And the winners are.....

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott winners have been announced (yesterday in Boston)!! Yeah!

Here is the Caldecott winner:
"The Lion and the Mouse" by John Pickney


Honor books include:
"All the World" by Liz Garton Scanlon
"Red Sings from Treetops" by Joyce Sidman


The Newbery winner is:
"When you reach me" by Rebecca Stead

Honor books include:
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jaqueline Kennedy
"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
"The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg" by Rodman Philbrick


Pickney is a fabulous children's book illustrator. Many agreed that it was about time that he was awarded a Caldecott for his work. I am excited to check out some of the other winners. Happy reading!

2010 commitments

Are books no longer in vogue? Gone are the days when people would spend hours reading a book by candle light or a roaring fire. Let me rewind that, gone are the days before electricity, but I still find myself reading hours upon hours (often when I should be doing something else).

In our current age of technology it is easy to be bombarded on a daily basis by the Internet, television, radio, text messaging, video games, iPods, the list could go on and on (hey you're reading this blog so you're obviously one who embraces technology). However, as we start this new decade let's vow to find times to shut ourselves off from the constant buzzing of technology and curl up with a good book. In a world that can too often leave us feeling disenchanted why not occasionally whisk ourselves away to a different time or place?

Having two young boys (and I mean very young) I hope that they find enjoyment out of reading, in the future. I pray that I will not have to constantly pry them from yet another screen. I know that the Kindle and some other portable "book" devices are becoming more popular, but what can ever replace the feel of a good book? Let's not create a society like the one found in Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451," where books are burned and outlawed.

Here's to a decade where books are rediscovered and reopened. Dust off your bookshelves and let the adventures begin. Let's support our public libraries and local book stores! Okay well I'm off my latest novel is calling.

Happy reading!

2009-2010 Babel Series

2009-2010 Babel Series
One of my friends is partaking in the 2009-2010 Babel series. This is an author series put on by Just Buffalo. The featured authors include A.S. Byatt, Ha Jin, Salman Rushdie and Azar Nafisi. I am inspired to read books by these renowned authors. I want to read "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi (I own this book but never finished it). I also want to read "Possession: a romance" by A.S. Babett. Salman Rushdie is best known for his Indian novel called "Midnight's Children" and Ha Jin won the National Book Award for his novel entiled "Waiting."

There just isn't enough hours in the day to read all the books I want to read!

Books for 2009

Okay so I don't know if I have the motivation or time to keep this blog up, but here are some of the books I've read this year (the highlighted ones were my favorites):

"Go in Peace" by Pope John Paul II "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett
"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
"The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell
"The Mighty Queens of Freeville" by Amy Dickinson
"From Lullabies to Literature" by Jennifer Brickmayer
"Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson "How Doctors Think" by Jerome Groopman
"The Wanderer" by Sharon Creech
"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golding "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult
"Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski
"I am the Messanger" by Marcus Zusak
"Some Wildflower in my Heart" by Jamie Langston Turner
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Comfort Food" by Kate Jacobs
"The Wednesday Letters" by Jason F. Wright
"The Memory Keepers's Daughter" by Kim Edwards
"The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See
"The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon
"Sing them Home" by Stephanie Kallos
"The Shack" by William P. Young

Thank you to all the friends that loaned me some of these books to read!! Happy reading!

Summer reading list

Those dog days of summer are here! No matter if you're on the beach (I wish), on the subway, on your couch (that's more like it) or in a car reading is the perfect activity. It is food for your mind and a way to keep your brain smart. Here are some of my favorite summer reads.

image courtesy of Getty Images
1.) The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

2.) The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

3.) A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins

4.) The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

5.) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

6.) And then there were none by Agatha Christy

7.) The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

What are some of your favorite summer reads? Let me know by posting below. If you have any questions, comments, etc. about the books listed above post away!!

Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

Hello fellow book friends!! I know I haven't posted in forever, but I have been reading. I have been reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective agency series and recently finished "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton. Today I am going to talk a little bit about "Ethan Frome." First let's find out about the author. Edith Wharton was born in 1865, into a wealthy New York family. She traveled extensively and was the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for literature for her novel "Age of Innocence" (on my to reading list). She spent her life writing, promoting French imperialism and participating in charitable works. She died in 1937, in France.

