The Lovely Bones

When fourteen year old Susie Salmon is murdered by a serial killer who lives in the neighborhood, her body is never found.  Because there’s no body, her family has trouble accepting her death and coping with the loss.  Susie herself is not ready to give up living, so she’s in a limbo of sorts.  She can see what’s happening on Earth, but only one person is aware of her presence.  Susie and her family have to come to terms with her death in order for them all to have peace of mind.

The Lovely Bones is unique in that it’s narrated by Susie after her death.  It’s based on the book of the same name by Alice Sebold.  It’s been years since I read the book, so I really can’t compare the book and the movie, but the basic story was much as I remembered it.  I thought the acting in this movie was solid – Susan Sarandon was a delight as the grandmother and Stanley Tucci was totally creepy as the killer.  As a matter of fact, Tucci has been nominated for an Oscar for his role.

Overall, I thought the movie version of The Lovely Bones was pretty good – I loved the acting, the sets and the props from the 70’s – like the David Cassidy poster.  The scenes that were filmed in limbo were a little much for me, though.  This one’s definitely worth renting.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is one of my favorite memes – a big thanks to Marcia of  The Printed Page for hosting it. Head on over to Marcia’s blog to see what everyone else got last week or to join in the fun.  My mailbox was busy last week – here’s what I found in it:

Monday

• The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff came from the author for a TLC Book Tour – watch for my review on May 4
• The Patterns of Paper Monsters by Emma Rathbone came from Hachette Books
• The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi came from Hachette Books

Tuesday

• The Gin Closet by Leslie Jamison came from Simon & Schuster
• The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien came from Amazon Vine

Wednesday

• Next by James Hynes came from Hachette Books

Thursday

• Black Hills by Dan Simmons came from Hachette Books
• Doors Open by Ian Rankin came from Hachette Books
• Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten came from Big Honcho Media – I’ll be hosting a giveaway for 3 copies of this book beginning February 23

Saturday

• The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar came from Book Club Girl for a Blog Talk Radio show on February 23 at 7:00 PM

What books came into your home last week?

Our life in France – cars and driving

(Please note that this post reflects our experience in the early 1990’s – I can’t speak for what anyone would experience today.)

I knew how to drive a manual transmission when we moved to France, but wanted a car with an automatic, because Ste. Foy was quite hilly and I didn’t have a lot of confidence with my ability with a clutch on a hill.  We looked high and low for a car with an automatic transmission and only found two and they were both out of our price range.  We went to a couple of huge car dealers and when we asked about automatics, they laughed at us.   I ended up with the car pictured above- it was a diesel with a manual transmission (and boy was the clutch stiff on that car! My left knee hurt for years after we left France.)  I got a diesel because I didn’t want to have to mess with the manual choke that gasoline engines have there.  This car was pretty nice by French standards, but it didn’t have automatic steering, automatic brakes, or air conditioning.

Getting a driver’s license in France is political (according to my old French teacher) and can be quite difficult to do, even for the French.  Luckily, France and the state we moved from had a reciprocal agreement, so we were able to get ours with no trouble.  A French driver’s license never expires, so I still have mine.

Every car in France is required to be insured and you have to display a little green card in your windshield to prove that your car is.  Getting insurance proved to be much tougher than getting our licenses.  When we told the insurance agent that we had been driving since we were 16 years old, he didn’t believe us.  Carl’s mother had his first driver’s license and sent it to us to show to him.

Vance was four and a half when we moved to France and had been out of a car seat and sitting in the front seat for a while (remember this was the 1990s).  You had to be 10 to sit in the front seat in France, so there was no more front seat for him.

Driving in France is much like driving in the US, although it seemed more aggressive to us.  There are a lot of traffic circles (like around the Arc de Triomphe) and at first, it was difficult to remember that the cars coming into the circle have priority over those already in it.

Parking in France could be a challenge.  The roads are narrow and the cities are old and there just aren’t that many parking spaces.  Double parking was common.  I tried not to do it, but sometimes I had to.  I came out one time and the person I was blocking in was hollering at me.  After he calmed down, he told me that when you double park, you’re expected to leave your car in neutral and leave the brake off, so your car can be pushed out of the way if necessary.

Parking meters were different in France.  One meter would serve the whole street.  After you parked, you bought a paper ticket from the meter (for however long you thought you needed) and placed it on your windshield.  There was no way to luck out and come across a meter with some time left on it.

One of my biggest frustration with driving in France came from the fact that they would close off streets whenever there was a manifestation (or protest) and believe me, that happened quite often.  Those caused some major traffic jams.  Carl and Vance got stuck in a traffic jam like that one time, and in the midst of all his frustration, Carl heard, “Vive la France!” from the back seat.

