Weekly Update: August 3, 2014

Summer is passing too quickly. I love the laid-back pace and long evenings outdoors, but suddenly back-to-school sales are everywhere and I'm certain the first changing leaves are just days away. School doesn't begin until after Labor Day, but it already feels like summer is beginning to wind down.

I managed to keep up with my #100HappyDays project this week and am closing in on the half-way mark. Among my favorites were a literary cocktail, black-eyed Susans from the garden, and my leather-bound Jane Austen set. What made you happy last week?

Reading//  I finished We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas a couple of nights ago. Easily one of the best books I've read this year, it left me an emotional wreck. I'll post my review around its publication date later this month.

Something lighter and sweeter was definitely in order after that and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin has come to my rescue. I'm loving this one!

Listening//  Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck is still occupying my limited audiobook time. I'm 55% done and like it, but not quite as much as The Good Earth, Pavilion of Women, or Peony. There's still plenty of time for it to pick up though.

On the blog//  Since I was consumed by We Are Not Ourselves last week, things were fairly quiet.
- Top Ten Tuesday:  Authors I Own
- my review of Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federly for Weekend Cooking and Trish's Cook It Up Challenge

In the kitchen//  Twin A had her wisdom teeth removed this week so, even though it's high summer, I've been making soup. Her favorite is Split Pea (which I'd never made), so I decided to try a recipe from David Lebovtiz. It was delicious! Sadly, there is no way to make a photograph of Split Pea Soup look appealing. You're better off not seeing my attempts... trust me.

Looking ahead//  A quick look at my reading list for the year shows I've been reading predominantly new releases lately. That's unusual because I'm normally a classics, backlist, wait-til-it's-out-in-paperback kind of reader. Starting this fall, I'll be returning to my old habits. One of the titles I'm considering is An American Tragedy  by Theodore Dreiser.

Are you making fall reading plans yet?

This post will link to It's Monday, What are you Reading?  hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle

Is that the best title ever, or what? I've never been especially interested in mixology (we prefer wine around here), but I had to borrow Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federle from my library. Just to read it, I mean...

The table of contents had me in hysterics - drinks named The Last of the Mojitos, Gin Eyre, Howards Blend, The Sound and the Slurry.  By the end of the introduction, I knew this book belonged in my permanent collection.


Gentle Drinker: 

Congrats. You fought through War and Peace, burned through Fahrenheit 451, and sailed through Moby-Dick. All right, all right, you nearly drowned in Moby-Dick, but you made it to shore - and you deserve a drink! Hang tight, undergrad. A beer's not going to cut it. Not this time. 

To pay proper homage to the world's greatest stories and storytellers, we've carefully crafted a library's worth of literature-inspired cocktails. Scholarly sips for word nerds, if you will - and the people who love them...

This little book begins with the basics - tools, techniques, and terms - before getting down to the business of recipes. Each recipe begins with an entertaining paragraph about the specific book/drink pairing. Ingredients and directions follow, many with full-page (comical) illustrations.

Since The Picture of Dorian Grey  was one of my recent Classics Club Spin reads, I decided to try The Pitcher of Dorian Grey Goose at a recent family gathering. It was delicious, people - dangerously so! I know you can't make out the recipe from the photo, so...

           Makes about 8 drinks 

10 sprigs fresh mint, washed
1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups vodka (like Grey Goose)
Cucumber, sliced into wheels, for garnish 

Tear mint, then place in the pitcher. Add the lemonade concentrate and stir until thawed. Pour in the vodka and 3 cups cold water and stir. Serve over ice, garnish with the cucumber wheels, and remember: age before beauty - if anyone will fess up.

Last night (TGIF, right?) we tried Infinite Zest. Not quite as delicious, but just as potent. A little extra limoncello made it more palatable.

Whether you enjoy mixed drinks or not, Tequila Mockingbird is a very entertaining read!

Cook It Up: A Cookbook Challenge is hosted by Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity. Find links to other posts here.

Weekend Cooking, hosted at Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Own

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're talking about authors we own. I think this is especially interesting because it goes a step beyond asking which authors we read most often.

Who occupies the most space on our shelves? Which authors do we choose to buy rather than borrow?

My top ten "owned" authors are:

1. Jane Austen  Not only do I own all of her novels, I have multiple editions of every single one. A girl can never have too many copies of Pride and Prejudice, right?

2. F. Scott Fitzgerald  My husband gave me a beautiful leather-bound set of his novels several Christmases ago. Throw in the few paperbacks I already had, and that's nearly a whole shelf.

