May 9, 2008

Happy Mother's Day --- And Let's Hear It for A Week of Celebrating!

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Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I am sure that many of you, like me, see this as a holiday that should be celebrated for at least a week. The past days confirmed this for me, and it all had to do with shirts. My younger son is notorious for doing things on his own agenda, which is the last minute. Tuesday I worked from home as my husband was traveling. I knew Cory had a baseball game and did not want to be late. I suggested that Cory get his baseball uniform on before dinner so we would be able to leave immediately after inhaling food (I am sure many of you know these kinds of nights). I had confirmed with him earlier in the afternoon that he knew where the uniform was as the housekeeper had washed it. I got an exasperated "YES MOM."

Dinner ended and THEN he went to get dressed. He informed me that he could not find the uniform shirt anywhere. We went on a closet hunt and found it in a drawer in his brother's room, neatly folded. We raced to the game with me driving like this was the American League Playoffs instead of Little League. We were late. Everyone asked if I hit traffic getting out of the city. I said, no, we could not find the shirt. They all nodded. They have boys; they understand.

Wednesday and Thursday we had to search for the band concert shirt. Another hide/seek adventure. This time Cory assured me that I should have known that he needed the shirt for the practice performance...I guess I was to use my ESP powers for this. The shirt was nowhere and I contemplated buying another for $13. Last night it magically appeared in --- the t-shirt drawer! I was informed that since this drawer did not have polo shirts in it, it was easy to miss it and thus this was NOT HIS FAULT. IT had been misfiled. I see him applying this logic in an office someday with more drastic consequences.

Between this and whipping up guacamole for Cinco de Mayo day at school and handling my older son's frenzy over AP tests, which required a hot nutritious breakfast and then getting scholarship entries done at the 11th hour (a theme around our house), I think I had a full week of unexpected mom-like experiences, which deserve some extra credit. Maybe TWO days if not a week?

We have been sharing ideas for Mother's Day reading suggestions these past weeks. For all of you without a present, I heartily suggest these. Also, our Blog on ReadingGroupGuides.com boasts posts from two bloggers who have themes about Mother's Day --- Elizabeth Noble, who is also the author of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW, and Kathy Patrick, who wrote some mother/daughter reading selections. And since I DO think Mother's Day is more than a day, we have some more posts coming next week, thus reiterating my theory that one day just isn't enough. All include great reading suggestions for moms. I can see moms in hammocks and on couches enjoying these titles while husbands and children create meals to charm and honor them --- and do the dishes and make beds too!

I am not a fan of anything self-help. But there are some books that just make me sit up and think and grow from reading them. THE FIRST 30 DAYS: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More) by Ariane De Bonvoisin is just that kind of a book. We all go through changes in life; lots of them. Some are easy while others are harder. But the more we go through change, the easier it is to handle. Ariane's book talks about how the beginning of any change is a pivotal time that can either leave us stressed or stuck, or moving ahead with clarity and hope. The book is worth buying just for The Change Manifesto on pages 10 and 11. That and exercising one's "change muscle" are ideas we all can understand. Ariane's philosophy clearly works. I have known her for a few years and she is one of the most positive people I ever have met! This is really good, advice-filled, thought-provoking reading.

There has been a lot of chatter about Barbara Walters's memoir, AUDITION. One piece that definitely struck a chord with me was written by Jesse Kornbluth on his website, HeadButler.com. I heartily agree with him. Take a look at it here.  

I FINALLY had time this week to finish Part Two of my blog about the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. You can read it here. Next Friday we kick off our summer-long Bookreporter.com Summer Beach Bag of Books promotion. Make sure you check back next week to see our summer lineup. Speaking of summer, bathing suit time HAS arrived, thus the book HUNGRY GIRL: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World by Lisa Lillien. A friend swore by this as she was trying to lose some weight. I have a number of pages turned down for me to try. These are real food choices, not rabbit food choices (not that I have anything bad to say about rabbits), so I am excited.

Speaking of getting ready for warm weather, I am glad I like my turquoise luggage as I am off to the Cayman Islands and Coral Gables next weekend for two book club events at Books & Books' stores. In the Caymans on Friday night I will be joining a program for book clubs where the agenda also includes Lisa See reading and talking. As Lisa is one of my favorite authors, I am excited about this. On Sunday at 2PM in Coral Gables I will be part of the Book Club Olympiad that the store is hosting. If you are in the neighborhood, I would love to meet you!

