The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: June 11, 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.
As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything.
The Engagements follows five different characters throughout their lives, all of whom live primarily in different eras. One of the characters is Frances Grerety, the real-life advertising executive who wrote the slogan “A Diamond is Forever.” I was particularly interested in her story because my husband is in advertising and also an episode of the TV show Mad Men briefly mentioned the story behind “A Diamond is Forever.” It’s clear from reading the author’s note, that Ms. Sullivan did a substantial amount of research into Frances’s life and her story appears to be based on factual information. It was truly fascinating to learn how the diamond went from a precious gem worn only by the rich and famous to an almost mandatory part o the American marriage experience.
The other four main characters are fictional. I knew that that somehow their stories would all come together but it wasn’t obvious to me how that would happen until it was revealed in the story telling. I loved how each character was so different from each other. I also appreciated how well developed they all were, each had an extensive back story, making the motivations for their actions unquestionable.
I think this book would make an excellent book club choice. It would provoke an interesting discussion about marriage and marriage traditions I’m sure. The effect of advertising on the American psyche could be discussed as well. As I was reading this book, I found myself questioning the importance I have placed on my own engagement ring in my life. The Engagements is more than just a summer beach read; it will have you thinking about the issues it addresses long after you finish. It’s the perfect mix of fun and thoughtful.
(I received this book courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.)
August 29th, 2013 in
Books |
No Comments
My sweet baby girl Neve turned three in July. Since her birthday is the day after Cash’s and Cash had a pretty labor intensive party, we made her celebration more low-key. She started mentioning in May that she wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday. She actually mentioned it multiple times a day in May. And June. And July. So that’s what we did. We invited all the local family to join us to play some games. Some braved it, while some opted to join us at our house later, where we ate edible, nay delicious pizza instead of the crapalicious pizza they serve at Chuck E. Cheese. (Sorry, Chuck but you know it’s true.) I ordered a cake from Hy-vee that Neve has had her eye on for a while. It was a great day!
August 25th, 2013 in
Family,
Neve |
No Comments
I realized that while West got his own birthday post, I neglected to write posts for Cash and Neve’s birthdays. It’s so hectic with all three kids having birthdays within a month of each other. I’m going to post Cash’s birthday post today and Neve’s tomorrow.
My sweet first-born Cash turned nine in July. He’s so tall – he comes up to my chin now! He’s still super skinny at about 55 pounds.
His latest obsession is Minecraft so he had a Minecraft themed birthday party. Before the party, he opened his presents from Travis and I. He’d been asking for a keytar for months and he finally got one!
Since the Minecraft craze is relatively new, there aren’t many Minecraft birthday supplies on the market yet and I was forced to get creative. Travis, Granddad and the boys painted several cardboard boxes to look like Minecraft world items. The plan was that the kids would build things with them, but intstead they just destroyed them.
We also played Pin the Tail on the Ender Dragon. We found Ender Dragon images online and printed them out to make the game.
For the food I just made as much as I could square since everything is square in the Minecraft world. We had square cheeseburger sliders and square blue Knox blox to look like Minecraft water. I made a Creeper cake that is a composite of ideas I found on Pinterest.
For goodie bags I ordered some boxes that look like gold bars (there is gold in Minecraft) and put in a Dum-Dum sucker (the stick had to be cut down a little to make it fit) and some fake diamonds that are meant to be used as table decorations for weddings. There are diamonds in Minecraft so they fit the theme. Then I pinned a Minecraft pin on the outside of the box since it wouldn’t fit inside of it. I used the extra diamonds as table decorations. For the table cloths, I used plastic table cloths that look like grass. I ordered everything except the suckers off Amazon.
If you are more crafty and motivated than I am, you can find tons of elaborate Minecraft party ideas on Pinterest. Luckily, Cash was thrilled was his mid-range Minecraft party. A good time was had by all!
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Publisher: Vintage
Paperback Release Date: April 16, 2013
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Aleppo, Syria, she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language. It’s 1915, and Elizabeth has volunteered to help deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian Genocide during the First World War. There she meets Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter. After leaving Aleppo and traveling into Egypt to join the British Army, he begins to write Elizabeth letters, realizing that he has fallen in love with the wealthy young American.
Years later, their American granddaughter, Laura, embarks on a journey back through her family’s history, uncovering a story of love, loss—and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.