3. John Steinbeck  Not only is Steinbeck one of my favorite authors, he was also prolific. In addition to his novels, I also own Travels with Charley (two editions) and a couple volumes of his letters.

4. Willa Cather  Although I've only read a few of her novels, I've been collecting them for years.

5. Wallace Stegner  Crossing to Safety is my favorite novel. I've been on a mission to acquire and read all of Stegner's work.

6. Richard Yates  It started with Revolutionary Road and The Easter Parade. Then I wanted to know more about the author and turned to A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates by Blake Bailey - seriously the best literary biography ever. That lead to A Good School, Disturbing the Peace, Cold Spring Harbor, and The Collected Stories. Yates is a favorite, but there is an overwhelming sadness about his novels. I've taken a break and am now ready to read the rest of his work.

7. Edith Wharton  If Edith wrote it, I probably own it!

8. Henry James  Edith and Henry were such good friends, I can't help but think of them together. He occupies nearly as much space as Edith on my shelf and while I truly love several of his novels, I'm intimidated by his later works. The thought of page-long sentences just scares me.

9.  John Irving  The World According to Garp was something of a cult favorite back in the late 70's or early 80's. I've been buying and enjoying Irving's novels ever since... until I hit the wall in 2005 with Until I Find You. Maybe it's time to give him another chance?

10. Ann Patchett I've purchased and read every book she's written.

Honorable Mention:
Barbara Pym
Anna Quindlen
Wally Lamb
Stewart O'Nan
Richard Russo

And just for fun...

Who is the most unread author on your shelf?
For me, this somewhat dubious distinction goes to Ian McEwan. I liked Atonement and The Comfort of Strangers, but began collecting his novels after loving On Chesil Beach. I currently have four on my TBR (to be read) shelf.

What authors do you own?
Visit The Broke and the Bookish for more Top Ten Tuesday posts.

Weekly Update: July Winds Down

I'm back! Well, I've really been here since midweek, but am just returning to the blog today.

My sisters and I had a great time in Florida. I'm pleased with the renovations and we were able to put everything back together again. I can focus on decorating this winter. Last Sunday was my father-in-law's 87th birthday... I'm so glad we were there to celebrate with him! The weather was pretty much what I expected. Although it only rained once, it was extremely humid and never cooled down at night. However, the ceiling fan we installed on the lanai made it very comfortable to be out there after sunset.

We celebrated my birthday when I got home, and the rest of the week has been a blur of summertime activities.

Reading//  Believe it or not, there was no reading at all for an entire week! Before leaving for Florida, I looked at the opening of We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas (due to be released next month) and was captivated. I picked it up again a couple of days ago and am now at the halfway mark. The length of this novel initially intimidated me (640 pages), but it reads quickly and doesn't feel that long. I'm really enjoying this one!

Listening//  Again, other than a couple of hours on the plane, there hasn't been much listening either. I started Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck - which wasn't even one of the three books I had been considering. I also have a copy on my kindle, so this has become a read/listen combination. It tells the story of Tzu Hsi, the last empress of China, and although it's just okay so far, I have a feeling it will get better.

My #100happydays project was also on hiatus, but I did share a birthday dessert, new stationery supplies, and a shady afternoon reading spot.

In the kitchen//  There was not much happening in the kitchen this week, but I did try Sarah's recipe for crab cakes last night. My husband said they were the best ever!

This weekend is our library's annual book sale. On Friday evening I attended a special preview event for Friends, complete with wine, cheese, and music. I'd planned on exercising a little restraint, but still ended up with fourteen books. I'll highlight the stack in a post later this week.

Later today we'll go out on the boat (if the weather improves) and have my family over for dinner. What's new with you this week?

This post will link to It's Monday, What are you Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

image credit

Summer vacation ... at last! 

I'll catch up with you soon.

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune 
by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.
Ballantine Books, 2013
496 pages

Audiobook
narrated by Kimberly Farr
Random House Audio, 2013
13 hours and 34 minutes
source: purchased

Publisher's Summary:
When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly 60 years, he stumbled through a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the 19th century with a 21st-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, and Connecticut, why had she lived for 20 years in a simple hospital room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing her money?

Dedman has collaborated with Huguette Clark’s cousin, Paul Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have frequent conversations with her. Dedman and Newell tell a fairy tale in reverse: the bright, talented daughter, born into a family of extreme wealth and privilege, who secrets herself away from the outside world.

