Books You Should Read. No, Really.

Author Amy Greene

Because this is a book blog, I'm often recommending (or not recommending) that you read this book or that book. You can even find my favorite reads over on my Goodreads page (which hasn't been updated in a while except for basic info, like a simple list of books I've read and am reading).

I was exploring author Amy Greene's website the other day, and saw a list of book recommendations she posted back in the summer. Instead of doing it meme-style and putting Xs beside the books on that list I've read, I thought I'd just share with you the books I've read and loved from her list -- and then add some more that I've also loved.

Why Amy Greene? Deep down in my heart I'm a lover of southern literature first and foremost, even though I read a lot of other genres. Greene wrote Bloodroot, one of the best examples of southern lit in 2010, and I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at the Southern Festival of Books last fall. Since she's a excellent recent example of my reading roots, I feel as though our reading recommendations would be similar.

Without further ado, a sampling of the books I love from Amy Greene's recommended books list:

Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Olive Kittredge by Elizabath Strout
Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
A Gracious Plenty by Sheri Reynolds
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

And some I will add to this must-read list of favorites:

My Antonio by Willa Cather
O, Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Me and My Baby View the Eclipse by Lee Smith
Clay's Quilt by Silas House
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler
The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke

If you want to read about the best books I read this year, come back later in the week. That post will be up by the end of the year!

Holiday Treats & Eats

Everyone loves to make something special for the holidays, and I'm no different. Yes, I like to read, but I also like to cook!

Pinterest has been an inspiration for me -- as it has been for many, I'm sure. It's hard to go to a holiday party lately without hearing someone say, "I saw it on Pinterest!" or "Did you find that on Pinterest?" Here's a little taste of what I've made this year:

Source: mylifeasamrs.com via Joanna on Pinterest

This delicious baked brie is best served with apple slices. I had both crackers and apples, and the apples went fast! It was the perfect dessert/appetizer for Christmas with my girls this year.

Source: stamps4fun.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I made a variation of these sticky cinnamon buns for Christmas Eve Eve breakfast on Friday morning. My nephew pronounced them "nom nom" and my dad ate two! I cooked up some bacon to go with them; I thought the sweetness could use a little smoky salt flavor. I followed the recipe exactly, except I added a step -- I dipped the uncooked biscuit dough in melted butter, then in a sugar-cinnamon mixture before adding them to the pan. Just an additional few hundred calories. No big deal, right?

Source: myrecipes.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I actually didn't make this yet -- but I'm going to, I think. I made it several times last year, and it was a hit every time it was placed on a table. I have to thank Southern Living for this one!

Source: howsweeteats.com via Jenny on Pinterest

This cake batter bark from How Sweet Eats made it into my gifts for co-workers this year. I didn't do the bottom chocolate layer, and I should have. It was a bit too sweet with just the white chocolate cake batter layer.

Source: chocolateandcarrots.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I also included this in my co-workers' gifts. I made it with milk chocolate rather than dark. I prefer dark, but I think milk is a bit more everybody-friendly.

Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

These cake batter truffles are on my list for today, as is this:

Source: loveandoliveoil.com via Joanna on Pinterest

That's right. Cookie dough truffles. And, if I'm being honest, these:

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Oreo truffles! Yum, yum! Merry Christmas!

So this is Christmas...

During the Christmas holidays, I have a recurring song playing in my head:

"So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun... "

 - John Lennon, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

John Lennon & Yoko Ono Billboard, 1969

This year it seems so apt, with the war in Iraq finally coming to an end and all those troops coming home for the holidays. I haven't heard much about this in the news. NPR did several days worth of coverage during my last week of school before Christmas break (when I was still driving to work each day and therefore, listening to the radio each day), and author Sara Paretsky posted this on her Facebook page a couple of days ago:

"We seem to have ended the war in Iraq with almost no acknowledgement in public. As the wife, daughter and sister of veterans, I'd like to thank the people who gave many years of their lives, those who gave their lives, those who gave their physical and mental health, to undertake this service. The transition home will not be easy for some, especially in this bad economy. I know there are many organizations out there to support returning vets; one that I give money to is Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America. If you have a favorite, especially one that helps with housing or jobs, please post it here. And may our troops in Afghanistan return to us soon."

Paretsky's 2010 novel Bodywork explored PTSD and its effects on military men and women traveling home. (Read my review of the novel here.) She also provided a link to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America website, which you can visit for more information. If you feel like you haven't done enough this holiday season, it would be a great way to finish off your giving.