Wharton wrote "Ethan Frome" in 1912. Ethan Frome is the name of a man who lives in Starkfield, a small New England town. He desperately longs to leave this town but his trapped there taking care of his sick parents and his invalid wife, Zeena. He pines after Mattie, his cousin, and contemplates leaving his wife to start a new life with Mattie but tragedy prevents this from occuring.

The vivid descriptive narratives draws the reader into Ethan's gloomy and seemingly hopeless life. The entire tale is told by an unknown narrator who peers into Ethan's life from the outside. Although this was a dismal and at times depressing story it is considered an American classic. In 1933, it was made into a movie...that I'll have to check out one of these days!

In the upcoming days I am going to post some of my summer reading suggestions for the beach and those dog days of summer!

Check it out

This week I am going to be a guest tipper at the Tip Spot. Check it out. I am going to be blogging about books and reading.

p.s. This awesome blog was created by my friend Christy and her sister Lizzy

Autism awareness month

April is autism awareness month. Working at a school with children with autism has opened up my eyes to a whole new world. I read Born on a blue day by Daniel Tammet as a means of awareness. Tammet is a savant who has aspergers, a form of autism that is on the milder side. His abilities include being able to recite over 20,000 integers of pi, remembering any day for any year and having a photographic memory.

Too often it seems that we are afraid of autism and fear that our child will be autistic. But for those who live with autism it is their reality. Tammet is not depressed or angry that he's autistic, rather he celebrates his talents and gifts. This was an extremely interesting book that I would recommend you check out.

Baby, baking, books and blogs

I have not posted a book review in what seems to be forever! I have been reading, but have also been busy with a 10 week old baby, baking and discovering new blogs. I wanted to let you know about some of the blogs that I have discovered since I now have more time to peruse the Internet:

http://www.foodblogga.blogspot.com/
This is a great foodie blog with unique and interesting recipes. I recently made the fennel risotto and it was out of this world! In fact I made it twice in one week!


http://creativeorganizing.typepad.com/creative_organizing
A website/blog with great tips on how to get organized! I consider myself fairly organized, but it seems that everything always gets messy again as soon as I clean it up. But as my husband says it all goes back to the 2nd law of thermodynamics which states: "all systems tend toward disorder and randomness." Ahh such is life!




http://familystylefood.com/
This is another food blog that has fun recipes. The woman who writes the blog has won a number of food contests. Recently I have made her chocolate chai snickerdoodles (I brought them to our iServe meeting last night and they were a huge hit)! I am also planning on making her chickpea and sun dried tomato hummus. I love hummus and I finally bought tahini!


http://www.pickypalate.blogspot.com/
The recipes here are easy and yummy (although rather fattening....oh well it's not swim suit season yet). I have made her snickerdoodles and am planning on trying out her mac and cheese recipe tonight! Thank you to Sarah for mentioning this blog!


http://www.theperfectpantry.com
This is a fun blog that shows what a food writer is currently working on for her cookbooks. She writes about the origin of spices, unique cuisine and food history. Every Sunday she has a fun feature which shows unique pantries from around the country.

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/
I am not from Texas nor have I ever been to Texas, however, I love country music, ribs, barbecue sauce and the Southern drawl. Ya'll this is a fun blog of a woman who lives in NYC, but who is a true blue Texan!!


http://thefuturelibrarian.blogspot.com/
This is a book blog created by Steph, my college roomie! She is studying to be a librarian and she is one of my best friends. She also has a fun and fresh way of writing and making you smile and laugh!!

Now I will share with you what I have been reading. It is a rather odd assortment of books but here goes:


The Silent Partner by Dina McGreevey-This was a rather blah read. Dina McGreevey's husband Jim was the former governor of New Jersey. He announced suddenly, near the end of his term, that he was gay. Dina writes about how this affected her life. Jim wrote his own book and Dina wrote this book to "set the record straight" (no pun intended).

Escape by Carolyn Jessop-This is written by a woman who formally lived in a polygamist fundamentalist cult in Colorado City, Arizona. I couldn't believe this book was real the entire time I was reading it. It was quite shocking and disturbing...especially since people today are still living this kind of life!

It Takes a Village by Hilary Rodham Clinton-Okay I know what you're thinking... no I will not vote for Hilary in 2008, but I did enjoy this book that she wrote back in 1996. It is a good read about how our country needs to take a more proactive role in caring for the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs of our children. I agree that it takes a plethora of people to care for our children's well being (family, friends, priests, community members, etc.).