Empty Mansions reveals a complex portrait of the mysterious Huguette and her intimate circle. We meet her extravagant father, her publicity-shy mother, her star-crossed sister, her French boyfriend, her nurse who received more than $30 million in gifts, and the relatives fighting to inherit Huguette’s copper fortune. Empty Mansions is an enthralling story of an eccentric of the highest order, a last jewel of the Gilded Age who lived life on her own terms.

My thoughts:

If ever there was a book perfectly suited to a read/listen combination, Empty Mansions is it. The text includes photos, charts, lists, etc., but the audio version includes recorded conversations between Huguette Clark and her nephew, the book's co-author, Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

The beginning of this book is slow going. It's mostly about Huguette's father, W.A. Clark, and how he became the richest man in American history you've never heard of. Your patience may be tested, but the background provided in this section is essential for a clear understanding of Huguette. The audio production and Kimberly Farr's excellent narration helped pull me through to the main attraction.

 Huguette Clarke's story is much more interesting and, once the focus shifted to her, any thoughts of putting the book aside vanished. She was ultra-wealthy, extremely reclusive, and passionately interested in art, music, dolls and dollhouses, and Japanese culture. When she died in 2011 at 104, her closest relatives hadn't seen her in decades.

The question is whether she was manipulated by those closest to her (accountants, lawyers, and nurses were gifted huge sums of money), or simply shy, but happy within the narrow boundaries she imposed upon herself. Huguette's voice, as heard in phone conversations included in the audio version, certainly gives the impression of an alert, engaged, and cheerful woman. In many ways she reminded me of my husband's great aunt, who also lived to be 104 and read The Wall Street Journal until the day she died.

Book club reaction:
My book club's reaction to Empty Mansions was lukewarm, at best. Several member did not finish the book. They gave up during the early history of the Clark family and never even got to Huguette's story. The comment "too boring" came up repeatedly and we did not have much of a discussion. My reaction was the most favorable.

Several group members are audiobook fans and I suspect they would have enjoyed the book more if they'd listened.

Bottom line:  I recommend listening to this book, but be sure to borrow a print copy and take a look at the photographs.

My rating:

The All of It by Jeannette Haien

The All of It
by Jeanette Haien
HarperCollins e-book, 2009 reprint
145 pages
source: purchased

Summary (from goodreads):
A sleeper hit when first published in 1986, Jeannette Haien's exquisite, beloved first novel is a deceptively simple story that has the power and resonance of myth. The story begins on a rainy morning as Father Declan de Loughry stands fishing in an Irish salmon stream, pondering the recent deathbed confession of one of his parishioners. Kevin Dennehy and his wife, Enda, have been sweetly living a lie for some 50 years, a lie the full extent of which Father Declan learns only when Enda finally confides "the all of it." Her tale of suffering mesmerizes the priest, who recognizes that it is also a tale of sin and scandal, a transgression he cannot ignore. The resolution of his dilemma is a triumph of strength and empathy that, as Benedict Kiely has said, makes The All of It "a book to remember".

My thoughts:

This book appealed to me for three reasons:
1.  It was recommended by Ann Patchett, who also wrote an introduction to the latest edition.
2.  The cover is gorgeous.
3.  It was offered as a kindle daily deal for only $1.99.

Upon finishing, I thought:
1.  I'll take a recommendation from Ann Patchett any day.
2.  Reading on a kindle paperwhite does not allow you to fully appreciated  beautiful covers.
3.  I certainly got my money's worth.

Not much happens in this quiet little novel set in the Irish countryside. Aside from a bit of salmon fishing, the bulk of the action consists of a newly widowed woman telling her story, "the all of it",  to the parish priest after her husband died before finishing his final confession. Her story, in turn, creates a moral dilemma for the priest.

Haien's writing, a little wordy and with lots of punctuation (beware if you don't like that kind of thing), was another highlight of my reading experience.

I was disappointed to learn I had actually purchased the older 1986 edition, without Ann Patchett's introduction. The fact that neither Barnes &Noble nor my local library had a copy of the newer edition only compounded my disappointment. Unfortunately, I have yet to read Ann Patchett's introduction.

A couple of quotes:

Discordantly - out of the mists - he heard her voice: "Dead faces," she said whitely, "they're all the same. They don't, I mean, tell of the person as they were alive." 

"One thing I've learned, Father - that in this life it's best to keep the then and now and the what's-to-be as close together in your thoughts as you can. It's when you let the gaps creep in, when you separate out the intervals and dwell on them, that you can't bear the sorrow."

My rating: