Mailbox Monday, Oct 29

I hope those of you on the East Coast are surviving snor'eastercane Sandy. It's just gray and rainy here so far. Perfect day, however, to snuggle up with my new reads! This week's Mailbox Monday below -- what did you get?

For Review









Purchased

Winners!

I'm wicked late on announcing giveaway winners -- we had a big tamale-making party yesterday and spent the day cooking. My house still smells divine!

The winner of The Headmaster's Wager is ... Laurie C @ Bay State Reader's Advisory!

The winner of Jane is ... Kayla B.!

Congrats to the winners! I've emailed the winners who have a few days to respond before I redraw. If you didn't win, be sure to check out my other giveaways.

Friday Reads and ...

I was kind of hoping I could include yet another cute cat-and-book picture but my cats are being totally skittish and petrified of me, my cell phone, and books. Divas.

I had planned a 1940s themed dinner with friends whom I strong-armed into reading Mr. Churchill's Secretary with me, but then one thing after another derailed our plans. I'm still hopeful -- and my wife is now chomping at the bit to make a vintage, ration-quantity meat pie in which the meat is extended, so to speak, with oats. Yum! (?) It's on my mind again since I'm reading Susan Elia MacNeal's Princess Elizabeth's Spy this weekend. I'm totally girl-crushing on that Maggie Hope.  In typical fashion, I can't limit myself to one book, so I'm also working on Water Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor (NaNoWriMo research!) and The Prescribed Burn, a collection of short stories that immediately won me when the author described them as "stories for anyone who couldn’t relate to Holden Caulfield".  Ding ding ding!  Lots of yumminess all around.

What are you reading this weekend?

I've updated my blog roll for my blog. In addition to the right-hand bar with some regulars, I've created one on the left that is every blog I 'follow' on my RSS reader.  I'm hoping seeing those updates will mean I comment on them more regularly, too, and I think they're all fascinating folks who should be read.

How the French Invented Love by Marilyn Yalom

Title: How the French Invented Love: Nine Hundred Years of Passion and Romance
Author: Marilyn Yalom

Genre: Non-Fiction (Literary Criticism / Sociology / Romance / Sex / Love / France / French Cultural)
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Perennial (10/23/2012)
Source: TLC Book Tours

Rating: Liked.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: A breezy, accessible look at French attitudes toward love through 900 years of French literature.
Reading Challenges: Dewey Decimal Challenge

Do I like the cover?: I do -- it is quite French, and quite passionate. Appropriately enough, it has French flaps.

I'm reminded of...: Diane Ackerman, Molly Peacock

First line: How the French love love!

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy -- gift for the bookish Francophile in your life!

Why did I get this book?: I saw the word 'French' and said, 'oui!'.

Review: I'm a Francophile and I love reading; I love romance and I love -- for the most part -- the dramatic tensions that come with romantic stories. Writers on reading bring me joy and I get giddy delight when anyone geeks out about great books.

This book is a breezy, accessible look at French attitudes toward love through nine hundred years of French literature. The subtitle of this book -- Nine Hundred Years of Passion and Romance -- is a little more accurate than the title, I think, although the title is nice and catchy. Yalom argues that the French and French culture swims with a cultural understanding of love, sex, lust, desire, and everything that comes with those feelings due to centuries of literary appreciation of love.

Beginning with Abelard and Héloïse, Yalom combines biography, literary analysis, and her own opinions and observations on French life to argue that the vaunted concepts of love -- and the art of the love affair -- were created and perfected by the French. Chronologically, from the Medieval era on to the 21st century, she discusses the great authors and their works with passion and admiration, interspersing her commentary with personal stories and anecdotes.

While reading, I was reminded a bit of Pamela Druckerman's Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, which my wife has just finished and won't stopped talking about. Among the many cultural tidbits Druckerman shared was the revelation that French don't believe motherhood has to be a part of a woman's core identity. The concept of the MILF, for example, doesn't exist in France because all women are sexy, whether they're mothers or not.

