Thank you to everyone who sent prayers and well-wishes for my uncle and the entire family. I'll give you a quick update on what's been going on this past week and then let you know what I'll be (hopefully) posting about this weekend.
My uncle is 93 yrs old (he's actually Grandpa's older brother, not younger like I said in the other post). As recently as June he was in good health and was dancing - without his cane - at his grandson's wedding. Then, in August, he had minor surgery and went steadily downhill from there. He's been home from the hospital under hospice care for less than a week, and he likely won't live much longer. He's not in much pain though, so that's a good thing
On Wed. morning my mom, sister (and her 2 yr old and 3 month old boys) and myself (with kiddo) drove 4 hours to New Jersey, arriving at 1:30pm. When we got there, sis took the kids outside and let them play/run/stretch their legs. Did I mention that all three were angels in the car? Mom had a quick visit with her uncle then came downstairs to talk to all her cousins. Oh, did I mention that this is the Italian side of the family? There are LOTS of cousins. At that point I took kiddo in with me to see my uncle. Kiddo went right up to the bed and gave Uncle Nino a big hug, laying his head on his chest. Uncle Nino hugged him back, hard. Can I tell you how proud I was of kiddo at that moment? He doesn't know Uncle Nino that well (we only see him rarely) and when I was 6, old and ill people gave me the creeps. Kiddo wasn't phased at all - he just hugged him, then proceeded to show him all the treasures he brought in his pockets from Maryland. I was surprised at how coherent my uncle was. He was very weak and very tired, but his mind was basically all there ... he even had his sense of humor. Of course, he realizes he's dying and that is very emotional for him. After a while I sent kiddo back outside to play and I sat with my uncle for a while. We talked about how much we love each other, and how he's always been my favorite uncle. He asked about my husband and sent his love. When he got tired, I helped his daughter tuck him in and rub his back, then he fell asleep.
For the next few hours I visited with a whole slew of relatives who were stopping by at regular intervals. At 6pm I went in to say goodbye for the last time to my uncle (he's been sleeping much of the day). I gave him a big hug, told him I loved him, and just stayed close to him for a short while. Then it was time to go to the train station.
Kiddo and I took the train home from NJ at 8pm, arriving home at 11pm. It was an exhausting day - physically and emotionally - but so very worth it.
My uncle lived a wonderfully full and happy life. He is approaching death surrounded by his family and mostly in his right mind (although I've heard that the past few days he's gotten very confused). It is simply painful to me to think of my life without him. It makes my heart hurt.
Thank you again to everyone who sent well wishes, and to those who just "thought" well wishes.
Over the next few hours/days I've got about 10 half-written posts to complete including: Friday Finds, something about food allergies, a blog award, my review of The 19th Wife, an update on the authors I met at Bouchercon, and a post about National Book Club Month in the US. We'll see what I can get finished!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thoughts from a publisher ...
I know I've been absent for the past few days, and I will likely be scarce for the next few as well. I promise to give an update about my uncle as soon as I can. There are book reviews I need to write as well. As for this post, I promised to have it up on 10/15 and you can see that it didn't happen. Lou - I hope you'll forgive me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm excited to share with you some thoughts by veteran publisher Lou Aronica. Here's a bit about Lou:
And now, here's Lou:
I have been thinking about starting a publishing house of my own for a long time. As far back as the early eighties, I sat around with some colleagues in the industry and we talked about creating a new model for a publishing company. It finally happened after all of this time because my partner Peter Miller and I kept talking about doing it and finally realized that we were actually serious.
Interestingly, if I’d done this in the early eighties, it would have been exponentially easier, even though I have significantly more publishing experience now. It was simply less difficult to publish a book back then. More retail outlets carried books and they sold a much broader selection of titles in quantity. This made it much more possible for publishers to take chances on writers and to build books from sheer excitement. Starting a publishing house now means dealing with a much narrower set of publishing options. This is especially true with publishing fiction (which is the primary focus of The Story Plant). Booksellers are less willing to take chances on new writers than they once were – and with good reason; much new fiction sells at appallingly low levels. It’s very difficult to get attention for new fiction at the store level because the books wind up spine-out on a shelf or on a table with dozens of other books and nothing other than the cover to call attention. It’s genuinely humbling to walk into a bookstore to see one of your books on sale – what seemed so fresh and distinctive back at the office is now just part of a huge mass.
