Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

audiobook: 13 hours

narrated by Peter Artschuler

From my library's website:

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart. The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

My Thoughts

At first this book bored me. I got through one or two discs and almost gave up. I didn't like the Major - he was opinionated and stuffy - and nothing else about the story captured my attention. But then. I don't know exactly what it was that happened but something caught me and I fell headlong into this story. Turns out that I really did like the Major after all, in spite of his flaws, and I was rooting for him to overcome his own prejudices and those of his neighbors. But then. Say what?! Things at Mrs. Ali's house went a bit batty to say the least. And in my opinion the bit of violence that occurred only served to reinforce stereotypes about Muslims. (Did anyone feel that way? I'm talking about what the aunt did ...) But then. I got into the story again and was rooting for the Major and Mrs. Ali.

And it bugs me that the book brought up a very important issue then simply brushed it aside: can a mixed religion marriage really work? The Major's minister brings this up in conversation at one point. He complains that parishioners come to him asking for his blessing on their marriage to someone of a completely different religion and they are hurt when he questions their decision. The minister wants to know if he is supposed to deny what he believes to be true, or if the couple is each going to deny what they believe in order to be happy together. The conversation ends there and the end of the book doesn't give any better of an ending to the discussion in my opinion. I mean, if people are nominally religious and marry outside their faith, that shouldn't end up being an issue in the marriage. But if people are true followers of their religion then the fact that their spouse believes something totally different will cause huge issues, even if those issues are never openly discussed. (Am I alone in thinking this?!)

So on the whole I did enjoy this book but it also had some flaws. I'm glad I kept listening to it as I really enjoyed parts of it, but at the same time the ending - though I thought it fit the story and was beautifully done - will continue to bug me for reasons mentioned above.

Today

Today ...

• I'm reading American Widow, by Alissa Torres.  It's a graphic memoir detailing the aftermath of 9-11-01 from the authors point of view: her husband died on his 2nd day of work in the Twin Towers.

• I'm watching a program on the History Channel called The Man Who Predicted 9/11, about a man named Rick Rescorla.  You may remember from my review of We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young that he was also in the Battle of Ia Drang; he was a hero again and again in his life.
  
  
  .
• I'm remembering the horror of of 9-11-01 and the days that followed.  It is a time I will never forget.

Book Club TV? Vote for it now!

Sounds exciting, right?! A show about the hottest new books, with author interviews, celebrity reader profiles, and more ... I'd watch a show like that, wouldn't you?

Here's your chance to make it happen!


Dana Barrett of ReadingGroupGuides.com is auditioning for her own show on Oprah's new network. Go watch her audition video then VOTE VOTE VOTE!

You can vote more than one time and you get get your friends to vote as well. Link to it on Facebook, tweet it on Twitter, share it in your Google Reader, email it to your friends and family, do whatever you can to help make Dana's dream a reality.  Then when she makes it big we can all watch her show and know that we helped make it happen!

Thank you in advance for supporting Dana - I knew I could count on all of you.


.

Any Mary Russell fans out there?

If you are not a Mary Russell fan, you should be! I've been promoting Laurie R. King's Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series to my readers for quite a while but now I've got some extra ammunition for my cause ...

• The wonderful and ever-popular Nymeth just reviewed the first book in the series, THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE and she is now a fangirl of Mary Russell. You can't argue with Nymeth, now can you?
• For the author's thoughts on the first book in the series you should check out this short post.
  
• The 10th book in the series, THE GOD OF THE HIVE, comes out in April 2010. To help promote the book, King has put together Twenty Weeks of Buzz. Events will include a free download of THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE (perfect for those of you who are still on the fence!), a fundraiser for Heifer International, and much, much more. The full details are at this link, and you can catch the latest announcements at King's blog, Mutterings.
  

Donate Books Locally, Be Part of a Larger Community

If you are anything like me, you have stacks and stacks of books in your home that you either will never read or have already read and don't plan to re-read. What if those books could brighten someone else's day this holiday season? Well, they can!

Online Publicist came up with a way to honor Dewey, a beloved book blogger who passed away last year, AND to help local communities at the same time. Here's an excerpt from her post:

Here's what you do:
*Gather up the books you can live without. It can be 4 books, 10 books, or 20 books!
*Find a worthy group you would like to donate your overflow books to. It can be your local library, a literacy campaign (mine will go to the literacy center I volunteer for), or overseas. There's a great list of book donation sites here on the ALA. Find a charity that speaks to you!

