and families and obligations, right?  No.  One month is ABSOLUTELY less than doable.  Therefore, we will be spreading this out across October and November.  And you know, we all decided last night, that there are SO many things to discuss with just the first half, that we were glad we were taking two months to read and discuss it.

The book is somewhat of a slow start.  Not because it is boring, but because you have so much information coming at you all at once.  Names, places, dates, basically all of the characters are laid out in the first chapter.  It can be a little overwhelming.  But don’t get discouraged.  I suggest downloading the list of characters to keep as a reference.  Sounds like an over achiever move I know.  But trust me, it works.  I found a list on Oprah.com under the book club section - www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Quick-Character-Guide-for-Freedom-by-Jonathan-Franzen-Oprahs-Book-Club.

Best advice - get to chapter three.  Do the best you can to keep up until then using the characters guide, writing in the margins, whatever it takes.  Once you get to Chapter 3, it will all become clear and much easier to read.  And furthermore, a much more enjoyable book.  Once you get here, you really start finding out more about the main characters - the Berglunds, and let us not forget Richard Katz.  Stories that seemed random and out of place in Chapters 1 and 2, will have more meaning once you begin Chapter 3.

Some key themes or highlights that we are seeing so far are:

• People try to be the opposite of what their parents were, trying to be perfect, and sometimes end up being exactly how their parents were making the same mistakes.
• Making the “smart” choice when marrying - who will get you what you want, the life that you desire.  Where does this get you in the long run?
• The similarities between the Berglunds drama and reality TV - specifically Patty and how fake she acts with neighbors and friends.
• One circumstance can alter your entire life.
• Being the cool parent vs. being THE parent.
• Will my child turn on me after all of the hard work I’ve put in raising them?
• As a parent, there is such a thing as over sharing with your children.

One of our members (aka, CC) pointed out some great quotes:

• p148 - “...he didn’t marry her in spite of who she was, he married her because of it.”
• p148 - “Nice people don’t necessarily fall in love with nice people.”
• p125 - “...she’d run to a guy who physically didn’t do for her what his best friend did.”
• p137 - “If you want to have friends, you have to remember that nobody’s perfect.”
• p140 - “...craving sex with her mate was one of the things (OK, the main thing) she’d given up in exchange for all the good things in their life together.”

Highlights we discussed...

• When crazy Eliza is referred to as Eliza Doolittle, is that in reference to The Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady?
• Why are we looking up so many words for an understanding?  Well, let’s be clear.  Most of us are moving on ignoring those words, but some (okay one) is actually looking up the words that are foreign to us.  Examples - Bulgar, assonant, concentric.
• Is Lindsay Lohan in prison?  I googled, and no, she is in Betty Ford.  But goes to court on Friday.  Yes, we talk about EVERYTHING!
• Picking out a book to read is all about your mood.
• “Freedom is the least commercial book I’ve read lately.”
• HOW does this author, or any author, know so much about so many aspects of life in order to write content of this nature?

Until November...

Penguin Classics Releases Seven More...

Just when you thought you were caught up with having purchased all (or in my case all but two) of the 13 Classic Editions by Penguin Classics, they release seven new ones.  Who is complaining.  We love these hardback covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.  I have mine out on display, and I get so many compliments.  My favorites are the ones from people who consider flipping through US Weekly Magazine skimming the captions as getting caught up on their reading.  Is it possible these designer covers will turn magazine picture readers into a reader of actual words...or even literature?!  Well, maybe not.  But definitely a start.

You may go online at http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/classics/hardcoverclassics/index.html
Or online at borders.com.  Borders carries them in their stores as well as online.
I have also found some on amazon.com.

The new Classics released are:

• The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• The Hound of Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint by William Shakespeare

• The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

• A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

Book Club - 1st Meeting Highlights

Our very first Book Club meeting was last night, and I must say, what a great and enjoyable experience it was.  In fact, so many highlights that I will have to provide more than just one update.  Yes, there really is that much to share!!

While we had a small, quaint group of six, it was the perfect amount to start off with.  Don’t get me wrong, those of you who were not able to make it were GREATLY missed.  And we hope and expect you to be at the next one.  And I think after you read some of the highlights, you’ll not want to miss it anyway!!

Where to even start...

I know, funniest moment.  And book club ladies, I hope I get this right!!  Okay, this will require a set up.  This book club has women from mid-twenties to early forties (of course, we are all blessed with good looks and great skin so age is not an obvious characteristic!).  And while I know everyone’s ages (mainly since I’m the only person who knows everyone for this first meeting), the rest of the group is not as informed at this time.

