Tuesday's To Reads

I have been a little slow on the reading and book review posting front. I feel like this summer should be entitled: Summer of the 700+ page read. I started with Anna Karenina (around 754 pages) , read a short little murder mystery to cleanse the pallet, and just started Outlander, which is 850 pages. I won Outlander through a book giveaway on Amber's blog earlier this summer and am finally getting around to reading it! She raved about it so I am sure I will also love it since we have similar tastes in books.

I haven't done a "Tuesday's To Reads" list in a long, long time, so figured I would share some of the books on my to-read list on goodreads.com.

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy - This book is about the 'romantic and comedic adventures of a young American who heads overseas to conquer Paris in the last 1950s.' Since I'm a Francophile, I am confident that I am going to love this book! I love reading books set in cities that I have visited - makes it so much more accessible for the reader when you are familiar with the setting of the book! It's the September selection of my Books and Bars book club*.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall - This book caught my eye for two reason. The first one is pretty obvious - running is a huge passion of mine. The author 'sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.' The second reason this book caught my eye is because the author shares a name with my cousin who passed away 3 summers ago. McDougall is my mom's maiden name, and not a very common one, so it was interesting to run across this family name.

City of Thieves by Benioff - My friend Adrianne recommended this book to me, but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. The main characters of the book, Lev and Kolya, are in jail during the infamous siege of Leningrad. 'Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter's wedding cake.' Adrianne said this is a page turner - I can't wait to check it out!

There are 210 books on my 'To-read' list on goodreads, so I could go on. And on. And on. But I will stop there! Let me know if you have read any of these or plan to check any of them out! After I publish this post, I am going to reserve a copy of "Born to Run" from the library. That's right - I started using the library for the first time in about 6 years!! I am going to attempt to not buy a single book between now and Christmas. I'll let you know how successful I am!

*By the way, I'm attending my first meeting next Tuesday - we'll be reviewing 'The Time Traveler's Wife.' I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

Tuesday's To-Reads

I often get emails or comments from people, asking if I have any book recommendations. If the books I've reviewed haven't piqued your curiosity, here are a few books that are on my to-read list on goodreads.com.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir - I haven't watched Gran Torino, but have heard nothing but great things about that film. The people I've spoken to have said they walked away walking to know more about the Hmong culture. This book would be a great way to learn more about that culture. The author, Kao Kalia Yang, chronicles their move from the jungles of Thailand to St. Paul, Minnesota. It sounds like an amazing book. I was suprised to learn that Yang was born in 1980 - which makes her only one year older than me! Our Diversity Committee at work just purchased this book; I am hoping to read it this month!

A Fine Balance - I also have yet to see Slumdog Millionaire. It's in my Netflix queue, so hopefully I will see it soon. This novel, by Rohinton Mistry, tells the story of 4 individuals who are living in India and struggling to "maintain a fine balance between hope and dispair." I see this is an Oprah book club selection.

Those Who Save Us - This is the debut novel of author Jenna Blum. The novel alternates between the story of Trudy, a history professor at a Minneapolis university collecting oral histories of WWII survivors, and Trudy's German mother, Anna, who left her war torn country during WWII by marrying a US soldier. Anna tells the story of her past which includes a relationship with a Jewish doctor and an abusive relationship with a high-ranking Nazi officer.

These books are all a little on the heavy side, but all sound very interesting! I am going to try to do a post like this once a month - there are at least 150 books in my to-read list, so I definitely have plenty of books to feature!

Happy Reading!

Coping Strategies...

Um, so much for that self-imposed book-buying hiatus. Today has been a stressful day for reasons that I won't go into. I don't handle stress and uncertainty very well...

So I figured I had earned a little field trip to B&N. Plus I thought I should buy the book for the up-coming "Books & Bars" meeting on Feb 11th. And a few others. I walked out with:

1. Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
2. Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland
3. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

I am hoping one of these is lighter than the last few books I've read & the one I'm currently reading! If not, I might need to go out & buy a Calvin Hobbes book or something!

