We've just recently blogged about the memoir, Perfection, by Julie Metz. For a better look at Julie's new life, as well as the events she discusses in her memoir, don't miss this incredible profile from Wednesday's New York Times. Happy Friday!
-Kayleigh
When you discover the life you were living was all a lie, how do you start over? Graphic designer Julie Metz had to figure that all out when she was faced not only with the sudden death of her young husband but the discovery that he had been unfaithful to her during their marriage.
Perfection is a deeply honest and intelligent memoir that deals with the complexities of forgiveness and betrayal when a young widow discovers her husband's infidelities after his death.
Elizabeth Gilbert wrote this: "It's wonderful–clean, clear, honest, heartbreaking, lucid, fair and thoughtful. And it will help women whose husbands have convinced them that they're frigid or crazy or manic…it is another brick laid on the roadway toward truthfulness."
-Virginia
We’re thrilled to have two of our titles on Oprah’s summer reading list of ‘The 25 Books You Can’t Put Down’
http://www.oprah.com/slidepopup/omagazine/200907-omag-summer-reading-list/1
They are:
EYE OF MY HEART by Barbara Graham – a compilation of 28 original essays by noted journalists, novelists, and essayists, each one a grandmother, that delves into the cracks as well as the wonder of grandmotherhood today. The contributors are a stellar group of gifted and well known writers representing a wide range of voices and experiences. The list of luminaries includes: Elizabeth Berg, Judith Viorst, Jill Nelson, Anne Roiphe, Judith Guest, Beverly Lowry, Carolyn See and Ellen Gilchrist.
A PEARL IN THE STORM by Tori Murden McClure is a riveting memoir by the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. This is an unforgettable story of an explorer who maps her own world with rare emotional honesty. A story of high adventure, hurricanes, and finding love.
Happy Reading!
- Virginia
This morning I saw this article on male-only book clubs that have been springing up around the country. Here's a fantastic quote from the piece:
"'We used to just sit around and drink beer and read Charles Bukowski, nothing great," says Pride, 51, of Quincy. 'But the other night we were talking about evil. Drinking our red wine and talking about evil. We're moving into a deeper dimension. We don't want to read junk.'"
Groups may focus instead on a shared topic of interest, like history, sports, or even poetry. Other book groups don't read the assigned book at all, but use the time as a chance to catch up with old friends. Whatever the reason, book clubs are a great way for men to build a sense of community and fellowship. Here's a quick little list of titles that might work, depending on the book club.
For new dads, or the agriculturally-inclined:
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Mike Perry
For thriller-lovers:
Shadows Still Remain by Peter de Jonge
For memoir-addicts:
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White
For vampire fans:
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
For outdoorsmen:
The Last of His Kind by David Roberts
For ultimate fighters:
Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin with Erich Krauss
For history buffs:
Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945 by Andrew Roberts
-Kayleigh
One of my favorite books to come out of HarperCollins this year is Philip Gulley’s memoir, I Love You, Miss Huddleston.
Mr. Gulley is the bestselling author of the Front Porch Tales and the equally charming Harmony series.
In his latest book (which has one of the best jackets EVER) he delights us with tales of growing up in Indiana in the 1970s. Think THE WONDER YEARS. It’s one of the sweetest, funniest books I have read in a long time.
Here’s just one little snippet from the book. Who wouldn’t want to read more?
“My early Halloweens were perilous affairs. I dressed as a ghost, a bed sheet draped over me. We were too poor to waste a sheet, so my mother never cut holes for my eyes. My brother Glenn was supposed to hold my hand and guide me from house to house, but as soon as we turned the corner and were out of my parents’ eyesight, he would launch out on his own and leave me to my own devices. I would stumble from house to house, tripping over curbs, running into cars, and spilling my candy. The other children would swarm over me, like hyenas on a downed gazelle, fighting over my Tootsie Rolls and Smarties.” – From I Love You, Miss Huddleston
Do yourself a favor and check out this book.
In the meantime here’s a great video with a voice-over of the author reading an excerpt from the book:
-Virginia
In March, I wrote about the House at the End of the Road, written by W. Ralph Eubanks, Director of Publishing at the Library of Congress and his search to find the truth about his maternal grandparents; Jim Richardson, a white man and Edna Richardson, a light-skinned black woman. W. Ralph Eubanks will be interviewed by NPR’s Talk of the Nation scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th. Listen in as he discusses the House at the End of the Road and the fascinating journey of discovering his unique racial and cultural identity. For more information, visit:
http://www.npr.org/
-Bobby
We're loving Jon Stewart's interview with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and the author of This Child Will Be Great. In her stirring memoir, Sirleaf shares the inside story of her rise to power, including her early childhood; her experiences with abuse, imprisonment, and exile; and her fight for democracy and social justice. Stewart referred to her "remarkable journey," and went on to say "You've got to read this book." Check out the clip below, browse inside the book, and let us know what you think!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M – Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | ||||
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-Kayleigh
While I am so excited that the weather in New York will actually reach (dare I say it) 80 degrees, I am still taking in a good book. I am reading a fascinating, yet heart-breaking autobiography. That Bird Has My Wings: the Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row, written by Jarvis Jay Masters is a compelling memoir that talks about all that he went through and what he continues to discover about himself.
