A different view of the goings-on at Longbourn, the family home of the Bennetts in Jane Austen’s book Pride and Prejudice. In this recently-written novel by Jo Baker, life is seen through the eyes of the Bennett’s servants. And while the reader does catch glimpses of the major events in the original novel, the focus here is squarely on the five servants: orphaned Sarah, a housemaid; Mrs. Hill, the cook and head servant; her husband Mr. Hill, Polly, a younger housemaid; and James Smith, a footman who is hired by Mr. Bennett after mysteriously arriving in the night. At first Sarah mistrusts James, thinking him to be a fraud. Sarah would like to escape Longbourn and travel the wide world, particularly going to London. She thinks she sees her chance to do this by leaving with one of the Bingley’s menservants, but James prevents her from making a disastrous mistake. A romance develops between Sarah and James but James has a secret that he doesn’t dare reveal to her. He had been punished for supposedly deserting the British army after battle and has been on the run ever since. With the installation of the militia in the neighborhood, James is on edge and decides to quit Longbourn and work elsewhere.
There are other mysteries to be resolved here too: the relationship between Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Hill; the reasons for James’ journey; and how Sarah is able to locate him. All are eventually revealed through Baker’s accurate detail and perceptive characterization. This is an enjoyable read for Austen fans and for others.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Authors Celebrating November Birthdays
Commemorate these authors’ birthdays by reading some of their books.
November 18th – Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet and literary critic, well-known for several titles that some regard as science fiction but she sees as “speculative fiction”. Some of her best-known works include The Handmaid’s Tale, The Blind Assassin, and MaddAddam.
November 20th -- Don DeLillo, a novelist, playwright and essayist, is viewed as an author of the literary postmodernism era. He has been both nominee and finalist for several book awards. Some of his best-known works include White Noise, Libra, and The Body Artist.
November 23rd -- Rick Bayless, a chef and cookbook author, specializes in regional Mexican cuisine. His cookbooks include Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen and Fiesta at Rick’s: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends. He also hosts the PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time.
November 26th – Charles Schulz was a cartoonist and the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. He has left a legacy in a collection of books containing his Peanuts cartoons as well as videos.
November 27th – Michael Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy writer who has contributed to several volumes in the Star Wars and the Battle Tech series. He also has had a career in game design.
November 28th – Rita Mae Brown is the “coauthor” of mysteries written with her cat Sneaky Pie Brown, featuring the feline character Mrs. Murphy. These include The Big Cat Nap and A Nose for Justice. She also has written other styles of fiction, poetry and screenplays.
November 30th – Mark Twain, pseudonym of author and humorist Samuel Clemens, lived during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
November 18th – Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet and literary critic, well-known for several titles that some regard as science fiction but she sees as “speculative fiction”. Some of her best-known works include The Handmaid’s Tale, The Blind Assassin, and MaddAddam.
November 20th -- Don DeLillo, a novelist, playwright and essayist, is viewed as an author of the literary postmodernism era. He has been both nominee and finalist for several book awards. Some of his best-known works include White Noise, Libra, and The Body Artist.
November 23rd -- Rick Bayless, a chef and cookbook author, specializes in regional Mexican cuisine. His cookbooks include Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen and Fiesta at Rick’s: Fabulous Food for Great Times with Friends. He also hosts the PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time.
November 26th – Charles Schulz was a cartoonist and the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. He has left a legacy in a collection of books containing his Peanuts cartoons as well as videos.
November 27th – Michael Stackpole is a science fiction and fantasy writer who has contributed to several volumes in the Star Wars and the Battle Tech series. He also has had a career in game design.
November 28th – Rita Mae Brown is the “coauthor” of mysteries written with her cat Sneaky Pie Brown, featuring the feline character Mrs. Murphy. These include The Big Cat Nap and A Nose for Justice. She also has written other styles of fiction, poetry and screenplays.
November 30th – Mark Twain, pseudonym of author and humorist Samuel Clemens, lived during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Craft Presents for the Holidays
Express your creative side by crafting holiday gifts for friends and family. Here are some books to get you started.
