An Al Franken Story

Once upon a time, I had a crush on Dennis Miller.  He was so snarky and intelligent. Until he took a bizarre and random turn into the world of radical conservatism.  I then transferred my allegiance to Al Franken. Goofy cute with real political savvy.  When Franken's second book came out and he was on his book tour, I found out he was going to be a the Tattered Cover in Denver and I managed to score some tickets to his booksigning.  I took my friend Greg with me. The bookstore only allowed one book signed per ticket. Greg didn't care about getting a book signed so I had him get one signed for my mother. The process was to write the name for the inscription on a Post-It and place it on the title page of the book.  Greg and I were the very last people in line.  I stepped up to Mr. Franken and he graced me with a charming smile and greeting as he signed my book. I then stepped aside to let Greg get his book signed for my mom.

My mother has an unusual name. My grandfather's name was Eugene and my grandparents wanted to name my mother after him but thought Eugenia was a little old-fashioned. So, they dropped the "Eu--" and changed the spelling of Genia to make "Jeania."  At the time of the book-signing, I neglected to tell Greg how to pronounce my mother's name. It never occured to me that I would need to. Mr. Franken asked Greg of the book was for him. Greg said yes.  He said the name was unusual.  Greg improvised and said it was Lithuanian.  (?!!!!)  Al Franken asked him to pronounce it.  Greg looked panicked for a moment and then said, "ZHHHEEEEN-YA!" very very loudly and proceeded to spit on Al Franken as he said it.  Everyone froze in shocked silence. Greg had just inadvertantly spit on Al Franken while acting like a loon. I didn't know whether to be worried that the cops were coming or to laugh so hard I would pee my pants.  Franken looked very surprised but composed himself and thanked us for coming. Greg and I ran out the door and as far I know, Franken has never returned to Denver for a booksigning.

My friend Greg is currently shopping his novel and had a chance to share this story with his Master's advisor, Lauren Groff. Maybe it will make it into one of Greg's books someday.

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

The Streamer Frock Grosgrain Giveaway

I love love love this dress! Aren't the colors great? I keep meaning to join in on one of Grosgrain's Frocks by Friday but I have to finish my current projects first. Follow the link above to win this masterpiece!!!!

(photo borrowed from and owned by GROSGRAIN)

CLAUDE AND CAMILLE by Stephanie Cowell

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I love a good piece of historical fiction and I found that in CLAUDE AND CAMILLE.  This book follows the tumultuous marriage of Claude Monet and his first wife Camille. It also gives the reader a glimpse into the origins of the Impressionist movement. The book begins with Claude as a young man who spends his days drawing caricatures. He is inspired by an older painter to try his hand at oil painting "en plein air" and it changes his life forever. Claude struggles along with his fellow artists to make a living and have their work recognized. As he seeks to find an outlet for his work, he falls in love with his muse, Camille. The two of them struggle through financial hardships and Camille's mental illness to try and make a life for themselves. It is a tale that is both heartwrenching and moving.

I minored in Art History in college and this book made the work of the early Impressionists come alive for me. I loved how Cowell referenced specific works by the artists and included a list of those works at the end of the novel so the reader could seek them out. The story is so sad and made me think about how we often take for granted the sacrifices that many artists make for their art. It was a very compelling and moving tale.

BOTTOM LINE:  Recommended.  Fans of historical fiction and art will find much to like here.  Once Claude moves to Paris, I was really drawn into the tale and had a hard time putting it down. Very well done.

Notes in the Margin

I am still dealing with last week's shock and it is hard to get back to "business as usual."  Still, I am making an effort to read. After all, most of my books don't cost me anything so that definitely fits into the new budget!!!

I'll be posting reviews on MAP OF TRUE PLACES and A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD soon. Liked the former very much. The latter....very hit and miss for me.