At the same time, I think we may be on the verge of a new
bright age for book publishing. One complaint we always had in the business was that it was so difficult to communicate with the readers. We could scream at them through display materials (back when that happened in stores), or we could try to turn booksellers on to a book in the hopes that they would hand-sell it (back when a great deal of hand-selling happened in bookstores), or we could shout from the rooftops via advertising, hoping that a small handful of the people who heard us actually cared at all about this type of book. The internet finally gives us what we’d been searching for: a way to talk to people who actually care about reading – even very specific kinds of reading – and say, “Hey, try a little of this. We think you might like it.” Communities have always been important in the book world and now these communities are visible and accessible in unprecedented ways.
As publishers, I think we’re all still learning how to interact with the web. Obviously, it requires much more than simply putting up a site with a sample chapter and a bio. Part of the process involves creating sites that are rich and layered and that invite readers into the writer’s world. For our first two books, we generated sites that we believe go beyond hyping a book to create a milieu for the novel. For American Quest, a contemporary fantasy (http://www.americanquestbook.com/), the author wrote two original short stories, we created a music video and a Flash video, and we added content about the world of the novel. We intend to continue to add content to the site right up to the publication of the paperback edition. For Capitol Reflections, a medical thriller (http://www.capitolreflections.com/), we focused on the author’s impressive credentials and the controversial subject matter of the novel, creating a blog about genetically modified foods and making the entire thing very topic driven. The idea in both cases was not to say, “THIS IS THE BEST BOOK YOU WILL EVER READ,” but instead to say, “Come enter this world. If you find it interesting, give the book a try.” I think the latter respects the readership much more and connects more closely with how readers choose books.
The challenge at this point is directing readers toward the sites in the first place. The blogging community is a huge help in this, and when they believe in a book (or even in the cleverness of a site), they can spread the word very quickly. We’re going to pay special attention to bloggers (as you might have assumed from the fact that I’m guest blogging here), as I believe the publisher/blogger relationship may be the key to the next stage in book publishing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I do hope you'll check out The Story Plant and the other websites they've created. I'm very intrigued by the concept of books having websites to go along with them. I know it's not a new idea but it's not that common either, and its definitely a way to get interaction with readers.
Best of luck to Lou and the rest of the crew at The Story Plant from book bloggers everywhere!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm excited to share with you some thoughts by veteran publisher Lou Aronica. Here's a bit about Lou:
As publisher of Avon Books, Lou launched the Eos imprint, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Also at Avon, he built publishing programs for Dennis Lehane, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, J.A. Jance, Stephanie Laurens, Lisa Kleypas, Bruce Feiler, and Peter Robin son. Neil Gaiman, whose work Lou acquired, reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.When I was given the chance to "speak" with Lou I wanted to hear his thoughts on the changing nature of the publishing industry and how that influences his new company. Of course, I wanted to know what he thinks about the book blogging community as well! Thank you, Lou, for your insightful answers to my questions.
Of course, Lou is known for many other accomplishments. He launched the Bantam Crime Line and Bantam Spectra imprints, has been honored with a World Fantasy Award, and has published more than a dozen award winning-novels. At one point he had acquired five consecutive winners of the Nebula Award.
Authors he’s developed over his career continue to reign over bestseller lists and include Elizabeth George, Diane Mott Davidson, Amanda Quick, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen and William Gibson. And is there any reader who can’t imagine the thrill of working alongside Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov?
Commercially, his biggest accomplishment is the acquisition and design of the Star Wars book publishing program, which “jump-started” the Star Wars book franchise and was initiated at a time when others had very little interest in the series.
You can visit his new publishing house, The Story Plant, by visiting http://www.thestoryplant.com/. Started by two long-term industry veterans (you can read about us here), The Story Plant is a publishing company dedicated to commercial fiction. Story Plant books will be involving and engaging reading experiences provided by passionate writers who love the stories they're telling and have several more to tell. While we understand that no one buys a book because of the logo on the spine, we hope you'll come to find our imprimatur synonymous with storytelling excellence.
The first two Story Plant books go on sale in the fall of 2008. One is a moving, romantic, and exciting contemporary fantasy. The other is a powerful and frightening medical thriller. Both are by writers whose names you should get to know because you're going to be hearing from them often in the future.