Complete details are at this link but the idea is simple - give some of your excess books to make someone else's day brighter.

I'm putting together a box of books to donate to my local library, a place I absolutely could not live without. I've already reviewed the library's donation policy so I know which books they will and will not accept; now all I have to do is gather the books and drop them off!

This is something that you can participate in no matter where you are in the world or how many books you have to spare - a single book given to the right person or organization could mean the world. So share the joy of reading this holiday season, in honor of Dewey, in honor of bloggers, and in honor of literacy around the world.

Happy reading to all!

Christmas Books on My TBR List

Last Christmas I didn't get to read the books I wanted to before Christmas. So this year I'm making a list.

Books I want to read with Kiddo before Christmas ...

• The Cole Family Christmas (Jennifer Liu Bryan) - I read this myself last year but never got around to reading it to Kiddo


• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Barbara Robinson) - I know the story but I've never read it - I think kiddo would get a good laugh out of it. We're listening to the audio version in the car this week.
  


• Angela and the Baby Jesus - a children's book by Frank McCourt, the author of Angela's Ashes - I've heard it is great. I actually have a copy now so I will be reading this with Kiddo soon.
  
  
• A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) - We want to see this in the movies, but I think we'd all benefit from reading it first. I started reading it to Kiddo this week.
  

I'd also like to read these two books on my own, but probably won't get to them:

• Christmas In the South (or If You Can't Fry It, Spraypaint it Gold) (David C. Barnette) - a Southern gal in my book club read this last year and it sounded quite funny


• A Christmas Memory - I've been meaning to read Truman Capote's short story for a while now

Do YOU have a Christmas (or holiday) reading list? Are there books you read around this time every year? Does your family have any bookish holiday traditions? I'd love to hear about them.

Sanctuary Cruises

This post is an advertisement of sorts but one that was not solicited (at least not exactly - I'll explain later), nor am I being rewarded in any way for writing it. I just want to share with you about an amazing organization that I truly love and want to support.



As you probably know, I live on the East Coast - just about as far from California as it is possible to get. However I do get a chance to visit there every few years and I love it. It was on one of those trips about 5 years ago that I found Sanctuary Cruises. We went on one trip with them and have been on their email list ever since, hoping that we'll get the chance to go back.

If you live in/near California or have plans to ever visit there, listen up!

Sanctuary Cruises is what whale watching should be. The main focus is on the safety and comfort of the whales and other marine life, but of course the passengers are very important as well. Heidi, Steph, and Noel KNOW THEIR STUFF and they will give you the very best experience it is possible to have. Cruises are limited in capacity so no one is crowded on deck and everyone has a great view. They are family-friendly and marine-life-friendly in just the perfect balance. Kids can even take a turn trying to steer the boat!

Here are a few samples of the things you might see on your cruise, taken from Sanctuary Cruise's website:


When we were there it was Gray whale migrating season. There weren't any big displays or splashes from the whales. Rather it was the most peaceful thing in the world to simply float along next to these majestic creatures as they steadily moved South.


*** Why I'm Telling You This ***

I've been subscribed to the Sanctuary Cruises newsletter for a long time so I've kept up with what's gone on in their business. A few years ago Steph and Heidi sold the company to a new guy so they could move to Northern California and open the Trinity River Adventure Inn (which looks SO COOL!!! I'd love to visit one day! Check it out here: www.trinityriveradventureinn.com). Long story short, the new guy ruined the company and almost ruined their boat as well. So Steph and Heidi came back to take the business over again. BUT!!! They offered an amazing opportunity to long-time captain, Noel: for one year he will run the entire organization and make all the important decisions and at the end of that time, he can use the net profit made over the year to pay Steph and Heidi the down payment on the business.

I would love for Noel to succeed in this. He was on the boat during our cruise all those years ago, assisting Steph and Heidi with everything. Reading about him in the newsletter - how he's a single dad, how he loves being on the water, how much this opportunity means to him - makes me want desperately for this to work out. THAT is why I'm telling you about Sanctuary Cruises: to bring new supporters to this wonderful company and help Noel on his way to success.


*** Learn More ***

You can learn more about Sanctuary Cruises at their website: www.sanctuarycruises.com. While there you can subscribe to their newsletter which will keep you up to date on the business itself and the marine life that recent passengers have seen. You can also become a fan on Facebook.


