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The
holiday season is approaching, and we have the books and gifts
to prove it! Lining all of our walls, we have calendars featuring
every sports team, artist or country imaginable, Christmas
decorations and holiday cards…not to mention the abundance
of gift books as well as extraordinary novels and engrossing
nonfiction. If you’re not ready to face the holiday hullabaloo,
we can offer plenty of great books with which to snuggle under
comforters or by cozy fireplaces.
Judy H. writes: If
you enjoyed Sarah Dunant’s The Birth of Venus
(0812968972)
, you’ll enjoy her latest
historical novel, In the Company of the Courtesan
(1400063817)
. Fiammetta, a wealthy
courtesan, and her dwarf friend, Bucino, must flee Rome during
the sacking of Rome in 1527. Having lost all of her wealth
except for a few hidden jewels, Fiammetta and Bucino arrive
in Venice, their home city. The novel traces Fiammetta’s rise
to the top of her business with the aid of a mysterious witch,
La Draga, and the noted poet, Aretino. Dunant vividly
portrays 16th Century Venice with all of its political
and religious strife as well as its opulence and dire poverty. This
is an entertaining read for fans of historical fiction.
Alice
writes: David
Kamp, a long-time reporter for GQ and Vanity
Fair, has written a book titled The United States
of Arugula (0767915798)
about the rise of gourmet
American cuisine. Starting with “The Big Three”—James Beard,
Julia Child and Craig Claiborne—Kamp chronicles the rise of
fine dining in America. Gourmet cuisine—specific to America—was
practically invented by these three who made cooking approachable,
interesting and au courant. The emphasis on fresh and
local was then introduced by the likes of Alice Waters and
Mollie Katzen and viola! American cuisine was redirected
and born anew. His premise is that fine dining has always
had a niche in the upper class of America but that healthful
and even exotic food movements are having an effect on our
eating, influencing every American diet and spawning a culinary
culture fascinated by the Food Network and demanding organic
food. Engrossing and engaging, this book is about societal
shifts in America’s kitchens, and Kamp delves into many gossipy
anecdotes about big name restaurant revolutionaries.
In
keeping with this great foodie book, I’d like to mention that
three great new cookbooks were just released. Ina Garten,
also known as The Barefoot Contessa, just published At
Home (1400054346)
. With recipes for such mouth-watering
treats as zucchini pancakes and ginger cookies, her book is
again filled with simple and delicious food. The photographs
of fresh ingredients and deliciously composed plates make
you feel like cooking all the time, especially as the colder
weather creeps in and roasted capon sounds more homey than
ever. I think the book is geared for a beginner cook but is
appropriate for anyone who is looking to be inspired.
Jamie
Oliver, the famed “Naked
Chef,” has also just released a new cookbook, Jamie’s
Italy (1401301959)
. With photographs that are
equally as alluring as those in Garten’s book, I find his
recipes are fresh and straightforward as well. When I think
of Oliver, I think of one episode of his show I caught where
he shoved two sticks of butter inside a chicken and called
it dinner. His meals this time seem more wholesome and healthful.
Admittedly I am a sucker for appealing images of food, but
looking over the recipes endorses the fact that his cooking
will be as fresh and delicious as the images. From stews and
spaghettis to roasts and risottos, he takes us on a journey
through Italy with stories about the people and places he
visited in the north and south of the country, proclaiming,
“There is such diversity in lifestyles, cooking, traditions,
and dialects. This is why as a chef I find this country so
damn exciting. You know what? I should have been Italian.
The truth is, when I’m in Italy, I feel Italian.”
Also,
the beloved Food Network chef, Rachael Ray, has a new
cookbook—a compilation of her best—titled Classic 30
Minute Meals (1891105302)
. As much as Kamp cheered
the reawakening of “slow cooking,” I still vote for the fast
and healthful dinner. Ray has gathered, in her first hardcover,
a great collection of quick and delicious meals. With over
150 recipes, it is a great volume to add to any cooking library
begging for dinners that are easy and wholesome.
Next up
for book group, on Tuesday, November 14th from
7-8 p.m., we will discuss Tom Bailey’s The
Grace That Keeps This World (0307238024)
. Set in upstate New York, in a quadrant of the state
massive in size but tiny in population, the story follows
the Hazen family. Gary Hazen and his two sons have hunted
together for years, but the opening day of deer hunting season
this year will forever alter their family. Centered on this
one event, the chapters alternate between the voices of family
and community members. A Vietnam veteran, Gary is very set
in his understanding of the world and the values he has tried
to pass along to his children. His sons, however, have different
understandings of where their lives might lead and what they
believe to be right and true in the world. This is a story
about secrets and parent’s expectations, about love and sacrifice,
about loss and loyalty. Written in simple prose, the novel
nevertheless fully conveys a tight-knit family and community
in the throes of a horrible accident. An elegy to nature and
an ode to the complexities of love, Bailey received great
reviews upon the publication of this book.
Dede
writes: Thirteen Moons (0375509321)
by Charles Frazier is a big novel you can get
lost in for days. Twelve-year-old Will Cooper is cast into
the wilderness after his parents’ deaths and, as a “bound
boy,” sent to run a remote trading post in the mountains of
North Carolina. His love of books gives him solace (he reads
Latin, Greek and French), and his adoption by a Cherokee chief
saves his life. As he grows up, the terrifying wilderness
becomes home, and he takes on the plight of the Cherokee Nation,
cruelly displaced by President Andrew Jackson. He becomes
a lawyer, a senator and a white chief of the tribe—a legend
in the region. His love for the elusive Claire is a poignant
counterpoint to his long life as an adventurer. This is colorful
19th century history by the author of Cold Mountain
(1400077826)
.