That Bird Has My Wings, on sale in September of 2009, chronicles his early life, growing up with his four siblings and being surrounded by drugs at the hands of his mother and stepfather. He also shares how he survived violence at the hands of his biological father. They were left home alone days and weeks at a time, with no food or even the proper basic care. After he and his siblings were taken out of the home by social services, they were put in the foster care system where his life became extremely unstable. He was sentenced to prison at 19 for armed robbery and was put on death row at age 23 for being named an accessory in the death of a prison guard. Since being in prison, he has written one book and several articles. He also won a PEN Award for one of his poems. What is even more amazing is that he does all of his writing with ball point pen filler, as that is the only writing instrument available to those in maximum security prison.
Currently there is a campaign where the goal is to get his sentence overturned. There are those that believe he is innocent and the California Supreme Court is investigating new evidence that could lead to his release. More information can be found on www.freejarvis.org.
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My mother is an avid reader. Always has been. Late at night, when all the other houses on our block were dark, there’d be a light on in ours – and next to it would be my mother and her latest ‘find’ from the library. She worked in a school library from the time I was 6 years old. She turned me on to the best books and authors (The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, all those great Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood, the Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, Little Women (which she read to me and my sister at night) I had my own personal readers’ advisory guru who told me what to read and when to go to bed (she still does both even though I’m 47 and haven’t lived home for 25 years.) So with that DNA, it made sense that I ended up in the business of books. Now I’m the one giving her the heads up on the next ‘sure-fire bestseller’ and she loves giving the latest galley a thumbs up or a thumbs down!
I thought it’d be fun to get her ‘take’ on some of the books she’s been reading lately. She’s pretty much a non-fiction chick. Loves a good memoir. Here’s what she has to say about In The Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White. This is the first of hopefully many reviews from my mother, Virginia Stanley, Sr.
-Virginia
Have you ever read a story that took you on an emotional rollercoaster? Did it take you from happy to sad all with the turn of the page? Remember the Sweet Things is just that kind of story. It’s the true story of a woman’s twenty-year marriage where she found the love she was looking for and truly deserved.
Remember the Sweet Things, written by Ellen Greene is a touching memoir where she talks about the love she found and the love she gained for herself. Ellen was divorced, with two children. After her failed marriage and an ill-fated relationship, she decided to move across the country from New Mexico to Massachusetts to start a new life for herself and her children. While there, she met her future husband Marsh. She found him to be kind, charming, and respectful. Since she just knew this amazing behavior wouldn’t last, she decided to write down everything he did wrong so when the relationship was over, she would be justified in getting out. However, she couldn’t find anything negative to add to the list. Instead, she decided to write all the good things (good deeds, jestures, and sayings) that he made.
Check out this video of Ellen Greene as she discusses Remember the Sweet Things:
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It seems like everyone is celebrating Passover this year–even President Obama is hosting a seder! (I wonder if he'll be asking his advisors the 4 Questions…) In honor of the holiday, here are some essential Judaica-related books (fiction and non-fiction) that every library should own.
Jewish Literacy by Joseph Telushkin. Widely recognized as one of the most respected and indispensable reference books on Jewish life, culture, tradition, and religion, Jewish Literacy covers every essential aspect of the Jewish people and Judaism.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. At once a gripping whodunit, a love story, an homage to 1940s noir, and an exploration of the mysteries of exile and redemption, The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a novel only Michael Chabon could have written.
Clara's War by Clara Kramer. Out this month, Clara's War is a heart-stopping story of a young girl hiding from the Nazis in an underground bunker with seventeen other people.
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In 2008, an astounding 157 million people watched The Beijing Olympics. Many of them, myself included, watched in the hopes of seeing Michael Phelps break Mark Spitz' record. But when Michael achieved the impossible with his record-shattering eight gold-medal wins, Debbie Phelps nearly stole the show. Few could forget the homage that Michael consistently paid to the one person most responsible for making it all possible: his mom. While Beijing will forever beremembered the world over, very few know the behind-the-scenes stories as lived by the members of Team Phelps—a roller-coaster ride full of dramatic ups and downs, heartbreaks, and disappointments, yet one guided to triumph by vision, courage, and tenacity. Now at last, in A Mother for All Seasons, we're given the untold story as lived by the mom on the team. Check out this Associated Press story on A Mother for All Seasons, and Debbie's interview on the Today show. Be sure to let us know what you think of this buzz-worthy memoir!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
-Kayleigh
I'm thrilled to be debuting the first trailer for Michael Perry's upcoming book, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting. Coop follows Michael Perry, author of Truck: A Love Story and Population: 485, as he migrates to the country with his pregnant wife and daughter, attempting to reconnect with the earth, with neighbors, and with a deeper meaning for life. Faced with thirty-seven acres of fallen fences and overgrown fields, and informed by his wife that she intends to deliver their baby at home, Perry plumbs his unorthodox childhood for clues to how to proceed as a farmer, a husband, and a father.
Whether Perry is recalling his childhood ("I first perceived my father as a farmer the night he drove home with a giant lactating Holstein tethered to the bumper of his Ford Falcon") or what it's like to be bitten in the butt while wrestling a pig ("two firsts in one day"), Coop is filled with the humor his readers have come to expect. Check out the video and let us know what you think!
-Kayleigh
