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    Archive for the ‘American Saturday’ Category

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    American Saturdays Book News: The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

    Posted on Saturday, December 11th, 2010 by Danielle

    As you all know, I’m a huge fan of David Levithan and his writing. His work with Rachel Cohn on Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares was superb and ever since completing that novel I’ve been dying to read anything else by him that I could get my hands on. Well, I recently learned that he has a new adult fiction novel coming out in January, the 4th to be exact, titled The Lover’s Dictionary and I can hardly wait! Not only is it his writing, but the topic I’m really looking forward to diving into. I’m a huge lover of words and the stories behind them, so this is bound to be an excellent read. Let me know what you think…

    basis, n.

    There has to be a moment at the beginning when you wonder whether you’re in love with the person or in love with the feeling of love itself.

    If the moment doesn’t pass, that’s it—you’re done. And if the moment does pass, it never goes that far. It stands in the distance, ready for whenever you want it back. Sometimes it’s even there when you thought you were searching for something else, like an escape route, or your lover’s face.

    How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary has constructed the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being within a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

    Posted in 2011 Releases, American Saturday, Book News | No Comments »

    American Saturdays Book Review: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

    Posted on Saturday, December 4th, 2010 by Danielle

    “I’ve left some clues for you.
    If you want them, turn the page.
    If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

    So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

    Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

    (more…)

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book Reviews, Rating: 5/5 | 10 Comments »

    American Saturdays Book News: There’s Cake in My Future by Kim Gruenenfelder

    Posted on Saturday, December 4th, 2010 by Danielle

    Out December 21st There’s Cake in My Future by author Kim Gruenenfelder sounds hilarious! I’d never heard of such a thing as a “cake pull”, but after reading the synopsis it sounds like something I may have to try on future friends’ bridal and baby showers. I’m definitely looking forward to this new release by the author who also wrote Misery Loves Cabernet and A Total Waste of Makeup!

    After listening to her closest friends’ latest travails in love, parenting, and careers, superstitious bride-to-be Nicole (Nic) believes she has the perfect recipe for everyone’s happiness: a bridal shower “cake pull” in which each ribboned silver charm planted in her cake will bring its recipient the magical assistance she needs to change her destiny. Melissa (Mel), still ringless after dating the same man for six years, deserves the engagement ring charm. The red hot chili pepper would be perfect for Seema, who is in love with her best male friend Scott, but can’t seem to make their relationship more than platonic. And recently laid off journalist Nic wants the shovel, which symbolizes hard work, to help her get her career back on track. Nic does everything she can to control who gets which silver keepsake – as well as the future it represents. But when the charmed cake is mysteriously shifted from the place settings Nic arranged around it, no one gets the charm she chose for them. And when the other party guests’ fortunes begin coming true, Mel, Seema, and Nic can’t help but wonder…. Is the cake trying to tell them something?

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book News | 1 Comment »

    American Saturdays Book News: Sleeping Arrangements by Madeleine Wickham

    Posted on Saturday, November 27th, 2010 by Danielle

    Another of Madeleine Wickham’s (aka Sophie Kinsella) fun and brilliant novels is out in paperback here in the the US on November 30 and I can’t wait to read it! Sleeping Arrangements sounds like the perfect read for the holidays with a bit of a mix up of the character’s rooms on their own holiday. I’m a huge fan of Kinsella’s writing as Wickham so this is a definite for me. What about you?

    Chloe needs a holiday. Her partner, Philip, has troubles at work, and the whole family wants a break. Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife, Amanda, seems more interested in her new kitchen than in him—and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he’ll have a chance to bond with them on holiday…

    When the two families arrive at a villa in Spain for their respective vacations, they all get a shock—it has been double-booked. An uneasy week of sharing begins, and tensions mount in the soaring heat. But the temperature isn’t solely to blame: What no one else realizes is that Chloe and Hugh have a history—and that the “accidental” overlap might not have been so accidental after all…

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book News | 1 Comment »

    American Saturdays Book Reviews: Don’t Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

    Posted on Saturday, November 20th, 2010 by Danielle

    As devoted readers of Adriana Trigiani’s New York Times bestselling novels know, this “seemingly effortless storyteller” (Boston Globe) frequently draws inspiration from her own family history, in particular from the lives of her two remarkable grandmothers, who have found their way into all Trigiani’s cherished novels. In Don’t Sing at the Table, this much-beloved writer has gathered their estimable life lessons, revealing how her grandmothers’ simple values have shaped her own life, sharing the experiences, humor, and wisdom of her beloved mentors to delight readers of all ages.

    Lucia Spada Bonicelli (Lucy) and Yolanda Perin Trigiani (Viola) lived through the twentieth century from beginning to end as working women who juggled careers and motherhood. From the factory line to the family table, Lucy and Viola, the very definition of modern women, cut a path for their granddaughter by demonstrating moxie and pluck in their fearless approach to life, love, and overcoming obstacles.