*** Thank You ***

I appreciate all who took the time to read this and everyone who will support Sanctuary Cruises in any way. Yes, this is a book blog, and no, this post isn't about books. But it IS something that is worth sharing and I hope that I'm able to bring some measure of success to Noel through what I've written here.

Exciting News!

My cousin* published a book! Yep, that's right. And it looks fascinating too.


Then & Now: Gravesend, Brooklyn, by Joseph Ditta

Permanently settled in 1645, the farming town of Gravesend, Long Island, was annexed to the city (now borough) of Brooklyn, New York, in 1894. Few reminders from Gravesend’s rural days survive around the urban landscape it has become. Even its more recent past is quickly disappearing. In Gravesend, Brooklyn lifelong resident Joseph Ditta, reference librarian at the New-York Historical Society, traces the evolution of this historic neighborhood through a fascinating selection of rare and never-before-published views.


You can get a taste of the book in this guest blog post Joseph did at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Blog. Please do check it out - I found it fascinating, and it has pictures. :)

Congratulations to Joseph! I can't wait to get my hands on his book and I wish him all possible success with it.

You can buy his book through these links to the publisher's website, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble. You can also become a fan on Facebook - just search "Gravesend" and the page will come up.


* In Italian families we refer to all relatives as cousins - it makes things much simpler. But here's how I'm actually related to Joseph: His grandmother was my grandfather's sister. Our moms are cousins, and actually have the same name. I really haven't had much contact with Joseph or the rest of our New York-based family in many years, but I have fond memories of visits with him (and everyone else) as a child. I'm thrilled about this new book and wish Joseph all the success in the world.

Remembering D-Day

June 6, 1944

65 years ago today

My grandpa, Nick Fontana, landed on Utah Beach. He fought he way up the beach and over the seawall ...
finally making it to relative safety. Three days into the battle his best friend, Joe Tofinchio, was killed. (If you are a long-time reader of mine, you may recall that I've written about my successful search for Joe's family before.)

Grandpa had several close calls over the next few days. One that he's told me about many times is this: He poked his head up to get a look around and suddenly recalled one of his commanders drilling the men about keeping their helmets pulled down in the front at all times. He immediately pulled his helmet into the correct position and just at that second a sniper's shot bounced of his helmet. Had he not adjusted it when he did, that shot would have gone through the center of the forehead.

Just under three weeks into the Allied advance, Grandpa's unit was approaching the town of St. Lo. Suddenly a German grenade landed nearby. All the men ran and dove for cover. But do to an ankle injury he received jumping over a hedgerow a few days before, Grandpa couldn't get away quickly enough; the blast from the grenade knocked him flat and threw shards of shrapnel into his legs.

His injuries were severe enough that he was evacuated to Coventry, England to recuperate. It was there that he met my Grandma, Eileen Hunt. She was a gorgeous English/Irish redhead who did war work in a local factory. The photo to the left was taken in 1946 and given from Nick to Eileen, with a note on the back expressing his love. The rest, as they say, is history (or at least, the rest is a story for another day).

Nick & Eileen Fontana

met in 1944
happily married since 1947
photo from November 2008

What's Becoming of Our Book Culture? ... at CityLit

I'm finally getting around to posting about the CityLit Festival in Baltimore on April 18th. The event had over 3,000 attendees and 60 exhibitors, according to their website. I had an absolutely wonderful time ... hence my difficulty in recapping it for you - there is just so much to say!

Today I'm going to share my experiences at the panel entitled "What's Becoming of Our Book Culture?" According to the program of events, this is:

A panel discussion moderated by Dave Rosenthal, the Baltimore Sun's Read Street columnist. Panelists include Deirdre Donahue, book reviewer, USA Today; David Kipen, Director, National Reading Initiatives, National Endowment for the Arts; Natalie Stokes, Associate Publisher, Black Classics Press.

Due to my cab driver not knowing how to get to the largest library in Baltimore (seriously?!), I arrived a few minutes late for this panel and missed the beginning of the discussion. I also missed getting a place to prop up my camera to keep it steady while I recorded ...

The person speaking when I arrived was Deirdre and I got my camera rolling as soon as I could - she had a lot of interesting things to say.

In this first video, Deirdre talks about her concern with the lack of truly independent mainstream book reviewers.