Review: The Recipe Club

Valerie and Lilly were childhood friends.  They didn’t live close enough to play together on a daily basis, so they wrote letters and exchanged recipes as part of their “Recipe Club”.  Valerie’s father is a teacher and inventor and her mother struggles with agoraphobia.  Her orphaned cousin Ben lives with the family.  Lilly’s mother is a tempestuous actress with a  string of lovers and her father is a psychiatrist who treats Valerie’s mother.

The girls live very different lives.  Valerie’s home is loving and Lilly’s father is often a visitor there.  In fact, Valerie develops a very close relationship with Lilly’s father and he becomes her mentor of sorts.  Lilly parents aren’t close and are often gone from their home for long periods of time, so Lilly grows up as free spirit who loves to try new things.

Valerie and Lily remain great friends into young adulthood when something happens that drives them apart and all but ends their friendship.  Several years later, Valerie discovers an old family secret that draws them back together.

All but one small section of  The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel is told in an epistolary fashion.  I’m a big fan of this style book when it’s done well, and in this case, it is indeed done well.  Lilly and Valerie poured their hearts and their problems out in their letters, so it was very easy to get attached to them.  (The fact that the characters were about the same age as me probably helped some too.)  Through the girls, I got a good feel for the other members of their families and their family dynamics.

The recipes in this book are an added bonus!  Since the girls are sending the recipes to each other, they have fun names like “Worry-Free Waffles” and “Diploma Dip with Veggies.”  The recipes are even indexed in the back of the book.

The Recipe Club is a beautiful book with heavy paper, nice illustrations and a gorgeous cover.  I’m afraid my review doesn’t do it justice, but it’s a fairly quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.  To see who else is participating today, click on the logo.

Review copy provided by FSB Associates.   I am an Amazon Associate.

Review: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli tells Marilyn Monroe’s life story from her difficult childhood to her tragic death.   Marilyn was born out of wedlock to Gladys Baker.  Both Gladys and her mother were mentally ill and from this book, it sounds like Marilyn was as well.

Marilyn was beautiful though, and oozed sex appeal, so she was able to parlay a modeling career into a successful acting career.  She turned in some solid performances but was often difficult to work with – coming to work late or not at all.

It appears Marilyn made poor choices in her personal life as well.  She was addicted to drugs and alcohol and often got involved in unhealthy relationships.  Even though she has been revered as a sex symbol and movie star, I found her life to be very sad.

Before I listened to the audio version of The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, I really didn’t know that much about Marilyn Monroe, and now I can’t help but wonder what the fascination with her has been all these years.  There are several young actresses today who behave much the same way she did and they’re maligned by the press.   Having said that,  I do have to admit that I enjoyed the time I spent listening to the book.

Several facts, like the identity of Marilyn’s father, are revealed for the first time in this book.  There is an author interview, that includes never before seen photos, on the last CD, that shows just how well researched this book is.  Most of the new information Taraborelli discovered is about Marilyn’s mother.

The audio version of The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is read by Robert Petkoff and he does different voices for different people, including several female voices, which took a little getting used to!  Overall, he does a great job, narrating this 7 CD, 8 hour production.

Challenges:  Books Won Reading Challenge

I won this book in a contest on A Sea of Books.   I am an Amazon Associate.

The New York Challenge

I’ve signed up for The New York Challenge that’s being hosted by Jill of Fizzy Thoughts.  The mini-challenge for February is:

For the month of February, your task (should you choose to accept it) is to compile a list of ten things about New York. It can be a reading list, a list of songs, restaurants, places to visit (or that you’d like to visit), places to avoid…whatever you want to share.

I’ve decided to accept the task and list things that I’d like to do or do again when I’m in New York.  I’ve only been to New York twice – once when I was three years old and last year for BEA, so I’m certain there’s lots to do there that I don’t know about.  Anyway, here’s my list, in no particular order:

1. Go to a Broadway play – preferably a musical with fabulous costumes
2. See the Christmas tree lit up at Rockefeller Center
3. Visit some unique bookstores like The Strand and The Mysterious Bookshop
4. See the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall
5. Visit the Museum of Modern Art
6. Go to the Statue of Liberty
7. See the taping of a TV show
8. See the Naked Cowboy – just so I can say I’ve done it
9. Buy something on Fifth Avenue – and visit the Apple store while I’m there
10. Attend a sporting event – maybe a basketball game at Madison Square Garden

For those of you more familiar with New York – what’s the one thing I must do that’s not on my list?

Review: Letter to My Daughter

When fifteen year old Liz runs away from home, her mother, Laura, sits down and writes a letter to her.  This is Laura’s way of coping with the worry and explaining some things to Liz.  In the letter, Laura tells Liz how much she loves her, how she’d hoped to have a better relationship with her daughter, and about her own life as a teenager.