At least I didn't resort to drinking a Mountain Dew, like I would have before when I was stressed! 27 days & no Mountain Dew! This might be a record!!! Although my co-worker is NOT helping and keeps saying things like, "c'mon, you deserve one!" or "just one won't hurt you!" NOT HELPING. But I'm staying strong!

Tuesday's To-Read List

So when I started this blog, it was supposed to be all about reading... But I've enjoyed blogging so much, I've gotten away from the inspiration for this whole blog...

So this post will hopefully make up for the fact that I've posted very few book reviews lately... Here's a few books on my 'to-read' booklist!

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
I have been meaning to read this book since I worked at Barnes & Noble back during the winter/spring of 2003/2004. The woman in charge of our history & biography department was the sweetest old lady who gushed about this book. The author uses black-and-white comic strip images to tell the story of her life in Tehran from age 6 to age 14. The comic strip image story telling technique is powerful. It probably sounds like an odd medium, but trust me, it is really powerful. I was introduced to this technique when I read Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegalman (2 must-read books, IMO) during my Freshman Honors English course at UND. I think my parents still have these books on one of their bookshelves at home... So mom, if you haven't read them yet - check them out!!

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak Did you know that the book's publication was cancelled by Soviet authorities so Pasternak had it smuggled out of the country so it could be published? I own this book but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I am intimidated by it. I know the subject matter is going to be heavy. I know the reading is going to be intense & it might take awhile for me to get 'hooked' by the book. But I really want to read it so I can talk about it with my Russian friend Yulia. I know she's read it so it will be fun to discuss with her. I also want to see the movie! Given the intense nature of this book, it's probably going to be put on the back burner until I am done with grad school...

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty I'm drawn to this book since it is about Mother/Daughter relationships... which, in my opinion, is a very complex relationship. In this book, Kara, a high school senior, makes a mistake that ends in tragedy which result in the division of her family and polarization of the community. It sounds like it's set in a small town so I am sure I'll be able to relate to the setting of the book! Another great book about the dynamics of the Mother/Daughter relationship is Amy & Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout which I should go back & re-read since I read it right after getting my tonsils out when I was a freshman in college. I was so doped up on pain medication, so the book is a bit of a blur for me. I do remember enjoying it, though!

That's all for now - happy reading & stay warm for those of you in the Midwest!!!

PS - this is my 100th blog post on this blog! That's alot!!

Tuesdays To-Read List...

So I have been slacking a bit on the reading front lately. I have been so busy around the holidays, especially with all the ornament knitting I was doing! Now that Christmas has come & gone, I am focusing on getting my condo in "showing" condition. Thus, I won't be reading at my 'book a week' pace, at least not during the month of January when I have 3 trips planned (Chicago, Phoenix, and Grand Forks)!

Since this blog is supposed to be about books and reading, I thought I'd start featuring books from my 'to-read' list each Tuesday. Lord knows the list stretches on and on, so I have plenty of books to suggest! I haven't read them, so can't speak on their quality, but they are books I hope to tackle in 2009!

Since it's cold & snowy here in Minnesota, today I am featuring two travel-related memoires that might help you "mentally escape" those frosty temps!

The Best of Friends: Two Women, Two Continents, and One Enduring Friendship by Sara James & Ginger Mauney - What can I say, I am a sucker for any book that involves travel. This books follows the 30-year friendship of the two authors. Sara is a NBC Network Correspondent who has covered stories in countries such as Sudan and Nicaragua, while balancing her career with a marriage and parenting. Ginger is a wildlife filmmaker who has raised her child in Southern Africa, but misses the USA, which she once called home. Sara and Ginger use the examples of their life to answer questions such as, When your heart is broken, how do you heal? How do you realize your dreams without compromising yourself? How do you tame ambition to make room for family & friends? And what does it mean as an adult to be a "best" friend?

Summer of my Greek Taverna: A Memoir by Tom Stone - The author, Tom Stone, travels to Greece for a summer to write a novel, and stays 22 years!! The book is the story of a man in love with a place, a woman, and a dream and also features a few of the authors recipes for Greek food such as Chicken Retsina and Moussaka.



