Recent Reads

I've been more slack in my summer reading progress than usual, thanks to True Detective and good weather.  However, I have discovered a few good titles so far.  Two of the books are rereads that I remembered liking, but not necessarily what they were about.  The third is a new title that I checked out mostly because I liked the guy's glasses on the cover. 

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (2006).
Find it in the catalog!
I first read this book shortly after graduating from college and really enjoyed it.  However, I could no longer remember much about it other than the cover and that it was British and had a kid that stuttered.  So naturally I checked out again just to refresh my memory.  Based loosely on author David Mitchell's childhood, the book follows 13-year-old Jason Taylor who is dealing with a garden variety of life issues.   His parent's marriage has hit a rough patch.  His older sister is going away to college. He's also secretly a published poet, which he keeps secret to avoid being picked on in school.  Like most intelligent, sensitive kids, Jason deals with some pretty intense bullying at school, which is intensified by his speech impediment. The book is set in 1980s Margaret Thatcher era England.  I wasn't all that familiar with that period of history, which includes the Falklands War, but Mitchell does a good job dropping the reader into that era. 

The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld (2006).
Find it in the catalog!
I first read this book while I was in graduate school.  I remember immediately relating to the main character, Hannah Gavener, who's kind of a socially awkward loner.  Imagine my horror later on to read reviews of the book describing Hannah as irritating and a "sourpuss" (thanks a lot, New York magazine!).  After rereading the book recently, I can see how some people find Hannah to be a difficult character.  She is stubborn, usually says the wrong thing, and is primarily responsible for her own misery (isn't everyone?).  However, I think that makes her more of a realistic and sympathetic character.

Sittenfeld follows Hannah's life from early adolescence, where she struggles with having an emotionally volatile father, to her late twenties.  The book primarily focuses on Hannah's relationships with the different men in her life.  In high school and college, Hannah frets over her lack of a love life.  However, even after she starts dating, she finds her actual relationships wanting.  Instead, she longs for Henry, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of her more glamorous cousin, Fig.  Throughout the book, we see Hannah struggle with her low self-esteem and poor social skills while trying to become a functional adult.  I especially enjoyed the depiction of Hannah's relationships with her more together sister Allison and her beautiful but irresponsible cousin Fig, which seemed pretty true to life. 

Courting Greta by Ramsey Hootman (2014).
Find it in the catalog!
I'm a sucker for a man with thick glasses, so naturally this book called to me from the book cart.  However, the main character Samuel Cooke didn't turn out to be the bespectacled hunk the cover alludes to.  Instead, he's a cantankerous 34-year-old disabled computer geek turned public school teacher.  In spite of their age and size difference, Samuel quickly develops a crush on Greta "Cass" Cassamajor, a 46-year-old, tough as nails gym teacher and girls' basketball coach.  In spite of her tough exterior, Samuel decides to ask her to dinner, thinking she will immediately rebuff him.  Much to his surprise, Greta agrees and the two start an awkward and uncertain romance (aren't they all?).  Both Samuel and Greta has a whole host of issues.  Samuel is super neurotic, bitter, and doesn't really take care of himself in the way that he should.  He also has never been in a relationship before.  Greta is a woman of very few words, a lot of rules, and she's been badly hurt by men in her past.  However, despite her tough attitude, Greta is very caring and fiercely loyal.  This is a very sweet romance, but Hootman doesn't spare the character's darker sides or the awkwardness of their courtship.  The book is also frequently funny, especially Samuel's jaded perspective on life.

Recommended Reads: A Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs

 The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate.
Call No.: FICTION BATE (Adult New Fiction)
Find it in the catalog!

Foodies looking for a funny and light beach read will love this new book by Dana Bate.   It follows 26-year-old Hannah Sugarman who seemingly has her life together.  She's a researcher at a Washington think tank (the Institute for Research and Discourse aka. NIRD) and shares a swanky D.C. pad with her politically ambitious boyfriend Adam.  However, Hannah despises her job and desperately wants to work as a chef, but her parents and boyfriend don't take her cooking ambitions seriously.  Also, her boyfriend is getting tired of her occasional big mouth and general way of being.  

