HEFT by Liz Moore

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Dani Stone

A few months ago as I was convalescing on the couch from minor surgery, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed catching up on the latest news and pictures of lunch menu items when I saw one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner, talking about a book she had fallen in love with, Heft by Liz Moore. “Interesting,” I said to myself, although I may have actually spoken it out loud to the cat because I was nibbling on pain killers at the time but anyWHO, I decided if Jennifer recommended it, I better check it out.

I’m glad I did.

The first thing you must know about it me is that I am colossally fat. When I knew you I was what one might call plump but I am no longer plump. . . I do feel very shy and sort of encased in something as if I were a cello or an expensive gun. Arthur Opp

This is how the book begins, with a letter from Arthur, a former professor, to his beloved former student, Charlene.

When she is very bad, usually I will tell her things to calm her down. I will tell her Mom, Mom. We have to be quiet because the neighbors will call. . . Then I will wait for her to fall asleep, and then I will leave her on the couch and see her in the morning. Kel

This is our first introduction to Charlene’s teenage son, Kel.

These two very different paragraphs are my favorite thing about this book. Liz Moore knows her characters. The voice of the reclusive academic is just as distinct as the beleaguered teenager.

After a phone call from Charlene puts their two paths in motion, Arthur and Kel begin to make their way toward one another and the book flips back and forth from each perspective with ease. I found myself rooting for both of them.

From Amazon: Heft is a novel about love and family found in the most unexpected places. I couldn’t agree more.

If my description of the plot is a little vague, it’s because I don’t want to give too much away. I want you to discover Heft for yourself. If you’ve already read it, I’d like to know what you thought.

Book Tours – Rock Stars Without The Roadies

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Dani Stone

A few weeks ago my good friend, Gigi, sent me a message saying Jennifer Weiner’s book tour would be stopping in Kansas City and I should use it as a good excuse to travel the 300 miles for some much-needed girl time. I drove 6 hours roundtrip to spend 3 hours with Gigi and Jennifer. Worth. Every. Mile.

Swamped with work, family obligations and my wallet looking a little thin, initially I declined but then my inner girl said, This is Jennifer Weiner we’re talking about. AND she’s giving away whoopie pies. That was it. She had me at pastries.

Sitting in the front row of the Unity Temple, Gigi and I commented how the air conditioning was set to the perfect temperature, a relief after our steamy walk to dinner in the Plaza. When Jennifer appeared and took her place behind the podium, we were visibly giddy. I hope we didn’t piddle. Our apologies, Unity Temple. I’ve never met Ms. Weiner in person so I’m not sure what I expected. This was only my second time attending a book-signing so I knew, unlike a rock concert, there would be no smoke billowing across the stage, no opening act, and Jennifer would probably not make her entrance through a rising hole in the floor.

And while we’re on the topic, why don’t authors rise through the floor or descend from the rafters on a rigging? Authors are rock stars and the keyboard is their instrument to shred or strum, depending on the genre. Just like Bon Jovi or Aerosmith (I’m a child of the 80s, these are my references) authors transport us, make us feel, make us think, stir feelings inside us we never knew we had and much like the time I rewound a favorite cassette in 1986 so many times the tape finally blew out, when we’re finished with a favorite book, we want to read it again.

Jennifer Weiner is a busy woman. She has two girls, she’s promoting her newest book, “Then Came You” and she recently became the executive producer for the ABC Family sitcom she created, “Great State Of Georgia.” Oh, and she live-tweets hilarious commentary during The Bachelor/Bachelorette every Monday night via Twitter. Needless to say, she has no shortage of things to discuss on her book tour.

In person, Jennifer is gracious and funny. She spoke about each of her projects with a similar passion and when it came time for the question/answer session, she led a discussion about the Bachelorette contestants that was funny, even to non-Bachelor/Bachelorette-viewing audience members. At the end of her time, she signed books, posed for pictures and although I was anxious to get my hands on one of those whoopie pies on my way out, I really wanted her to exit the stage, just so we could stomp and clap till she came back out for an encore.