In the second video, David talks about his involvement with The Big Read program and his promise to eat a book. (Yes, you read that correctly!) Then the conversation veers of to a discussion of Kindles, audio books, and other alternate forms of books. The video cuts off when my battery died.



The discussion continued for about 30 minutes after this. One big topic was how to reach younger readers. Below are some of the comments from the panel:

• David Kipen described books by Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling as "gateway drugs" for young readers - kids who read them will eventually branch out into other similar book, then (over time) to different genres. Natalie Stokes added that kids and teens tend to stick with one topic/series/author until they bored, then they look for other books to read.
• Dierdre Donahue feels that teens are most interested in books their parents don't want them to read. She only half-jokingly suggested that parents/adults should make reading seem controversial and subversive, and not encourage it so much - it appears "goody-goody" to kids and they don't want to do it.
• There was a discussion about how to reach teen boys - graphic novels were highly recommended.

This was an excellent panel discussion and I'm sorry to have missed the first few minutes. The panelists were knowledgeable and well-spoken, the audience was interested and involved, and the topics were relevant and important. Great job everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of CityLit. I'll have another post up soon with details and videos from the Junot Diaz talk I attended later in the day.

More Wheel of Time Drama ... and Official Announcements

As many of you know, I have been waiting (im)patiently for author Brandon Sanderson to complete the late Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series, THE WHEEL OF TIME (you can read about this here and on my left sidebar). Reading Brandon's blog keeps me apprised of his progress - he is very open with his fans - so I knew that the book was getting longer than originally expected. The publisher, Tor Books, made some announcements regarding the book yesterday and I'm dying to discuss them with someone!

Here's the official news:

• Rather than one extremely long and unbindable book, it will be split into three separate volumes (all long as well). Fans were expecting a 2-volume book so this was a bit shocking.
• Volume 1 will be released in Nov. '09. The following volumes will come each in Nov. '10 and Nov. '11. Fans were expecting a two-volume release with a six-month gap between.
• A new encyclopedia will be released about a year after the final-final book.
  

And here are links to the announcements:

• Tor.com's big announcement
• Brandon Sanderson's explanation - a very good read! In fact, he handles it better than the official announcement did.
• More info at Dragonmount.com
• interview with Harriet, Jordan's widow and long-time editor
  

I'm not quite sure how to react to this news. At first I was angry. I mean, for months now we've been hearing that we'll get the end of the epic in 2009. And now we won't get the end until 2011!

But then I thought about it more and realized a few things.

First, I get to live in THE WHEEL OF TIME land for another few years. I've been inhabiting this world, following these characters, since the mid-1990s so the ending of the series is a huge event for me. Now I get more time with them - and that can only be a good thing.

Second, a book a year is MUCH better than Robert Jordan had done in many years (for a variety of good reasons). So I won't have to wait nearly as long as I did for the last few books.

However, this does present a problem. I've spent the last year listening to the first 11 books in the series on audio in order to prepare for the last book - I wanted everything to be fresh in my mind. And I'm also following along with Tor.com's re-read of the series which is scheduled to finish just before November. All this was in preparation for the END of the series ... but now I'm only getting the BEGINNING of the end.

Oh well, I guess I should just be grateful that there will be THREE more books to enjoy, and that I can spread that enjoyment out for a few more years yet.
Any other WHEEL OF TIME fans out there want to chime in on this? Even if you're not a fan, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Has something like this every happened with a series you love?

Dancing With The Stars - Parental Concerns

(Stick around for a video of kiddo at the end of this post.)

I don't usually comment on TV shows and other pop culture stuff on my blog, but I do want to say something about this season of Dancing With the Stars. WHAT WERE THE PRODUCERS THINKING?!?!?!

The show is billed as "family friendly" so I assume that I'm not the only one who watches this with my kiddo. We usually record it then watch it together the following day. This was the first time that I've been concerned about the content of the show - big time.

Here are my three issues - and they all have to do with the "stars" ...

1. Lil Kim - She's a rapper who has been in jail. Ok, that's not really all that bad - lots of famous people have been in jail. But maybe, since this IS a family show, she could say something about how jail made her a better person, helped her turn her life around, etc. (I don't know if any of this is true, but I'm sure she could find SOMETHING to say) ... rather than giving a "shout out" to all "her girls" in the state penitentiary!
   Kiddo's reaction: "Mom, she was in JAIL?!"
   Me: "Yes baby, she did something wrong and she had to go to jail for it." Oh how I would have loved to follow this up with a positive statement, but I couldn't.
   