Speaking of giving, my brother and his Mbegu Films endeavor now have a partner in SmallHD, a camera technology company that has worked on big Hollywood and NYC projects like Entourage and the Today show. Mbegu Films will strive to provide communication and education in East Africa on topics such as clean food habits, vehicle safety, and much more. If you're interested in giving to this project, or partnering with them in their quest for education, contact my brother Carson McNeal via Mbegu Film's Facebook page or by visiting the Mbegu Films website.

I don't know about you guys, but I am just about as ready for Christmas as I'm going to be! My gifts are (almost) all wrapped, house is clean, laundry going, groceries for Christmas dinner bought, and I'm about to head out for a last few items. Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a warm and cozy Christmas Eve.

Lisa Unger's Fragile Explores Small Town Secrets

A few months ago, I kept seeing the name Lisa Unger splashed all over the book blogs I read. Her newest novel, Darkness, My Old Friend had been released, and her fans were raving about the book. I added both Darkness and her earlier novel Fragile, which Darkness followed, to my to-read list. When Audible ran a special a couple of months ago, I downloaded Fragile because mystery-type novels are my favorites for listening. Unexpectedly (because I had nothing to base it on, never having read her books), Unger's Fragile knocked my socks off. I listened to it in a matter of days, even though it ran about twelve hours -- which would normally take me at least a week or two of listening.

Fragile takes place in The Hollows, a New York City suburb. Because of its distance from the big city, The Hollows functions as more of a small town than as a typical suburb. Children are born and raised; some leave, but more stay. It's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone; it's impossible to go to the store or take a walk without saying hello to a neighbor. Psychologist Maggie Cooper escaped for a while, but after attending college in NYC, she fell for a boy from her high school. She and Jones Cooper have created a nice life for themselves in their hometown: he, a police detective; she, with a successful in-home counseling practice; and their teenage son Rick, getting ready to apply for and leave for college.

But every small town has its secrets, and The Hollows is no different. Lisa Unger carefully reveals just enough, one thing at a time, to keep readers in suspense and to spin a fabulous tale of deceit and -- yes, murder. Twenty years ago, a girl named Sarah disappeared one afternoon. A man went to prison for her murder, but Maggie's mother -- and others -- always had their suspicions about his innocence. When another girl disappears in present-day The Hollows, that old mystery begins to surface in the minds of the town's citizens.

Unger's strong suit is her ability to include a multitude of characters without confusing the plot. Instead, the inclusion of so many major and minor characters adds to the small-town atmosphere the novel creates. The reader feels as though he or she is present in The Hollows, and knows every citizen intimately. From Maggie's elderly mother, to a local pest-control guy, to damaged police officers, high school students, and even a self-proclaimed psychic, Unger peoples Fragile and The Hollows with a cast of characters readers will love.

The good news is that Unger, while new to me, has written half a dozen other books that I can now go back and read -- as can you! For more info on Unger and her books, visit the author's website or her blog Notes from the Margin. Recently she shared that Fragile has been optioned by TNT to be a movie in their Mystery Movie Night series. TNT is bringing many favorite mystery novels to life on the small screen with MMN, including Scott Turow's Innocent, Lisa Gardner's Hide, and now, Fragile.

Winning! And a New-to-Me (And Maybe You) Must-Read Author

Although it may seem like it, I have not forgotten about last week's giveaway! The winner is Amy Curee. Congrats, Amy! Be looking in your mailbox for a package from Penguin...

This isn't the last you've heard from Ellen  Meister's The Other Life. I'll keep you updated on news from its production for HBO.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In other news, I have a book you must read (or add to your Christmas list). Back in the summer, I started seeing book bloggers post about author Lisa Unger, a name I had never heard. I finally bought her book Fragile from Audible a month or two ago when they were running a special where you got $10 of credit if you purchased four audiobooks. It was amazing (I listened to the hours-long audiobook in just a few days), and so I immediately-after purchased the audio version of its sequel, Darkness, My Old Friend, which was published in August.

A full review will come soon, but until then, I urge you to look up Unger and these books. She has apparently written a few other novels, which will soon be on my to-read list, as well.

Enjoy the last half of your week, and happy reading!

Planning a January Wedding on Pinterest

My wedding is in exactly four weeks. FOUR WEEKS! Although I feel like I haven't done anything at all, and as though there is still so much to do, I actually have been working fairly steadily towards my wedding goals. Pinterest, the great spot for creativity/ black hole for time spent on the internet, has inspired many of my wedding projects. Today I'm going to share the pins that have inspired me the most, and those whose projects are in the works or completed.