Check back here from time to time to hear our latest news. We'll also be adding new features all the time, including a blog that will serve as a "virtual writers conference" this fall.
And now, here's Lou:
I have been thinking about starting a publishing house of my own for a long time. As far back as the early eighties, I sat around with some colleagues in the industry and we talked about creating a new model for a publishing company. It finally happened after all of this time because my partner Peter Miller and I kept talking about doing it and finally realized that we were actually serious.
Interestingly, if I’d done this in the early eighties, it would have been exponentially easier, even though I have significantly more publishing experience now. It was simply less difficult to publish a book back then. More retail outlets carried books and they sold a much broader selection of titles in quantity. This made it much more possible for publishers to take chances on writers and to build books from sheer excitement. Starting a publishing house now means dealing with a much narrower set of publishing options. This is especially true with publishing fiction (which is the primary focus of The Story Plant). Booksellers are less willing to take chances on new writers than they once were – and with good reason; much new fiction sells at appallingly low levels. It’s very difficult to get attention for new fiction at the store level because the books wind up spine-out on a shelf or on a table with dozens of other books and nothing other than the cover to call attention. It’s genuinely humbling to walk into a bookstore to see one of your books on sale – what seemed so fresh and distinctive back at the office is now just part of a huge mass.
At the same time, I think we may be on the verge of a new
bright age for book publishing. One complaint we always had in the business was that it was so difficult to communicate with the readers. We could scream at them through display materials (back when that happened in stores), or we could try to turn booksellers on to a book in the hopes that they would hand-sell it (back when a great deal of hand-selling happened in bookstores), or we could shout from the rooftops via advertising, hoping that a small handful of the people who heard us actually cared at all about this type of book. The internet finally gives us what we’d been searching for: a way to talk to people who actually care about reading – even very specific kinds of reading – and say, “Hey, try a little of this. We think you might like it.” Communities have always been important in the book world and now these communities are visible and accessible in unprecedented ways.As publishers, I think we’re all still learning how to interact with the web. Obviously, it requires much more than simply putting up a site with a sample chapter and a bio. Part of the process involves creating sites that are rich and layered and that invite readers into the writer’s world. For our first two books, we generated sites that we believe go beyond hyping a book to create a milieu for the novel. For American Quest, a contemporary fantasy (http://www.americanquestbook.com/), the author wrote two original short stories, we created a music video and a Flash video, and we added content about the world of the novel. We intend to continue to add content to the site right up to the publication of the paperback edition. For Capitol Reflections, a medical thriller (http://www.capitolreflections.com/), we focused on the author’s impressive credentials and the controversial subject matter of the novel, creating a blog about genetically modified foods and making the entire thing very topic driven. The idea in both cases was not to say, “THIS IS THE BEST BOOK YOU WILL EVER READ,” but instead to say, “Come enter this world. If you find it interesting, give the book a try.” I think the latter respects the readership much more and connects more closely with how readers choose books.
The challenge at this point is directing readers toward the sites in the first place. The blogging community is a huge help in this, and when they believe in a book (or even in the cleverness of a site), they can spread the word very quickly. We’re going to pay special attention to bloggers (as you might have assumed from the fact that I’m guest blogging here), as I believe the publisher/blogger relationship may be the key to the next stage in book publishing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I do hope you'll check out The Story Plant and the other websites they've created. I'm very intrigued by the concept of books having websites to go along with them. I know it's not a new idea but it's not that common either, and its definitely a way to get interaction with readers.
Best of luck to Lou and the rest of the crew at The Story Plant from book bloggers everywhere!
Monday, October 13, 2008
MIA
It might be a bit quiet around here for the next few days. You may remember me writing about my Grandpa before ... well, his younger brother is dying. My Uncle Nino is a wonderful man, a true Italian gentleman. He's always been my favorite of Grandpa's siblings. I love him very much. He's in his 80s and his health deteriorated very quickly over the past months. He's not expected to live much longer. I'm planning to visit him in New Jersey on Wednesday, if he makes it that long.
Also, I will be without a computer at work on Tuesday. That will only give me a few hours on Tuesday evening to check in before I head to NJ on Wednesday, and I doubt I'll have time to post anything. Plus I can't seem to concentrate on anything right now ... I'm just too sad.