* I had told myself that I couldn't buy any more books until I read the ones I have... but I am oh so tempted to purchase these today. It certainly doesn't help that Barnes & Noble is just a few blocks away and easily accessible through the skyway.....

Let me know if you check either of these books out!

Holiday Books to get you in the Spirit

Is it just me, or is Christmas coming faster than ever this year? The older I get, the faster it seems to arrive... When I was a kid, it seemed like it would take forever for Christmas Eve to roll around. Maybe because my mom always had the gifts wrapped and under the tree so there was a visual temptation? I remember digging around the tree, trying to count the presents with my name on them. Now that I'm so much older wiser, I'm not nearly as excited about the Christmas presents! Don't get me wrong, I still love opening them, but I am much more excited about giving gifts to my parents and nephews and seeing my family. This year I will be spending Christmas Day at my Aunt Barb's which I am super excited about! I haven't spent Christmas with a McDougall relative for over 15 years!! So we are well overdue!


In case any of you are having trouble getting into the Christmas Spirit, I have a few holiday books to highlight. They are short reads so are perfect for this time of year!





"Christmas Jars," by Jason Wright, is a quick, easy read. This is a book you could easily read over the span of 3-4 hours. The main character in the book, Reporter Hope Jensen, has fallen on hard times. Her adoptive mother has passed away from cancer and then her apartment is broken into and the thief steals all of her emergency cash. Hope opens her door one morning to find that someone has left a mason-jar, filled with with money, labeled "Christmas Jar." Using her well-honed investigative skills, she finds that many others have received a Christmas Jar in the past, so she begins to search for the origin of this tradition. Hope's search leads her to the Maxwell family... and also reveals some information about her birth mother. After reading this book, you will want to start your own Christmas Jar!


"The Christmas Box Collection" features 3 books written by Richard Paul Evans: The Christmas Box, Timepiece, and The Letter. This trilogy about the Parkins family is such a great read. The first book is about a young family that goes to live with a widow. Together, they rediscover the first gift of Christmas and are reminded what the holiday is all about. The other 2 books continue to follow the family and are so wonderful. One of the book talks about a family who has lost a young child. I discovered this book on a plane ride out to Denver when I was in college. I was sitting next to a middle-aged couple and the woman was reading this book. During the plane ride, the woman set the book down and was very noticeably crying... I am usually not one to make small talk with people on flights, but it was awful seeing her so upset, so I asked if everything was ok. She responded by saying that they had lost a young child and reading this book hit close to home since the couple in the book also lost a young child. She highly recommended the book so I had to check it out. I loved it so much, I gave it to my mom for Christmas the following year! I hope you enjoy!



I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. I'll be celebrating Christmas Eve with my parents and my brother & his family. He sent me a preview of the menu yesterday and we are definitely going to eat like kings!! Can't hardly wait!

PS - If anyone would like to borrow these books, I of course own them and am more than willing to lend them out!

Dear Santa...

This book-lover gave "Santa" a wish list with the following books:

The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman - This sketchbook is a whimsical book that would make a great "coffee table book." Kalman describes it by saying, "...This is a year in my life profusely illustrated, abounding with anguish, confusion, bits of wisdom, musings, meanderings, buckets of joie de vivre and restful sojourns." Doesn't it sound interesting? I adore coffee table books, so hopefully this finds its way under my tree!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I have been meaning to read this classic American novel for quite some time but haven't gotten around to buying it for myself (I am trying to cut down on my book purchasing sprees!). In this novel, Plath chronicles the break-down of the main character, Esther. Apparently this book is a fairly autobiographical work about Plath's summer of 1953 when she was a guest editor at Mademoiselle and went though a breakdown of her own.

Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch - Jillian Westfield, the main character in this novel, has a storybook life: perfect house, investment banking husband, and cherubic eighteen-month-old child. Her life appears perfect from the outside, but no self-help book or how-to magazine article can seem to fix her marriage or help her deal with the tedium of diaper changing... or help her stop asking - "what if?" Then one morning, Jillian wakes up seven years in the past. Before her daughter. Before her marriage. Armed with her 20-20 hindsight, she's free to make all of her choices over again. Will her choices change her level of happiness, or was she the problem all along??? This book is intriguing to me - being the analytical person I am, I often find myself asking, "well... what if?" What if I hadn't turned that date down? What if I hadn't gone to UND. I don't regret any of the decisions I've made but it is interesting to think how many choices set our lives down a completely different path than your life would have took had you made a different choice....

Pretty Little Mistakes: A Do-over Novel by Heather Mcelhatton - This book is the answer to the dilemma above - if only you could go back and do things over. Well, with this book, you can. There are a total of 150 possible endings! You could end up in a mansion or alone and pecked to death by ducks in London; a Zen master in Japan or morbidly obese in a trailer park. Don't like how your life turned out? Start over again. Kind of reminds of the the game "M*A*S*H" that we played as kids - anyone remember that? You had a box, at the top it said MASH which stood for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House (I think), then you picked 4 kinds of cars, the names of 4 boys, and 4 options for the number of kids you'd have. Then through a process of elimination, you might end up in a Mansion with no husband or a shack w/ 15 kids. It provided hours of entertainment for me and my friends/sisters when we were little!! Ahhh, those were simpler times!! Do kids still play that game, I wonder??

Love Letters of Great Men - On Sex & the City: The Movie, Carrie Bradshaw reads a few letters from this book... and it went on my 'to-read' list on goodreads.com right away. I am a sucker for a good love letter. I love email as much as the next person, but there is nothing like getting a love letter from your betrothed (I assume... I've never received one! Someday, someday). Here's an excerpt from one by Beethoven - obviously, he could compose other art forms besides beautiful music...

...my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us ...

Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul unwrapped in you into the land of spirits ...

...Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.

Ever thine,

Ever mine,

Ever ours.

* sigh *

I'll stop there... My to-read list on goodreads.com (awesome website, btw) has 137 books on it, so I could obviously go on and on!

A few of my favorite books....

You might have noticed that I have barely posted about books lately... I haven't been doing as much reading lately! I've had more social plans in the last 2 weeks than I did during the entire month of October! Plus, the last 3 books I've read were from the "Twilight" series, and I feel like I can only post about the first one. I will read the 4th book, but something about the 3rd book left a bad taste in my mouth. I still read it really quickly, but I didn't like it as much as the first 2.

The Christmas season is upon us so I thought I'd talk about a few books I love! Tomorrow I'll do a post about some books I am hoping to receive from Santa this year!

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom - You'd probably have to live under a rock to not know about this book. If you haven't read it - go buy it today. Or I can lend it to you. I read this book about once a year - it has so many great messages. It's written by Sports Writer Mitch Albom - he re-unites with a college professor, Morrie, and meets with him every Tuesday to discuss themes such as love, family, and forgiveness. Albom has gone on to write 2 other books that deal with similar topics (The 5 People You Meet in Heaven and For One More Day), but this is the finest of the 3 in my opinion.

Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach - My friend Katie recommended this book - it is one of my favorites and makes a great gift since most people haven't heard of it. It's a travel memoir, so it'd be a great gift for someone who enjoys traveling! I re-read it this summer before going to France and it definitely got me more excited for my trip! The author, Alice Steinbach, considers herself an independent woman: she makes her own choice, shovels her own snow, and pays her own bills. However, she finds that she has become dependent on others in a different way. She had "fallen into a habit of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people and what they expected of me." Steinbach decided to take a sabbatical from work and travels through Europe to find out who she is when away from the people and things that define her.

