Bibliosue

Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Europa Challenge

I am very excited to be participating in The Europa Challenge, which I found out via Indie Reader Houston. As I've mentioned before, if I could claim to have a favorite publisher, Europa Editions would be it; I've enjoyed every book I've read from their list, and I have several more waiting on my shelf as well as more on the to-read list. Their distinctive covers make them "stand out" to me when I'm browsing the bookstores and in the mood to make a purchase, but it is ultimately the quality of the books they publish and the exposure they give me to world literature (mostly in translation) that makes me return to them again and again.

I aim to become a Europa SuperFan, and read their entire list (here), but for now I will start with the books I already own and have yet to read. I am aiming to qualify as a Conoisseur at the Europa Haver level by reading 7 books by the end of 2011. I currently have 10 Europa Editions titles on my to-read shelf, so the lack of books will certainly not hamper me in my effort!

The books I currently have (in alphabetical order by author) are:

From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus
Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky
The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton Paterson
Hygiene and the Assassin by Amelie Nothomb
The Most Beautiful Book in the World by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
First Execution by Domenico Starnone

Titles I have already read include:

The Homecoming Party by Carmine Abate
A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth (link to review)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse (link to review)

This is going to be a lot of fun -- stay tuned to The Europa Challenge blog for reviews from other readers across the blogosphere (including yours truly!)

And the winners are.....

leeswammes -- won a copy of The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady

Col (Col Reads) -- won a copy of The Bee-Loud Glade (you did not leave an e-mail address so please comment to this post with it so I can get your mailing info)

Thank you to everyone who visited and commented -- I found several new books to add to my to-read list and was excited to see several of my own favorites included among your favorite books.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

Published: 2011 by Ballantine Books

Source: Received from publisher for review

Regular visitors to this blog know that I have an affinity for Paris. When I was offered the chance to review the novel, French Lessons, with its premise of three Americans seeing Paris and learning French, I jumped at it and couldn't wait to fall in love with the story.

Alas, this love was not meant to be.

Instead of a novel about learning French and experiencing the life of a Parisian, I found a novel about a woman unable to get over the death of her (married) lover, an expat wife seemingly wishing she were anywhere else but Paris (I know -- really?) and a man uncomfortable with the celebrity lifestyle of his actress wife; in addition to the troubles of their French tutors . While not a problem, necessarily, it just was not the story I was looking for. I wanted to experience Paris with these people, seeing how or if the French language practice enhanced it for them.

For what it is, I guess it is not a bad novel, it just was not for me. However, it did make me want to look into hiring a French tutor the next time I visit Paris, so something good did come out of it after all.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

5 Best Books of 2011 (so far)

The 5 Best Books meme is hosted by Cassandra at Indie Reader Houston.

This week we are asked to list our 5 Best Books so far in 2011. I have read some great books so far this year, so it is rough to only come up with five, but here goes -- in no particular order (links are to my reviews):

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis. This one might be hard to appreciate if you aren't Canadian, but even though I've been out of the country for 12 years I still loved its humorous look at politics.
Paris Was Ours, edited by Penelope Rowlands. This is the kind of book that makes you want to visit Paris right away, whether its your first or tenth time.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe. A celebrity memoir that is actually well-written (and the audiobook is well-narrated by the author).
A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth. This is a page-turning thriller that dresses up like a work of literary fiction and it totally works.
Something Missing by Matthew Dicks. A fun novel about a quirky thief that you can't help but like.

Two other books that I loved so far this year, The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady and The Bee-Loud Glade, could be yours by entering The Literary Blog Hop Giveaway!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Judith at leeswammes has done it again and organized a fantastic giveaway throughout the literary blogging community. Sixty blogs are participating and ready to give lucky readers some great books. Be sure to check them all out.

I had such success with the last giveaway that I feel especially generous this time around and will be giving away two books so that two lucky commenters can experience two of my favorite reads so far this year:

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
The Bee-Loud Glade by Steve Himmer (BONUS: copy will be signed by the author!)

These authors attended the Books on the Nightstand Readers' Retreat (best weekend ever) that I attended in April and they are both great people in addition to great writers.

How to win? Just leave me a comment (with an e-mail address) letting me know which book you would prefer (if you like both, mention that too) and, for my own curiosity, tell me what has been your favorite book so far this year. The giveaway is open internationally.

I will randomly select two winners on Thursday June 30 and contact them by e-mail.

Good luck and have fun hopping! Make sure to visit all of the other participants in this fantastic giveaway:

Sunday, June 19, 2011

5 Best Books About Travel

The 5 Best Books meme is hosted by Indie Reader Houston.

This week's list is for our 5 best books about travel. One of my favorite genres is travel narratives, so I have had no trouble coming up with five books, in no particular order:

The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson. A fun story about guys correcting spelling and grammar errors on signs and other public displays across the country.
Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo. A novel about two unlikely companions on a cross-country road trip.
Walking Israel: A Personal Search for the Soul of a Nation by Martin Fletcher. An unusual yet thoughtful trip along the length of Israel
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner. This is one of my all-time favorites - a great book about how one's environment can contribute to ( or detract from) one's happiness.
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman. A story of two friends travelling through China.

What are your favorite books about travel?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography, by Rob Lowe

Published: 2011 by Macmillan Audio

Source: Purchased (audiobook)

As a rule, I avoid celebrity books of any sort like the plague; partly because I am a mild book snob but also because I never see any that would interest me. I don't care to read about the "troubles" of being a celebrity or whatever else they choose to write about, because most of the time they are just doing it for the paycheck.

That said, I still was skeptical when I saw Rob Lowe had written an autobiography, but I thought I'd give the audio version a try because: a. I had a HUGE crush on Rob Lowe back in my teenage years; b. Rob Lowe narrates the audiobook; and c. I had heard favorable things about it. Oh, and if I may be so shallow -- that cover photo is AWESOME. Mr. Lowe is still a fine-looking man.

So I spent about two weeks listening to it driving to and from work, and I absolutely LOVED it.

This is a true autobiography. Lowe starts almost right at the beginning, from his young years growing up in Dayton, Ohio, to his move to Malibu, California as a teenager with his mom and brother after his parents' divorce, to his start as an actor, his spectacular rise (The Outsiders -- what a great movie!), his fall (the sex scandal at the Democratic Convention in Atlanta, his battle with alcoholism), and his revival.

Through the highs he is generous with praise to those who helped him along the way, yet with the lows he does not really blame anyone but himself; even though it appears at times that there were those deserved blame. It is an honest story of his life, where he admits he made mistakes, but also recognizes that he had and continues to have a very privileged life.

And aside from his personal story, Lowe provides a unique insight into the entertainment industry. He specifically highlights the process of making The Outsiders (did I mention that I loved that movie?), which was his "big break"; and his efforts to be cast in The West Wing. For me, since I listened to the audiobook, what made these anecdotes that much more interesting was Lowe's pretty decent impersonations of his castmates.

Add some fascinating stories of his life in the fast lane (a brief relationship with Princess Stephanie of Monaco, for example) and an eerie connection to the 9/11 attacks and you have a book that is never boring. This is the first audiobook I've listened to in a long time where I can say that my mind didn't wander once from the narration.

And now I have to get on Netflix to put The Outsiders on my queue so I can relive my lost youth :-)

Highly recommended (especially the audiobook)