Mockingbird

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Mari Farthing

It’s the first book I remember falling in love with, in 8^th grade. I was always a pretty voracious reader, I would often be found with my nose in a book and would nightly stay up past my bedtime to read whatever adventure I was immersed in at the time. But To Kill a Mockingbird was different.

We read it in Language class, and I remember that our teacher had us dramatically act out scenes from the book. I still picture some of those kids when I reread this book, even after seeing the film many times.

I had moved from the big city to the suburbs the summer before school started, and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was still a full-on tomboy, wearing hand-me-downs from my brother, while my peers were already wearing blue eye shadow, feathered hair and designer jeans. Academically, this suburban school was years ahead of the inner-city school district that I attended formerly, so the challenges to fit in were coming at me from all sides. I used books as an escape to places where I would understand the social landscape as my actual landscape seemed to be a foreign and unfriendly land.

Our teacher (Mrs. Goff) assigned us a lot of advanced fiction that year – Ayn Rand (Anthem, which I loved), F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), and of course, Harper Lee. I fell in love with To Kill a Mockingbird as so many others did. The characters resonated with me (especially the coming-of-age arc of the dedicated tomboy, Scout), the southern dialect was new and exciting for this Wisconsin girl, and the story line was moving, challenging and inspiring – all wrapped up in one small paperback package.

I’ve reread the book frequently over the years and watched the movie and loved that as well (Gregory Peck as Atticus is inspired casting). Years later, when I met the man I realized would my future husband, I gave him a mix tape of love songs and my copy of Mockingbird to read, because that was a shortcut to getting to know my inner landscape.

And now, as the book celebrates 50 years, I’ve picked up a copy of Scout, Atticus & Boo, where many others share their love stories with Harper Lee’s classic tale. I’m looking forward to savoring that one.

Get the book here.

Do you have a Mockingbird moment? Or another classic lit pick that speaks to you? Tell us about it!

Side dish with author Sarah Pekkanen

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Malena Lott

How NOT to take an author photo by Sarah Pekkanen

When it came time to take a photo for the jacket of my debut novel, The Opposite of Me, I figured I should do it right. Instead of having my husband snap a headshot with our cheap little camera, I hired a professional photographer. I asked her to come by one afternoon during a narrow sliver of time when I’d organized a baby-sitter for my baby and a Wii extravaganza for my older kids. I was showered (a minor triumph), mascara’d, and though I hadn’t managed to squeeze in a haircut or a trip to buy new Spanx, all things considered, I was feeling pretty triumphant about my grooming.
So there we were, me and the photographer, in my backyard, ready to take the picture that would proclaim to readers: See how friendly (but not too friendly, certainly not in a stalkerish way!) and smart (not too smart, though! No threats to you Mensa members here!) this author is? Isn’t her novel just leaping into your hands and compelling you to start reading it?
The problem was, it was hot outside. Brutally hot. And I was wearing a sweater (even I knew better than to trot out my usual summer uniform of slightly stained Old Navy t-shirts).
“Perch on this chair,” Hilary the photographer suggested.
I obligingly perched, smiled, and sweated while the camera clicked. After a few minutes, my thigh muscles complained about perching on the edge of a chair and suggested we all go inside for a little restorative chocolate treat.
“You don’t look comfortable,” she said. “Maybe a different outfit?”
I raced inside, changed, came back outside, and posed again.
“Hmm…” Hilary said. “I’m not sure that shirt is the right color for you.”
Since I know and trust Hilary – she shoots my photo for a magazine column I write – I dashed upstairs again to change. I tore through my closet, which was stuffed with shorts and t-shirts, maternity wear, and a few very outdated business suits. Where were all my clothes? My cute, trendy, flattering clothes? Did I really dress like this? The horror!
“Mom,” one of my kids whined, “can we have popcorn?”
“I’m having a photo shoot,” I said importantly. “You know, for my book.” The kid looked at me blankly.
“The Opposite of Me?” I said. “At bookstores everywhere? Didn’t Mommy teach you to say that whenever possible?”
“He bit me!” came an outraged wail.
“Stop fighting and I’ll take you to the pool in ten minutes,” I lied to my children, whose sense of time is seriously warped from scenarios just like this one.
“I’ve got to go,” the babysitter said apologetically. “I have another job to get to.”
“Let’s put the baby on a blanket outside,” I said desperately. “He can watch the photo shoot.”
“Did you powder your nose? You really should,” the photographer asked, clearly feeling this was no time for subtlety.
I powdered, brushed my hair, threw back my shoulders, and posed again.
“THARM alert!” The photographer shouted.
(A “Tharm” happens when you position your arm in such a way that it appears to be bigger than a typical arm — more like a thigh. Like the Ebola virus and men with bushy toupees, it is to be avoided at all costs).
I shifted, sweated, and posed. The baby rolled off the blanket into the grass. The older kids made popcorn themselves and doused it with a pound of butter. Was the baby rolling onto a bee? Why were the older kids being so quiet inside? And why didn’t I have cuter clothes? Wasn’t it bad enough that I drove a minivan?
“Smile!”
It was absolutely exhausting. And you know what? The tension showed in my face. I didn’t use the photos from that shoot, after all. Instead, I found an old shot Hilary had taken of me for my magazine column. I wasn’t wearing much makeup, and I wasn’t posing. I’d just moved in close to my sweet black Lab, Bella, to give her a cuddle, and I think my happiness of being near my dog showed.

That’s the photo on the back cover of my book.

