"The Sweet Life in Paris" - David Lebovitz

Published by Broadway Paperbacks in 2009

Another foodie delight! I seem to have an accidental habit for picking up books written by cooks who happened to start their careers within blocks of my current home.  Lebovitz was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse (a fancy Berkeley restaurant that I still haven't convinced myself to go to given the outlandish prices.)  After his partner died he decided that a change was necessary and moved his life to a small one bedroom flat in Paris.

The book chronicles some of his adventures, with less panache than Reichl in my opinion, but the recipes he throws in for flavor seem to hit a little closer to home.  In fact, while reading this book I made one of the recipes and was surprised at how simple and delicious it was!

Quotes:
"serve with a chilled glass or fillette of white wine, such as Muscadet, Sancerre, or Sauvignon Blanc.  Enjoy, by yourself"
- Regarding his warm goat cheese salad recipe

"you need to clamp my mouth closed and massage my neck to get that hyperthick stuff down my throat -- like forcing a dog to swallow a pill"
- Regarding most parisian Hot Chocolate

Rating:
writing **
recipes ****

"Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer" - Jonathan L. Howard

Published by Anchor Books in 2010

I picked this book up on a whim as it had some great cover art, thinking that would be as far as the fun would go was my mistake! This turned out to be an unexpectedly good find that blended sci-fi with a little Gothic humor in just the right combination.

The cover quote states that it is "wicked and inventive" and I agree completely.  A carnival comprised of the undead, lead by a necromancer and his vampire brother.  Their goal is to retrieve 100 souls in a years time as a wager with Satan.

The best part is that it isn't until the last page that we learn the true reason for the whole quest and Johannes Cabal's real goal.  Very fun, I will have to read more of the series!

Rating: ***

"Granta 117 - Horror"

Published in 2011 by Granta Magazine

"Horror is everywhere" and this collection of short stories shows that it isn't always something that goes bump in the night.  Authors ranging from Stephen King to Will Self give us sneak peeks into the many forms that Horror can take in our lives.

While some were not quite my style, a majority of the stories were exciting and engaging, urging me to just read "one more page."

Rating: ***

"Smoke and Mirrors" - Neil Gaiman

Published in 1998 by Avon Books Inc.

A series of short stories (unrelated to one another) all by author Neil Gaiman.  Some of them are entertaining others are confusing and strangely written.  After having read "Stardust" I was prepared for his style of writing but was hoping that in short story form it would be more appealing.  Sadly, I was mistaken as there is no single point in this collection that stood out as particularly amazing.

His writing lacks details, and I personally find it less than exciting.

Rating: **

"A Confederacy of Dunces" - John Kennedy Toole

Published by LSU Press in 1980

The main character of this strange and intriguing novel is Ignatius J. Reilly, a corpulent 30-something who still lives with his mother.  An extremely educated man, Reilly never put his learnings to use and after an unfortunate car accident he is forced to find a job.  His menial work combined with his ridiculous concepts of how time should be spent to be prosperous in society mingle to make a tale that is a comedic jaunt around New Orleans behind a Hot Dog cart.

I really enjoyed this novel.  The writing was sharp and funny, and Toole wrote wonderful dialogue that makes the characters come to life on the pages.

Rating: ****

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" - Jonathan Safran Foer

Published in 2005 by Mariner Books

Oskar is sure that the key he found in a vase is a final message from his father, who died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers.  He pledges to find it's meaning and embarks on a journey through Manhattan with his upstairs neighbor Mr. Black.  The story includes writing from the perspective of Oskar, his grandmother (through letters to Oskar) and his grandfather (through letters written to the Son he would never meet.)

I personally enjoyed the story but was not blown away by the writing.  Sadly, this was also my experience with Foer’s novel “Everything is Illuminated” as well.  Maybe I just don’t like his style, maybe its something else, I don’t know.  In this case, I found the characters to be lacking in life.  As if no matter how hard I tried, they just didn’t seem real or likeable.

Quotes:

“But there was always work to be done. We spent our lives making livings.”