Eric Rex and the Monsters of Otherness-This is Kaza Kingsley's book 2 of the Eric Rex series. I just started it and I am really enjoying it! Kaza emailed me to let me know that she just finished book 3 and that should be out by the fall! You go Kaza!

Eats, Shoots and Leaves: the zero tolerance approach to punctuation by Lynne Truss is a book I am halfway through reading. It does seem that in the age of the Internet many of us have forgotten how to write and use proper punctuation(I apologize in advance for any punctuation errors this post contains). Sadly, children are not learning how to use proper English punctuation. This is a fun read that discusses how we can all help to promote and proclaim proper punctuation!!



I have also been loving being a mom to Jacob. He's the love of my life and I can't wait to see him grow up and become a little man!!

My tribute to love

I know that my blog is usually devoted to the discussion of books, but I am going to diverge from this topic for the time being.....(what you are reading I submitted as an entry for the February write-away contest at http://scribbit.blogspot.com/)

A Mother's Love
Love is a word that is often thrown around in a variety of contexts. Love is discussed in movies, books, diaries, on television and within the confines of a romantic relationship. Since becoming a mother, however, I have discovered a love that is unconditional, uncompromising, unpredictable and admittingly frustrating at times. A love a mother has for her child is unique and completely unexpected. It is a love that has no boundaries, limitations or expectations. We cannot expect a newborn baby to say "I love you" back to us in the usual terms. However, it is in the simple touch, a sudden smile and in a baby's vulnerability, that daily we come to discover how much we are loved.

At times a mother's love for her child can be fraught with insecurities, frustrations and feelings of helplessness. Daily, we ask ourselves if we are doing everything right, we seek validation and encouragement. However, love is constantly present when we're breastfeeding and satiating our little one's hunger, when we're rocking our baby to sleep and when we're down on the floor singing and playing with our baby, the list is virtually endless.

There are no boundaries or limitations to the love a mother has for her newborn. The love comes from a desire to provide the best possible life for our child. We never want our child to suffer pain, go hungry, be rejected or see the harsh and dreadful realities that all too often comprise the human experience. But part of love is the ability to let go. As a parent we have to let our children fall so that they can learn to walk, let them cry so that they learn to self-soothe and be left alone to think and feel on their own. To love is not to ensnare but to set free.

As my baby boy continues to grow both intellectually, physically and emotionally I cannot wait for the love I have for him to continually change. Love is not stagnant but constantly redefining itself like the ebb and flow of the tide. Someday he will leave home and he may become the father of his own baby whom he will love. Our love will change as he becomes more independent and self-sufficient. Someday I will probably rely on him for the things I now do for him. However, the bottom line is that I am proud to be a mother and I love my baby boy

Dedicated to Jacob-the baby boy that I love to love

2008 Resolutions

I know it is almost February, but I have been a little busy taking care of our baby (born 12/21/07). I decided that I need to make some reading resolutions for 2008. So here goes.

1.) Read more non-fiction. I love to read fiction books, but it is time to expand my horizons. I did enjoy reading The World is Flat and The Walk Across America (by Peter Jenkins). I would like to read a few biographies, some political books and I always enjoy books about personal achievement (i.e. walking across the U.S., beating the odds, etc.)

2.) Read all of this years Caldecott and Newbery Award winner books. I was able to do this last year and I really enjoyed all of the books. For those of you who are not familiar with these awards here goes. The Caledcott is an award giving to an artist of an outstanding children's book. The Newbery Award (the first children's book award in the world) is given to the author of an outstanding children's book. Go to www.ala.org for more information on these awards.

3.) Read more news sources. Currently I read articles from National Public Radio www.npr.org, I'll go to CNN, The Buffalo News and occasionally the BBC. I'd like to expand my horizons and read a plethora of diverse news sources. It doesn't hurt to get the news from a multitude of angles.

4.) Read at least three books I myself would never normally choose to read. How you might ask am I going to do this? Well I am going to visit the "virtual bookshelves" of all my friends on shelfari and choose a couple of books that I myself might not have picked to read, but that would expand my mind.

Well now I better get to these resolutions and begin reading! Happy New Year!

Blog Tour

Kaza Kingsley's Blog Tour: Day Eight.