   
2. Steve-O - He's from the tv show Jackass. I know I'm a prude compared to most other people but I seriously do not ever use cuss words. I've been known to say "damn" and "hell" but that is the worst thing that comes out of my mouth. So it has always bothered me that there is a tv show with the name Jackass. That's not a word I want kiddo (he's 7!) familiar with for now. But it is sort of impossible to avoid when we're watching a show like this.
   Kiddo's reaction: There was none - he happened to be in the bathroom when Steve-O was introduced so I was able to fast forward a bit.
   Me: I AM happy with Steve-O's statements though. He talked about how he was abusing drugs and alcohol for a long time but that he's been clean and sober for 1.5 years and he's doing the show to prove he can still do crazy things even sober. That is the kind of positive statement I was hoping for from Lil Kim.
   
   
3. Holly Madison - She's been in Playboy Magazine - that is her main claim to fame.
   Kiddo's reaction: "Ooh, I want to vote for her. She's been in a magazine!"
   Me: "Baby, that's not really that great of a thing. See, she's only telling you she's been in a magazine because that is the main reason she's famous. All the other stars are so famous that they've been in tons of magazines, so they don't think it is that important to tell you about it."
   Kiddo: "Oh, well, ok, but I still want to vote for her."
   Me: So what exactly am I supposed to say to that people?! I am NOT going to explain to my 7 yr old that she's famous for being NAKED in a magazine.
   

So producers - WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!

And to my readers - am I way off base here, expecting too much from a tv show?

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I've talked before about how much kiddo loves music but I don't think I've mentioned his dancing skills. He asked me several months ago if he could take Irish Step Dance lessons. He knew he'd be one of the only boys in the program but he really wanted to do it anyway. He's been taking lessons now for just over 2 months and he loves it. His first recital was on March 1. Below is a short video of his dance - he's on the far right in the black pants. And remember, he's just a beginner!

I'm quite proud of him, needless to say.

And this is one of the main reasons we watch Dancing With the Stars together - because kiddo LIKES to dance.

Oh, and just in case you are concerned that dancing is "too girly" for kiddo (yes, we've been told that several times) I promise to post another video soon that shows him playing ice hockey.

A New Opinion on the Current Blogging Controversy

I'm sure most of you are sick of this topic by now (since it's been all over the blogosphere!) so I promise to keep this short. I emailed Dave at Read Street, the blog for The Baltimore Sun newspaper, to get his thoughts on it and he posted about it today. Here's the link to his post in case you want to check it out.

And for those who have no clue what I'm talking about, here's a quick summary: A blogger posted a negative review of a book. The author took offense and requested that the cover art and all quotes be removed from the post. The blogger declined to change the post. A commenting war errupted as other bloggers vehemently defended the original blogger. This spawned posts on other blogs and a whole host of negativity and concern in the book blogging world.


My opinion - because I KNOW you want it - is that both the author and many of the commenters responded inappropriately. Common courtesy will get you far in this world I say. Can we all try to remember that? And I also disagree with the commenters who say that self-published authors are extra sensitive and write poorly - what a generalization to make! That's just like saying all bloggers are self-focused and uneducated. Hmm ... that harkens back to this controversy, don't you think?

For the record, I review every book I read whether I liked it or not. If I'm giving a negative review to a book I received from an author or publisher I usually email them a heads up first, and I always point out both good and bad things about the book. My opinion isn't the be-all-end-all of opinions; I have yet to find a book that no one likes so I'm sure to say in any negative review that other readers may enjoy this book.

And that's all I have to say about that. At least, that's all until you post some comments!

My Panel at the Book Festival (finally!)

I know, I know! I hyped up my panel at the Baltimore Book Festival for weeks, then I wait for over a week to tell you how it went ... shame on me. But I'm finally getting caught up so here goes!

Oh, just one more thing. My wonderful hubby volunteered to come along and video for me. This was an amazing thing for him to since he usually finds these types of events painfully boring and will avoid them at all costs. I have to be honest though - he's not a great videographer. He recorded the entire session on our video camera by sitting it on a chair for the duration. He also used our digital camera to record a few clips for me to post on my blog. Those clips are a bit ... um ... bumpy.... Hopefully none of you come away with a headache!

