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Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews is my favorite kind of chick lit. You take a spunky woman who's life has taken a turn for the worse and pair her with an impossibly charming and handsome guy, add witty dialogue and watch the sparks fly.
It doesn't hurt that this particular novel is about food and even features a very cute puppy. And if that isn't enough, there is the ex who is still hanging around and the Mom who can't quit calling.
There is absolutely no good reason to read a book like this except for pure escape and enjoyment. It doesn't tax your brain or require any work to follow the plot. And yet, the dialog and the juxtaposition of people and situations will make you laugh.
For some reason I am a sucker for Southern authors -- Anne Rivers Siddons, Dorothea Benton Frank or Rebecca Wells. I am not from the South and if fact have only visited there a couple of times. I am a Westerner and it would be very hard to have a more different life experience. And yet I always love these authors.
Perhaps the secret is in the sheer humanity of heroine. We all have bad hair days, pesky relatives, annoying co-workers and major set back and there is something cathartic in seeing them conquered with guts, humor and absurdity.
You can always count on Mary Kay Andrews to write an enjoyable novel. She has a great ear for dialog, a wonderful sense of the absurd and a keen understanding of her audience.
This is a feel good novel, this is a lot of fun. The publisher synopsis pretty much tells the story:
Chef extraordinaire Gina Foxton doesn't expect anything to be handed to her on a platter. After years of hard work, the former runner-up Miss Teen Vidalia Onion is now the host of her own local Georgia public television show called Fresh Start, and she's dating the show's producer.
But when her show gets canceled—and she catches her boyfriend in flagrante delicto with the boss's wife—Gina realizes that she's meant for bigger and better things. Namely, a gig on national television.
The Cooking Channel is looking for its next big star, and Gina is certain that she fits the bill. Trouble is, the execs also have their eyes on Mr. "Kill It and Grill It" Tate Moody, the star of a hunting, fishing, and cooking show named Vittles. Tate is the ultimate man's man, with a dog named Moonpie and a penchant for flannel shirts. He's also a tasty side of beef with a swooning female fan base. All Gina has on her side are a free-spirited, college-dropout sister and a mother who calls every single day.
Little does Gina know, though, that she and Tate are soon to embark on the cook-off of their lives, spiced up by a little ingredient called love.
So many things have gone on in the last week or so that it is difficult to choose a few of the most notable: William F. Buckley Jr. and Gary Gygax passed on; one more fake memoir, the Oprah-Tolle webinar; the Beautiful Children give away and so much more.
William F. Buckley Jr. was an accomplished human being. A writer, television host, magazine founder and political pundit. He was embodiment of how to disagree without being disagreeable. He was a prolific writer and I am sad to say that we only have two of his titles in our store:
I love The Rake and recommend it highly. This is last book and epitomized his wit, style and use of language.
Gary Gygax was the creator of Dungeons and Dragons. I am not a gamer but have been surrounded by a lot of them in my life. You can't work with Techies all your life and not know a few. He is one of those people I have a special feeling for, probably with not good reason. No matter what else you can say, this man with a great imagination a sense of fun.
Technology -- love it when it works and hate it when it doesn't. A lot of the Oprah=Tolle webinar attendees woke up Tuesday, hating it. Seems there was a little bandwidth problem.
A statement of apology was issued saying that they"recognize that interactive Internet broadcasting to a mass audience is still an emerging medium" and they "deeply regret that some of our audience did not have an optimal viewing experience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Don't worry. . . you can still get a copy of the webinar for viewing on Oprah.com or for downloading as a podcast on Oprah.com or iTunes .
At first the fact that response was so great it killed the system surprised me. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that for most people watching or listening to the webinar is a FAR BETTER experience than actually having to read the book!
Every year we have at least one of them -- a made up memoir. A perfectly great piece of fiction passed off as the real deal. When this happens I start to ruminate on the difference between an autobiography and a memoir. . .
I have a long standing prejudice 
So what exactly is the difference between an autobiography and a memoir? Well, the official definition goes like this:
A memoir covers a shorter period of time or a more specific aspect of life. An autobiography has a wider range of both.
So how short a period of time qualifies? A childhood, teen years, the years of addiction, a long illness? Who knows.
And I also wonder about truth vs emotional truth. No one remembers things accurately, not really. We see the past through our own emotional filters that color everything.
Is there such a thing as a truthful memoir?
| This week seems to be big on MIT -- research about rational decisions and student who gamble. . . Two excellent pieces of fiction one at the movies now and I would look to see And Sometimes Why as a film one day. And for the serious student an exam cram book on CCNA. Use coupon code DH59Y at check out to get this weeks discounts. |
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| Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us. |
I received this one in my mail box the other morning. It came in as from an anonymous reviewer. I suspect the reviewer is actually the author, but the review did peak my interest so I am posting it here.