Below are interview questions submitted by Kaza:

Have you worked any real people or experiences into your books?
Only one real person. My friend, Steve, is not a fiction reader, and definitely not a fantasy reader. I convinced him to read a few chapters of The Dragon’s Eye. He assured me he would not finish the book. Well, not only did he finish it, but he loved it! So, when he asked me to make him a character in Book Two, how could I say no?So Steve is a character (I used the name “Steve”) in Monsters of Otherness. He doesn’t have a big role. And … Steve was surprised to find his character was not even human! (I couldn’t resist…) See if you can spot him in Book Two. He has some of the characteristics of my friend.

Do you ever dream about your characters and their world?
Most definitely. The deeper I get into the writing process, the more lost I get in my fantasy world. Sometimes the ideas I get in dreams are actually useful in my writing. Usually they’re just glimpses, though. Another interesting thing that happens when I’m immersed in writing is that I start to feel like I’m living with a foot in two separate worlds. When things go wrong in one of them it seems to matter less – I always have the other.

I know it sounds strange. But if I hear something bad on the news, and I’m immersed in writing fantasy, it tends to feel less real, somehow. I just think, well, Erec’s also in danger, and that’s almost closer to my everyday reality. Then again, you have to realize, I write eight to ten

hours a day. I get really immersed.

Does it help to listen to a particular kind of music while you write? Or, do certain songs or themes come to mind when you think about your story?
Interesting – I cannot listen to any music when I write! It’s a darn shame, too, because I love music! I just end up hearing the lyrics in my head, and it pulls me out of where I am in the story. (I guess I could listen to classical music, just never was drawn there.)
I wrote most of Book One at my local Borders store. A certain spot in their café had just the right amount of white noise, with people chatting in the distance and music speakers far enough that I couldn’t hear lyrics. Other stores that had louder music made it too hard for me to write. And if people sat next to me and got into an involved conversation I had to look rude and move! Since words are my medium, other people’s words just get in my head and mess me up.

What music do you like to listen to?
I love Jack Johnson, especially his “On and On” CD. Blue October is spectacular, I love their “Foiled” CD. I also love Nancy Griffith’s music – and so much more! Music is a great release for me. Before I got used to radio and TV interviews I had to listen to certain John Lennon songs to get in the right frame of mind!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love movies, and try to go to as many as I can. Funny, because at the same time, I rarely watch television. When I do, I like the Daly show and Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, as well as stand up comics! I love hiking and spending time with friends, cooking up goodies when I have time.

Kaza at the age of 5

Kaza Kingsley's Eric Rex Series Book Blog Tour

I just finished reading Eric Rex: The Dragon's Eye, a wonderful young adult fantasy book by Kaza Kingsley. Starting next week Kaza is going to be going on a blog tour to promote the second book in her series entitled Eric Rex: The Monster of Otherness. My blog is one of the stops on Kaza's tour. I am very excited to have been asked to participate in this event.

Check out Kaza's awesome website: http://www.erecrex.com/moo-excerpt.htm

Kaza will be checking my blog daily to answer any questions, comments, etc. that are posted to my blog. So start asking questions!!!!

Here is a listing of the other blogs that Kaza will be frequenting and touring throughout the month of January:

January 7th- A Fort Made of Books - http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/prepare-to-meet.html

January 8th-Books4Ever-http://kamannix.wordpress.com/

January 9th– Baseballs and Bows-http://baseballsandbows.blogspot.com/

January 10th- Fanatic Space Blog-http://www.fanaticspace.com/blog

January 11th-Bibliophile's Retreat-http://www.forstrose.blogspot.com/

January 12th– Children's Literature Book Club-http://www.childlitbookclub.blogspot.com/

January 13th – Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-A-Holic-http://www.stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/

January 14th – A Year of Books-http://www.sarah-yearofbooks.blogspot.com/

January 15th-Author Chris Rettstatt's blog -http://rettstatt.wordpress.com/

January 16th- Deliciously Clean Reads-http://cleanreads.blogspot.com/

January 17th – Into the Wardrobe-http://peteredmundlucy7.blogspot.com/

January 18th – Real Gurlz Magazine-http://www.realgurlzmag.blogspot.com/

January 19th- Chauceriangirl-http://chauceriangirl.wordpress.com/

In the upcoming days I will post questions and answers from Kaza regarding her books, life as an author, etc. So continue to check out my blog for updates!