Links:
www.sarahpekkanen.com
www.twitter.com/sarahpekkanen
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Pekkanen/215202723761?ref=ts

Thanks, Sarah. Babes, I read OPPOSITE last month and you’re in for a treat with this read. Grab a bottle of Middle Sister we wrote about yesterday and settle in to read this tale of fraternal twins and finding your grown up self.
BUY THE BOOK

Places I Have Been

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Jamie Livingston

It makes me sad when I mention a really good book I just read and the person I’m speaking to says, “Oh, I don’t read.” I must look like a deer in the headlights because I couldn’t imagine not reading. I used to get up on my soap box and go on and on. I know that the person only hears, “Blah, blah, blah.” I can see it on their faces as I extol the virtues reading, they could care less.

And I know why they don’t care. They’ve never been behind the scenes at a horse racing track to see how hard the people work, or how much they love their horses. Never looked across the water to East Egg, or met a vampire and fell in love. How could they, if they don’t read?

And those women longing for romance, and not getting it from their husbands are missing out on the heroes of the romance novels, or macho men of the mystery series. Yes, I too want my own version of Ranger. I won’t tell you who I think he’d be in real life, so I don’t spoil your imaginary version of him. I kinda like John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport, and Harlan Coben’s Winn, okay I’d take Myron Bolitar in a heartbeat, but Winn is dangerous in a way I could never fathom in real life.

I’ve been to Italy, South America, Canada, Spain, New York City. I’ve toured the underground tunnels of the River Thames, eaten in the finest restaurants in Paris, and even been in the dressing trailer on set of a blockbuster movie. Mostly I’ve witnessed murders, and watched them be solved in much more intriguing detail than CSI could ever offer. And the people I’ve met, laughed at and wept for are innumerable. And I’ve done this all without needing a passport or leaving my house. I’ve been places that people who don’t read can’t even imagine.

Best of all, I can quote obscure facts that no one needs to know, but make great cocktail party conversation. Like, “Did you know you can kill a person with just a light bulb and an old thermometer?” All you single women and men this is a great pick up line.

My current all time favorite book is Horse Heaven, by Jane Smiley. And my favorite character is a horse named Justa Bob. I laughed, cried and traveled the country to the biggest race courses, and the lowliest backsides reading this book. It was a travel back in time, as I spent many days at the track when I was younger.

Right now I’m visiting Danbury, a women’s prison on the east coast as I read Orange is the New Black.

What is your all time favorite book, and where did it take you?

And I must say to all the authors whose books I’ve read, and to all the authors I have yet to read, thank you for showing me the world from my own back yard.

The Lost Wife’s Tale

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Malena Lott

I finished our April Top Pick The Lost Wife’s Tale, by the light of my iPhone one night when Sleepy couldn’t keep up with my night reading. Did I let that stop me? No. As is the case with most great books, I couldn’t put the darn thing down.

Here’s the description from the publisher:

Once Edith Lutz had a life, a husband, and a home. Why did she run?

Edith doesn’t want to be found, so she’s taken on a new look, a new name, and an anonymous new life in New York City. Hoping to escape her past and start over, she’s now working as a live-in housekeeper for wealthy, recently divorced publisher Adam. Edith is a breath of fresh air in her lonely employer’s empty home, and she soon becomes more than just the woman who cleans the kitchen. But Adam knows nothing of the real woman he’s falling in love with—or just how shaky the foundations of their blossoming relationship truly are. And Edith can never be sure that her dark history won’t catch up to her. In fact, it’s closer than she thinks.

What did I think?
McGilvary writes liquid prose, my absolutely favorite kind. You just melt with the story and there you are floating down the literary river until you’re dumped off the waterfall in a magnificent crescendo. Or something like that.

The protagonist – the “lost” wife – is not entirely likable, which I also enjoy reading. We aren’t sure WHY we don’t like her, though we do know that she is secretive and perhaps a bit dangerous and not to be trusted. And yet we sympathize with her because whatever reason led her to run away from her life must’ve been a doozy.

Nope, I’m not going to tell you much more than it’s a suspenseful, well-written read that will keep you wondering until the near end. You will probably disagree with some of our heroine’s decisions, but then again, you may not. The point is: you WILL be carried away with the story. I need Marion to feed me some more words ASAP. I’m going to go hunt down some more of her. One way is of course to check out her website. – Malena

About the Author
Marion McGilvary was restaurant critic for the Financial Times for three years and was short-listed for a Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award. She has written for numerous publications in the UK, including The Times, The Observer, Vogue, Marie Claire, Women’s Journal, and GQ. She has written and illustrated several children’s books and is the author of two books based on her columns in the Times and Observer. She lives in London.

Order the book by clicking on the cover image in the right sidebar.

My Wife’s Affair

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Malena Lott

This is definitely on my spring reading list. The book has gotten great reviews by PW and Booklist. Babes, get to know our Book in Bloom…

MY WIFE’S AFFAIR by Nancy Woodruff 414SuCEkD6L._SL500_AA300_

A smart, sexy novel about a woman’s search for her former self on the London stage

Georgie and Peter, very much in love, move to London with their three children. Once there, Georgie’s dormant acting career takes off and she wins the role of Dora Jordan in a one-woman show. Dora Jordan was the most famous comic actress of the eighteenth century (she had thirteen illegitimate children, including ten by the future king of England).

As Georgie rehearses for her part, she becomes increasingly drawn to Dora Jordan, who she sees as a working mother with struggles exactly like her own. And when Georgie can no longer fight her attraction to the playwright, she begins an affair with tragic results.

Narrated by Peter, a failed-writer-turned-businessman, My Wife’s Affair is about infidelity, passion, duty, and about finally getting what you want and then wanting still more.

About the Author
Nancy Woodruff received her MFA from Columbia University. She taught writing at Columbia University and SUNY/Purchase before moving to London in 1997 for 8 years. Woodruff currently teaches at NYU and lives in Brooklyn.