We were discussing Courtney Cox and her age and how she doesn’t really look as old as she is.  Everyone agreed it must be the lighting on set to make her seem so young.  Person A (we’ll call her CC) referenced that Courtney Cox was close to her age and begins discussing this with the group.  Person B (we’ll call her FIM - Foot in Mouth) has not caught on that we are talking about an actual person in our group, which is CC.  And when she hears someone say to CC “You don’t look that age at all”, FIM says “It must be the lighting”.  Clearly, we are all shocked.  Granted, FIM isn’t one to hide her opinion in fear of what others think, but really...  It must be the lighting??  Thankfully, a friend (someone FIM should obviously consider adding to her will to even come close to paying her back for catching this whole show down) caught on and pointed out that we were actually talking about CC and not Courtney Cox.  You can imagine FIM’s shock...  We of course laughed hysterically and continued to do so for the rest of the evening.

So now, we of course have our very first inside joke - “It must be the lighting”.  LOVE IT.

Let me guess...you want to know if we even got around to talking about the book???  Well, of course we did.  We ARE book lovers after all.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner   

When I picked this book, I did so believing that it would be a light read which would be perfect to start off our book club.  Get everyone into the idea of having a deadline, etc.  I was completely mistaken.  We all agreed that this book went way beyond a light read.  In Best Friends Forever, you will find serious topics such as cancer, obesity, rape, and neglect.  Yes, there is humor sprinkled throughout.  Although, I should mention that one member, did not find as much humor in it as she felt there would be from reading the jacket.  So the humor was maybe not as obvious to everyone, so you might not find it as humorous either.  Nevertheless, the book was one that could relate to so many women...and from so many different angles.  

For instance, as we were discussing the book, I heard throughout the group, women comparing their real life stories or situations to that of the book.  For one woman, it was about Addie’s brother Jon reminding her of her own brother.  Jon was in a terrible accident and left handicapped - mentally and somewhat physically.  He was never the same and required someone to take care of him.  For others, it was about the pressure of crossing the 30 year old threshold and not being married and not having children.  This is the pressure Addie is under in the beginning of the book.  She must get out there and date and find her “soul mate” before her eggs rot and die.

And I know that for me, I consider a book one that I just love when I can’t put it down.  Either the suspense of the story line has me.  Or I am so in tune with what the characters are going through, that I want to know how they are dealing with it to show me how I can.  I must say that Best Friends Forever has both.

I could go on with more about the book.  And not to mention that there are so many stories, funny moments, and great dialogue about so many books to share with everyone that I will have to spread this out as I previously mentioned.  

Until the next post...

Latest Books I've Purchased...

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Obviously this book is considered to be one of the classics, but I recently purchased it to add to my collection.  Borders is selling the classics in these fantastic hard cover designs by Coralie Bickford-Smith.  They are colorful, beautiful, and so flattering compared to many of the classics found at mainstream bookstores.  You know...the ones that look like death and boredom!  This new line would sit proudly on the shelves in your home.  Seriously, I’m addicted to them and cannot wait to own the entire collection.  So far, there are thirteen available.  I own more than half!

 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Do you ever hear about a good book from different sources and think “This is a sign.  I must have it.”  Well, that is what happened to me with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Two women in completely different circles raved about how addictive these books were (it is a trilogy).  So naturally, I ran to the bookstore to check them out.  I admit I was somewhat nervous when I had to search for them (in the young adult section I might add), and I only found one or two copies of the first book.  I mean how good could they be with such limited display on shelf?  I even looked around to check to see if there was a massive display taking up all of the copies.  No such display.  However, my sources were two very passionate readers, so I knew that they could be trusted.  When I was checking out, a young man noticed I was buying this book and volunteered that while he didn’t read mainstream novels (yet I must add that he was working at a mainstream bookstore), he loved this series and couldn’t stop reading them.  Indeed.  Now I haven’t started this book yet, so I cannot verify if any of what I have been told is true.  Once I start, I will, of course, let everyone know if all of they hype is fact or fiction (no pun intended...okay, maybe a small one!!).

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Bedtime Lullaby by Roger Priddy

These next two books, I purchased as a gift to an upcoming baby shower.  First time mother with a baby boy on the way, these two books just seemed perfect.  The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery is a classic.  And it is out with a “fresh new translation”.  The second book, Bedtime Lullaby by Roger Priddy, is perfect for new parents to remind or teach them all of the classic lullaby’s.  After all, how many of us really know all of the words to Brahm’s Lullaby?  Or what does happen after papa buys you a diamond ring in Hush Little Baby?  I’ve found that these words do not come to you when the child is screaming.  Learn them now I say.  Plus, this book even comes with all of the songs on a CD that is included.  What gets better than that?

