In her 2003 novel Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood describes a future after humanity had been almost entirely wiped out by a plague. Jimmy, aka Snowman, lives...
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Half Broke Horses is Jeannette Walls interpretation of the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. She calls it a true-life novel as the story is told from the perspective of Lily herself and some of the details are intuited rather then factual. This adds to the story rather than detracting from it as it contributes depth and fleshes out the story. Its a grand story of a woman who lived life large. Lily was a tough, smart, outspoken, and resourceful woman who lived through floods, tornadoes, marriage to a crumb-bum husband, and selling bootleg booze to support her family. She never apologized for who she was or for doing what she believed was right.
I immediately liked Lily Casey Smith and wanted to keep reading to see what would become of her. Her utter frankness was humorous and her ability to pull herself up by her bootstraps admirable. The western landscape is a major character with its droughts, floods, canyons, and plains. The writing is beautifully descriptive yet the conversation and people are authentically captured as well. Half Broke Horses is a well-written, entertaining, easy read!
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This is Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of leaving the rat race in Hollywood to open a bakery in Vermont. It comes complete with the usual funny mishaps and quirky characters. I think what I liked best about this book is Gesine herself. Far from the fat, jolly baker, she is impatient, caustic and sometimes not too sure she actually likes people all that much. What she does like is baking. She lives and breathes it, obsessing over the perfect cherry pie or macaroon. Opening a bakery she learns she can love people from afar with her beautiful pastries.
I really love that Gesine is not the typical baker. Somehow her tart personality perfectly balances out all the sweetness of the book. The recipes recipes, like Espresso Cheesecake and Raspberry Meringues are creative yet accessible to the home cook.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
At Home on Ladybug Farm continues the adventures of Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget as they try to turn their run-down estate in the Shenandoah Valley into a home. They have plenty of adventures from sheep shearing and an invasion of 144 chicks to barn fires that lead to discovering hidden treasures. Along the way they learn a few life lessons and help a few people along. Cici's daughter, Lori has moved in with the three women and her youthful exuberance and naivete are a nice balance in this book.
In addition, there are frequent flashbacks through out the book telling the story of the house's history. It was a nice touch to learn the details of the house's past and then be able to anticipate the moment when the women would discover the truth through some happy accidnt. The historical perspective added a nice dimension.
I enjoyed A Year on Ladybug Farm very much and At Home on Ladybug Farm was a nice follow up. I was happy to be able to catch up with Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget as well as Noah, Ida Mae and others. It's a warm, generous book filled with good humor. I hope there are more in the series to come!
In The Vintage Caper Peter Mayle brings back Sam Levitt, the charming and irascible crook turned PI from Anything Considered. Elena, Sam's beautiful but cantankerous ex, is in a bind. The insurance company she works for will have to pay out on a multimillion dollar claim unless the vintage wines stolen from their client can be found. Sam is a natural for the job, a wine connoisseur who also happens to be a private investigator.
The plot of The Vintage Caper is disappointingly predictable and bland. A few more twists and surprises would have livened things up. However, you don't read Peter Mayle for plot, you read for the gorgeous descriptions of gourmet meals, rare wines, beautiful scenery, and the playful, sparkling dialogue between characters. As always, the characters themselves are pitch perfect - charming rogues and smart, beautiful women whose company you will enjoy. Reading this book is like taking a lovely, relaxing and fun-filled vacation to France. If you liked Peter Mayle's other novels you will surely enjoy this one.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Possibility of Everything is Hope Edelman's story of healing her broken family in the jungles of Belize. The problems manifest themselves as Dodo, a violent, imaginary friend her 3 year old daughter conjures up. Along the path of ridding the family of Dodo's disruptive and troubling presence many other troubles surface and are healed. Hope talks a lot of her deep sadness over losing her mother at a young age and of the disconnectedness in having a husband who loves his family, but remains distant. In Hollywood these issues all seem compounded, but in Belize they are slowly remedied sometimes by mystical shamans, sometimes by the openness and freedom they find there.
Hope's writing is beautiful - lyrical and flowing. She really has an amazing way of putting words together that makes her book gorgeous to listen to. She reads the audio version herself. At first I had a hard time getting into her reading style, but part way through she falls into a smooth rhythm that I really enjoyed. Overall I I found this to be very worth listening to. The story itself is an interesting glimpse into to very different ways of life and into what lengths a mother will go to to help her child.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
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Denise Morland has commented on (105) products.
Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
Denise Morland, October 31, 2009
Half Broke Horses is Jeannette Walls interpretation of the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. She calls it a true-life novel as the story is told from the perspective of Lily herself and some of the details are intuited rather then factual. This adds to the story rather than detracting from it as it contributes depth and fleshes out the story. Its a grand story of a woman who lived life large. Lily was a tough, smart, outspoken, and resourceful woman who lived through floods, tornadoes, marriage to a crumb-bum husband, and selling bootleg booze to support her family. She never apologized for who she was or for doing what she believed was right.I immediately liked Lily Casey Smith and wanted to keep reading to see what would become of her. Her utter frankness was humorous and her ability to pull herself up by her bootstraps admirable. The western landscape is a major character with its droughts, floods, canyons, and plains. The writing is beautifully descriptive yet the conversation and people are authentically captured as well. Half Broke Horses is a well-written, entertaining, easy read!
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Confections of a Closet Master Baker: One Woman's Sweet Journey from Unhappy Hollywood Executive to Contented Country Baker by Gesin Bullock Prado
Denise Morland, October 28, 2009
This is Gesine Bullock-Prado's memoir of leaving the rat race in Hollywood to open a bakery in Vermont. It comes complete with the usual funny mishaps and quirky characters. I think what I liked best about this book is Gesine herself. Far from the fat, jolly baker, she is impatient, caustic and sometimes not too sure she actually likes people all that much. What she does like is baking. She lives and breathes it, obsessing over the perfect cherry pie or macaroon. Opening a bakery she learns she can love people from afar with her beautiful pastries.I really love that Gesine is not the typical baker. Somehow her tart personality perfectly balances out all the sweetness of the book. The recipes recipes, like Espresso Cheesecake and Raspberry Meringues are creative yet accessible to the home cook.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
At Home on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Denise Morland, October 28, 2009
At Home on Ladybug Farm continues the adventures of Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget as they try to turn their run-down estate in the Shenandoah Valley into a home. They have plenty of adventures from sheep shearing and an invasion of 144 chicks to barn fires that lead to discovering hidden treasures. Along the way they learn a few life lessons and help a few people along. Cici's daughter, Lori has moved in with the three women and her youthful exuberance and naivete are a nice balance in this book.In addition, there are frequent flashbacks through out the book telling the story of the house's history. It was a nice touch to learn the details of the house's past and then be able to anticipate the moment when the women would discover the truth through some happy accidnt. The historical perspective added a nice dimension.
I enjoyed A Year on Ladybug Farm very much and At Home on Ladybug Farm was a nice follow up. I was happy to be able to catch up with Cici, Lindsay, and Bridget as well as Noah, Ida Mae and others. It's a warm, generous book filled with good humor. I hope there are more in the series to come!
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle
Denise Morland, October 21, 2009
In The Vintage Caper Peter Mayle brings back Sam Levitt, the charming and irascible crook turned PI from Anything Considered. Elena, Sam's beautiful but cantankerous ex, is in a bind. The insurance company she works for will have to pay out on a multimillion dollar claim unless the vintage wines stolen from their client can be found. Sam is a natural for the job, a wine connoisseur who also happens to be a private investigator.The plot of The Vintage Caper is disappointingly predictable and bland. A few more twists and surprises would have livened things up. However, you don't read Peter Mayle for plot, you read for the gorgeous descriptions of gourmet meals, rare wines, beautiful scenery, and the playful, sparkling dialogue between characters. As always, the characters themselves are pitch perfect - charming rogues and smart, beautiful women whose company you will enjoy. Reading this book is like taking a lovely, relaxing and fun-filled vacation to France. If you liked Peter Mayle's other novels you will surely enjoy this one.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman
Denise Morland, October 21, 2009
The Possibility of Everything is Hope Edelman's story of healing her broken family in the jungles of Belize. The problems manifest themselves as Dodo, a violent, imaginary friend her 3 year old daughter conjures up. Along the path of ridding the family of Dodo's disruptive and troubling presence many other troubles surface and are healed. Hope talks a lot of her deep sadness over losing her mother at a young age and of the disconnectedness in having a husband who loves his family, but remains distant. In Hollywood these issues all seem compounded, but in Belize they are slowly remedied sometimes by mystical shamans, sometimes by the openness and freedom they find there.Hope's writing is beautiful - lyrical and flowing. She really has an amazing way of putting words together that makes her book gorgeous to listen to. She reads the audio version herself. At first I had a hard time getting into her reading style, but part way through she falls into a smooth rhythm that I really enjoyed. Overall I I found this to be very worth listening to. The story itself is an interesting glimpse into to very different ways of life and into what lengths a mother will go to to help her child.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
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