Vogue Knitting Very Easy Sweaters: 50 Simple, Stylish Designs features current styles using basic stitches and techniques. Color photos accompany each project. First-time knitters and those with more experience will find patterns to interest them.
The New Crochet: a Beginner’s Guide with 38 Modern Projects, written by Marion Madel, presents 25 lessons in the art of crocheting, each including at least one, or two, projects to reinforce the stitch or technique. Illustrations and color photos assist the crafter.
Sew Modern Baby: 19 Projects to Sew from Cuddly Sleepers to Stimulating Toys, written by Angela Yosten, offers ideas and patterns for creating infant toys and accessories out of fabric. Color photos and explicit instructions abound.
And, for kids of all ages, here are two books each featuring 101 duct tape activities: Tape It & Make It and Tape It & Make More, each written by Richela Fabian Morgan. Create fashion accessories, housewares, costumes and more. In-depth instructions show you how.
Vogue Knitting Very Easy Sweaters: 50 Simple, Stylish Designs features current styles using basic stitches and techniques. Color photos accompany each project. First-time knitters and those with more experience will find patterns to interest them.
The New Crochet: a Beginner’s Guide with 38 Modern Projects, written by Marion Madel, presents 25 lessons in the art of crocheting, each including at least one, or two, projects to reinforce the stitch or technique. Illustrations and color photos assist the crafter.
Sew Modern Baby: 19 Projects to Sew from Cuddly Sleepers to Stimulating Toys, written by Angela Yosten, offers ideas and patterns for creating infant toys and accessories out of fabric. Color photos and explicit instructions abound.
And, for kids of all ages, here are two books each featuring 101 duct tape activities: Tape It & Make It and Tape It & Make More, each written by Richela Fabian Morgan. Create fashion accessories, housewares, costumes and more. In-depth instructions show you how.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Cooking for Thanksgiving Day
Start planning now for your Thanksgiving Day menu! Here are some cookbooks to help you out.
Autumn from the Heart of the Home, written by Susan Branch, is a combination of cookbook and gift book designated just for Thanksgiving and Halloween. The book is brightly decorated with watercolor illustrations and appropriate quotations, and includes easy recipes, tips on entertaining, decorating ideas, and other projects.
How to Cook a Turkey: and all the other Trimmings is produced by the editors of Fine Cooking magazine. Sure to satisfy the needs of both novices and more experienced cooks, there are a hundred recipes covering everything from appetizers, to turkey, gravy, and stuffing, to desserts – especially pies. Color photos accompany it all.
Thanksgiving: how to Cook it Well is written by Sam Sifton, a former New York Times restaurant critic; it was named one of the best books of the year by Eater.com. He presents the basics and more, with many variations; helpful hints abound. The reader also will enjoy his ideas for leftovers.
Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America’s Favorite Holiday with America’s Thanksgiving Expert, written by Rick Rodgers, presents recipes, menus, shortcuts, variations on classics and more. Rodgers is also the author of The Turkey Cookbook and teaches Thanksgiving 101 classes.
Autumn from the Heart of the Home, written by Susan Branch, is a combination of cookbook and gift book designated just for Thanksgiving and Halloween. The book is brightly decorated with watercolor illustrations and appropriate quotations, and includes easy recipes, tips on entertaining, decorating ideas, and other projects.
How to Cook a Turkey: and all the other Trimmings is produced by the editors of Fine Cooking magazine. Sure to satisfy the needs of both novices and more experienced cooks, there are a hundred recipes covering everything from appetizers, to turkey, gravy, and stuffing, to desserts – especially pies. Color photos accompany it all.
Thanksgiving: how to Cook it Well is written by Sam Sifton, a former New York Times restaurant critic; it was named one of the best books of the year by Eater.com. He presents the basics and more, with many variations; helpful hints abound. The reader also will enjoy his ideas for leftovers.