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The panel was titled Read Street: The Changing Landscape of Book Reviews and Coverage of the Literary Arts. The three panelists were Dave Rosenthal and Nancy Johnston, The Baltimore Sun’s “Read Street” Bloggers, and myself. We were introduced by Gregg Wilhelm, executive director of The CityLit Project (you can read more about this great organization here).

Video 1 begins with Gregg finishing his intro and continues with Dave discussing The Sun's new blog, Read Street. I'm on the far left, Nancy is in the center.



Poor Nancy, her microphone wouldn't stay up. The video ends just as Dave begins explaining the decline of advertising money available to newspapers today. In our Q&A time at the end one audience member brought this subject up again. He wanted to know why publishers weren't pushing for more coverage of their books by purchasing advertising space. Dave's response was (basically) that advertisers go where the return-on-investment is, and they just aren't seeing it in printed media.

The second video begins with Dave introducing me and continues with me speaking about my blog. There is quite a bit of noise in several parts because delivery trucks (aka golf carts) were passing by our tent. The video ends just as Nancy begins to talk - sorry Nancy!



In our Q&A later one man mentioned that he was "not comfortable with all this personal opinion" that blogs seem to be all about; he preferred reading the professional reviews because he feels they are not personally biased. I responded that of course he has that option, it's all a matter of preference. I further explained that as a consistent blog reader I get a feel for each blogger's taste in books and who I can rely on to recommend books that I like. Dave came back to this topic later, saying that getting reviews from blogs is a lot like getting book recommendations from your neighbors - some you just shrug off because they really don't know your taste and others you trust to recommend really great books.

Here's one more video for you - it's me talking about the amazing blogging community and the variety of people who read my blog (you!). I got myself a bit confused though, and I'm going to correct that error here. I mention that I have a reader in South Korea but she does NOT get most of her books from family members. That's another blogger, and I can't for the life of me remember who of you it is ... oops. [Update: Thanks to her comment I now remember that this is the blogger whose family brings her books!]



Again it cuts off just as Nancy starts to talk. You can tell hubby was focused only on what I had to say! The point Nancy was making is that Read Street is all about the community; she and Dave want input from their readers regarding the topics they should be blogging about.

One the whole the panel went very well. There were just two things that I wasn't happy with.

First, the turnout was low and not widely varied. Honestly, I expected a small group simply because the weather was crazy all weekend - most people didn't want to risk the rain (it ended up being a gorgeous morning though). But I had hoped that some more "tech-savvy" people would be there. In my opinion, the title of the panel drew a specific group of people. The majority of the audience were there to hear about the newspaper itself and were unfamiliar with blogging. That made it difficult to connect with them in my opinion. For those of you who have blogs, you know how it is trying to explain what you do to non-bloggers! Although is seemed that most people were open to learning about blogging, I can't tell if they "got it" or not.

Second, there was one audience member who dominated the Q&A with some rather angry remarks. He was adamantly against a newspaper allowing comments on a blog without verifying the identity of those commenting first. Basically he was questioning the integrity of The Baltimore Sun for even allowing comments on their blog. I respect the right of each person to his/her own opinion, but I would have preferred if this particular person had shown some of that respect to the other panelists as well. Another audience member did try to engage this guy in a conversation by making an opposing point, but the helpful guy was basically slammed by the angry guy. Yeah, there will always be ONE person who messes it up for everyone. I thought that Dave and Nancy handled the situation in the best way possible.

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A few other things to note ...

• Throughout the weekend I gave my card (with my blog name) to each of the authors I met, letting them know that I'd be posting video from their talk on my blog. They were all grateful for the extra publicity.
  
  
• After giving my card to one author, I was approached by the woman in charge of that particular tent. She wanted a card as well and wanted to talk further about my blog. She's the head of a literary organization here in Maryland and may want me to speak at her tent at next year's festival; the panel topic would be new ways for authors to promote their work. We'll see if she contacts me.
  

• After our panel, Dave met someone from the Baltimore Chapter of the Maryland Writers Alliance who asked the three of us (Dave, Nancy, and I) to speak at their meeting later this month. Nancy's job at the newspaper is an evening thing so she can't make it, but Dave and I will be there. It's set for Oct. 27th and the topic is basically the same as at the book festival - declining in-print reviews and the growth of blogging.

I had such a great time doing this panel. A big THANK YOU to Dave for asking me to be a part of it, to Gregg at CityLit for telling Dave about my book club a few months back, and for my book club gal Carrie for telling her friend Gregg about the amazing book club we're in together. That's how I ended up on this panel ... go figure!

