And now a word from my mailbox. Here are the titles that I have received from publishers over the past few weeks. I am excited about each of these books and will be either reviewing or giving copies of them away in the weeks to come.
Getting In by Karen Stabiner
Voice/March 16, 2010/$14.99
404 pages
Q: What does a parent need to survive the college application process?
A. A sense of humor.
B. A therapist on 24-hour call.
C. A large bank balance.
D. All of the above.
Getting In is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else.
Getting In is a delightfully smart comedy of class and entitlement, of love and ambition, set in a world where a fat envelope from a top school matters more than anything . . . almost.
Saving Henry: A Mother's Journey by Laurie Strongin
Hyperion/March 2, 2010/$22.99
271 pages
Saving Henry is the eye-opening and inspiring story of how far a family will go to save the life of their child. Laurie Strongin's son Henry was born with a heart condition that was operable, but which proved to be a precursor for a rare, almost-always fatal illness: Fanconi anemia. Deciding to pursue every avenue that might provide a cure, Laurie and her husband signed on for a brand new procedure that combined in vitro fertilization with genetic testing to produce a baby without the disease, who could be a stem cell donor for Henry. As Laurie puts it: "I believe in love and science, nothing more and nothing less."
Laurie and her husband endured nine failed courses of the procedure before giving up. But Saving Henry is also about hope. It is the story of Henry, the feisty little boy who loved Batman, Cal Ripken Jr., and root beer-flavored anesthesia, and who captivated everyone with his spunk and positive attitude. When the nurses came to take blood samples, Henry brandished his toy sword and said, "Bring it on!" When he lost his hair after a chemo treatment, he declared, "Hey, I look like Michael Jordan!"
Laurie became a fervent advocate for stem cell research, working with policymakers and the scientific community to bring attention to Henry's case and to the groundbreaking research that could save many lives. Henry's courage and bravery inspired nurses, doctors, friends, and family. Saving Henry is the story of one family's search for a cure, and the long-lasting scientific impact their amazing little boy has had.
The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danzinger & Catherine Birndorf, M.D.
Voice/ March 2, 2010/$24.99
275 pages
What Room Are You In?
Ask any woman how she's feeling. Even when things look pretty darn great from the outside, chances are that at least one thing (and it may seem minor to others) is nagging at her, making her feel less than spectacular, bringing her down: I'm too fat. My husband doesn't help enough around the house. My friend is going to be mad if I don't call her back. Why don't my kids try harder at school? My job is less than inspiring. Whatever happened to that old boyfriend, the one who got away?
Whether it's the size of our thighs or our bank accounts, there always seems to be something that isn't measuring up to our high standards--and we let the dissatisfaction spill over into other areas of our lives, distracting us from taking pleasure in everything that's going right.
In The Nine Rooms of Happiness, Lucy Danziger, editor in chief of Self magazine, and women's-health psychiatrist Catherine Birndorf use the metaphor of a house to release us from this phenomenon. In this house, the living room is where we deal with friendships and our social life; the bedroom is where we explore intimacy, romance, relationships, and sex; the bathroom is for issues relating to health and body image; the kitchen is for nourishment and the division of chores; and so on.
Our "inner house" can have eight beautifully designed, neat and tidy rooms, and one messy one, and still we focus on the mess.
The Nine Rooms of Happiness pinpoints common self-destructive patterns of behavior and offers key processes that will help readers clean up their emotional architecture. After each room is "clean," Danziger and Birndorf show us how we can spend time on ourselves figuring out what is most meaningful to us--finding larger passion and purpose that makes returning to the rest of our house a pleasure, no matter what calamity or mess awaits.
The result? After reading this book you'll think differently about the things that are bringing you down and be able to live a happier, more joy filled life, in every room of your emotional house.
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
Center Street/February 15, 2010/$21.99
337 pages
*** Those of you who know me and know that I have been to Northern Ireland with Habitat for Humanity (to build houses in neighborhoods, where people from violently opposing political parties have agreed to integrate to promote peace) will not be surprised to find that I am dying to read this book (you can be sure this will be part of The Spring Challenge)!
