2014 Summer Reading List

As of late, the posts have been all about baking. Time to fix that and so here it is, another summer reading list. The thing is, I've had a bit of a dry-spell, a reader's block (I swear, it's a real thing). There is no rhyme or reason to these choices, a mix of the books I have on my nightstand already and those in my GoodReads queue that stood out.

First, The Matisse Stories by A.S. Byatt. I very much enjoyed Possession and Angels and Insects, but the former is a dense terribly clever read while the latter is, well, you'd have to read it. The Matisse Stories are mercifully brief, less than 200 pages, three short stories about women, the book threaded together by references to the said artist.

The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell, awesome title, right? It's about a pig. It's Irish. If I end up loving it, the book is a part of The Pig Trilogy.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. The book is about Earnest Hemingway and his wife Hadley during the Paris years paling around with the Lost Generation posse. I know very little about Hemingway and A Farewell to Arms might be the only one of his books I actually read, an oversight, clearly. Though I usually gravitate to more wacky book choices rather than historical ones, this will be a nice change of pace (and I already have it, thought I cannot say with any certainty where I got it).

The Cuckoo's Calling by the writer that shall not be named. The Casual Vacancy was a little tough for me, the writing was excellent, of course, but the topics the book tackled were difficult at best (some pages still haunt me). I expect this will be very different still and I have been curious to read it for a while but never quite got to it.

Jasper Fforde never fails to deliver an alternate reality that makes perfect sense: why couldn't you jump into fiction? Of course color-spectrum-perception determines the social pecking order! His Dragonslayer series are not quite so far fetched, it's just about the shortage of magic. The Eye of Zoltar, the final Dragonslayer book just came out (at least on this side of the Atlantic), so naturally it makes the cut for my summer reading.





Here are book picks from the years past - what are you reading these days?

2013 Summer Reading
2012 Summer Reading
Winter List
Other picks worth a look

Summer Reading List

It is already mid-July and I am yet to post about summer reads! A perfect summer read is a tricky balance, nothing so raw that it haunts you for days. And nothing so frivolous that you feel slightly more stupid for having read it. Here is what's on my list this summer, a few tried and true authors from across the pond and a couple new ones.

Remember Gosford Park? Like Downton Abbey? Then give Julian Fellowes' novels a try. His novel Snobs is chock full of traditional snobbery but set in modern time. His second book, Past Imperfect, is patiently waiting on my nighttable for attention.

Alan Bennett is a master of taking a perfectly absurd situation and treating it as if it is quite normal. I enjoyed  The Clothes They Stood Up In (a middle aged affluent couple finds their stuffy home robbed down to the toilet paper roll) and loved Uncommon Reader (Her Royal Majesty takes up common hobby of reading). Best of all, his books are diminutive in size without giving up any depth. I am very much looking forward to stories in The Laying On of Hands.

I will read just about anything Jasper Fforde writes because it is a mad jumble of genres sprinkled with wordplay which all, somehow, work. If summer is long enough I will be reading either his Shades of Gray (NOT to be confused with the smutty one, this is about strange future society where social standing is determined by ability to perceive colors)...

or Fforde's Dragonslayer series about modern day society where over-regulated magic falls on hard times.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand was suggested and kindly loaned to me by a friend and I am nearly finished. The book is touching, it is about finding friends late in life when one who isn't foolish judges people for their essence. The author has succeeded in teaching this lesson as with every chapter one grows attached to characters often in spite of oneself.

I am not particularly proud of this one. But there is only so many times a girl can re-read P&P. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is not going to win prizes for the quality of writing but it feeds the fleeting fantasy of falling through the Regency rabbit hole. Enjoy this one by the pool with a spritzy drink.

If you are headed to New England this summer, grab a copy of Olive Kitteridge on your way. The book of short stories set in a small Maine town are connected by a thread of Olive Kitteridge, at times abrasive but very human. Unlike frothy Jane Austen Addict, this is a more melancholy read suitable for the coast of Maine if not Miami Beach.

What are you reading this summer?

July: Subversive Picks From Placid Suburbs

Call them irreverent or maybe slightly naughty. Here are some things that have been on my mind as of late.

First this jar from Jonathan Adler. Trust me, that's not the cheekiest pick in this pottery collection. And if I need to explain to you what dolls are, than you need to look for "Valley of the Dolls."

I am thinking for bobby pins on the dresser -- or paper clips at the office.