First, the color scheme. I waffled on this for quite some time. After all, it is a January wedding, and most typical wedding colors scream of summer. I wanted something wintery, but not your usual icicles and pale blues. I decided on dark gray and green after seeing this pin:

Source: beautifulcliche.tumblr.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Besides the colors, I've relied heavily on Pinterest for decoration inspiration. This tablescape really says it all:

Source: boards.weddingbee.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Although my  reception will look not-at-all like this in reality, I've taken the colors, the green and white flowers, the green and gray (of course), and the natural elements and woven them all together. Outside the ceremony, my dad has created a version of this sign:

Source: aislewithstyle.blogspot.com via Nancy on Pinterest

My friends and I created lace, twine, burlap, and ribbon candle jars for the tables based on this idea:

Source: annabooshouse.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I've decided baby's breath is my primary flower, and burlap is a definite. (Plus, I made my own version of the signs.):

Source: heygorg.com via Nancy on Pinterest

I have a (faux) fur (and my dress looks amazingly similar to this dress, albeit thousands of dollars less):

Source: wedding.theknot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I've created my own version of a program styled like this one:

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

These are printed and tied with green ribbon for the kiddos:

Source: lovelyindeed.com via Joanna on Pinterest

A fascinator has been borrowed from a friend who got married last fall:

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Scrabble magnets are made and ready to leave the party as favors:

Source: ohweddings.net via Joanna on Pinterest

An entrance way will be created by my brother:

Source: projectwedding.com via Joanna on Pinterest

And twig wreaths with our initials will hang on the doors as guests enter:

Source: thepaintedhive.blogspot.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Joanna on Pinterest

I'm excited! And busy! And excited! More pictures to come, especially following the wedding. In the meanwhile, get yourself on over to Pinterest and find some inspiration of your own!

The Other Life Offers a Look (Or Possibly More) at the Path Not Taken

Quinn Braverman is a woman in mourning. On the surface, everything seems fine. She is happily married to a devoted husband; she has a young son who adores her; and she has a new baby on the way. But Quinn is an emotional disaster underneath her thin veneer of contentment. After she and husband Lewis receive difficult news about their unborn daughter, years of grief and regret catch up with Quinn, and she quickly reaches her breaking point.

In her novel The Other Life, Ellen Meister examines the two pivotal events that haunt Quinn: her mother's suicide, first and foremost; and her break-up with Eugene, a troubled radio personality whom Quinn was in a relationship with just prior to her marriage. The mother-daughter relationship between Quinn and Nan, her mother, is in many ways typical. However, Meister throws mental illness into the mix, as well. Nan has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a disease that eventually causes her demise. Meister expertly illustrates the often-difficult, but always-loving interactions between the two women. She does so in a wide array of scenes, from flashbacks, to private moments of Nan painting, to moments which are pure fantasy.

The fantasy aspect rarely works for me as a reader, but in Meister's hands, even the most unbelievable impossibility seems an easy reality. Quinn has long been aware of a parallel life that exists, one in which she stayed single and (somewhat) happy with Eugene. In that world, her son Isaac and her unborn daughter do not exist; her marriage to Lewis was never a thought. Now, for the first time, Quinn begins to consider crossing over from her "real" life to the parallel one accessible through various portals she can simply feel.

Can she leave Lewis, Isaac, and the baby, while simultaneously leaving behind all the heartache of this life? Is the life she's living on the other side that much better than what she has?

Meister has written a novel that speaks of the human spirit, with all its desires, selfishness, longing, and greed -- and yet, Meister also writes of enormous love and sacrifice. In her hands, Quinn is not a monster who dreams of leaving her family, but rather a broken woman seeking solace from all that ails her. As a reader, I struggled with Quinn's decisions as much as she did. Rather than seeming purely selfish, Quinn is a vibrant character who will fill readers with genuine empathy.

Ellen Meister is the author of two other novels, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA and The Smart One. HBO has optioned The Other Life as an upcoming television series. Meister's publisher, Berkley Trade (a division of Penguin), is offering a giveaway copy to readers of A Worn Path. Scroll down or click here to enter to win your own copy of the novel. For more about Meister, visit her website or her blog Side Dish.

Monday Giveaway: Ellen Meister's The Other Life (Optioned by HBO as Upcoming Series)

I, like many other Americans, love me some Sunday night HBO. This is the night that begat Sex and the City, The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, and many more favorites. When a book has been optioned by HBO, you know that a) it must be pretty good and b) it must get all kinds of crazy at some point. In this case, yes, it is; and yes, it does.