The Sandcastle Girls is a historical novel about what the author terms the Slaughter You Know Next to Nothing About, which is the Armenian genocide. I’ll admit I didn’t know anything about the Armenian Genocide until I read The Gendarme by Mark Mustian a few years ago. (Bohjalian lists The Gendarme in the acknowledgments) as one of the novels that was helpful to him in writing The Sandcastle Girls.) I don’t understand politics well enough to know why this horrible event has been virtually ignored but I’m glad books like this one are bringing it to light.
The Sandcastle Girls alternates between the present day first person narration of Laura Petrosian, a novelist who is discovering the story of Elizabeth Endicott, an American aid worker and Armen, an Armenian engineer who meet in Aleppo, Syria in 1915. This book was a wonderful mixture of war, romance, and mystery with a surprise ending that blew me away. Bohjalian doesn’t shy away from describing the horrors that took place during that time. It was hard to read about them but it was important to include them to understand what shaped the people who lived through them. I found the story to be organic and not emotionally manipulative.
I have to include my favorite quote in this review. Elizabeth works in a hospital in Aleppo and befriends the Muslim doctor who also works there. He teaches Elizabeth proverbs from the Koran, which she is fond of quoting. After quoting a proverb to Nevart, her Armenian friend, this exchange takes place:
“‘Soon you are going to become a Mohammedan,’ Nevart tells the American lightly.
‘Not likely. A Unitarian someday, maybe. But I believe that would be the extent of my radicalization.'”
As a Unitarian Universalist myself, I love it when we get a mention in popular culture. I especially love the notion that becoming Unitarian in the early twentieth century would have been radical.
The Sandcastle Girls is an important, emotional book that I highly recommend.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Powell’s Books Rainy Day Books
(I received this book courtesy of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)
August 19th, 2013 in
Books |
1 Comment
Thursday my boys went back to school, which meant that Wednesday was the nanny’s last day. (I’ve had a nanny this summer because of my illness.) I guess West decided it had just been too uneventful of a summer for the poor nanny and cut his finger on my weight machine Wednesday morning. Doing what, I don’t know. His explanation was sketchy. The nanny remembered me telling her that because of West’s dangerously high pain tolerance, if he cries for more than a minute after injuring himself, it’s serious. Thus, I was awakened by her and West storming in my room with West wearing a shirt spotted with blood and her holding a paper towel on his finger. The wound was gaping so we headed off to the ER, with me forgoing coffee and not realizing til we got there that I didn’t have any change to buy it. I deserve a medal!
Luckily, the doctor said that he would use glue instead of stitches. However, West was still freaked out, even after the doctor glued my wrist to show him that it wouldn’t hurt. I played the ice cream card and that got him calmed down pretty much immediately. After we were finished, West asked if we could just get ice cream for him and not for Cash and Neve. I said no and asked him how he would feel if Cash went to the ER and got ice cream and he didn’t. West responded, “But Cash never has to go to the ER!” Exactly, kid. Cash deserves ice cream for not seriously injuring himself on a regular basis.
The finger did not prohibit West from starting school Thursday morning as planned:
Cash-3rd grade West-2nd grade
August 17th, 2013 in
Cash,
Family,
West |
No Comments
Nabeel’s New Pants: An Eid Tale by Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Publisher: Two Lions
Release Date: April 1, 2010
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Ramadan has come to an end. The fast is over, and tomorrow the celebration of Eid will begin. Nabeel decides to buy each of his family members something special to wear for the holiday. But while he’s choosing, the shopkeeper persuades him also to buy a gift for himself—a pair of new pants that are too long! Nabeel asks his wife, his mother, and his daughter to hem them, but no one has the time—everyone is busy preparing for the festivities. Will Nabeel be able to wear his new pants to celebrate Eid? Only a pair of scissors can tell.
This is a cute and funny little story about a Muslim family that loves each other preparing for the holiday of Eid by exchanging gifts and cooking food. This particular book didn’t go into the religious aspect of Eid but that’s okay with me. How many non-religious children’s books about Christmas are there? Tons. I don’t think every book about a different culture than mine needs to go into a ton of detail. I did appreciate that there is a glossary of terms with pronunciation at the front of this book though.
The illustrations had a very vibrant Indian color scheme, which I loved. The illustrator is Indian so that makes sense. I’d love to read some of the other picture books she’s illustrated.
This a great book about love and generosity to add to your child’s library.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
(I received this book courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.)