Those of you who are the praying type, please say a prayer for Uncle Nino's family. This is a hard time for everyone. I can't imagine how my Grandpa is feeling ... it's his younger brother, and he can't travel from Florida to visit him. It's really heartbreaking.
I'll be back here as soon as I can.
Also, I will be without a computer at work on Tuesday. That will only give me a few hours on Tuesday evening to check in before I head to NJ on Wednesday, and I doubt I'll have time to post anything. Plus I can't seem to concentrate on anything right now ... I'm just too sad.
Those of you who are the praying type, please say a prayer for Uncle Nino's family. This is a hard time for everyone. I can't imagine how my Grandpa is feeling ... it's his younger brother, and he can't travel from Florida to visit him. It's really heartbreaking.
I'll be back here as soon as I can.
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life
(If you are here through Show & Tell this week, I posted this particular review because of it's treatment of infertility and infant loss.)
This month my book club tried something new: each person read a biography of their choice of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. At the meeting we discussed not only her life but also the various ways that same life was handled by each author. (You can read more about our book club meeting, including what each gal read, here.)
I chose to read Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life
, by Donald Spoto.
Perhaps it was simply because I didn't know a great deal about Jackie, but I found this book to be fascinating!
Of course I've always known WHO Jackie is. Just like I've always known who John F. Kennedy is. But boy, I really didn't know ANYTHING about their lives. From Jackie's social climbing mother and philandering father to her induction into the boisterous and all-powerful Kennedy clan, from her controversial marriage to Aristotle Onassis to her career as editor and her relationship with Maurice Templesman, Spoto's book covered it all. Despite her insecurities, Jackie was a highly intelligent woman who charmed statesmen (like Charles de Gaulle) and influence politics behinds the scenes (by educating John Kennedy and guiding his decisions). She was truly an amazing woman.
I won't go into her whole life here, but I do want to mention a few things that might be appealing to all you bookish people out there. ~ During Jackie's days at boarding school, she read Jane Eyre. The school itself had a bit of a mystery in it's recent history, and many of the girls identified with the characters in Jane Eyre because of that. ~ John Kennedy was a sickly child and spent much of his time in bed reading. ~ When John and Jackie were dating, they most often gave each other books as gifts. ~ Jackie read books in several languages and often translated important parts for John when he was President. ~ During her marriage to Onassis, she often read a book a day while staying in Greece. ~ In her later years she turned per passion for language and books into a highly successful career as an editor. ~ She once introduced her son, John, to her boss by saying, "John, this is the man who gives me money to buy books." I loved reading that line; despite her large fortune, she still appreciated her career and it's connection to books. ~ Jackie's love of books, reading, and learning is a big theme throughout her life.
Another part of her life I found very interesting was her experiences with pregnancy and childbirth. Again, because I didn't live through this time period I had no idea about this (although my mom and other ladies in my book club remembered some of this very clearly). Jackie miscarried her first child very early in the pregnancy. Her second pregnancy went full term (I think - I can't quite recall now) but resulted in a stillborn daughter, Arabella. Her third pregnancy was successful; daughter Caroline was born safe and healthy. John Jr. followed a few years later, but his birth was scary (Jackie started bleeding and delivered a bit early). Jackie's last pregnancy resulted in the birth of a boy, Patrick, who lived for only two days. For the most part, John Kennedy was uninvolved with the births (and deaths) of his children. The loss of the first two pregnancies didn't seem to affect him at all. The death of Patrick was a different story though; most people agree that he was a changed man after that loss. [As a side note, Spoto's book does not delve into the possible reasons for any of the pregnancy losses but one of the books another book club gal read did; her book suggests that John had Chlamydia and that it had something to do with Jackie's infertility.]
And speaking of Patrick, after his death in August 1963, Jackie went away for two weeks in October to basically escape her life. When she returned, her relationship with her husband was better than it had ever been. The following month, John and Jackie traveled to Texas to campaign ... and John was killed. Less than 5 years later, Martin Luther King - a man she greatly admired and supported - was killed. Two months after that, her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy was killed. By this point, Jackie was scared - and with reason. I can't believe how much trauma this woman had in her life in such a short period of time. For me, the most chilling line in the book was when Jackie expressed her fear for her children's lives to a friend, saying "They are killing Kennedys!"