Okay, in my previous review of Wuthering Heights, I mentioned the couture-inspired design for the cover of the book.  I feel that I should bring to light this illustrator and encourage everyone to pick up the three books designed by this man, Ruben Toledo.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Who is Ruben Toledo you might ask?  And why does he stand out in the literary world?  Mainly he stands out as he is not from the literary world in the least.  He is in fact from the fashion industry.  Ruben’s has had drawings appear in high-fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Visionaire.  Which explains why these books do not look like an ordinary book cover and completely stand out from most books on the shelves today.  I say, thank goodness someone understands how to sell a book.  Does the cover not say everything?  Isn’t it similar to first impressions last?  Don’t most women enjoy fashion?  And if not fashion than at least art?  Why a publishing house would want to put covers on a book that look like a Private Label version of Mac & Cheese is beyond me.

So where might you find these illustrations of these classics?  They are with the Penguin Classics of Penguin Books.  You can search online of course.  But, Powell’s Books at www.powells.com has them.  Or, and you won’t believe this, you can find them at Borders.  I encourage everyone to at least find them in a bookstore and check them out for yourselves.  Seeing them in person will definitely change your opinion about these classics.  I, in fact, am hoping Ruben Toledo will illustrate more than just these three.  But for now, I am enjoying these, as I hope you will.

Latest Book I've Read...

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Book Review by Jennifer Pratt

If you are a book lover like me, then you know it is your literary obligation to read and to know the classics.  Such was my thought when I began my endeavor to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.  Yes, the new couture-inspired design on the cover caught my attention at the bookstore.  But it is, after all, considered to perhaps be the most passionately original novel in the English language.  I mean, who hasn’t heard of the classic love triangle of Catherine, Mr. Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton?

Catherine is torn between her first love, Mr. Heathcliff, and the more prestigious, educated Edgar Linton.  Heathcliff is not of her “upbringing” and has nothing to offer - no education, no money, no position in society.  Whereas, Edgar has all of those things and more.  But as in so many love stories, we find ourselves rooting for the underdog.

Who didn’t root for the forbidden love of Rose and Jack in Titanic?  As if the sophisticated Cal would have stood on the front of the ship and shown Rose how to fly!  And who can forget the infamous “No one puts Baby in a corner” line from Dirty Dancing.  Didn’t we all want our love to stand up for us like that!  Back off daddy.  Or the unprecedented love that Noah has for Allie in The Notebook.  Their love followed them until the very end.  That scene in the end when Noah is trying to get Allie to remember their love...well, it kills me every time I see it.  Yes, these are all heart wrenching, pass me a box of tissue, make your eyes hurt from the all of the tears love stories.  Wuthering Heights is not one of these stories my friends...

Yes, there is the love triangle.  And yes, there is the underdog.  And yes, when Heathcliff returns to claim his love, Catherine, after being gone for so many years, we naturally hope she leaves Edgar for Heathcliff.  Trust me though when I say you will only be rooting for the underdog, aka Heathcliff, for about two sentences after his return.  The remainder of the novel you will want him to be killed off in a torturous war that gets more gruesome and detailed in your mind as the chapters continue.

This story is so dark and perplexing that it makes you wonder what Emily Bronte was thinking when she wrote it.  So, of course, I had to find out more about this Emily to understand why on earth she’d write the darkest love story we’ve ever seen.  I mean, surely, love has not changed this much since her time in the early 1800’s.  Has it?  The answer is probably not.  My sleuthing led me to her history of growing up with her two sisters in a bleak parsonage under their aunt after their mother and two older sisters died.  Okay, rough childhood.  Got it.  Now everything is coming together.

So, the question begs itself to be asked.  Should you read Wuthering Heights if it is as I say and filled with a darkness that will leave you perplexed, confused, and at some points even with a sadness?  Of course you should.  It is an American Classic and should be read by all.  If for anything else other than to appreciate the life we have now.  Can you imagine having to marry your cousin?  Such was the case in this novel.  But nonetheless, Wuthering Heights is about a love that goes through time.  Granted Heathcliff led a miserable life leaving little to no inspiration for those reading about it up until the very end when he met his Catherine again.  But such is the hope that we are all searching for or believe we have found.  Such is love...