August 7th, 2013 in
Books |
No Comments
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Publisher: Amy Einhorn/Putnam
Release Date: July 30, 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.
Liane Moriarty has done it again. Just like What Alice Forgot, The Husband’s Secret has stayed with me long after finishing it, thinking about what I would do if I were Rachel, Tess or Cecilia. I was riveted for the first half of the book, trying to figure out what the secret was in Cecilia’s husband John-Paul’s letter. I had multiple guesses and none of them were right. I was shocked when the secret was revealed and was riveted for the second half of the book trying to figure out how in the world it could possibly end in a way that would satisfy me.
Ultimately, the ending turned out to be surprising, yet very satisfying. It’s hard to go into detail without spoiling the plot. The Husband’s Secret would be an awesome book club pick – there is so much to discuss. And I think most women will relate to at least one of the three women in the book and wonder what the heck they would do if put into the same situation as Rachel, Tess or Cecilia. With this book, Ms. Moriarty has earned a spot in my list of favorite authors – I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Would you like to win your own copy of The Husband’s Secret and a cool Tupperware container? Enter my giveaway here.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Powell’s Books Rainy Day Books
(I received this book courtesy of the publisher.)
August 6th, 2013 in
Books |
1 Comment
The Husband’s Secret is an exciting new book from Liane Moriarty, author of What Alice Forgot (which I LOVED). I’m reading it right now and I can’t put it down. I was up until 3am with it the other night!
Publisher’s Description: Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.
I’m thrilled to be giving away a special package to one of my readers with a US address that includes a copy of the book and a Tupperware container – (Tupperware is a relevant part of The Husband’s Secret.) To enter, just fill out the form below I will take entries until 11:59pm on August 8, 2013. Good luck!
August 1st, 2013 in
Books |
2 Comments
The Bequest of Big Daddy by Jo-Ann Costa
Publisher: Koehler Books
Release Date: April 1, 2013
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Ratio Janson is the crusty patriarch with an infamous background, a hair-trigger temper reverently referred to as Big Daddy by his family clan. His feisty great-granddaughter Jo-Dee overhears shocking gossip at Big Daddy’s funeral and is determined to plumb his murky past, from Reconstruction to the present day.
The Bequest of Big Daddy is a character study of Ratio Janson that starts before he was born. Born to a cold, unloving mother and subjected to abuse growing up, it’s clear why Ratio grows up to be the tough, sometimes cruel man called Big Daddy. The majority of the story is set in old South and this was the part of the book I enjoyed the most. Ratio was not a likeable fellow but his story was authentic and captivating. I didn’t click with the modern day part of the story. Big Daddy was a legend that seemed to be admired by his family after he died and I just couldn’t relate. He was a interesting man for sure but not admirable, at least not to me.
My only other quibble with this book was the dialogue. The slaves’ speech was so muddled that I could barely read it, yet the white characters spoke almost perfectly clearly. This didn’t ring true to me but I’m not a historian so I can’t say for sure how people spoke back then. However, it seems like the white people’s speech would have more dialect to it.
Overall, The Bequest of Big Daddy was an enjoyable read. I think fans of Southern historical fiction will want to read the story of Big Daddy.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. You can check out the other stops on the tour here.
Buy this book at:
Amazon
Powell’s Books Rainy Day Books
July 29th, 2013 in
Books |
1 Comment
Wine for Dummies by Ed McCarthy
Publisher: For Dummies
Release Date: September 19, 2012 (5th edition)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wine for Dummies is a great book for both the experienced and novice wine drinker. The Introduction goes through how the book is organized and which parts of the book should be read, depending on what the reader is interested in. Pretty much every aspect of wine is covered -grape varieties, how wine is made and regulated in various countries, how to read a wine label or restaurant wine list, and much more. The really technical information is labeled as such and can easily be skipped.
I liked that the tone of the book was very conversational and not at all pretentious. The authors actually have a sense of humor about wine and seemed to make an effort to make wine less intimidating for the reader. This will be a book that I refer to often and has me more interested in wine than ever. Before this book, I had a few brands that I stuck to but now I’m looking forward to trying new and different wines. I didn’t realize how many choices there are out there. That’s one hazard of reading this book – I was craving wine the whole time I was reading!
Buy this book at:
Amazon
(I received this book courtesy of the Amazon Vine program.)
July 23rd, 2013 in
Books |
2 Comments