No offense to fans, but I will not be reading Fifty Shades of Gray. Ever. But if you are looking for a subversive read this summer, Arthur Schnitzler is your guy. Schnitzler is closely linked with Freud and his books were torched in 1930s. Naturally he wrote in German. His writing is just as shocking today as it was nearly a century later. Remember Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut? Yes, that one is based on Schnitzler too.

Hands Around (Reigen) A slim volume is a series of ten dialogues, making a full circle.

I am a big fan of Mrs. Lilian's unapologetically decadent blog - and her bright cheery designs. Her recently released Cocktail Swatchbook quickly landed on my Amazon wish list because it is ever so cool and easy to follow even after your second cocktail. Don't be surprised to find one in your stocking this season, my boozy friends.

Mojitos and Juleps and Cosmos, oh my.

You might also like May's bookish selections and June's summer favorites.

June: Summer on My Mind

Summer, sweet summer. I have been so preoccupied that I have quite neglected Klatch. So time to make up with June picks filled with summer memories.

For starters watermelons, the bright red ripe goodness. To this day I remember my cousin, seven or eight at the time, slinking away from the kitchen table after one too many slices and trotting towards the lavatory. Only this year, for the very first time, did I attempt to elevate watermelon to new heights.

Turns out a splash of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, black pepper, and some chopped basil turn watermelon into summer party worthy side dish. Many recipes call for mint by the way, which does sound so very refreshing, but there is no mint to be had in my scrappy little herb garden so Basil genovese it was. Grapefruit chunks added a nice burst of acidity. Don't believe me? Check out this watermelon salad from Marcus Samuelsson.



The Merchant's Wife - 1918 painting by Boris Kustodiev

 Around here we are fond of books, reading them and about them. And summer books are like a burst of warm moist air that hits you when you leave air conditioned building. Sure, you could stick with tried and true, like Georgette Heyer. Or you could try Jasper Fforde poolside. Fforde's Thursday Next saga is terribly clever, with word play and books within book references. A book lover's book. Where else does a heroine befriend generic characters, hop around literary classics (in them that is), and has a kid fluent in Lorem Ipsum? Check it out.



The Well of Lost Plots - this one was one of my favorites! Thursday Next hangs out in the well of Unpublished Books, fights grammasites and eavesdrops on gossip about Anna Karenina.


Lastly, let me leave you with a wine pick. Vino Verde, usually Portuguese, isn't a serious wine, it is crispy and effervescent. Perfect just out of the fridge, a bust of freshness on a hot day. And at $6-7 a pop, surly you cannot afford NOT to stock up. Gazela or Casal Garcia are sure picks (despite the garish labels).

Chilled on its own or with food, crisp and refreshing.

• Check out other wine picks

May:Bookish Picks

I love books, is it not obvious? So May's picks are about books of all different kinds.


First, of course we must mention The Wild Things. Even with a twinge of sadness, it is magical.  There is a version read by the author on B&N Storytime. Good-bye, Maurice Sendak.

My other favorite is In The Night Kitchen.

Onto cookbooks. I've been pondering BabyCakes from Erin McKenna - cupcakes and cookies, gluten-free and mostly vegan. But more about that later this month.

Xanthan Gum has firmly established itself in my vocabulary

I am about half-way through E.F. Benson's Queen Lucia. Setting: Provincial English town between the two World Wars. Cast of characters includes a Guru/Curry Cook, an opera diva, and brash sisters Ursy and Hermy. It is hilarious, get your free e-copy from Gutenberg!

Lastly, I ran across DailyLit website that delivers books, mostly free, into your inbox or reader in itty-bitty chunks. Perhaps it is time to tackle Proust after all.


More of my book picks are here

Guilty-Pleasure Books

I would like to be the person that reads Proust for pleasure. But most days meaningful reading is out of the question. So I find myself on a quest for easy reads that one would not be embarrassed to hold in public or mortified to read in private (my self-esteem is still recovering from reading the first 50 pages of smutty The Other Boylen Girl). Think Pride & Prejudice and Cold Comfort Farm.

Then I found Georgette Heyer. The Grand Sophy was my gateway book. Regency Buck, The Corinthian, and Arabella followed, each with a decisive and eligible heros and heroines full of pluck What the books lack in originality of plot, they make up for in delicious twists and turns of Regency courting. Historic accuracy and correct language keep her books on the right side of tawdry.