While I was in China I saw a huge billboard poster and ad with excepts about "A BEAST IN PARADISE," by Jess Symlar.
Almost everyone that I meet, is either reading the book or talking about it. The book is stylish, high tech, realistic and extremely visual. It takes place in the near future, but moves meticulously on a journey between the past, present and future.
The story is told in first person, through the eyes of the protagonist and main character, Dr. Jerome Hendricks. What is discovered while journeying through the world of Dr. Hendricks, is that treating his patients from a deadly disease called symbionic withdrawal, is being caused by the misuse of a banned symbionic chip.
His investigation reveals that this lethal and addictive chip is based on an ancient science, which enabled the early alchemists to use over 90 percent of their minds to accomplish unbelievable deeds. It doesn't take long before Hendricks determines that the chips are being illegally distributed by a powerful conspiracy.
The stakes are high and only members of a secret society known as the Disciples of Sef can interpret the shrouded messages, which can neutralize the mental effects of the chips.
This prompts Hendricks to write a bestselling book about it, which describes symbionic psychology as the cure for symbionic withdrawal. As a result, he becomes a threat to Eric Krill a wealthy businessman who seeks to distribute symbionic chips to control powerful people.
In order to stop Krill, Hendricks enlists the help of Dr. Deborah Hilter who is an expert biotechnologist and a member of the Disciples of Sef. Together they devise a plan and embark on a mission to prevent the illegal mass distribution of symbionic chips worldwide.
Since the book is written in first person, it creates an engaging effect, based on an array of clues and clarity, which appeals to the senses and keeps the reader interested and willing to go forward to know what will be the final outcome.
The other reason to post this is to remind you that you get points worth a quarter ($ .25) for each review you post.
If I had been posting reviews instead blogging I would have earned enough to buy a couple of new books.
Tasmin Little is a gifted violinist. She started her career, a child prodigy at 7. As an adult she champion's not just her instrument, but "classical music" as a whole.
This year she has a new project -- The Naked Violin.
The Naked Violin is a series of recordings that feature the violin -- all by itself. No orchestra, string quartet or other accompaniment. Just the naked violin.
She is taking the project on the road next summer. The tour and indeed, the entire project, was created with the express goal of making classical music available and accessible. The concert tour has scheduled several unlikely venues -- a women's prison, an Oil Rig and some shopping malls. She says that this project is about "removing barriers."
As part of the project, she is offering eight recordings along with spoken information as a FREE download on her site. The entire CD which normally would sell for around $20 is there for anyone to download. She wants you to download the CD and to take Tasmin's Three Step Challenge:
Step 1
Listen to my spoken introduction and download my CD.
Step 2
Take some time to listen and get to know these pieces. Then write to me and tell me what you like (or don’t like) about each piece.
Step 3
Go to a concert, buy a CD or write and tell me what barriers still remain to prevent you from wanting to do either!
Email:tasmin at tasminlittle.info (You'll have to type this address as she wants to avoid SPAM as much as possible)
I took the challenge.
Her spoken introductions are clear, interesting and very informative. They really make the music come to life. This is way better than any music appreciation class I was forced to take!
The recordings are awesome. I have listened to all of the cuts a couple of time and most of the Bach ones five or six times.
I'm still thinking about Step 3.
| This week's selections more or less leave me speechless. . .it's either self imporvement or escape; nothing in between. Use coupon code C3KL9 at checkout to get this weeks discounts. Happy Reading!! |
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| Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us. |
I got an email on Friday from Rita Toews:
Oh, Gigi! How embarrassed can a person be? Extremely embarrassed!
I'm the one who registered Read An E-Book Week with Chases Calendar of Events several years ago. I always had in my mind it was the second FULL week of March.
In fact, this year it is listed in Chases as the second WEEK of March, so it is actually March 2 - 8th.
So mark your calendars for Read an eBook Week as March 2-8, 2008. Here are a few words about Read an eBook Week:
We're encouraged to buy, use and dispose with the environment in mind. While it's easy to recognize the negative impact of excess packaging and chemical content in many of the products we purchase, it's not so easy when it comes to books, magazines and newspapers.
We do have alternatives other than paper for our reading material. Many books, newspapers and magazines are created electronically. No trees are cut to produce them. No ink is used to put the words on the page. No fossil fuel is used to run presses or trucks to move the books around the country. Heated storage facilities are not required to warehouse e-books as they remain within your computer.
March 2nd - 8th , 2008 is Read An E-Book Week. The week is set aside to educate consumers about reading electronic books and other reading material. E-books are delivered to the end user electronically. They are read on devices such as the new Sony portable reader or Amazon's Kindle. They are destroyed with the push of a delete button, without ever taking up room in a landfill.