Banned Books Week ... some thoughts

It's here - Banned Books Week!
Sept. 27 - Oct. 4

I've got three posts planned for the topic of banned books this week:

• My thoughts - you know you want to know what I think
  
• A call for reviews of banned books - if you've got 'em, I want to see 'em!
• Links to other posts on banned books
  

I love to read. (Duh!) I have ever since I was a child. No one ever told me that I couldn't read a particular book. In part, that is what helped me develop my love of reading - I could explore whatever caught my interest.

Kiddo loves books, even though he can't read quite yet. As he grows, we're starting to read a wider variety of books and I see his personal taste beginning to develop - it's a wonderful thing to watch!

At this point I still regulate what he "reads", sort of by proxy. I order books from the library for him, I remind him of the books we have at home, etc. If he expresses interest in a topic, we find a book to read about it. As he learns to read though, I fully expect him to find books on his own, and it's here that the banning of books discussion comes into play.

There I things I don't want kiddo to read about. Some are simply inappropriate for his age, with themes or situations that he'll only understand when he's older. Others contain language I find offensive or just in poor taste. And there are some that I just don't like because of the messages they convey. As the parent of a young child (he's only 6, remember) I feel that it's my job to regulate the books he has access to, to choose books that will help him grow, learn, and develop a love of reading.

But at the same time, I will not deny any other person the opportunity to read a book just because I disapprove of it. In fact, down the road I may even encourage kiddo to read some of those books. Then we can discuss the questionable or controversial areas of the book with a discerning eye.

So those are my thoughts on this, the first day of Banned Books Week. If you've reviewed a banned book, I'll want to hear about it in my next post so stay tuned!

Mistress of the Vatican - author talk

On Tuesday night I attended a talk by author Eleanor Herman at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Ms. Herman was there to discuss her new book, Mistress of the Vatican.

I took copious notes (7 pages worth!) so I could tell you all about it. I also took pictures and even two videos! I'm posting all here for you to enjoy ... I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Here's what the Pratt's website says about the book:

For a decade in the 17th century, Olimpia Maidalchini, a woman born to a humble family, ran the Catholic church through her brother-in-law are reputed lover, Pope Innocent X. She made international policy, waged war, patronized Rome's greatest Baroque artists, and made herself rich with Vatican Gold.

Eleanor Herman is also the author of Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen.

My notes on the talk are rough so please bear with me.

A bit about the time period:

• the Papal States were a kingdom with the Pope as monarch, and they dealt with the same issues that other monarchies of the time faced


• the 1600 were a time of plague, corruption, great wealth, and great poverty
  
  
• She explained the origins of the "conclave" of Cardinals who decide on the next Pope. The Cardinals often dragged out the decision over many months, and in this case the other rulers got fed up. They decided to lock the Cardinals in, with very little food, until they finally decided. After 5 weeks there was still no decision, so the roof of the building was removed to allow the weather in. Needless to say, a decision was reached shortly thereafter.*

Just before this first video begins, Ms. Herman explained that Olimpia Maidalchini (pronounced Ma-dal-kini) was the eldest of three daughters in her family. There was an older half brother as well. The son was favored by the father, and the girls were seen as a drain on the inheritance that would eventually go to the son.

Just after the video ends Ms. Herman went on to say that Olimpia became, at age 20, multi-millionaire widow (by today's monetary standards). Olimpia learned a valuable lesson from this; she learned how to get what she wanted despite being a woman.

Olimpia entered her second marriage as a wealthy woman, and chose to marry into a pedigreed family. Her new brother-in-law was a socially inept and indecisive judge. Through her influence and assistance, he became well-respected as was eventually made a Cardinal. (There's a LOT more to the story but I'm trying to be brief here.)

Eventually the brother-in-law became a candidate for the next pope. During the conclave it was common to pass messages to and from the Cardinals (unlike today, when it is completely secret). The second video discusses some of the correspondence between Olimpia and the Cardinals.

Sorry it cuts off abruptly at the end ... my camera battery was dying. The result of her efforts is that her brother-in-law was elected, and he became Pope Innocent X.

Olimpia did many good things during her life (and many not so good things too). Her good works included: money for undowried girls, official protection for Rome's prostitutes, and food, sheets, firewood, and other necessities for many convents. She also commissioned some wonderful art and architecture using the money she gained through her relationship (familial or sexual is up for debate) with Pope Innocent X.