When Adam dumps Hannah, she rents a garden apartment from Blake, a pirate talking aspiring politician whose frequently away on business.  Finally on her own and with encouragement from her friend Rachel, she decides to finally start an underground supper club (an unlicensed restaurant run out of someone's home).  But when her place floods before the first meeting, she decides to use her out-of-town landlord's apartment and barely used gourmet kitchen without his knowledge.  The supper club takes off and Hannah continues to use Blake's pad on the sly; a precarious arrangement as Blake is running for a local office on the platform to crack down on the illegal supper clubs.  Obviously at some point this is going to blow up in Hannah's face.  But in the meantime, she becomes increasingly good friends with Blake, who encourages her culinary aspirations. 

Hannah makes a lot of poor decisions in this book, mostly because of her desire to live up to other people's expectations, and she wrestles with guilt over using her landlord's apartment for her semi-illegal business venture.  But in spite of her mistakes, Hannah eventually learns to take charge of her own life.  This is a great book about growing up and finding your own path.   Being from the northern Illinois, I had an entirely different idea of supper clubs, a term which also refers to rural(ish) Midwest dining establishments with cocktails and very large portions.  However, it was interesting to learn about these clandestine dining clubs and the food sounded a lot better!  There are lots of drool worthy dishes in this book including a grilled cheese sandwich with smoked gouda and caramelized Asian pears and deep fried turkey leg confit.  Recipes are included at the end of the book. 

Romance in the Stacks: Open Season by Linda Howard

Open Season by Linda Howard
Call #: FICTION HOWARD
Find it in the catalog!
Daisy Minor is a small town librarian in Alabama, who initially seems very librarian-like.  She's in her 30s and still lives with her mom and aunt.  She hasn't been on date in years and dresses very frumpy.  Basically, she's a pair of glasses and a cat away from a perfect stereotype.  However, on her 34th birthday, she has an awakening.  She wants a husband and family.  So she gets a makeover from Todd Lawrence, a gay antiques dealer in town who once worked on Broadway.  Now blonde and fabulous, she decides to frequent nearby bars to meet men.  Unfortunately, she seems to keep running into brawny cop Jack Russo at every turn, making people think they are couple.  However, when she unknowingly witnesses something sketchy at a night club one evening, Daisy just might need Jack's help.

Praise:  This book has a definite sense of humor about it, even though the actual mystery is quite dark.  The characters are unique and quirky, not the standard romance archetypes.  Daisy is humorously naive, yet super competent and intelligent.  Jack Russo is sharp-witted and not afraid to swear (every other word or so).  But he's also good at his job and tough as nails.  Some of the interactions between Jack and Daisy are laugh out loud funny.  It definitely has more of a screwball romance vibe to it.  Howard also does a good job at portraying small town life and gossip in a lighthearted way.

Quibbles: Okay, this really isn't Linda Howard's fault or anything, but I kept on picturing Jack Russo as Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.  Both worked as police officers in New York and Chicago, and have greying hair.  The similarities are eerie!  No offense to McCarthy, but I wouldn't exactly describe him as dreamy.  Thank goodness Jack doesn't have a mustache!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  The murder mystery isn't really that much of mystery, but it kept me on edge of my seat as to how it was going to play out.  I would highly recommend the book to fans of Janet Evanovich or Meg Cabot's Heather Wells mysteries.

Awkward Moments with Ted Allen

What's the only thing better than delicious looking food pictures in cookbooks?  That's right, goofy, awkward chef photographs.  Thankfully the chefs keep them coming.  In Ted Allen's defense, I think most of these pictures are supposed to be funny.  Also both of his cookbooks look like they have some yummy recipes inside. 

Awww...yeah!

Pepper spray?  Like I'd be afraid of that; I'm immune!

This is how a man eats a steak!  One bite!