It takes 24 trees to produce a ton of printing paper, the type normally used for books, 12 trees are harvested for a ton of newsprint. Up to 35% of books printed for consumers (down from nearly 60% several years ago) are never read. They are used for window dressing in book stores, and eventually returned to the publisher for disposal in landfills. Given that a mature tree can produce as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year, a serious alternative to paper books, magazines and newspapers needs to be considered. That alternative is e-books.
Before purchasing your next paper book, magazine or newspaper, consider your carbon footprint commitment. Read electronically.
Read An E-Book Week, March 2 - 8, 2008. For more information please visit www.domokos.com/readebookweek.html
The Spare Wife by Alex Witchel is one of those books that I categorize as the perfect beach read. Light and fluffy as a souffle and just about as substantial.
Of course I read every word.
It is an interesting quirk of the human psyche that we delight in reading about the folly of the ruling class. Thousand of pages are written (and read) each year about Princesses, Princes, Dukes, Ladies and Counts. And most of us have never even seen one.
In the US we have apparently substituted the ultra rich of New York as our own special brand of American aristocracy. These thin, rich, powerful and presumably beautiful Upper East side denizen serve as the ruling class that we love to hate. From The Great Gatsby to The Nanny Diaries we are alternatively amused and horrified by a rarified life style that has absolutely nothing to do with our daily lives.
Most of us are not super thin, super rich or super connected, but for a few hours we can escape to a world that is exceedingly seductive. And there is something immensely satisfying in cutting them down to size. After all, they may have all the advantages but, obliviously, they are deeply flawed.
Yes, the characters are self absorbed and shallow. Yes, the the plot is trite and predictable. So what? It is great fun.
Take my word for it, this is a great read for a cold winter day! You don't need to wait for summer.
The publisher tells all:
A sophisticated, witty, sexy story that exposes the world of upper-class New Yorkers and the media that perpetuate their myth. Ponce Morris is a beautiful, rich widow who's been dubbed "the spare wife" because she's the perfect companion to the wealthy, powerful couples she socializes with. She'll go to sports events with the husbands and throw elegant dinner parties and shop with the wives. She's cool and nonthreatening because the two things everyone knows for sure are that Ponce doesn't like sex and doesn't have a romantic bone in her body. Over the years, she has managed other people's lives--and her own--perfectly. Ponce has everything under control, exactly the way she likes it. Until...Babette Steele, an ambitious aspiring journalist, finds out that Ponce is having an affair with a socially prominent and very married man and decides to break the scandal in a juicy magazine piece.
For Ponce's circle, day-to-day existence quickly becomes a complicated game of social and professional chicken--whoever outsmarts and outmanipulates the other will win. And there is a lot at stake, not only for Ponce but for her friends, all of whom are in the midst of crises of their own: a philandering novelist who hasn't been able to write since his breakout Wall Street best seller, an aging billionaire who can't seem to resist young women (the younger the better), a legendary news show producer on the decline, a big-name political journalist looking to rebound from his wife's death, and an editor at a glitzy magazine that covers the worlds of politics, fashion, and Hollywood. As Ponce's life threatens to come apart at the seams, the author takes us into a world she knows intimately: a dynamic Manhattan filled with opinion makers and social fakers.
This is a vibrant, trenchant novel about ambition, love, friendship, and the intoxicating allure of getting ahead...and trying to stay there.
I got email from Jenny Murphy at Guerilla PR. She wrote:
Thanks for writing about the “Plant a Tree” drive. I just wanted to take a moment to clarify the purpose of the $5 gift certificate to iChapters.com. Our intention was to give you an opportunity to try out the site for yourself, before representing it to your readers. I’m sorry if that was unclear.
So, looks like I misunderstood and I stand corrected; they weren't trying to bribe me after all and I shouldn't have crumbed on them. My apologies to iChapter and Guerilla PR.
Keep up the good work!
Publishers Weekly is reporting on a research report that estimates that somewhere between 6.8 and 16 million adults will download a digital book in the next few (?) years. I consider this WONDERFUL news!
The report also finds that 17% of current book buyers say that would seriously consider purchasing a digital book. 55% of books buyers are planning to stick to paper, thank you very much; but there are 27% who are "ambivalent"; they just might be persuaded.
The finding that fascinates me the most, however, is their of the profile of the most likely buyers: employed males ages 25–34 with income over $100,000.
I emailed fairfield@navix.net for an executive summary and am anxiously awaiting it.
Read an eBook week is almost here. This particular week's celebration was created by Rita Toews. For some amazing facts about eBooks and pBooks visit her site -- www.domokos.com/readebookweek.html. Mark your calendar for March 9-15.
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