Authors, your readers adore you and your fans are no less devoted than music fans. I say contact your agents and start working on a budget for that smoke machine. Hold your next book tour in a stadium and take a cue from Lady Gaga. Show up in an egg.

Cued Up on My Kindle

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Mari Farthing

I waited, oh so impatiently, before I broke down and purchased my Kindle. As luck would have it, I gave in right as the old version was no longer for sale but the new-improved version was released. So again, I waited, oh so impatiently, before I actually received my Kindle. And now, with my sporty apple-green cover (with built-in light), I’m ready to go.

I immediately downloaded a slew of book samples, some old & some new. So, what’s cued up for possible purchase on my Kindle?

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire & Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I know you’ve all heard of these books, and all the glowing recommendations certainly piqued my curiosity.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I read an excerpt of this book in a magazine over the summer, and it was immensely and unexpectedly engaging.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. A long time ago, I bought this title for my husband. He read it & passed it on as he is not one to hold onto books (unless they are either written by Stephen Ambrose, about World War II or both). I never read it but love Tony Bourdain.
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. I read his other books but for some reason hadn’t picked this one up yet.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Another one I’ve always wanted to check out.
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. I love, LOVE, Jennifer Weiner! Smart stories, good characters, interesting lives. I won’t be waiting on this one much longer!

What’s on your “to-read” list?

Weaving Truth In To Fiction

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Dani Stone

Last weekend I started reading Jennifer Weiner’s new book, Fly Away Home. I’m already engrossed in the life of Sylvie Woodruff and her two daughters, Diana and Lizzie. With each page I’m learning more about the characters and watching their personalities unfold. As I do with each Jennifer Weiner book, I’ll lose myself in the lives of the characters she’s created. I’ll follow their stories, root for my favorite and be thoroughly entertained. I will also wonder if she’s plucked something from her real life and included it in the story.

I fell in love with Jennifer Weiner’s writing style after reading Little Earthquakes in 2004. At the time I had a newborn and a four year old. I was deep in the trenches of mommyhood and so were the characters. As it turns out, Jennifer was too. In Little Earthquakes she explored the exhilaration and exhaustion of parenthood from her own real perspective as a first- time mother.

Over the years I’ve devoured every book Jennifer has written. Along the way I noticed recurrent themes (Jewish customs, characters who struggled with weight loss, sibling rivalry, even lap pools) and wondered how much was simply coincidence or real life themes she purposely returned to. Even her beloved pooch, Wendell, makes an appearance in her first novel (Good In Bed) as Cannie’s dog, Nifkin.

I’ve always been fascinated by the writing process. I find myself particularly curious about which aspects of the story were researched and which were written from a well-known place in the author’s heart.

I love to blog, write articles for a local lifestyle website and chat about my favorite reads here at Book End Babes. Every now and then, a story idea or plot will come to mind and I’ll proclaim, “that’s it, I’m gonna do it, I’m going to write a book.” Then of course the dream bubble will burst over my head when I hear shouts of, “I’m hungry,” “the cat threw up again,” “I’m bored.” Currently, this glamorous life doesn’t afford me time to write more than a grocery list but you never know what the future may hold.

Fortunately life has blessed me with my own fantastic cast of characters. I’m surrounded by friends and family who are interesting, funny and some, downright insane. In addition to the voices in my own head, these real people may some day grace the pages of a novel. Maybe I’ll write about my half-blind grandmother who cooked like a Top Chef, saved used tin foil and washed dishes with her bare hands. I might devote a supporting character role to my brother who specializes in creating unique strings of curse words. In anticipation of my book, he’s already provided me with his preferred pseudonym, Jasper McCoykins. And of course what story would be complete without a Willie Nelson-loving, cancer-battling father who eats his weight in peanut butter-covered Oreos?

Now, if I can just get them to sign the release forms.

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