THE YELLOW HOUSE delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20 century. Eileen O'Neill's family is torn apart by religious intolerance and secrets from the past. Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream. As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the very personal impact the conflict has had on her own life. She is soon torn between two men, each drawing her to one extreme. One is a charismatic and passionate political activist determined to win Irish independence from Great Britain at any cost, who appeals to her warrior's soul. The other is the wealthy and handsome black sheep of the pacifist family who owns the mill where she works, and whose persistent attention becomes impossible for her to ignore.
The Power of Half by Kevin Salwen and Hannah Salwen
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/February 10, 2010 /$24.00
242 pages
It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. "You know, Dad,” she said, pointing, “If that man had a less nice car, that manthere could have a meal.”
This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. “What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. “We are TOTALLY doing this.” Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens' journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more.
Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, THE POWER OF HALF is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.
She-Rain by Michael Cogdill
Morgan James Publishing/March 31,2010/$24.95
349 pages
In the early 20th Century, a pair of North Carolina mountain children sow the seed of a love that becomes their only solace in the world. They grow it off steep ground of poverty, ignorance and violence so hard, it can kill hope long before claiming life.
Bloodshed finally sends Frank Locke on the run, deep into wilderness, abandoning his extraordinary love, Mary Lizbeth. When a whitewater river washes this desperate boy into the hands of Sophia, he discovers a luminous young woman steeped in mystery, trapped in a tragically brilliant life. Far ahead of her time. Secreted from the world. As she awakens Frank’s mind, their souls rise to meet a love that binds three people for a lifetime.
This love triangle forms a beauty no one sees coming. From the wilds of Appalachia, crossing nearly a century, it runs deep into a lush American fortune, and lives in letters of adoration and hope of the least expected.
In a rhapsody of Southern voices, mingling hilarity and sorrow, She-Rain speaks of lives soaring beyond heartbreak, fundamentalism and self-destruction. Two women in love with one man ultimately prove the power of human hearts to answer high callings. They teach us all how to heal -- and thrive -- gracefully longing to the very end.
When Turtles Fly by Nikki Stone
Five Star Press/ January 26,2010/&17.95
383 pages
Did you know you have better odds at winning the lottery than an Olympic medal? To bring home one of those coveted medals--or achieve any great personal goal in life--you need a lot more than luck. You need a game plan.
What if you could learn the secrets of success from an Olympian? A Nobel Prize winner? A Fortune 500 CEO? Olympic gold medalist Nikki Stone has compiled a treasure trove of compelling stories to illustrate each step on the path to success. She's gathered humorous, heartwarming and hugely inspirational tales from some of today's most brilliant business leaders, scientists, soldiers, inventors, philanthropists, musicians, athletes and entrepreneurs...a host of people whose very names epitomize achievement. Winners such as: * Designer Tommy Hilfiger * Prince Albert of Monaco * X-Games& Olympic Champion Shaun White * NFL Quarterback Steve Young * Musician Jazz Branford Marsalis * Best-selling Author Dr. Stephen Covey * Olympic star Skiing Lindsey Vonn * Celebrity Chef Todd English * Venture Capitalist Leading Vinod Khosla * And many more successful greats.
Now an acclaimed motivational speaker and peak performance coach, author Nikki Stone helps people in all walks of life to overcome fears, failures and plateaus and realize their full potential. In this step-by-step guide to success, she and her team of high achievers share their stories about reaching for dreams...and grasping them. 25% of the author's net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
Roses by Leila Meacham (*** This is one of the book choices for the March reads for The Spring Book Challenge)
Grand Central Publishing/January 6, 2010/$24.99
609 pages
Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and children's children. With expert, unabashed, big-canvas storytelling, Roses covers a hundred years, three generations of Texans and the explosive combination of passion for work and longing for love.
Q & A...
photo from brocantehome.com
A little Thursday Q&A:
1.) What was the last thing you read (i.e. the newspaper, a chapter in a book, a magazine, etc.)?
2.) What books, if any, do you have on your nightstand right now?
3.) What is the book that you are dying to read?
My Answers:
1.) Three of the latest US Weeklys (I got my hair done today so I caught up on their gossipy magazines)
2.) The Crimson Petal and the White, A Homemade Life, and Made From Scratch (there are more, but i can't remember what they are and I can't see them from where I'm sitting.)
3.) Honestly, I'm really looking forward to reading either of the Katie Fforde books I checked out from the library. I'm in the mood for a little light chick-lit after some of these bricks I've been reading.
Your turn...