Introduction to Eric Rex from Kingsley's website

INTRODUCTION
Fantasy fiction author Kaza Kingsley won over young readers with the inventive gadgets, relentless action, and gross-out humor in her first book, Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye. The book became a bestseller and collected numerous children's book awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for best new voice in juvenile fiction.
The highly anticipated second book in the series, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, deals with themes of adoption and acceptance under the mythological framework of the Hercules legend. As Erec fights to save the lives of 50 dragon hatchlings, his real quest is to uncover the truth about his own identity.
The excerpt below is called "Erec Buys His Memory Back." It's a short scene where 12-year-old Erec Rex visits the Memory Mogul to find out what happened to his childhood memories.
MONSTERS OF OTHERNESS is an awesome adventure, full of twists and turns, cool characters, mystery, and a lot of fun. Erec follows his heart when it’s not the easy thing to do, and goes against the odds to do what’s right. This is a wildly exciting book with pedal to the metal attitude!-Devon Werkheiser, “Ned,” star of Nickelodeon’s popular daily sitcomNed’s Declassified School Survival Guide
Kaza Kingsley won't let down fans of Erec Rex with this lively, imaginative sequel to The Dragon's Eye. It's a rollicking good read, with many layers that unfold into a captivating ending. The engaging characters, suspense, humor and vivid descriptions make it a great book for all ages.-Maria Schneider, Editor-in-ChiefWriter's Digest
Readers will be intrigued by a world filled with magic, friendship and thought provoking adventures.-Children’s Literature
"Erec Buys His Memory Back"
by Kaza Kingsley
It was not easy finding the Memory Mogul's shop. Most of the people Erec asked simply glared at him and turned up their noses. Finally a blind woman told him the store was near the edge of town, close to Medea's magic shop.
Inside the store, a counter stretched across the entire room. Behind it were racks of shelves covered with tiny packets. A small, spindly man hunched over the counter. His wild white hair and beard projected from all angles of his face, making him look like a dandelion gone to seed. He seemed to be in a daze.
The man remained still as Erec walked up to him. Erec cleared his throat, but the man seemed to take no notice.
"Excuse me."
The man jumped. "Oh! How's that for sneaking up on an old man? You should be ashamed of yourself, boy. Scaring me like that."
His wispy hair and beard waved around in the air as he spoke. It made him look so comical that Erec had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "Now," the man said, "what were you saying, sonny? You have a memory to get rid of?"
Erec pointed at the shelves behind the man. "What do you sell here?"
"You don't know?" The man looked indignant. "Memory chips, of course. Splices. I cut, I take out, I add in. Anything can be altered." He coughed. "What was the question?"
"You were telling me about the memory chips."
"Of course. Memory chips. I've got all types." He waved a hand across the huge racks. "I've got bits of memories from all over the known earth and beyond. Want a bit of African jungle safari? Wild nights in the ogre bars? Dungeons? I've got plenty of dungeons," he said happily. "Of course there's no guarantee that the memory will be fully pleasant. But what fun would it be if it was all nice and safe, right? So what would you like, boy?"
"I'm not sure I want to buy any memories right now."
"So you're here to get rid of one? No problem. Would you like a replacement, or do you want to leave an empty gap where it was?"
Erec had to stop to consider. Why did Mr. Peebles suggest he come here? He said he might find out something about himself.
"Can I help you?" The man turned to him with a smile, white hair wagging around his face. He seemed to have forgotten their entire conversation.
"Do you happen to have any memories in the name of Erec Rex?"
The man chortled. "Oh, ho, ho! Erec Rex, eh? Even I remember the day I got the memory of Erec Rex. And I do admit my memory isn't exactly what it once was." He mused in silence a moment, then looked at Erec. "Can I help you?"
"I'd like the memory of Erec Rex. Tell me about it."
"You and everyone else, kid. I still remember the day his mother brought him here." His eyes sharpened, gained focus as if he could see her still. "He was real little, three, I think. And he was in trouble, hiding for some reason. He was here with another kid, and his mother had just changed their looks. They both got a chunk of their memories taken out that day. I talked his mother into giving Erec a replacement memory to take its place. It's usually easier on a kid to have some past to remember, I told her. It also doubled the price. And I happened to have a memory I had just gotten from a girl about his age. It was a short one, but who cared? It was something, right?"
The Memory Mogul's eyes danced as he relived old times. "His mom was real worried his replacement memory might be a bad one, but I told her it would be fine. The girl had looked nice enough. How bad could it have been, right? But then he started crying as soon as he got the memory, darn kid. His mom wanted me to erase it, but I couldn't do it for a week -- too dangerous -- so she had to leave it in." He shrugged. "Aw, don't worry about the kid. It was no big deal. His new memory was so short and hazy, and at that age it would only really come out in his dreams. The other kid there that day never got a memory replacement," he recalled. "The mom was too upset."
Erec gripped the counter, mind spinning. He couldn't believe his ears. He had known his mother changed his looks, but now this. And what was the memory replacement he got? Some memory discarded from a girl? What could it be? He squeezed his eyes shut. Something that would only come out in his dreams.
In the next moment he froze. His dreams? He remembered the nightmare he always had about his father. It was his only memory he had of his father. But what if -- Erec felt sick -- what if it wasn't really his own memory? So that wasn't his father then? It was someone else's father?
Erec's breath became heavy and he felt faint. He looked around the shop, but there were no chairs. He wondered if he should be glad that his memory of his terrible father wasn't his. He hated the memory, hated the man. But he had grown up with that memory nonetheless. It was all he knew.
The man tapped the counter, white wispy hair waving. "Can I help you, sonny?"
Erec stared at him. "I'd like to buy the memory of Erec Rex. Do you still have it?"
The man smiled. "Ah, Erec Rex. I still remember the day his mother came in the shop --"
Erec interrupted. "Do you still have it?"
"Oh, goodness no. I sold it the next day to a young man his age who had another memory problem to get rid of. But I wish I kept, I'll tell you. You and everybody else that's been in here want it. I could've gotten a good price on that one, yes sir. If I'd known how popular it would be, I'd have checked it out myself too. It's hard to resist trying out some of the memories I get in here, especially the more exciting ones. Of course, they can mess with your own memory if you're not careful. Not that I would ever let that happen to me."
Erec thanked the man, who settled back into a glassy-eyed stare. He didn't seem to notice when Erec left the shop.
Retail Price: $18.99, Hardcover, 349 pages. Published by Firelight Press, Inc., October, 2007. ISBN-10: 0978655575
Copyright ©2007 by Kaza Kingsley. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to duplicate or distribute this file as long as the contents are not changed and this copyright notice is intact. Thank you