I can't say enough how fascinating this book was to me. I'll admit that it was the subject matter that intrigued me, but Spoto's treatment of his subject was quite good as well. I found out later that Spoto has written many other biographies. I'm not surprised! He has the ability to touch on the important events without going overboard on them while not completely neglecting the lesser events. All in all,, I highly recommend this book.
This month my book club tried something new: each person read a biography of their choice of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. At the meeting we discussed not only her life but also the various ways that same life was handled by each author. (You can read more about our book club meeting, including what each gal read, here.)
I chose to read Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life
, by Donald Spoto.
Perhaps it was simply because I didn't know a great deal about Jackie, but I found this book to be fascinating!Of course I've always known WHO Jackie is. Just like I've always known who John F. Kennedy is. But boy, I really didn't know ANYTHING about their lives. From Jackie's social climbing mother and philandering father to her induction into the boisterous and all-powerful Kennedy clan, from her controversial marriage to Aristotle Onassis to her career as editor and her relationship with Maurice Templesman, Spoto's book covered it all. Despite her insecurities, Jackie was a highly intelligent woman who charmed statesmen (like Charles de Gaulle) and influence politics behinds the scenes (by educating John Kennedy and guiding his decisions). She was truly an amazing woman.
I won't go into her whole life here, but I do want to mention a few things that might be appealing to all you bookish people out there. ~ During Jackie's days at boarding school, she read Jane Eyre. The school itself had a bit of a mystery in it's recent history, and many of the girls identified with the characters in Jane Eyre because of that. ~ John Kennedy was a sickly child and spent much of his time in bed reading. ~ When John and Jackie were dating, they most often gave each other books as gifts. ~ Jackie read books in several languages and often translated important parts for John when he was President. ~ During her marriage to Onassis, she often read a book a day while staying in Greece. ~ In her later years she turned per passion for language and books into a highly successful career as an editor. ~ She once introduced her son, John, to her boss by saying, "John, this is the man who gives me money to buy books." I loved reading that line; despite her large fortune, she still appreciated her career and it's connection to books. ~ Jackie's love of books, reading, and learning is a big theme throughout her life.
Another part of her life I found very interesting was her experiences with pregnancy and childbirth. Again, because I didn't live through this time period I had no idea about this (although my mom and other ladies in my book club remembered some of this very clearly). Jackie miscarried her first child very early in the pregnancy. Her second pregnancy went full term (I think - I can't quite recall now) but resulted in a stillborn daughter, Arabella. Her third pregnancy was successful; daughter Caroline was born safe and healthy. John Jr. followed a few years later, but his birth was scary (Jackie started bleeding and delivered a bit early). Jackie's last pregnancy resulted in the birth of a boy, Patrick, who lived for only two days. For the most part, John Kennedy was uninvolved with the births (and deaths) of his children. The loss of the first two pregnancies didn't seem to affect him at all. The death of Patrick was a different story though; most people agree that he was a changed man after that loss. [As a side note, Spoto's book does not delve into the possible reasons for any of the pregnancy losses but one of the books another book club gal read did; her book suggests that John had Chlamydia and that it had something to do with Jackie's infertility.]
And speaking of Patrick, after his death in August 1963, Jackie went away for two weeks in October to basically escape her life. When she returned, her relationship with her husband was better than it had ever been. The following month, John and Jackie traveled to Texas to campaign ... and John was killed. Less than 5 years later, Martin Luther King - a man she greatly admired and supported - was killed. Two months after that, her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy was killed. By this point, Jackie was scared - and with reason. I can't believe how much trauma this woman had in her life in such a short period of time. For me, the most chilling line in the book was when Jackie expressed her fear for her children's lives to a friend, saying "They are killing Kennedys!"
I can't say enough how fascinating this book was to me. I'll admit that it was the subject matter that intrigued me, but Spoto's treatment of his subject was quite good as well. I found out later that Spoto has written many other biographies. I'm not surprised! He has the ability to touch on the important events without going overboard on them while not completely neglecting the lesser events. All in all,, I highly recommend this book.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
September Summary
September was a rather hectic month for me, hence the reason that I'm just now getting to my monthly recap. Frankly, I'm surprised I read as much as I did, what with the Baltimore Book Festival and all (click here for a summary of all my posts from the festival).
And now the monthly summary ...