The following books landed on my doorstep this week:

1. THE LOVERS by Vendela Vida
2. THE WRITING CIRCLE by Corinne Demas
3. APE HOUSE by Sara Gruen
4. PROUST'S OVERCOAT by Lorenza Foschini
5. DEWEY'S NINE LIVES by Vicki Myron

I need some new arrivals since I am almost caught up!  Hope you are all finding some good books for Summer!

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD follows the lives of several people connected by their association with record executive Bennie Salazar. The book is structured like a record with an A and B side.  Each part of the story is its own "song" that follows one of the characters.  The story begins with Sasha, Bennie's assistant, who struggles with kleptomania as she attempts to sort out her life. Sasha's story provides the lead-in to Bennie's introduction. After Bennie's intro, we are taken back in time to where Bennie got his start as a teenager and the story is told through the point of view of one of his friends.  The story meanders back and forth through time with each chapter focusing on another interconnected character. The story ranges from the 1970s through the present following the lives of these people are they attempt to deal with the effects of the ultimate goon----time.  It reveals how our destinies can be shaped by our interactions with others and how the most insignificant events can have profound effects on our lives.

While this book is clever and ambitious in its set-up, I'm not sure it worked for me. I liked the idea of the interconnectedness of all of the characters but moving back and forth among the characters AND moving bakc and forth through time was sometimes jarring. I spent the first few pages of every chapter just trying to get my bearings. The book moves so quickly it is difficult to become emotionally invested in any of the characters. I did really enjoy the final section. Egan shows us the not-too-distant future where our reliance on technology and social media has made it difficult for us to connect in any real or personal way. To me, this was the most compelling part of the book.

BOTTOM LINE:  Not recommended.  This book was just missing something for me. The characters are interesting and the set-up is clever but the structure was too jarring for me and I was never really able to get into the story.

Putting on My Big Girl Panties

Deep breath.

After listening to this about 100 times yesterday:

I am pulling myself together and making plans for the future. I'm still scared to death but I can't just sit around moping and worrying.   I am a "doer." I think that's one of the reasons I joined Junior League.  I will help my husband find a new job and even take on an extra part-time job if I have to. I will keep an ear to the ground about another rental house *just in case*.  We WILL get through this. With God's help and the support of good friends like you!

(photo borrowed from and owned by Mary Phillips Designs....they have the CUTEST stuff!)

Hard Times

See this photo? This is part of our backyard. My husband does a beautiful job. We have many raised beds that we have filled with vegetables. The roses are special Fourth of July roses that we bought when we got married four years ago. The incessant rain this year has been very difficult because I have been longing to spend the summer outside in our backyard. We got Noodlebug a sandbox and some other outdoor toys. We bought a dining set so we can eat outside. We dream of all the vegetables we will harvest this summer and fall.

All of that may be over. My husband lost his job yesterday. We rent our house from his [former] boss and I don't know if he is going to kick us out. It is hard enough to worry about losing a job. We were just making ends meet and I honestly don't know how we are going to pay our bills. What is so much worse is the prospect of losing our home. We moved into this house when we came home from our honeymoon. I brought Noodlebug to this house from the hospital. I always thought when we left this place it would be to move into a house of our own. Now, I don't know what will happen to us. The idea of losing our home and never getting to harvest all the vegetables that my husband so lovingly planted. The thought of leaving Noodlebug's room that my husband painted a month before the baby was born. The thought of saying goodbye to our neighbors and the trees that we love to watch as we sit in the backyard.


I can't bear it.


I know I need to "hand it over" to God. I know I need to have faith that we are going to be okay. We still have my job even though we lost 60% of our income yesterday. We are all on my health insurance so we still have that. But to be without our home is unbearable. It's just too much. I'm scared and I'm heartbroken.



Please send prayer and good thoughts.

MAP OF TRUE PLACES by Brunonia Barry

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Zee is working as a psychotherapist when one of her patients commits suicide.  The tragedy brings up all kinds of issues for Zee and forces her to confront her past. In the middle of trying to work through the tragedy, Zee must return home to Salem to care for her father who is suffering from late stage Parkinson's.  During her time in Salem, Zee tries to come to terms with the past and the suicide of her own mother when she was a young girl. As family secrets come to light and Zee learns to open her heart, another tragedy may be just around the corner.