George Bishop does a remarkable job writing Letter to My Daughter from a female point of view.  He does such a remarkable job evoking emotion that I felt that I was sitting at the table with Laura while she was struggling with pain and doubt and pouring her heart out.

Liz’s mother was few years older than me, but I can still remember what it was like when she writes of her youth -  a time when our country was struggling with prejudices and the Vietnam War divided us.

I love the unique way this story is told and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It’s a fast, but emotional, read and I found myself engrossed in it.  I shed quite a few tears while reading Letter to My Daughter, so be prepared with tissues when you read it.  This book made me think too, because I found myself relating to Laura both as a mother and as a daughter.

Challenges: Vietnam War Challenge

Review copy provided by Random House.   I am an Amazon Associate.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, and join the fun!  (Don’t forget to leave a link in the comments if you’re participating.)  All of my words this week came from my nifty Word-a-Day calendar.

1. videlicet – “The Mexican restaurant is famous for several dishes: videlicet, arroz con pollo, olla podrida, and carne asada.”

Videlicet is an adverb that means that is to say: namely.  The abbreviation of videlicet is viz.

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2. noetic – “The monthly magazine was packed with deep, well-wrought critical essays and challenging questins to satisfy the noetic appetites of its readers.”

Noetic is an adjective that means of, relating to, or based on the intellect.  There is a research institute in California by the name of the Institute of Noetic Sciences that studies the consciousness and the mind.

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3. advertent– “Marcia listened to everything we said with an advertent expression on her face, then proceeded to tell us, point by point, exactly why she disagreed with us.”

Advertent is an adjective that means giving attention: heedful.

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What new words have you encountered lately?

Are you calling me a liar?

Lesa of Lesa’s Book Critiques gave me The Creative Writer Award.  Here are the rules:

1.Thank the person who gave this to you.
2.Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3.Link to the person who nominated you.
4.Tell us up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.
5.Allow your readers to guess which one or more are true.
5.Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6.Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7.Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Thanks, Lesa – I think!  Coming up with outrageous lies is harder than you think!  It took days of wracking my brain to come up with these.  See if you can figure out which one is true.

1. My parents were on their honeymoon when I was born.  This one’s not true – but I used it a lot as a kid.
2. I can speak three languages – English, French and Lithuanian.  My mother’s fluent in Lithuanian, but I only know a few phrases.  My French was never great and gets worse and worse each day. Some days my English isn’t too good either.
3. I have a black belt in karate.  I’ve never even taken a martial arts class.
4. I met Elizabeth Taylor at Virginia’s  inaugural ball when she was married to Senator John Warner.  This one’s true – Elizabeth Taylor was stunningly beautiful in person.
5. I once bowled a perfect 300 game.  Not even close – I’ve only bowled over 200 a few times.
6. I’m the only person in my family with brown eyes.  My dad, my sister, Vance and I all have brown eyes.
7. I didn’t learn to read until I was in the second grade.  This one’s Carl – he fooled his parents by memorizing books and reciting them back to them.  Luckily his teacher caught it in time!

Can you guess which one is true?  I’ll come back later today and let you know.  I’m not going to nominate anyone, but feel free to join in the fun, if you’d like to.

Review: Searching for Tina Turner

As the highest ranking black employee of TIDA, it seemed that Randall had it all.  Even though he enjoyed the power and the money the position brought, for him it wasn’t enough, and he didn’t intend to stop until he became the CEO.  The fact that his wife, Lena, had made sacrifices and given up her dreams for years, didn’t seem to matter to him.

While Randall is on a long business trip, Lena falls into a funk.  No one can understand why she’s not happy since she has everything money can buy.  But Lena wants more – she wants to do something for herself for a change.  When she buys a copy of Tina Turner’s autobiography, she finds strength in the singer’s life, and decides that she has to meet her.

Searching for Tina Turner by Jacqueline E. Luckett was a more serious book than I presumed from the title.  As someone who has put her husband’s career and her child’s well being first, I could really relate to Lena.  I’m lucky though, because my husband is supportive and considerate of me and my wishes, unlike Randall.

I’m here to tell you, I had quite a conversation with Randall while I read this book.  I told him a thing or two and called him a thing or two.  At one point, Carl looked at me, and said, “it’s only a book.”  I’ve met several men like Randall through the years, and I didn’t like a single one of them.

I really enjoyed Searching for Tina Turner and I loved that Lena found her inner strength and stayed true to herself.  She learned to let go and not try to do everything for everyone and actually let someone do something for her from time to time.  I do think this book will probably appeal more to middle aged women.

This mini-teaser give you an idea of what the book’s about:

Jacqueline E. Luckett will be interviewed on Blog Talk Radio today, February 2, 2010 at 6:00 PM Eastern Time.

Review copy provided by Hachette Books.   I am an Amazon Associate.