This is just a small taste of what you'll find in this book. I have lots of other tidbits of info to share about Ms. Herman's research and more, but I'm going to save them for another post (hopefully sometime next week) as there is something else I want to mention here.

I brought my mom to this talk with me. We don't usually share the same opinions about what makes a great book but we do agree that historical books are usually good picks. In the car on the way home we got into a bit of a tiff about Ms. Herman's talk. Mom is a staunch Catholic and she felt that much of the talk was insulting and meant to demean or poke fun at the Church. I disagreed strongly with her. I felt that the history Ms. Herman spoke about is an unfortunate but true*** part of the Church's past, and that she wasn't poking fun in any way. Yes there was humor in her talk, but it was more to make the talk entertaining (rather than dry and boring). Mom agreed that Ms. Herman was a very good public speaker so at least we found THAT to agree on. At the very beginning of her talk, Ms. Herman stated emphatically that her book is not anti-Catholic or meant to attach the Church.**** Based on her talk, I agree with that statement. We'll see if that opinion changes once I read the book. Needless to say, Mom won't be reading this one.

* I can't say for sure the this is the truth, but my mom (a strong Catholic) was with me and she says that she remembers hearing this story before.

** I was raised Catholic but I attend a Protestant church now. I still know far more about Catholic history than I do about the development of the Protestant churches though.

*** Most of what she presented as fact is backed up by historical documents, and she was careful to point out when there were stories that couldn't be proven either way. So I'm not saying everything she presented was the truth, but much of it was well-documented.

**** She mentioned this in response to this act of vandalism at the library earlier this month.

Has anyone read this book yet? I'd love to check out your review if you have one. If you haven't read it, what do you think about it? Do events like the vandalism make you more or less likely to read a book?

Remembering Today, 7 Years Ago

Several blogs are doing amazing remembrances of 9/11/01 today.

Over at Bridges, read the experiences of a variety of people in exactly 100 words each.

Booking Through Thursday is asking if 9/11 affected your reading habits, and there are some interesting answers there.

Mel, A Dramatic Mommy posted an article originally written on 9/13/01 that really brings back the feel of that day.

Trish remembers another infamous day and compares it to this one in a unique way.

There's even a short story complete with ghosts.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are my responses:

In 100 words ...

Heard that a plane hit the towers, didn’t see it. Assumed it was a small plane, bad accident. Then another plane – what’s up with that? More news: it’s a passenger plane full of people! Called home, but hubby was on heavy-duty meds after surgery, wouldn’t wake up. Bosses called from Arizona – they can’t get fly back today, let their families know they’re safe. Called home again and again. Finally – tv is found and turned on … just in time to see the 2^nd tower fall. Call home again – break the news: hubby lost several friends. I was 4 months pregnant.

Booking Through Thursday ...

BTT says: Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world. It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.

So, feeling my way to a question here … Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.

And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?

And I say: Immediately after 9/11/01 I couldn't watch violent movies or read books with lots of violence. But over time, that changed ... the violence and horror of that day became part of who I am, part of my collective memories. Today I think I read with a more open mind. Not that I was ever a close-minded reader, but I think I was just unaware of many things. If I read a book on terrorism, it seems very realistic to me even when the plot is far fetched. If I read a book with middle eastern characters or settings or influences, I pay more attention than I would have before.

It's not profound, but that's my answer.

Blogging for a Cause

Most of us have blogs just for fun, for our own enjoyment ... but what if we could occasionally take something that's fun and make a difference with it?

That's just what Natasha over at Maw Books is doing this month. Her project began on Sept. 1 (I'm behind on letting you know about this because life has been crazy, sorry). You can help her raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur by linking up to her blog, and help her raise money in numerous ways as well.

Here's a link to the introductory post. If you sign up to help in any way, please let me know. Here's a link to more info, in case you need it.

On a personal note, I recently read Elie Wiesel's Night for the first time. At the end I was struck by the similarities between then and now. Then, the world ignored the plight of the Jewish people; now, the world ignores the plight of the Sudanese people. Like Natasha, I wanted to do something; unlike Natasha, I did nothing. I'm very ashamed of that fact. I hope by supporting her efforts this month that I'll in some way make up for my poor decision.

Natasha posted a variety of videos about Darfur. I hope you take a minute to watch this one; it is brief but it gives the best overview of the situation that I've yet heard.