Love in the Time of Cholera

My sister recently began reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Nobel Prize author Gabriel Garcia Marquez so I decided that I would join her. It has recently been turned into a movie and was choosen as an Oprah book club pick. I had already read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez, which I found to be rather long and difficult to get through. Love in the Time of Cholera, however, I whizzed through....well I really didn't have a choice since I borrowed someone's book and I promised to have it back to them by a certain day.

The book was written in wonderful prose that at times were lyrical. It relays the story of Florentino Ariza who is in love with Fermina Daza for over 60 years of his life. Their love is kindled by love letters. Florentino has a knack for writing poignant and truly beautiful letters that envelope one's soul. The novel jumps back and forth between the lives of Florentino and Fermina. Fermina ends up marrying a well to do doctor and Florentino bids his time between many women. In fact he has a total of 644 affairs. However, Florentino never forgets Fermina, his first and true love. This is a unique love story that I would recommend reading.

Gift Giving

This Christmas season consider donating to a charity. We all have those family members who are impossible to shop for. Maybe they would appreciate having some books donated to needy children, soldiers in Iraq, African women, etc. in their name. For someone who has everything this is the perfect gift. Here is a list of charities that you might want to consider:

http://www.roomtoread.org/

http://www.bookaid.org/

http://www.bringmeabook.org/

http://www.laptopgiving.org/- This is a program that involves donating a laptop for a child in a needy country. It is a new program that is just getting off the ground.

http://www.maasaieducation.org/

http://www.booksforafrica.org/

http://www.booksforsoldiers.com/

http://www.theliteracysite.com/

http://www.intlbookproject.org/

http://www.folusa.org/

Remember sometimes the best gifts are those that come from the heart. Merry Christmas!