Lots in this issue, so keep reading. I am curious about how many books are in your personal library, so be sure to answer our poll about this. I will try to get my total done and to you before the poll closes! Happy Mother's Day to all...and here's to something perfect to celebrate!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

Bookreporter.com Talks to Jane Porter, Author of MRS. PERFECT

Jane Porter’s latest book, MRS. PERFECT, is a companion novel to her 2007 release, ODD MOM OUT. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Bronwyn Miller, Porter describes how she originally envisioned these two narratives to be written, and compares and contrasts the romances she has penned with her more recent mainstream fiction titles. She also explains how her work ethic has gradually shifted over time, shares her experiences on the set of Lifetime Network’s adaptation of one of her previous books, FLIRTING WITH FORTY, and talks a bit about an upcoming work, MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE.

MRS. PERFECT by Jane Porter (Fiction)
What would you do if the very role that defined you was taken away? Taylor Young, a periphery character in Jane Porter’s previous novel, ODD MOM OUT, now takes center stage in MRS. PERFECT, where she faces that exact dilemma. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

-Click here to read a review of MRS. PERFECT.
-Click here to read an excerpt from MRS. PERFECT.
 

Author Talk: Steven Pressfield, Author of KILLING ROMMEL

Click here to read an interview with Steven Pressfield.

Now in Stores: THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch

THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Memoir)
A number of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture," where they are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.
 

Click here to read a review of THE LAST LECTURE.

Click here to read a review of LAVINIA.

Great Books for Moms for Mother's Day

Click here to see our Mother's Day suggestions.

Victoria Lustbader’s first book, HIDDEN, received much critical praise when it was released in 2006. In STONE CREEK, her second work of fiction releasing on May 27th, Lustbader weaves an unforgettable novel of tremendous emotional heft and brilliantly illuminates how the powers of love and loss transform the human heart.

-Click here to read the first SIX chapters of STONE CREEK.
-Click here to read Victoria Lustbader’s bio.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.VictoriaLustbader.com.

More about STONE CREEK:
In the small town of Stone Creek, a random encounter offers two lonely people a chance at happiness. When Lily and Danny meet, something immediate and undeniable happens between them. Neither one can ignore that Lily is married and 10 years older than Danny, but it is Danny's son, Caleb, who continues to bring them together.
 

Click here to read more about Victoria Lustbader and STONE CREEK.

Featured Historical Fiction Author: Jeff Shaara, Author of THE STEEL WAVE: A Novel of World War II

In THE STEEL WAVE, Jeff Shaara --- America’s premier author of military historical fiction and New York Times bestseller --- brings us the centerpiece of his epic trilogy of the Second World War that began with THE RISING TIDE. Releasing on May 13th, this second installment tells the story of World War II through the points of view of some of history's most colorful and dynamic characters.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from THE STEEL WAVE.
-Click here to read Jeff Shaara’s bio.
-Click here to see Jeff Shaara's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE STEEL WAVE.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.JeffShaara.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THE STEEL WAVE:
General Dwight Eisenhower once again commands a diverse army that must find its single purpose in the destruction of Hitler’s European fortress. His primary subordinates, Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery, must prove that this unique blend of Allied armies can successfully confront the might of Adolf Hitler’s forces, who have already conquered Western Europe.
 

Special Contest: Win a Copy of THE ANGEL by Carla Neggers

Click here for more details about the contest and how to enter.

Click here to visit ReadingGroupGuides.com.

Movie lovers are in for quite a treat this month, as May’s Books into Movies feature boasts one of the first and biggest “summer blockbusters” of the season, as well as a couple of lesser-known independent films that promise to pack quite an emotional punch for cinephiles in the mood for something a bit more dramatic and innovative.

Hitting the big screen on May 16th is the eagerly anticipated Prince Caspian, the second installment in C. S. Lewis’s beloved The Chronicles of Narnia series that is sure to bring out the bedtime story-loving child in all of us. Also not to be missed is Fugitive Pieces, the emotionally wrought war drama based on Anne Michaels’s acclaimed novel, and The Tracey Fragments, Ellen Page’s post-Juno indie arthouse film.

New on DVD this month is the heartwarming tear jerker P.S. I Love You, and Youth Without Youth, Francis Ford Coppola’s philosophical study on life, love and the passage of time.
 

This Week's Reviews

Poll and Question of the Week: Your Home Library /p>

Poll:

How many books are in your home library?
 
Under 50
50-249
250-499
500-999
1,000 to 2,499
2,500 to 5,000
More than 5,000
I do not keep books once I have read them.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What new book (name up to three) are you most looking forward to reading in the next few weeks?

-Click here to answer our question.

 

Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- THREE Prizes