Thanksgiving 101: Celebrate America’s Favorite Holiday with America’s Thanksgiving Expert, written by Rick Rodgers, presents recipes, menus, shortcuts, variations on classics and more. Rodgers is also the author of The Turkey Cookbook and teaches Thanksgiving 101 classes.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Strange Stories, Part Two
Ready for some more horror tales? Try these on for size.
Ash is written by James Herbert. Visiting a secluded stately home that country locals believe to be haunted, paranormal investigator David Ash looks into stories about strange occurrences and makes a shocking discovery beyond anything he has ever encountered.
Breed is written by Chase Novak. A couple obsessed with their infertility travels to Slovenia to have an unusual and painful procedure that results in horrible consequences they manage to hide until their twins, Adam and Alice, turn ten years old and start asking questions.
Abandon: a Novel is written by Blake Crouch. Hiring back-country guides, a psychic, and a paranormal photographer to aid their investigation into the bizarre and abrupt disappearances of every citizen from a gold-mining town over a century earlier, a history professor and his journalist daughter embark on the journey aware that the last team that attempted to solve the mystery was never heard from again.
77 Shadow Street is written by Dean Koontz. Once the center of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse, the 1800s Gilded Age palace known as the Pendleton, has been re-christened in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building. But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, and elevators plunge into unknown depths.
American Gods is written by Neil Gaiman. Just released from prison, Shadow encounters Mr. Wednesday, an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him, and when Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his bodyguard, Shadow accepts and is plunged into a dark and perilous world.
Ash is written by James Herbert. Visiting a secluded stately home that country locals believe to be haunted, paranormal investigator David Ash looks into stories about strange occurrences and makes a shocking discovery beyond anything he has ever encountered.
Breed is written by Chase Novak. A couple obsessed with their infertility travels to Slovenia to have an unusual and painful procedure that results in horrible consequences they manage to hide until their twins, Adam and Alice, turn ten years old and start asking questions.
Abandon: a Novel is written by Blake Crouch. Hiring back-country guides, a psychic, and a paranormal photographer to aid their investigation into the bizarre and abrupt disappearances of every citizen from a gold-mining town over a century earlier, a history professor and his journalist daughter embark on the journey aware that the last team that attempted to solve the mystery was never heard from again.
77 Shadow Street is written by Dean Koontz. Once the center of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse, the 1800s Gilded Age palace known as the Pendleton, has been re-christened in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building. But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, and elevators plunge into unknown depths.
American Gods is written by Neil Gaiman. Just released from prison, Shadow encounters Mr. Wednesday, an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him, and when Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his bodyguard, Shadow accepts and is plunged into a dark and perilous world.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Strange Stories
Just in time for the Halloween season, here are some spooky novels selected by Monika for your reading pleasure.
Soul Trapper: a Novel is written by F.J. Lennon, Rising to legendary underground status as a ghost-hunter in spite of a lack of motivation, Hollywood native Kane Pryce uses a supernaturally charged object to dispatch lost souls, falls in love with a nosy reporter and becomes entangled in the problems of two ghosts.
Alien Hunter is written by Whitley Strieber. When brilliant police detective Flynn Carroll’s young wife vanishes inexplicably in the middle of the night, his obsessive investigation reveals a string of similar disappearances and draws the attention of secret police Special Agent Diana Glass, whose team invites Carroll into their world of extraordinary challenges and lethal dangers.
The Darkling is written by R.B. Chesterton. Working for a wealthy family in a 1940’s Alabama community that once provided a secret haven for hideaway movie stars, live-in tutor Mimi attempts to schedule a curriculum for her employer’s new ward, a troubled orphan teen with no memory of her past who harbors a savvy and malicious nature.
The Temporal Void is written by Peter F. Hamilton. At the center of the galaxy is the Dreaming Void, an artificial black hole that may hold paradise within its walls. When a human named Inigo begins dreaming of what lies within the Void, the word spreads, triggering a religious pilgrimage into the Void and possibly a catastrophic expansion that threatens the peace of the Commonwealth Universe.