Yalom echoes some of that sentiment in this book as she compares contemporary French cultural attitudes about sex and love with American attitudes. I can't say how nuanced her commentary is -- and I suspect she's referring to liberal urban centers more so than other parts of France -- but it was interesting to see more than one book echo this sentiment.

Alas, I am prudish enough that Yalom's admiration for her French friends and their affairs didn't convince me that infidelity is romantic. But I loved her delight in French literature and the authors and books she discussed. Many have said you should keep a notepad while reading as you'll want to begin a list (I have!). Those interested in women in academia might enjoy this as well as Yalom often talks about her professional experience with these writers and works as well as her emotional connection to them.

*** *** ***

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer one lucky reader a copy of How the French Invented Love! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US/CA readers, ends 11/2.

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

Title: The Art Forger
Author: B.A. Shapiro

Genre: Fiction (Contemporary / Boston / Art World / Art Forger / Art Dealer / Literary Thriller / Historical Figure Fictionalized / Degas)
Publisher/Publication Date: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (10/23/2012)
Source: The publisher.

Rating: Liked.
Did I finish?: I did -- I stayed up all night to finish because I had to know.
One-sentence summary: Boston artist Claire Roth, shadowed by scandal, makes her living selling reproductions of famous paintings when she's asked to forge a famous stolen painting and discovers it might actually be a forgery.

Do I like the cover?: By itself, I do -- before finishing the book, I liked it -- but upon finishing, I feel like it doesn't capture the heroine's flat at all (which I presume it is meant to evoke).

First line: I step back and scrutinize the paintings.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy -- this is a zippy fast, fascinating kind of thriller of art, deceit, and forgeries!

Why did I get this book?: Boston and art, and the fact it features my favorite museum.

Review: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of my all-time favorite places on the planet. It's this funky, twisty, non-traditional art museum, where pieces crowd the walls in a random mish-mosh, without placards, placed there by Isabella herself. In 1990, thirteen pieces of art were stolen from the museum in what is now the largest unsolved art heist in history. Beautifully and chillingly, the museum has the empty frames still hanging on the walls.

Shapiro's novel merges that historical fact with her own imaginings about one of the 'missing' pieces of art (she creates a fictional Degas painting to use at the center of this story). Claire Roth is a Boston-based painter shadowed by scandal, snubbed by the art scene. Unable to sell her original art, she instead creates high quality reproductions of classic art for an online company, and while it pays her rent, the work depresses her. Aiden Markel, a well-known Boston art dealer and an acquaintance familiar with her past, appears one day with a stunning offer: make a reproduction of one of the stolen Gardner Degas paintings to earn a one-woman show at his gallery. The original painting, he promises, will be returned to the Gardner Museum as well.

Understandably torn, Claire eventually agrees but finds herself doubting the authenticity of the Degas in her studio. Her research on the painting leads her to learn a shocking amount about art forgeries, including the theory that many 'originals' gracing museum walls might be forgeries themselves.

Lest you think I'm giving away the entire book, that chunk of plot all occurs in the first 70 pages. What happens when Claire finishes the painting is where the book gets thrilling, although that isn't to say everything before it isn't enjoyable. I loved learning about the world of forgeries, the legality of reproductions,

Interspersed between Claire's story -- now and three years earlier, during her infamous scandal -- is a one-sided correspondence from Isabella Stewart Gardner to her (fictional) niece. I admit, I groaned when I hit the first letter. At the moment, I'm so over that sort of dual story line as it seems to inevitably end with the heroine being the great-great-great something of one of the historical figures. However, despite my initial irritation, the letters weren't as jarring as I anticipated and they did, in fact, offer a way to show the 'truth' of the story that wouldn't have been possible. Happily, Claire isn't the great great etc of anyone, either.

Although this is described as a literary thriller, I found it to be far less nail biting than Jennifer McMahon, for example, which is fine by me. It was still exciting and interesting. I don't think you necessarily need to be an art fan to appreciate the story -- Shapiro shares enough about how art is made and the visceral sensations associated with making art and art products to give the reader a sense of being there. A fascinating, fun read -- and a wonderful introduction to a historical figure I admire and a place I adore.