“…Our lives are like skyscrapers.  The smoke rises at different speeds, but they’re all on fire, and we’re all trapped.”

Rating: ***

My Favorite Books From the Past 2 Years

Ok, so, here are some books.  They aren't really in any order, mildly alphabetic, but in my opinion you should read them at random otherwise you might get too much travel writing or too much medical writing all at once!  I read 36 books last year and over 20 the year before that and these are the winners so far. Unless otherwise noted they are kindle available.

Medical/ Exotic location:

Cutting for Stone - Verghese

kindle: 9.99

Story about a set of twins who grow up in Ethiopia who are left for dead by their father after their mother dies in childbirth.  A surrogate family of nuns and doctors raises them and as they grow a rift forms that can only be crossed when they are older.  Phenomenal book, written by an Ethiopian born doctor, it's got some medical stuff and some travel stuff and I think you would really enjoy it.  Also, lots of gynecology, in a cool way, not a creepy way. 5 stars

Medical/ tale of growing up:

The Cider House Rules - Irving

Another Irving book I truly enjoyed (read The World According to Garp pretty recently), The story of Homer Wells, another orphan, and his lifelong journey to find his place in the world through travel, work, obstetric practice and a rag-tag family comprised of a doctor, war vet, nurses, school bully, and more.  I do have some questions regarding Irving's obsession with strange relationships. Not available on Kindle, made into a movie with Elijah Wood (I think). 5 stars

Funny:

Bossypants - Tina Fey

kindle: 12.99

Hilarious, laugh-a-minute rollercoaster of fun.  Just read it on a day you feel a little glum and it will pull you right back to good spirits. 5 stars

Teen Fiction/Future Possibilities:

The Hunger Games - Collins

Book one is my favorite, Kris liked 3, and my friend Katie prefers 2.  Read these when you have a day or three to devote to being lost in books.  Even Kris read them straight through in 4 days.  Hard to stop once you have started and the movie comes out in March so you should get to it before then. 5 stars

World problems/Globalization/Mental Recovery after trauma:

Little Bee - Cleave

kindle: 11.99

This book will leave you breathless.  It is heart-wrenching and amazing.  Just read it, I cried, and I don't cry. He has another book out but I don't want to read it because it doesn't look like it will even compare to this one. 5 stars.

Historical Fiction

The Paris Wife - McLain

kindle: 12.99

Kind of romance novel-esque at the beginning . . . “This was my one brush with love. Was it love? It felt awful enough. I spent another two years crawling around in the skin of it, smoking too much and growing too thin and having stray thoughts of jumping from my balcony like a tortured heroine in a Russian novel.” All that blah-dee-blah.  But it get's better and then is a fun jaunt through history with Hemingway, his wife, his mistress, his son, etc.  3.5 stars

Travel

The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway

kindle: 11.99

I read this right after The Paris Wife and watched Midnight in Paris soon after that, a very good trifecta.  I recommend doing all three within a month or so of each other as they then give a full look (Hemingway's perspective, his wife's, and an outsider looking at them at the time in Paris.) A good idea to do before you leave though as I really recommend the movie AFTER both books. 4 stars on it's own and with the other two.

Technology/Future possibilities

Super Sad True Love Story - Shteyngart

kindle: 9.99

At first when I finished I wasn't a huge fan, but over the period of about a month I could not stop thinking about some parts of this book.  It is a completely plausible idea of our future where social networking takes over and the idea of leisure, books, grammar, etc. have gone out the window.  Everyone is vulgar and somewhat distressing but once you get used to the writing style it is a good read. 3 stars at first, 4.5 after it wouldn't get out of my head.

Food/Travel

Tender at the Bone - Reichl

kindle: 11.99

One of my favorites in the last two years, I gobbled it up like I would some of the recipes she includes!  You will be jealous of her life and of her cooking skills. 5 stars.

BONUS BOOK!

A Dirty Job - Moore

kindle: 9.99

I read this a long time ago (High School) and it is still one of my favorites, a funny novel with magical aspects as well as a fun tour of San Francisco!