The Book(s) I Read

I've been on string of good books.  Below of my favorite reads of late: 

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (2011)
Find it in the catalog!
This is a cute book about three semi-dysfunctional sisters who return home to a small Ohio college town care for their mother who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Their father was a Shakespearean scholar, so each of the girls have a Bard-inspired name.  They are all also running from something.  The eldest Rose (Rosalind) is happily engaged, but is concerned as her fiance isn't as tied to staying in Ohio as she is and he seems to have his heart set on working for Oxford University.  She has long been the family caretaker and is worried the rest of them will be unable to survive on their own.  Bean (Bianca) is the middle child who leaves New York City in debt, after being fired for skimming off the payroll at her law firm.  The youngest, Cordy (Cordelia) is the overgrown baby of the family who had been living a hippy nomadic existence (partly funded by her parents) until she discovered she is pregnant.  The Weird Sisters is definitely a light, fun read with a fair amount of literary allusions, so it's a guilt-free pleasure! 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012)
 Find it in the catalog!
This book is about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love.  Hazel Lancaster is a 16-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer, but her life has been lengthened indefinitely by a "miracle drug" that she started taking when she was 13.  At a cancer support group meeting she runs in the gorgeous Augustus Waters, a 17-year-old boy whose in remission but lost his leg to cancer.  The two quickly hit it off and bond over a book called "An Imperial Affliction" by a reclusive author named Peter Van Houten.

I was worried that I wouldn't really enjoy this book.  The premise sounds like it could easily be maudlin and Nicholas Sparks-y.  Thankfully, John Green managed to strike the right balance.  This book is definitely my favorite thing he's ever written.  It's funny, romantic and just a little bit heartbreaking. Highly recommend!

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner (2011)
Find it in the catalog!
This is a story of two childhood friends, Vaclav and Lena (collectively Vaclena).  Both are Russian immigrants who live in Brighton Beach in Brooklyn.  Vaclav is an only child who lives with his loving parents and dreams of being the next Harry Houdini.  His lovely assistant Lena isn't so lucky.  She's an orphan who lives with her aunt and is largely neglected.  Vaclav's mom, Rasia, takes Lena under her wings, but she can't save her from her home life.  Eventually Rasia witnesses something horrifying and Lena is taken away.  Later on, Vaclav and Lena meet up again as teenagers. 

Though the subject matter is often dark, this is a delightful book.  I really like the character of Rasia and her point-of-view.  She is a tough, hardworking mother but she is also so loving and tolerant.  I listened to audiobook, which is wonderfully acted. It's hard to imagine reading this in print as the thick Russian accents were half of the fun!

Awkward Moments With Rocco Dispirito, Part 2.

Rocco may be a talented chef and blandly attractive (the Bradley Cooper of celebrity chefs), but he's not too proud to take a goofy photograph...or a thousand!  In a follow up to my first post on Rocco, here are some more funny photos of Rocco from his Now Eat This ! cookbook. 

Ha, ha...you talk to me like that again...I'm gonna prod you with this fork.

Rocco has never hear the expression, where there's smoke, there's fire.

Awkward Moments with Gwyneth Paltrow

There has not been a lot of love for Gwyneth Paltrow in recent years.  Some people find her to be a little bit snobby and privileged. While I'm certainly not a Gwyneth superfan, I liked her in the Royal Tenenbaums and Iron Man.  I also subscribe to her GOOP newsletter, which has solid fashion advice and good recipes. I'm not a big fan of celebrity cookbooks, but between GOOP and Spain: On The Road Again TV series, Gwyneth seemed at least knowledgeable about food; so I checked out her cookbook My Father's Daughter.  Overall, I found it to be a pretty solid cookbook.  Most of the recipes are simple, organic and healthy (but not diet) takes on traditional American, Italian and Spanish dishes.  There is definitely an emphasis on cooking and dining as a family in My Father's Daughter, so this cookbook will especially appeal to parents. 