Nora
Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts
About Being a Woman (0307264556)
is a funny, rueful look at life from the point of
view of a woman of a certain age. Her chapter “I Hate my Purse”
is my favorite; any woman will laugh out loud. There is a
moving chapter about the death of friends, but the greater
part of the book is hilarious. All this fun is from the woman
who wrote Heartburn (0679767959)
and Sleepless in Seattle among other wonders.
Home
to Big Stone Gap (1400060087)
by Adriana Trigiani is the fourth novel in
her delightful series about a remote mountain town in Virginia.
Ave Maria MacChesney and her husband Jack are facing an empty
nest after their daughter marries. They worry that she is
too young to be so far away in Italy—and at nineteen, would
she finish her education? These worries fade in the face of
Jack’s sudden illness and the threat of strip mining to their
beautiful mountainside. The loss of her grandmother, the mysterious
coolness of her best friend and the reappearance of an old
love—all this is almost too much to bear. Ave Maria copes,
as always, with the help of her friend Theodore Tipton, the
famous stage director from New York. Among other things, he
rescues the disastrous local production of The Sound of
Music—comic relief of the first order. You will be glad
to know all will be well in the end.
FROM THE CHILDREN’S ROOM:
Judy H. writes: Kathleen
Duble’s latest young adult novel is Hearts of Iron
(1416908501)
, historical fiction set
in an iron works community on Mt. Riga in 1820. Lucy Pettee,
a young and adventurous young teen, is best friends with Jesse. Both
teens’ parents have dreams and expectations for their children
that are in direct conflict with Lucy and Jesse’s desires. Jesse
desperately wants to join the navy and eventually marry Lucy. However,
Jesse’s dad wants him to carry on the family tradition of
being an iron worker. Lucy wants to marry Jesse, but her father
brings an outsider into the community to “court” Jesse. Read
this fascinating book to find out if Jesse and Lucy’s dreams
are realized.
Pat
writes: Thanksgiving is a special time of history, pilgrims
and turkey, but it is an especially good time for being thankful
for the many things we have. Margaret Sutherland’s
Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks (0448422867)
helps a young child relate to the simplest things
that are in their world that they can give thanks for. From
family and friends to a child’s bedroom, this simple story
highlights all the things that make us happy. With colorful
and clear illustrations by Sonja Lamut, this is a nice and
easy book to have for the holiday.
Clementine
(0786838825)
by Sara Pennypacker is about a fun-loving third
grader who gives Junie B. and Judy Moody a run for their money.
Pennypacker, who usually writes about little boys, has a new
book out about a spunky little girl with spectacular ideas.
This is a perfect choice of a first chapter book for a new
reader. Black and white drawings by Marla Frazee help us get
to know Clementine, her family and her friend, Margaret. A
perfect read for ages seven to ten. Pennypacker lives on Cape
Cod and will be at BookEnds on Saturday, December 9th
at 2 p.m. She will be discussing and signing her books.
Ellen
Klages’ Green Glass Sea (0670061344)
is about an era and area not frequently thought of
as a subject for children’s books. Eleven-year-old Dewey Kerrigan
is in St. Louis waiting for her father to return. The year
is 1943, and he has been away doing “war work.” Her grandmother
is ill, and she has to live with a neighbor until her father
returns. While waiting for her father to come, a women in
an army uniform comes to the door and informs her that she
is to meet him in some place called Los Alamos. Los Alamos
is filled with famous scientists and mathematicians from all
over America, and Dewey’s father is one of them, working on
a secret project called “the gadget.” Life for the families
within the confines of the town is very different. Guards,
fences and passes to enter and exit are an everyday way of
life, but there is still school, and Dewey is trying to find
her place and fit in. Dewey’s life takes an unexpected turn,
and she moves in with the family of her nemesis and classmate,
Suzy. How these two come to appreciate each other and their
differences, with the story about the development and testing
of the atom bomb, make for a fascinating story in a very unusual
location. This is historical fiction featuring strong characters,
friendship and issues of morality.
Marilyn
writes: Fans of Tamora Pierce will be pleased
to see a new book by the popular author. Terrier
(037581468X)
is the first book in a new trilogy. Set in the medieval
realm of Tortall, this story takes place hundreds of years
before the appearance of Alanna. Beka Cooper, our heroine,
is a fierce young woman with a unique talent; she is a rookie
member of the Provost’s Guard, fighting crime in a world of
magic. This is the beginning of her legend.
Student
reviewer Aliya tells us about two books this month. Feud
(0385733232)
by Patricia Finney, writing as Grace Cavendish,
“is a delightful book…Lady Grace is secretly Her Majesty’s
Lady Persuivant [attendant], who solves some of the mysteries
at court. In Feud, a maid of honor (Carmina) falls
ill, and Grace suspects more than a stomach ache. Could someone
be trying to poison a maid of honor?” Aliya recommends this
book for girls aged ten to thirteen.
Little
Fur: The Legend Begins (0375838546)
by Isobelle Carmody “is about the young Elf-Troll,
Little Fur (hence the title), who, with her friends Sly, Ginger
and Crow, go on a dangerous journey…to save all trees, especially
the old ones, from the evil tree burners. Along the way Little
Fur meets new friends as well as new enemies. Little Fur is
a sweet book for anyone aged eight to eleven. Little Fur:
The Legend Begins is the first book in a series and is
sure to be magical.”
559 Main Street Winchester, MA
01890 (781) 721-5933
www.bookendswinchester.com M-F 9-8 Sat. 9-6 Sun 12-5
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