Though Ms. Heyer was prolific, the search for more light reads continues. Next on my list are Lucia & Mapp.

Other book posts you might like:

• Books on my Nightstand 
• Uncommonly Charming Book

January Assortment: From Downton to Heirlooms

Last time I wrote about an assortment of topics I had a pretty good time of it. So here is a January medley.

First, BBC’s Downton Abbey and very good it is. If you are not watching it yet, you should. It is full of drama for a thinking person (I mean you have to vaguely understand entailed property) not to mention the best zingers delivered by Dame Maggie Smith ("Do you think she’s mad, ill, or working for the Russians?").

I snagged this screengrab from PBS

This brings me to Julian Fellow's Snobs - anyone who enjoys Downton will LOVE this book. It is a delightful and frothy tale of British aristocracy but set in modern time. Julian Fellows is known for authoring Gosford Park but is rapidly becoming the "guy who wrote Downton Abbey."

Which brings me to Helen Frankenthaler who passed away just a few weeks ago.  No, no relation to other topics. Not only is her art important, but it is beautiful (there is a difference, you know). Frankenthaler worked with the likes of Jackson Pollock and poured thinned paint on canvas to create her works.

This work "Spiritualist" by Frankenthaler from 1973 hangs at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Final topic is tomatoes.  Heirloom tomatoes to be specific.  Buoyed by last year's gardening success (to my intense surprise I ended up with a crop of herbs from seed) I am keen to get started and patiently await my catalogue from Rare Seeds.  If you know anything about growing tomatoes in suburban yard or what heirlooms to choose, do get in touch.

With any luck in six months I will have my own crop of lovely tomatoes.

Iggy, Lemony, and Book Worm

Our self-proclaimed kids books month is coming to an end and it’s been loads of fun. There are just a few more books that I wanted to spotlight.

Leslie (who knows a thing or two about what preschool set likes) wrote about her favorite book "Bringing the Rain To Kapiti Plain", written by Verna Aardema. “It's a rhyming story about a young boy in Africa who ends a drought and saves his animals. The pictures are beautiful. I first heard it narrated by James Earl Jones on Reading Rainbow when I was in preschool, and it really has been my favorite book ever since!”

Dina shared many gems but then she remembered a few other favorites and they are fine choices:

Roald Dahl The BFG (Big Friendly Giant who does not appear F at first)

Matilda is another one of Dina’s favorites by Dahl.

Dina also confessed an addiction to the The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Things go from bad to worse for the Baudelaire children. These books are the antidote to any cloying syrupy children’s tales and neo-Victorian sensibility is majorly cool.

For my part I have mentioned the globe-trotting rodent Dodsworth and the cast of characters from Scandinavia. There are a few more honorable mentions.  Iggy Pack Architect by Andrea Beaty is about a creative kid Iggy who builds out of someone unconventional materials. Iggy’s parents are supportive but he is at the crossroads when his teacher does not share his passion. Amazing illustrations are by David Roberts.

Oliver Jeffers is another favorite irreverent author. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy is about a child who takes devouring books a little too literally.

There will be many more kids books posts in the future but for now the first kids books month is officially closed!

For The Pookie Set

October is flying by and wanted to make sure and fit in at least a couple more posts on favorite kids books. Today’s picks are for the tiniest readers.  
Dwell Farm book with wooly sheep is so pretty! 

Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb (dum ditty dum ditty dum ditty dum) – my friend Avi suggested this one, a favorite with his son Baby Ez.

Anything by Sandra Boyton! I can recite Belly Button Book in my sleep!

Another favorite from Sandra Boyton is Little Pookie – “What’s wrong little Pookie, your bright eyes are wet. Come over and tell me why are you upset.”

More to come and here are some other picks you might like:

• Wild Things read by the author
• Moomins and other Scandinavian picks
• Cake-loving Bunny

Online Storytime

We try to read to kids as much as we can, re-reading our favorites and now trying to make our way through our first true chapter book (Moomins!). But sometimes you just don’t have enough hours in the day. What if you could occupy your spun in a constructive way and buy yourself some time to pack lunches/respond to an after-hours work email/catch up on Huff Post? Interested? Read on.



B&N Storytime is awesome. Authors themselves (and some celebrities) read kids books. B&N adds a new book each month. Right now there are fewer than twenty choices but they are all solid favorites – Pinkalicious, Splat the Cat, Where the Wild Things Are. Yes, they are marketing books, but is it really the worst thing if your kid begs for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?