*** *** ***

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer a copy of The Art Forger to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US/Canadian readers, ends 11/9.

Captain Blackwell’s Prize by V.E. Ulett

Title: Captain Blackwell’s Prize
Author: V.E. Ulett

Genre: Fiction (Historical / 18th Century / Nautical / British Navy / Romance / Austen / North Africa / Mediterranean)
Publisher/Publication Date: Fireship Press (6/20/2012)
Source: The author

Rating: Liked.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: The violent, action-filled, and deliciously sexy adventures of a British naval captain and a young American.
Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: I do -- for a book that has a very heavy romantic element, I like that the cover doesn't feature bosoms, corseted women in fainting-like poses, or other romance novel-y elements.

I'm reminded of...: Susan Kaye

First line: The battle started the moment the English captain settled his hat back on his head after raising it in salute to Captain de Leon y Castillo, who stood on the quarterdeck of His Most Catholic Majesty King Carlos IV's 42 gun frigate La Trinidad.

Am... I delighted to discover a publisher of just nautical fiction and non-fiction?: YES. Now I can supplement my Wentworth/Aubrey obsession!

Do... I love the list of resources the author includes on her website?: YES. More books to get nerdy with!

Am... I eager for the sequel?: YES! That Capt. Blackwell is pretty dreamy...

Why did I get this book?: My Wentworth crush has extended to other sea captains.

Review: This novel opens with a pretty epic naval battle and the action continues right through to the last page, so if you want a novel that feels like a movie, this is your book.

Set sometime in the 18th or early 19th century (I'm not exactly sure), the novel follows Captain James Blackwell, British Naval captain, and his ship the Inconstant. During a battle with a Spanish frigate, he liberates (or seizes, depending on your viewpoint) Mercedes de Aragon, a Spanish-American woman on her way to Gibralter. He promises to take her there and in the course of their voyage, finds himself smitten.

I'll be honest -- at times, my eyes swum from the nautical jargon. Ulett seems to know her stuff (I am super unfamiliar with boats and ships so if she made any mistakes, they were lost on me). I had a strong sense of the sea and British naval life, and it was a fun angle for this sexy, historical romance. (The sex is unabashed -- not graphic exactly, but not coy, either -- and I don't think this book is a romance exactly, but the relationship between Blackwell and Mercedes is a huge motivator of the plot.)

The plot is pretty action heavy so those who don't want a lot of moody introspection will dig this as the story is chock full of sea battles, clash of cultures (British, Muslim), honorable ladies and dishonored ones, sailors of all moral stripe. The book's blurb rather perfectly articulates the feel of the book (Captain Blackwell's Prize features exciting sword fights and sea battles alongside the manners, ideas and prejudices of men and women from the time of Nelson and Napoleon.) as Ulett's characters have to come to terms with some pretty heavy things. Women are sexually assaulted, and the men in their life recoil, feel disgust toward the women, even reject them. Ideas of 'proper' birth and station dart through the background of this story, leading to one of the most delightful (and, I would imagine, controversial) twists in this novel. I shrieked with horrified amusement but Austen purists might feel less kindly.

A fairly zippy read, this was a quick and diverting historical romance with heavy nautical themes. While I didn't buy the romance immediately -- it felt a bit rushed -- there was a kind of straight-forward acknowledgement of sex for survival that I appreciated. Although there is a sequel in the works, this novel ends very satisfactorily without any cliff hangers, and offered an interesting snapshot into 18th century naval life.