THE MAP OF TRUE PLACES is filled with references to celestial navigation and it is a very effective device. Coupling that with the setting in Salem, Massachusetts was particularly good.  Zee is a deeply flawed person trying to make sense of her tragic past and how it shaped her present. This struggle against the backdrop of her caring for her ailing father is very moving. Barry does an excellent job revealing the flaws of all the characters while keeping them human and relatable. The celestial navigation methapor works so well as Zee tries to find her way back to herself.  I found myself wanting to run out and learn about celestial navigation after reading this book.

I really enjoyed MAP OF TRUE PLACES. I thought the characters were interesting and I loved Zee's story and the focus on how our past affects who we are and the choices that we make. The setting in Salem was perfect and very effective.  The book has everything from buried family secrets to witches to Nathanial Hawthorne to pirates to the threat of violence. It covers a lot of ground. I have already decided to go back and read Barry's LACE READER since I enjoyed this one so much.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A great story of family secrets and letting go of the past with a terrific setting.  You will want to go out sailing and navigate by the stars after reading this.

MARROWBONE MARBLE COMPANY by M. Glenn Taylor

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

Young orphan Loyal Ledford leaves his job at a glass factory to join the Marines after Pearl Harbor. His experiences in Guadalcanal change him forever and he returns home a broken alcoholic plagued by recurring nightmares.  Loyal manages to marry the sweetheart he left behind and decides to start a new life on some land owned by distant relatives. A dream tells him to build a marble factory and Loyal uses the opportunity to create a utopian community of blacks and whites working towards to a better life and civil rights.  As the fledging community works to create a better world, their ideals of passive resistance and peaceful civil disobedience are challenged in ways they never expected.

I have been putting off reviewing this book because I don't really know how to describe it.  To me, it is a male version of Stockett's THE HELP.  While it wasn't the most pleasurable read, I find myself bringing it up in conversation over and over again and I can't stop thinking about.....often the hallmarks of a great read for me.  While a good part of this book is about the civil rights struggles, I felt an important theme was the conflict between peaceful and violent resistance. The reader must decide along with Loyal whether or not there are times when violence is justified. The bok is incredibly moving and thought-provoking.

BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommended. This may be the best book I've read this year.  Excellent character development and filled with challenging and interesting ideas. A great conversation starter that will stay with you for a long time.

SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES by Diane Meier

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

When 48-year-old Columbia English professor Joy Harkness receives the offer of a lifetime to teach at Amherst College, she jumps at the chance to escape her unsatisfying New York life and start over.  Emotionally shut-down and socially awkward, Joy begins a journey of self-discovery in the most unlikely of places.  Her journey begins with an ill-advised purchase of a crumbling Victorian home in need of a great deal of repair and renovation. Joy hires 35-year-old Teddy Hennessy to help her bring the Victorian back to life.  Teddy helps Joy connect to the house and hidden parts of herself through the renovation process. Her new job also forces her to connect with other people in a way she never has before. As Joy builds a life for herself in Amherst, she finds that she can't disconnect from others the way she used to and must learn about romance and friendship while discovering herself. 

While this book is fairly predictable in terms of its plot, I found it utterly engrossing and entertaining. Sex and the City was groundbreaking in that it revealed the full social and romantic lives of women after 30.  It is nice to see a new trend in books that show life after 40.  Joy is proof that you are never too old to change and grow. While on the surface, Joy seems completely unlikeable and unpleasant, you can't help but root for her to succeed. I also found myself longing to own my own crumbling Victorian as you read about the wonderful transformation that it goes through.  I also enjoyed how the book demonstrated nontraditional ideas about community and family. Sometimes, family constitutes those individuals that you choose rather than those you are born with.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. I really enjoyed this book. It was a light but entertaining read.  I appreciated following Joy's evolution. While not everyone in the book gets a happy ending, it is still a "feel-good" read.