Another place for online story time is Storyline Online. Screen Actors Guild members read kids books, putting their acting prowess into the reading. When Pigasso Met Mootisse was our favorite! Sean Austin (one of the Hobbits) reads A Bad Case of Stripes. Other readers include Al Gore, Amber Rose Tamblyn, and Betty White.

We Give Books is a neat take on literacy and philanthropy. The program was created by the good folks at Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation. For each digital book you read, a book will be donated to one of the leading literacy groups.

The last pick is from the Library of Congress. Digitized books from around 1900s have amazing illustrations!

More picks to come later this week!

The Other Dodsworth

This post isn't about Sinclair Lewis' Dodsworth (which I've promptly added to my own to-read list). Today's pick is from my older son, four-year old Binka.  The book series are about the other Dodsworth, a world-travelling rodent with a crazy duck in tow. The pair hits NYC, then sails for Paris, crosses the channel in style via air balloon.

There is a lot to love. The odd pair tries their hand at delivering baguettes in Paris, meets a royal Oxford-educated duck in London, bickers as any travel companions, but generally the two enjoy each other's company.   Binka agrees "I like the duck because he is naughty and gets in trouble.  He makes airplanes our of Euros."

Next stop for Dodsworth and duck is Rome, we are all hoping Santa brings it to us. 

I leave you with the timeless words from the Crazy Duck himself: "Fluffy pancakes in the air. Pancakes, pancakes everywhere!"

You might also like:

• Karlsson and Moomin books
• Owl Babies and Blueberries for Sal
• Jabberwocky and Cake-Loving Bunny

The Poop List

We've been talking a lot about favorite kids books. But then there are books that make us cringe. My friend L cannot stand Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi and that book inspired the Poop List.

D has many excellent book recommendations but the English Roses by Madonna are not a favorite.

My husband D dislikes anything Caillou. “He is an insipid little do-gooder. No four-year old is that well behaved.”

B says Arthur books are on his Poop List – “he bothers me.” And what is Arthur anyways? In case you are wondering if he is a rat or a hampster, he is neither, he is an aardvark.

I know it has many fans but reading Are You My Mother? ranks on my list somewhere between cleaning the baseboards and sitting in a dental chair. And how do you explain to your kid where the deadbeat daddy bird is?

Another one that gets my goat is Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel. The book has its following, including in my own household but I despise reading it.

What books make your Poop List?

Favorite Books: Dina's List

Did you enjoy Cactus Hotel from Eve and Betty Bunny from Shannon? Today I am sharing my friend Dina’s picks. Dina has impeccab le taste and over the years has introduced us to some favorites (including Tomten!). When I mentioned the month devoted to children’s books, Dina rattled off some of her favorites:

Dina’s first pick is Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. She liked it for “the fun of the voices you can do and the cuteness of the stories.” I initially thought that Sal was a boy (and the cover did not indicate otherwise!). Alas Sal is a little girl that follows a mother bear in the Maine woods while picking blueberries. Perfect for the next trip to Southwest Harbor, no?

Owl Babies is about little fluffy birdies worrying about their owl mom. 

is about little fluffy birdies worrying about their owl mom.

Another recommendation featuring an owl, albeit a less likable one, is Poppy. The book’s hero is a brave mouse and it is an epic story with a dash of romance for good measure. These series are for the set who are a few years out of Pre-K.

Another beautifully illustrated pick is Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes. Here is a delicious sampling:

Oh my goodness, oh my dear

Sassafras and ginger beer

Chocolate cake and apple punch

I'm too full to eat my lunch!

Terrier or possibly mutt Harry Maclary hails from New Zealand. Harry Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy is the first book in the series by Lynley Dodd. The cast of characters includes dachund Schnitzel von Krumm, Dalmatian Bottomley Potts, and a sheepdog Muffin McClay.

Dina also suggested Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. This book is about a china rabbit of uncommon depth (especially for a porcelain figurine). The rabbit is lost and in his travels discovers a lot about life.

This is a gentle book about all the places and all the people with wonderful landscaples.

Dina said “anything by Peter Sìs.” The Amazon delivered search results that included The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain, The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin, and Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei. I was impressed. But there were also simple and gorgeous Dinosaur and Fire Truck.

Thanks Dina! A few more of her recommendations are coming later this month.