*** *** ***

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer a copy of Captain Blackwell’s Prize to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US/international readers, ends 11/2.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Title: The Round House
Author: Louise Erdrich

Genre: Fiction (Historical / 1980s / North Dakota / American Indian / Ojibwe / Literary Thriller / Sexual Assault / Teenage Protagonist but not YA / Coming of Age / Mystery /
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper (10/2/2012)
Source: TLC Book Tours

Rating: When I started this review, it was 'liked a good deal, maybe loved', but upon finishing, I have to say, it is totally loved. Likely top ten of 2012.
Did I finish?: I couldn't stop.
One-sentence summary: Joe, a twelve-year old Ojibwe boy in North Dakota, becomes obsessed with finding his mother's assailant and learns more about his fractured community, family, and tribe.

Do I like the cover?: I do -- I find it hypnotically striking, and the colors are appealing, and the broken pieces suggest the crime breaks up a family as well as the titular Round House.

I'm reminded of...: Ann Patchett

First line: Small trees had attacked my parents' house at the foundation.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Ohmygod, borrow or buy. Dark, pretty, sad, horrifying, poignant. I think Scandinavian crime fic fans might like this one -- it felt v similar in some ways -- as well as those fascinated by life for American Indians.

Why did I get this book?: I've long been an Erdrich fan and I jumped at the chance to read this one!

Review: I'm not sure how to write this review. This is a book in that made me forget I was reading and I resented every interruption or pause. I missed my subway stop while reading and stayed up too late to finish. It was worth it.

Set in the 1980s, the story is told by Antone Bazil Coutts (the second), nicknamed Joe, who is twelve when his mother suffers a terrible assault. Raped and nearly burned alive, she retreats into sickly solitude while her husband, a tribal judge, struggles to ascertain where the crime took place. Depending on whether it occurred on Indian land, off reservation, or on fee land determines which police pursue the crime -- and shapes the likelihood of justice for Geraldine Coutts. Joe is obsessed with solving the mystery and finding his mother's assailant, and in the process of digging around, learns more about his family, his tribe and community, and adult life.

While the premise is grim, this novel didn't make me want to die. Joe is a charming and fascinating narrator, obsessed with Star Trek: The Next Generation and surreptitiously studying women's breasts. He gets his first job to avoid being home alone with his nearly comatose mother. Through accident and determination, he stumbles upon secrets

In some ways, this is a literary thriller, a poetic sort of crime novel (I'm recommending it to my Scandinavian crime fic loving friend, for I feel like there are thematic similarities) but even those who aren't drawn to crime fic might want to give this one a read. There's armchair escape -- Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota -- and lovely writing about coming-of-age against the backdrop of real lost innocence. For me, it also provoked a kind of nostalgia -- I spent some of my formative years in South Dakota near a reservation and saw first hand the uneasy tension between those neighboring communities -- and Erdrich's writing evoked that time and place so well I got goosebumps.

I suspect this will make my favorite list for 2012. It read fast for me even though it is both a thoughtful and plot-y novel; familiar and alien in equal part, the characters and locale immediately captured my attention and imagination. Not a book I will quickly forget.

*** *** ***

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer a copy of The Round House to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US/CA readers, ends 11/9.

Mailbox Monday, Oct 22

Gorgeous autumn weather, lots of new books -- can a girl be any happier? (Well, I suppose if I were paid to read, then I would be the happiest, but let's be real!) This week's Mailbox Monday is full of awesome arrivals -- another wide range of genres and more fabu eye candy!

What did you get this week?

For Review













Gifted/Swapped/Purchased

Winner!

Just one giveaway ended this weekend!

The winner of Ironskin is ... Sherry R.!

Congrats to the winner!  Be sure to check out my other open giveaways -- just a few now but many more coming this week!

Friday Reads are being guarded

I'm sort of not in a reading-ish mood these days (!!) so I'm kind of dragging my feet about what to pick up this weekend.

This morning, I stacked up a few of my reads next to me (in case I started feeling read-y), and my surly old man cat decided to claim them for himself.  Later, he pushed off all the books save for The Round House so I think I'm going to start on that one first!

What are you reading this weekend?