Love Walked In by Maria de los Santos - This certainly doesn't fall under the 'high-brow' category, but is a fun, light-hearted read. The novel tells the story of two women - one older, one younger - and the unexpected ways in which their lives are forever changed by chance. References to classics films such as "The Philadelphia Story" are peppered throughout the book. I need to go back and re-read this so I can write down all the movies she mentions and watch all since I love old, classic films! The sequel to this novel, "Belong to Me," is also worth checking out!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson - This book is a true page-turner. I read it in a day and stayed up until the middle of the night, finishing it. It is also a tear-jerker, so consider yourself warned. In the beginning of the book, we meet Katie Wilkinson - she has found the perfect man at last, but one day he disappears, leaving behind a diary for her read. The diary is written by a woman named Suzanne and is addressed to her new baby boy, Nicholas. Who Suzanne & Nicholas are and how they are related to Katie's boyfriend are revealed throughout the book.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer - Jon Krakauer, an outdoor enthusiast and contributor editor at Outside magazine gives a first-hand account of his summit of Mount Everest in March of 1996. By the end of the summit, eight people are dead. If you have any interest in what it takes to summit Everest, I highly recommend this book - it's another page turner.

We all need something to smile about...

It's been a tumultuous week, ladies and gentlemen. I've made a conscious decision not to look at my 401k. I mean, I have at least 30 years before I retire so there's no use getting my panties in a bunch over it right now. I'm also trying to speak happy thoughts to myself and not worry about how this economic downtown is going to impact my job options upon completion of my MBA in May... I sure have a knack for graduating during economic downturns... The ecomony was also down in 2003 when I finished my undergrad degree. Yea for me!


Anywho, in light of all that is happening, I figured we all needed a little something to smile about. Direct your attention to the book to the right. It is absolutely fabulous! I stumbled upon it while browsing the Wild Rumpus website. It was on their bestseller list, so I had to check it out when I was at Barnes & Noble recently. It is adorable. I had the hugest smile on my face when I was reading it! If I had a niece, I would buy this book for her. Maybe I will buy it for myself for days when I need a smile? What makes it even more endearing is that I have a friend that is an adult version of Nancy. Her name is Heidi and she is one of my nearest and dearest friends. And she loves all things fancy! I met her in college, so didn't know her during her childhood, but I am confident that this book is an accurate depiction of her personality as a child.

Seriously, check it out! It's bound to make you smile!

A gem is discovered....

So last night, I was out and about in the Linden Hills area of South Minneapolis. For those you who don't live in Minneapolis, you need to check this area out on your next visit. For those who live here already, you need to check this area out asap if you haven't already! Linden Hills basically borders the western edge of Lake Harriet (I think... I am directionally challenged...) The area we were in last night was off of Upton on 43rd street. We were in route to dinner at Cafe 28 which is a wonderful little restaurant located in an old Firehouse. As we were walking on foot, looking for the restaurant, we stubbled across 'Wild Rumpus' - a store that I had heard about from the girl that does my facials. We were in no rush so decided to duck into the store & check it out. So glad we did - it is one of the COOLEST bookstores I've ever been in. It is geared for children, so has lots of real, live animals. For instance, we walked in & Eric points to a ledge & says, 'that's a real rooster!'. (see picture to the left!) That was just the start of it. There were birds & chinchillas (both in cages) as well as some cats and other animals. Pretty cool place.


The store was actually inspired by the book, "The Salamander Room," which James will be getting from me this weekend as part of his birthday present (shhh, don't tell him!). You can go on the Wild Rumpus website (see hyperlink above) & read about the store & how it was designed with this book in mind. We actually got to meet the owner & creative mind behind this gem of a store. Truth be told, I could have spent hours (and lots of $$) here, but figured we better head to dinner. The woman that was working was so so helpful, too, which was nice.




I recommend checking out the website at a minimum. Each employee has a page where they recommend books so it's a great place to come up with gift ideas for kids... or books you missed out on as a child. There's even a book club for 'immature adults' that want to go back & read books they might have missed out on as a child. When I finish up grad school, I can totally see myself joining this book club!

For those of you with young children, nieces, nephews, etc, I think it'd be a great place to go for the afternoon. Plus, Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream shop is a few blocks away - what kid wouldn't be thrilled at the thought of a seeing live animals, getting a new book, and having some delicious locally made ice cream? Actually... what adult wouldn't enjoy that sequence of events!!!!