I really think that 7 is about my limit for books each month. I know some people read more (and some read less) but I just can't seem to fit in any more.
Books – 7 (2,297 pages)
- Life Is So Good (272 pages)
- Midnight's Children (560 pages)
- The Pages In Between (288 pages)
- House and Home (272 pages)
- A Full House - But Empty (268 pages)
- Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. (I've been working on this one for a while.) (309 pages)
- One Special Summer (72 pages)
- 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time (256 pages)
And my TBR list gained 32 new titles this month.
Audio Books - 0 (other than my Wheel of Time standard, explained in my left side bar)
Mom & Son Book Club - none, but we have been reading several Eric Carle booksChallenges – 1 over, 2 in progress
- The Summer Reading Thing ended and I'm not sure if I can say I completed it or not.
- I'm still working on the "Lost" Books Challenge (ending in Jan.) and the 1% Well Read Challenge (ending in Feb.) ... I'm hopeful about those! [My list of books for each is in my left side bar.]
So ... what was YOUR September like?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Friday Finds 10/10/08
Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Finds! Here are the titles that made it to my TBR list this week ...
- Wide Sargasso Sea
by Jean Ryhs - how did I never realize before that this is the prequel to Jane Eyre?!
- The Secret Scripture
by Sebastian Barry - any book that's set in Ireland during the civil war immediately goes on my list
- My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
by Margaret Campbell - this wife of Henvy VIII fascinates me almost as much as Katherine - this reviewer had good things to say about this version of her life
- The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story
by Horace Walpole - although I don't read many Gothic books I keep saying that I'm going to, and this one certainly fits the bill - plus I trust this reviewer's opinion and she says it's good
- a trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman: When Christ and His Saints Slept
, Time and Chance (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
, and Devil's Brood
- this series follows the lives of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquataine, two people I find very fascinating - plus, according to ancestry.com my husband is related to them through their creepy son, John
- My Cousin Rachel
by Daphne duMaurier - I want to read Rebecca by this same author, and this reviewer has good things to say about this book
And here's what I discovered for kiddo ...
- The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud
by Jenny L. Cote
This came to me from the publisher and we've started reading it already. It's the story of Noah's Ark told from the point of view of the animals. It's a big book - 450 pages - but kiddo is really interested so far. - The Bat-Poet
by Randall Jarrell
ok, ok, mabye this one is really for me ... I have a fascination with bats, but I DO think kiddo will like this one - he DOES like Stellaluna after all - How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?
by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
it's a look at the different ways animals are adapted to perform the same functions, such as getting food
Come visit me at ReadingGroupGuides
My post on the Baltimore Book Festival is up over at ReadingGroupGuides.com (click here to check it out) ... head on over and say hi when you have a chance!
Oh, and they just posted my book club recap from last month here.
Oh, and they just posted my book club recap from last month here.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time
12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: A Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe, by Mark Jacobson
I can’t remember when I heard about this book but I remember thinking that it sounded like a fun read so I ordered it from PBS. And it's been sitting on my shelf since May. When I finally picked it up I couldn’t figure out why I waited so long to read it – it was a real treat!
Author Mark Jacobson has three children and a wife. On the whole they are an average American family. But one day Mark realizes that his children are “succumbing to popular culture” and “dumbing down” and he decides to take action: this calls for a trip around the world! Mark and his wife did lots of traveling in their hippie days and he’s SURE that travel will “cure” his children.
If my parents suggested a trip around the world I’d expect it to include Australia , lots of European countries, China , Japan , maybe India . Call it cultural bias, but that’s what I’d expect. Mark had a different plan for his family … they would circumnavigate the globe from West to East: Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Jordan, Israel, and France.
This is a story about an odd, but strangely familiar family thrust into the World (as they call it) and learning to BE a family. Interwoven through are looks into Mark’s childhood that illuminate his decisions regarding his own children. It’s about taking what’s good in your past and recreating it and taking what’s bad and making something better for your own kids.
I really enjoyed this book. The Jacobsons are very different than my family but some things are constant in (almost) every family – parents love their kids, parents and kids have a hard time relating to each other, and things get out of balance quickly. But pulling a family through all the craziness is SO worth it … and that’s what this book is all about.