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Title: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
Author: Susan Elia MacNeal

Genre: Fiction (Historical / WWII / 1940s / Wellesley Grad / Ex-Pat / War Work / Murder Mystery / Political Thriller / Terrorism)
Publisher/Publication Date: Bantam (2012)
Source: TLC Book Tours

Rating: Liked a great deal.
Did I finish?: I did -- raced through this one.
One-sentence summary: British-born Wellesley grad Maggie Hope is hired as a typist for Prime Minister Churchill but finds herself embroiled in more serious, and dangerous, tasks.
Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: I adore it -- I love the retro/vintage feel of the style -- so striking!

First line: Half an hour before Diana Snyder died, she tidied up her desk in the typists' office of the Cabinet War Rooms.

Do... I love browsing the author's blog?: YES. Not only does she seem like someone who I would love to be friends with, her blog is chock-full of fabulous historical pictures and tidbits as well as cocktail recipes. Be still my heart!

Do... I love the author's interest in cocktails?: YES. Look, I can't help it, I love me a good mixed drink, and that MacNeal does as well only endears her to me even more. Check out her articles about drinks in honor of Winston Churchill (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Am... I delighted to know there are two more Maggie Hope novels after the second one?: YES. I definitely want more of this girl!

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy if you like wartime place-as-character, plucky heroines who don't grate on one's nerves, and frenetic glamor of WWII.

Why did I get this book?: I've been long eye-balling this series and am on tour to review the sequel, Princess Elizabeth's Spy.

Review: I was surprised at the dark violence of the novel's open -- I think I was expecting a more 'cozy' kind of war story -- but the shadowy moodiness balanced our heroine's spunkiness and made for an enjoyable, fast-paced, thriller-y type WWII mystery.

Set in the spring of 1940, the story follows Maggie Hope, a British citizen raised in the US. After graduating from Wellesley College, Maggie planned to pursue a degree in math at MIT, but the death of her grandmother required her to go to the UK to settle her inheritance. When war breaks out in Europe, Maggie decides to help the war effort in Britain. Despite her excellent schooling and natural smarts, however, as a woman she's relegated to the typing pool. A task for Prime Minister Churchill places her closer to the action, and she soon finds herself embroiled in more interesting albeit dangerous work.

I was immediately charmed by Maggie -- and not just because she's a Wellesley grad like some of my favorite people (like my wife!). Smart, determined, and idealistic, she's the kind of heroine I love to love, and happily, MacNeal's other characters are just as appealing. There's a ton of plot crammed into this book, from national-level to personal-level, but the varied levels of drama interested me (even if I could guess where some of the threads where heading).

As with Fires of London, I was surprised by the level of localised violence that occurred. I suppose I shouldn't be. IRA terrorist bombings and murders made for a fascinating juxtaposition to the encroaching war, the horrors at home and afar, and MacNeal really articulates the frenetic, defiant celebration of those in wartime London. 

My only complaint is that I found the shifting POV a bit jarring. The novel is mostly seen through Maggie's eyes, but every now and then the story would shift to another character, sometimes in the middle of the page. While it certainly created more tension, allowed for more plot threads, I hated leaving Maggie so much and now and then I had to remind myself where I was and who I was with.

I am really keen for the second book -- I'm always on the fence about sequels (do I really need to commit myself to another X number of books?!) but in this case, I'm eager to spend more time with Maggie.

Interview with Tina Connolly

Earlier in the month I read and greatly enjoyed Ironskin, a gothic-y fantasy with Jane Eyre elements twisted in a fun and novel way. I'm delighted to share my interview with Tina Connolly, who shares her writing rituals, tidbits about Ironskin, and what she does when she's not writing. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Ironskin!

What was the plot of your very first piece of fiction?

Well, I wrote a couple (extremely short) plays when I was a kid. The very first one was about a leprechaun and it didn't have any dialogue.

I realized this was problematic when I handed the parts around to my friends to act out. In junior high I wrote a whodunit called "Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar" that parodied me and my three friends performing it. As I recall, two of the caricatured parts went over well, but the third friend was not so happy, alas. (This was the beginning of realizing I was too tenderhearted to be a comedian.)

