saturday march 24
What would you do if your parents ran a background check on every person you dated? What would you do if your 14-year-old sister practiced "recreational surveillance"? What would you do if your Uncle Ray had lost weekends? By this point you'd probably be tired of your family and the family business. Isabel "Izzy" Spellman certainly is. She decides to quit the family business (a PI firm that she joined when she was 12 years old), but her parents won't let her until she solves a very cold case. The ways that Izzy gets back at her parents (who else would enlist their sister to film a fake drug deal to get back at their parents?) and how the entire Spellman clan relates to each other are hysterical and ultimately (in their own weird way) demonstrate the powerful bond of family. Trust me, the Spellmans are not your typical family!
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz is the funniest and craziest book that I've read in a long, long time. The book is author Lisa Lutz's debut, but you would never be able to tell that from the way she expertly weaves the story and keeps the momentum going. From the first chapter to the last page, you will be laughing. I highly reccomend this novel to anyone who likes to read. Stephanie Plum fans will especially enjoy this one. This is the first in a planned series of novels featuring the Spellman family.
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friday march 16
I'm a huge Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series fan. Those two series are really what sparked my interest in vampire fiction. Some of the best books in vampire fiction is Tanya Huff's Toronto-based "Blood Books" series featuring PI Vicky Nelson and her friend/lover Henry Fitzroy (who just happens to be the 450 year old son of Henry the VIII). Vicky also gets the assist from her ex-boyfriend Mike Celluci in her chasing down cases. She's a fabulously flawed heroine who really deserves your time!
The "Blood Books" were originally published in the early '90s as single titles, but have recently been reissued in three omibus editions. Each edition contains two of the stories.
tuesday february 27
I first discovered Susan Elizabeth Phillips when I read her book It Had To Be You back in 1996. I loved her wit and humor and her easy storytelling style. Still do. She's one of a few authors that I'll automatically read without having to know what the book's about.
When her newest book, Natural Born Charmer, was published this month I happily snapped it up and read it in one weekend. It's the story of Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard and vagabond Blue Bailey. When Dean picks Blue up after he spots her walking down the highway in a beaver suit (trust me there's a good reason for that!) their adventure is only begining. Throw in Dean and Blue's mommy issues, Dean's younger sister and one cranky old woman who owns the town and what you have is ultimately a story of what it means to be a family and accepting the one that you have.
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wednesday february 21
I was perusing the BBC's website today (I love having a foreign perspective on world news), when I stumbled upon the story of French chef Anne-Sophie Pic. Just who is Anne-Sophie Pic? She's the first woman to receive a three star rating from France's prestigious Michelin restaurant guide in more than fifty years, and is the fourth woman chef to receive the award since it's inception in 1926. And if that weren't enough, she comes from a family of three star Michelin chefs (her grandfather Andre won in 1934, and her father Jacques won in 1973).
While I personally can never be compared with a three star winning chef, I do like to cook (is it wrong that I have a dream kitchen, but couldn't tell you what the rest of my dream home looks like?). I love to make (and eat) Rachael Ray's Italian Meatball soup. I love making comfort food like macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese and BLT sandwiches, soups, and casseroles. One of my favorite gifts from my grandmother is the recipe book she made for all of her children and their spouses filled with all of our family recipes (hands off the buckeye recipe and the German doughnut recipe).
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monday october 09
Every time Jane Heller releases a new book, it’s like I’m getting a little piece of chocolate in book form. In her latest book, Some Nerve, celebrity journalist Ann Roth (who works for the People-like Famous magazine) is told by her editor to obtain the unobtainable: An interview with notoriously press-shy mega-star Malcolm Goddard. If she doesn’t get this interview, the nice girl journalist (there’s no point to digging in a celeb’s garbage when you can get info from them politely) is fired. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
It’s interesting reading about Ann’s attempts to woo Malcolm into giving her an interview, her attempts to get around his venomous publicist and just how far she has to lower herself. She finally gets him to agree to an interview, but he stipulates that she interview him while he’s flying his Cessna plane. The only problem: Ann is deathly afraid of flying and Malcolm knows this. When her fear prevents her from getting “The Big Get” (as her editor calls it), she heads home in disgrace to her small Missouri hometown to be a freelance journalist.
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friday august 18
One of my favorite morning rituals is to open up the morning newspaper and jump right into the comics and read the Baby Blues and the For Better or For Worse comic strips. I just can't start the day without 'em.
The McPherson family (Darryl, Wanda, Zoe, Hammie and baby Wren), of Baby Blues, remind me of my family when my brother and I were younger. Darryl even looks like my dad. Most of the time I could swear that Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott (who also co-authors Zits with Cincinnati's own Jim Borgman) were keeping a very close eye on my childhood, just waiting to turn it into a comic strip.