Flush

I have read a number of Carl Hiaasen's books including Skinny Dip and Hoot. Hiaasen originally was only an adult writer, but recently has begun writing YA fiction. His most recent book is entitled Flush. Like almost all of his books the setting is Florida and the book's theme centers around environmental issues. In Hoot, the main character attempts to prevent a pancake restaurant from being built on land where endangered owls inhabit. In Flush, Noah's father is a pro environment fanatic who ends up in jail for sinking a local casino boat. According to Paine, Noah's father, the casino owner is dumping gallons and gallons of sewer into the waters every night. Since there is no proof of this occurring, Paine is arrested. Meanwhile, Noah and his younger sister, Abbey, decide to help their father's cause by becoming involved in unearthing evidence to pin point the casino owner's illegal actions.

The entire book is fast paced, witty and fun. The underlying themes of environmentalism are great lessons for any young adult to become aware of and learn. To find out more about Carl Hiaasen and to check out his latest books visit his website at http://www.carlhiaasen.com/.

Memories...

The Dental Wives book club, that I am a member of, recently finished reading Lois Lowry's The Giver. This is mesmorizing read about 12 year old Jonas and the world that he lives in. He is surrounded structure, rigid formality and order. Every person has a specific job and task from which he/she should not sway. What is lacking is creativity, memories and imagination. At first glance this may seem to be an idyllic world. For Jonas, however, the discovery that the old of the community are exterminated after a certain age and that young babies who are sickly are killed is beyond comprehension. When children turn twelve they are given specific jobs. Jonas is given the job of Receiver of Memories. It is his responsiblity to keep all of the memories of the people, whether pleasurable, happy, painful, sad, etc. This is an emotionally draining job that leaves Jonas questioning the reason why he is living in such a world.

Although this is considered a young adult book it is a thought provoking book for people of all ages. The book leaves one with many questions and thoughts about one's own life, society and how one views the world. Humanity is brought into question throughout the book since Jonas' world keeps people from fully participating in certain emotions, thoughts and feelings. This book is truly worthy of the 1994 Newbery Medal that it was awarded.

Italian food, Catholicism and Family

Francesca's Kitchen by Peter Pezzelli was a nice break from the heavy books I've recently read. The book was a light read which brought to mind fragrant aromas of Italian cooking, going to Confession and the joys of family life.

I have always had a dream of going to Italy (which I hope will come to fruition someday) and maybe even living in Tuscany. The idea of going to a small town market, buying local produce and creating a wickedly delicious meal is something I wish I could do every day. I love the book Under the Tuscan Sun and in some ways Francesca's Kitchen was reminiscent of this book, although it takes place in Rhode Island.

Francesca, is an old Italian Catholic who lives alone. Her husband is dead, her two daughters live far away and her son although near by is a bachelor. She finds herself going through extended periods of loneliness and depression and longs for something to break up the monotony of her days. Eventually she responds to a babysitting ad in the newspaper. Soon every afternoon she babysits Penny and Will. They are the children of Loretta, a young single mom who struggles to balance work, her family and her sanity. Francesca wins her way into the children's hearts through food, tough love and compassion. It is Francesca's Catholic faith, strong will and determination that also help her to once again find joy in her life.

At the back of this book you will find an author's interview as well as some favorite Italian recipes (lasagna, biscotti, etc.). This book will have your mouth watering the entire time. It is a heart warming story that will make you smile!

Middlesex

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a book I have been meaning to read for a while. I thought for some reason that the book was written years ago when in fact it was recently written in 2002 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

This fictional account traces the Greek family history of Callie (Cal) Stephanides, a hermaphrodite who struggles with his sexuality throughout his entire life. The Stephanides gene pool is infiltrated with intermarrying, this is what Cal blames for his condition. Cal's grandparents were brother and sister who migrated to the United States from Turkey and his parents were first cousins. Supposedly, back in Greece some of his ancestors were born with both male and female genitalia, but this was never verified. When Callie is born he is deemed to be female. His doctor fails to recognize that he does in fact also have tell tale signs of male reproductive organs.

Callie leads a relatively normal and happy childhood. At times he feels different and finds women to be more attractive then men. It isn't until the age of 14 when Callie visits a specialist in New York, that he changes his name to Cal and begins to lead a life as a male.

Although parts of this book were a little long I found it incredibly interesting to read about the struggles and hardships of being a hermaphrodite. Many experience shame, depression and feel ostracized. This book, however, is about the importance of finding hope and peace with oneself!