Do you have any writing rituals or routines?

Not so much, though I do like to write on my itty-bitty laptop with the weird trackpad, because pretty much all I can do on it is write.

Back before there was a baby—now toddler—I liked to have a nice space of time to write in, like three hours. And since then I've learned you have to write when you have any time at all, even fifteen minutes during a last bit of nap.

Was Ironskin the original title of your book?

Yes! I knew it had to be the title from very early on, and luckily no one suggested it be changed. That said, Ironskin actually grew out of a novella, and the name of that story was Skin and Tar. And THAT'S because originally Jane wasn't wearing an iron mask, but a version of the tar paste she gives to Dorie, smeared over her cheek. This was one of the first things to go when I set about turning the story into a novel. (I mean really, can you imagine *that* cover? ) Bad enough to stick poor Jane in a mask, but a mask can at least have a certain amount of badassery to it.

Did you intend to write a kind of homage to Jane Eyre? How did that connection develop?

The original story was written for a call for gothic romance novellas, so although I was certainly borrowing elements from the gothic tradition by sending a governess to a ruined house, I was not specifically thinking Jane Eyre. I in fact started from an image of a girl walking into a darkened studio and finding a mask that looks like her...but beautiful. At some point someone mentioned the similarities in the novella, and when I started to turn it into a novel, I began working with those elements more overtly. I like retellings, but Ironskin is not a point by point retelling—maybe homage is a good way to put it!

As you were writing Ironskin, was there a particular scene or character that surprised you?

You know, I'm trying to remember and it seems so long ago. There are always moments when my subconscious fits two previously unrelated things together, and it turns out to be a central part of the world.
Learning about Poule's history was a surprise. There's a character in book 2—a rather strong-willed theatre actress—that was just supposed to come on for a bit, and she ended up being central to the book.

You've written a play and are a reader for online podcasts -- how has your experience with the performance side of fiction impacted your writing of fiction?

I think my past as an actor gives me a certain familiarity with dialogue (or at least I like to think so!) I've always liked writing dialogue. That said, it was actually a very interesting experience writing my first full-length play a couple years ago. Suddenly I could *only* rely on dialogue to get things across to the audience! I mean, there's stuff you can do with staging and set and so on...but when it comes to explaining large chunks of worldbuilding, suddenly there was nowhere to put it but in dialogue. I spent a lot of time trying to disguise my "As you know, Bobs".

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

Books, theatre, and art. I feel very lucky to get to spend so much time writing—I work as a face painter in the summers—and then I've got my podcasts for the theatre bit right now. The percentages of these three change, but that's pretty much where all my time has always gone.

Read any good books recently?

Yes! Thanks for asking! I just finished Emma Bull's War for the Oaks (yes, a little behind the times here) and I loved it. (It's considered one of the first urban fantasies, I think.) Last year my two favorite books were Jo Walton's Among Others (a brilliant melding of fiction and fantasy, and an ode to reading F/SF), and Pamela Dean's Tam Lin (a lovely college fantasy, and another older one I had missed.) It's been an insanely busy year, so my TBR pile is a bit out of control – I'm dying to read followup books in a couple friends' series – EC Myers' Quantum Coin (a cool twisty YA SF) just came out and MK Hobson's The Warlock Curse (totally awesome wild west fantasy) is about to.

Thanks so much for having me!

*** *** ****

GIVEAWAY!

I'm thrilled to offer a copy of Ironskin to one lucky reader! To enter, fill out this brief form. Open to US/Canadian readers, ends 10/19.

Mailbox Monday, Oct 15

My Mailbox Monday for this week is another lovely melange of titles -- more 2013 releases, so I'll be sitting on my hands for a bit. To learn more about any book, click the cover and it should open in a new tab/window.

I'm thrilled to say I'm going to be hosting Mailbox Monday in February 2013!! So excited -- I feel wicked famous/awesome/fancy.

What did you get this week?

For Review












Won



Thanks to Meaghan at A Cineaste's Collection