The Patterson family (John, Elly, Michael, Elizabeth and April), of For Better or For Worse, have been around forever (ok, the 1970s) and I've been reading them forever. Lynn Johnston based the fictional Pattersons around her own family and most of the world has watched and read as Ms. Johnston has layered this Canadian family's journey through life. It's unreal to think that a fictional family could entertain for so long. A visit to the strip's website reveals up-to-date information on the comic strip and has letters from each of the main characters, so you can get their perspective on the events going on in their life.
Much to my delight, I can catch up with the McPhersons and the Pattersons with the books of their collected adventures. For the Pattersons, start with I've Got the One-More-Washload Blues by Lynn Johnston. And for the McPherson family, start with One More and We're Outnumbered by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. Both families will keep you in stitches!
thursday august 17
A recent trip to Border's Bookstore prompted me to think (dangerous) about what some of my favorite books as a child were. The series that really stands out to me is the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. Frog and Toad were among some of the first literary characters that my parents introduced me to. I probably drove my parents nuts wanting them to read the Frog and Toad stories over and over (at least I was born in the pre-Barney era), and as an added bonus my brother was driven nuts as well.
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wednesday august 02
Did 'Sex and the City' leave you craving designer labels? Did you realize that you can't afford to dress like Carrie and the girls? Or do you like to shop for the designer labels and have no clue what a budget even is? Do you have no idea what a fashonista even is? Read Kathryn Finney’s delightful book How to Be a Budget Fashionista and you'll be good to go!
Ms. Finney packs this slim volume (only 222 pgs) with enough fashion and budget knowledge to turn anyone living on a budget or anyone who doesn't know what one is into a fashionista. She explains what a budget fashionista is, walks the reader through budgeting (charts and all), and launches you into the world of looking like a million bucks for less. This book really should have been called
Fashion Shopping for Dummies. The author has packed this book with fashion-related websites galore: sites for figuring out what the current trends are, if like me, you have no clue what’s in or what’s out; sites for “cheap” makeup and sites devoted to managing money and teaching you how to budget and most importantly, take care of your all important fashion purchases after you’ve brought them home! The author also has a
website so that you can get even more current information. This book is highly recommended.
wednesday june 21
A while back I was facing a dilemma: should I go and see the new Superman movie or should I go see the film adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada? Yeah...my life is so full of hard choices, and I never said it was a huge dilemma. Thankfully The X-Men had a big opening weekend and DC hates Marvel and wants to get the better of them, so Superman Returns got moved up to a June 28th opening so they could get a shot at a four day weekend box-office. Now I can see both in the same week...score!
I know, what does this have to do with books? Well...I was reading the online edition of USA TODAY and stumbled across an article about chick lit that mentioned the best and the worst of the genre. Some of my favorites, besides Lauren Weisberger, that are being converted to film or have been converted to film are:
- Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. Disney is currently working on bringing Becky Bloomwood and her wacky adventures to the big screen.
- Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella. Kate Hudson is attached to this adaptation.
- In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine starred in the 2005 movie.
saturday june 17
As I was searching the web for ideas to blog about, I ran across a great article on USA TODAY's website that reccomended four great books about the father/child relationship. All four books focus on the lessons that each father taught the author and how each child/author enjoyed spending time with their father.
This got me thinking (which is very dangerous) about things that I learned from my dad when my brother and I would spend our Saturdays at my father's hobby shop. Looking back now, I realize I learned a lot of my work ethic and customer service skills from those Saturdays spent watching him interact with his customers and just how much it meant to get to spend that time with him.
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wednesday june 14
It comes every summer like clockwork; the new Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. Every year since One for the Money was published in 1994, I eagerly anticipate reading Stephanie’s next adventure in Trenton, NJ. I usually finish it in a day, and then the wait begins again. Another 364 days until Steph and I get to meet again.
Thankfully, I’ve run across some other authors and characters that are just as entertaining as Janet’s Stephanie Plum. A few of my favorites include:
- Laura Levine's Jaine Austen mystery series that features a freelance writer in Los Angeles. The series begins with This Pen For Hire.
- Nancy Bartholomew's Sierra Lavotini series that features a stripper who solves crimes in a small Florida town. The series begins with The Miracle Strip and lasts for four books.
- Sarah Strohmeyer's Bubbles Yablonsky series about a hairdresser turned journalist. The series begins with Bubbles Unbound.
friday june 02
It's family vacation time! The PLCH is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to vacations and planning guides. If you've got your destination in mind or even if you don't, please browse our catalog to find some guides about your destination spot or ideal destination spots.
Families looking for a stress-free family vacation might want to consider this guide:
Most of us are familiar with the X-Men, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman. But do we know where they and their lesser-known counterparts came from?
Here are a few books and a DVD to help aid in our discovery of the history of these fabulous heroes:
And for the record...Superman is from Krypton via Cleveland, OH.
According to USA Today, former President Clinton has inked a new deal to write another book. The untitled tome is expected to focus on public service and individual citizen activism. President Clinton hopes his new book will "lift spirits" and "touch hearts."
His last book, the 2004 autobiography My Life, sold over two million copies, despite mixed reviews.