Okay, now that I've said lots of nice things about Gwyneth, it's time to take a look at some goofy photographs from My Father's Daughter.  Is Gwyneth channeling her inner Rocco DiSpirito?:

Sure, Gwyneth has a woodburing pizza oven installed in her house, gets lectured on the environment by Leonard DiCaprio, and is BFF with Jay-Z and Mario Batali...but she cooks with a wine glass in one hand and tongs in the other.  She's JUST LIKE US!

Gwyneth loves to pose while sniffing food!  Here she's taking a moment to stop and smell the tomatoes.

Romance in the Stacks: The Dewey Decimal Sytem of Love

The Dewey Decimal System of Love (2003).

By Josephine Carr.

Find it in the catalog!

When I came across this book in the stacks, my first thought was “My goodness!  What a terrible title!”  The cover has a red pair of glasses on it and old school card catalog entry on it.  How could a librarian resist such a promising trashy library romance?  Unfortunately, Dewey Decimal System of Love (DDSoL) is far too tame to qualify as a “trashy romance.”  So tame in fact that the main character, reference librarian Allison Sheffield has lived a chastely for 15 years.  DDSoL is actually a combination between the chick lit genre and mystery; but if you are thinking Stephanie Plum the librarian, your expectations might be a little to high!  DDSoL lacks the laugh-out humor of Janet Evanovich (it’s more crack a smile funny) and the mystery plot never really amounts too much suspense.

At the beginning of the novel, Allison Sheffield lives the quiet, monk-like existence of a forty-yearold spinster librarian.  She takes no pleasure in food or fashion (what’s wrong with her!) and has all but given up on romance.  That is until she sees the new Finnish orchestra conductor Aleksi Kullio in action and develops an obsessive crush on him.  However, there are two problems with Kullio: 1). he’s married and 2). his beautiful wife might be trying to poison him.  Allison feels she has no choice but to investigate the wife and attempt to woo Kullio by transforming herself from a librarian with glasses into a librarian without glasses and with bouncy hair!

Quibbles:  Aleksi Kullio never really appealed to me as a potential romantic lead. He was described as being middle aged and having long, white blond hair.  I pretty much pictured him as Dewey Largo (appropriate name!), Lisa’s music teacher from the Simpsons’-- not exactly Rodrigo Santoro.  Also, he came across as being pretentious and a little bit creepy.  It was hard to understand why Allison was so smitten with him.  Allison’s boss (and other potential love interest) Gordon was slightly more appealing, though Carr never really described what he looked like besides being a lady killer.  I really don’t think there are too many handsome, charming  playboy librarians running around though!

The not-so-hunky Dewey Largo!

The mystery plot also seemed a little tacked on.  There is never too much suspense, besides Kullio’s wife Michelle  walking into the library, looking up poisons (for her "novel”), and being mean to Allison.  In turn, Allison “investigates” by following Michelle around to keep tabs on her.  Not exactly the best or most subtle method.  

Praise:  I did like the fact that Allison isn’t really a typical chick lit character.  She’s skinny because she lives off Lean Cuisine meals and not all that concerned with her hygiene.  She’s also well read, Bryn Mawr-educated, and listens primarily to classical music.  It was refreshing to have a character who was a little bit pretentious, mean and socially awkward.  It also made her obsession with Kullio a little more plausible (seriously though I don’t know why anybody would be obsessed with Dewey Largo!).

Overall, I thought DDSoL was a fun, light read.  Fans of libraries, classic music, and late bloomers would probably enjoy this book, though the mystery could have been better developed.  

Awkward Moments with Rocco Dispirto

 Just a dude, sitting on a stoop, petting my tomatoes.

Celebrity chef/ author/ awkward hand gesture-maker Rocco DiSpirito has several different cookbooks with delicious looking but healthy meals.  However, I mostly enjoy his cookbooks for another reason, DiSpirito's odd posing in photographs.  Blessed with generically handsome looks, DiSpirito could have been a Sears catalog model in another life.  Below are some of my favorite DiSpirito poses from his books:

Dog, you are the only one I can trust now.