Ellen Meister's The Other Life is a little bit like The Time Traveler's Wife, but without most of the lovey-dovey moments. In fact, Meister's form of time-and-space travel is not so much time travel as it is parallel universe travel. That's right -- I said "parallel universe."

Before you instantaneously tune out and click over to another website, hear me out. You'll hear the whole story tomorrow, when I post my review, but suffice it to say: this gal (not a sci-fi/ fantasy fan) loved this book. Like, read-it-on-the-elliptical-at-the-gym loved it. And that is not easy. It may look easy, but sweating it out while balancing a book on a half-inch shelf is not simple. It takes enormous balancing and holding skills. It takes want-to (as in, you really have to want to read that book in order to do it).

Berkley Trade, a division of Penguin, is offering readers of the blog a chance to win a copy of Meister's The Other Life. In the novel, protagonist Quinn Braverman faces multiple life-altering choices. A quick look at the book from the author's website:

Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it's possible to cross from one life to the other.

That does have the ring of an HBO series, doesn't it?
 
In order to enter the contest to win a copy of The Other Life, fill out the form below. In addition to the usual name, email, and address questions, I'm also asking you to weigh in on the book's theme. Obviously, parallel universes aren't reality. But what if they were? What would you choose? The life you're living, or one you regret giving up? Tell me about your life choice, and I may share it on the blog when I announce the winner.

 

Need Some Holiday De-Stress Reading? Pretty Little Liars Novels Wicked, Killer, and Heartless Are Up to the Task

PLL author, Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series is like the whipped cream on top of a steaming mug of hot cocoa: light, unnecessary, but delicious all the same. I can read books from this series in a day or two, usually sandwiched between heavier books or during times when I'm super-busy and need a distraction. I don't usually feel as though each separate entry in the series deserves a review all to itself; if you have read them, then you are well-aware that they are serial stories, much like a soap opera. One sort of bleeds into the next, and so on.

I read book five, Wicked, in the summer and number six, Killer, back in October. Last month I read Shepard's seventh PLL book, Heartless, in less than 24 hours. My guy had surgery, and I had several days spent in waiting rooms and then caring for him afterwards. Shepard's books are welcome distractions at times like those. The PLL world pulls you in and makes you forget about real life for a little while. Then you get so involved in their particular brand of crazy that you can't pull yourself away until you've read every last page.

Wicked starts, as each book does, exactly where the last book left off. In this case, Shepard has her work cut out for her. In the fourth book she wrapped up several of the mysteries that had been dangling for the first few books in the series. As a result, a whole new set of problems is introduced. (This is the point you might want to stop reading if you're unfamiliar with the series. SPOILERS ahead.)

"A," the long-time tormenter of Aria, Emily, Hannah, and Spencer, is dead. Or is she...? In Wicked, Shepard introduces a new "A," one with a vendetta against the girls that seems just as strong as Mona's. Basically, the girls continue living their fabulously wealthy teenage lives, full of new love interests and even new friends, in Hannah's case. At the end of the novel, the girls discover a body in the woods, which rockets them back into the media spotlight.

Book six, Killer, is titled after Emily's nickname from middle school -- so-called because of her inclination to jump to Ali's defense back then, like a loyal pet. The killer -- Ali's -- is the focus of this novel, as the girls begin to doubt their certainty that Ian murdered Ali. Other possibilities pop up from their past, including Ali's somewhat creepy (but extraordinarily good-looking) brother Jason. They also suspect policeman Darren Wilder after he seems less than enthusiastic about listening to their stories. When the woods are aflame at the novel's end, all of the girls believe they see a girl running away who looks disturbing like their dead friend.

Shepard turns everyone against the infamous foursome in the seventh novel, Heartless. Each girl spirals downward as the media slays them and even their friends and family turn away from them. The Ali-sighting seems a bit too much for everyone, and as a result the girls find themselves alone. Well, all alone -- except for "A." She -- or he -- is back and more in control than ever. "A" sends each girl on a private mission, with disastrous results.

If you haven't yet read any of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars books, December is the perfect month to give them a try. Who has time for heavy reading when the holidays are coming up and everyone is stressed to the max? Trust me when I say that they'll capture your attention for a while and distract you from that ever-growing list of gifts to buy and cookies to bake.

Need to refresh your memory on the first four books before you dive into five, six, and seven? Read about Pretty Little Liars (#1) and Flawless (#2) here, Perfect (#3) here, and Unbelievable (#4) here. And if you enjoy the series, you're in luck. Shepard has written ten books so far, with an eleventh one set to release in summer 2012. The tenth book in the series, Ruthless, comes out this Tuesday.