World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War is written by Max Brooks. An account of the decade-long conflict between humankind and hordes of the predatory undead is told from the perspective of dozens of survivors who describe in their own words the epic human battle for survival.
Soul Trapper: a Novel is written by F.J. Lennon, Rising to legendary underground status as a ghost-hunter in spite of a lack of motivation, Hollywood native Kane Pryce uses a supernaturally charged object to dispatch lost souls, falls in love with a nosy reporter and becomes entangled in the problems of two ghosts.
Alien Hunter is written by Whitley Strieber. When brilliant police detective Flynn Carroll’s young wife vanishes inexplicably in the middle of the night, his obsessive investigation reveals a string of similar disappearances and draws the attention of secret police Special Agent Diana Glass, whose team invites Carroll into their world of extraordinary challenges and lethal dangers.
The Darkling is written by R.B. Chesterton. Working for a wealthy family in a 1940’s Alabama community that once provided a secret haven for hideaway movie stars, live-in tutor Mimi attempts to schedule a curriculum for her employer’s new ward, a troubled orphan teen with no memory of her past who harbors a savvy and malicious nature.
The Temporal Void is written by Peter F. Hamilton. At the center of the galaxy is the Dreaming Void, an artificial black hole that may hold paradise within its walls. When a human named Inigo begins dreaming of what lies within the Void, the word spreads, triggering a religious pilgrimage into the Void and possibly a catastrophic expansion that threatens the peace of the Commonwealth Universe.
World War Z: an Oral History of the Zombie War is written by Max Brooks. An account of the decade-long conflict between humankind and hordes of the predatory undead is told from the perspective of dozens of survivors who describe in their own words the epic human battle for survival.
Friday, October 4, 2013
October Birthdays
Celebrate October by reading up on the lives of celebrities who have birthdays this month.
October 1st: Former President Jimmy Carter:
1.Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: the Georgia Years, 1924-1974; written by E. Stanly Godbold, a professor of history, it examines the lives of both Carters prior to his election to the presidency
2.White House Diary; written by the former president, it is an edited and annotated version of the diary he kept during his White House years
October 1st: Singer, actress and author Julie Andrews
1.Home: a Memoir of My Early Years; written by Andrews and covering her life between birth and Walt Disney’s discovery of her in 1962
2.Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies; a collection selected by Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton
October 2nd: Musician Sting
1.Sting, Back on the Beat: a Biography; written by Christopher Sanford, a rock music critic, it traces Sting’s career from a schoolteacher, to his work with The Police, to his successes as a solo artist
October 16th: Actress and author Suzanne Somers
1.I’m Too Young for this!: the Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause; written by this talk show host and natural health writer; this is her twenty-fourth book
October 26th: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
1.Living History, written by Clinton herself about her years in politics, first as a partner in her husband’s career and then as a senator from New York
2.Bill and Hillary: the Politics of the Personal, details the political partnership and personal relationship of the Clintons
October 1st: Former President Jimmy Carter:
1.Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: the Georgia Years, 1924-1974; written by E. Stanly Godbold, a professor of history, it examines the lives of both Carters prior to his election to the presidency
2.White House Diary; written by the former president, it is an edited and annotated version of the diary he kept during his White House years
October 1st: Singer, actress and author Julie Andrews
1.Home: a Memoir of My Early Years; written by Andrews and covering her life between birth and Walt Disney’s discovery of her in 1962
2.Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies; a collection selected by Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton
October 2nd: Musician Sting
1.Sting, Back on the Beat: a Biography; written by Christopher Sanford, a rock music critic, it traces Sting’s career from a schoolteacher, to his work with The Police, to his successes as a solo artist
October 16th: Actress and author Suzanne Somers
1.I’m Too Young for this!: the Natural Hormone Solution to Enjoy Perimenopause; written by this talk show host and natural health writer; this is her twenty-fourth book
October 26th: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
1.Living History, written by Clinton herself about her years in politics, first as a partner in her husband’s career and then as a senator from New York
2.Bill and Hillary: the Politics of the Personal, details the political partnership and personal relationship of the Clintons
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