I can’t remember when I heard about this book but I remember thinking that it sounded like a fun read so I ordered it from PBS. And it's been sitting on my shelf since May. When I finally picked it up I couldn’t figure out why I waited so long to read it – it was a real treat!Author Mark Jacobson has three children and a wife. On the whole they are an average American family. But one day Mark realizes that his children are “succumbing to popular culture” and “dumbing down” and he decides to take action: this calls for a trip around the world! Mark and his wife did lots of traveling in their hippie days and he’s SURE that travel will “cure” his children.
If my parents suggested a trip around the world I’d expect it to include Australia , lots of European countries, China , Japan , maybe India . Call it cultural bias, but that’s what I’d expect. Mark had a different plan for his family … they would circumnavigate the globe from West to East: Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, Jordan, Israel, and France.
This is a story about an odd, but strangely familiar family thrust into the World (as they call it) and learning to BE a family. Interwoven through are looks into Mark’s childhood that illuminate his decisions regarding his own children. It’s about taking what’s good in your past and recreating it and taking what’s bad and making something better for your own kids.
I really enjoyed this book. The Jacobsons are very different than my family but some things are constant in (almost) every family – parents love their kids, parents and kids have a hard time relating to each other, and things get out of balance quickly. But pulling a family through all the craziness is SO worth it … and that’s what this book is all about.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Mystery Lovers - I Need YOUR Help!
Hey all you Mystery and Thriller lovers out there - I have a problem and I need your input! Read on for details.
This weekend is the mystery/thriller convention Bouchercon - "Charmed to Death" will be right here in Charm City (aka Baltimore).
Carol Fitzgerald (of BookReporter.com, ReadingGroupGuides.com, etc.) will be in town for the convention and I'm having dinner with her Saturday night. It will be lots of fun to put a face and a voice to all her posts and newsletters!
After dinner Carol is bringing me back to the hotel to hang out with the authors - how exciting! Any author from this list could be there. Exciting, right?!
What's the problem you ask? Um ... I ... uh ... don't read mysteries or thrillers.
Yes, that's right - I get the chance of a lifetime to meet and mingle with a huge roomful of authors and I don't know who any of them are.
I don't want to go into this event not knowing anything about these authors! So here's what I need from all you mystery/thriller lovers out there. Check out this list of authors and give me the names of the ones you love, a few books they've written, their main character(s) and whatever you think it's important to know about them.
Basically I'm asking for a primer in mystery/thriller authors. Can you help?
This weekend is the mystery/thriller convention Bouchercon - "Charmed to Death" will be right here in Charm City (aka Baltimore).
Carol Fitzgerald (of BookReporter.com, ReadingGroupGuides.com, etc.) will be in town for the convention and I'm having dinner with her Saturday night. It will be lots of fun to put a face and a voice to all her posts and newsletters!
After dinner Carol is bringing me back to the hotel to hang out with the authors - how exciting! Any author from this list could be there. Exciting, right?!
What's the problem you ask? Um ... I ... uh ... don't read mysteries or thrillers.
Yes, that's right - I get the chance of a lifetime to meet and mingle with a huge roomful of authors and I don't know who any of them are.
I don't want to go into this event not knowing anything about these authors! So here's what I need from all you mystery/thriller lovers out there. Check out this list of authors and give me the names of the ones you love, a few books they've written, their main character(s) and whatever you think it's important to know about them.
Basically I'm asking for a primer in mystery/thriller authors. Can you help?
Baltimore Book Festival Recap
I finally finished posting all my pics, videos, and thoughts from The Baltimore Book Festival. Whew! That was exhausting.
Here's a recap of all my posts in case you missed something:
Here's a recap of all my posts in case you missed something:
- Author Panel: Kathleen McCleary (House and Home), Megan McCafferty (the Jessica Darling series), and Norma Jarrett (the Sunday Brunch series)
- Author Panel: Andrea Lavinthal and Jennifer Rozler (Friend or Frenemy?)
- Chef and Cookbook Author Martin Yan of "Yan Can Cook!" (Martin Yan's China)
- Author Reading: Susan Fraser King (Lady MacBeth)
- Caterers and Cookbook Authors Dan Smith and Steve McDonogh, aka The Hearty Boys (Talk With Your Mouth Full)
- Panel Discussion: In-Print Book Reviews vs. Book Blogs (my panel)
- Books I Discovered at the Festival
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