    Lucy’s and Viola’s traditions and spiritual fortitude will encourage you to hold on to the values that make life rich and beautiful. Their entrepreneurial spirit will inspire you to take risks and reap the rewards. And their remarkable resilience in the face of tragedy will be a source of strength and comfort.

    Trigiani visits the past to seek answers to the essential questions that define the challenges women face today at work and at home. This is a primer, grand-mother to granddaughter, filled with everyday wisdom and life lessons that are truly “tiramisu for the soul” (The Examiner), handed down with care and built to last.

    (more…)

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book Reviews, Rating: 4/5 | No Comments »

    American Saturdays Book News: The Long Road Home by Mary Alice Monroe

    Posted on Saturday, November 20th, 2010 by Danielle

    Out this month, The Long Road Home by Mary Alice Monroe is a book that caught my eye just by looking at the stunning cover. Knowing that this is a novel by Mary Alice Monroe is enough to make me interested beyond the cover, but the synopsis makes this a stunning read. Take a look at let me know what you think!

    Her husband’s suicide left Nora MacKenzie alone, and his shady Wall Street dealings left the Manhattan socialite penniless. By a miracle she’s held on to their mountainside farm—and she’ll keep holding on, no matter what. The property is Nora’s one chance to wring some dignity out of the sham she’s been living.

    The Vermont locals think she’s a city girl on a nature kick, but she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty. Nora’s serious about learning the farming business…if she can figure out where to begin. Against the locals’ skepticism, she has only one ally: Charles “C.W.” Walker.

    C.W. is hardworking, gentle with the animals and a patient teacher of the hundreds of chores Nora needs to learn. Slowly she starts to believe she’ll survive in her new life, even flourish. She might even be willing to open her heart again. But she won’t return to a life of lies…and the truth about C.W. may be more than Nora’s fragile heart can bear.

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book News | No Comments »

    American Saturdays ‘Not Exactly Chick Lit But…’: Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

    Posted on Saturday, November 20th, 2010 by Danielle

    ‘Not Exactly Chick Lit But…’ is a new feature on Chick Lit Reviews highlighting some books that are not exactly Chick Lit (hence the title) but that our Chick Lit readers will probably enjoy! Let me know if there’s a book you would suggest for our new feature!

    As someone who has been a fan of Portia de Rossi since her time on Ally McBeal I’m absolutely intrigued about her recently released book, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain. It’s somewhat of a memoir so it could quite possibly qualify as Chick Lit, though the topic she discusses is far from light and fun. I’m really looking forward to reading about her journey and wonder if this might be something our readers might be interested in seeing a review for? Read the synopsis and let me know! I may just review it if enough of you are interested!

    “I didn’t decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible was a way to make the job of being an actress easier . . .”

    Portia de Rossi weighed only 82 pounds when she collapsed on the set of the Hollywood film in which she was playing her first leading role. This should have been the culmination of all her years of hard work—first as a child model in Australia, then as a cast member of one of the hottest shows on American television. On the outside she was thin and blond, glamorous and successful. On the inside, she was literally dying.

    In this searing, unflinchingly honest book, Portia de Rossi captures the complex emotional truth of what it is like when food, weight, and body image take priority over every other human impulse or action. She recounts the elaborate rituals around eating that came to dominate hours of every day, from keeping her daily calorie intake below 300 to eating precisely measured amounts of food out of specific bowls and only with certain utensils. When this wasn’t enough, she resorted to purging and compulsive physical exercise, driving her body and spirit to the breaking point.

    Even as she rose to fame as a cast member of the hit television shows Ally McBeal and Arrested Development, Portia alternately starved herself and binged, all the while terrified that the truth of her sexuality would be exposed in the tabloids. She reveals the heartache and fear that accompany a life lived in the closet, a sense of isolation that was only magnified by her unrelenting desire to be ever thinner. With the storytelling skills of a great novelist and the eye for detail of a poet, Portia makes transparent as never before the behaviors and emotions of someone living with an eating disorder.

    From her lowest point, Portia began the painful climb back to a life of health and honesty, falling in love with and eventually marrying Ellen DeGeneres, and emerging as an outspoken and articulate advocate for gay rights and women’s health issues. In this remarkable and beautifully written work, Portia shines a bright light on a dark subject. A crucial book for all those who might sometimes feel at war with themselves or their bodies, Unbearable Lightness is a story that inspires hope and nourishes the spirit.

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Not Exactly Chick Lit But | 1 Comment »

    American Saturdays Book News: The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts

    Posted on Saturday, November 13th, 2010 by Danielle

    I’m absolutely in love with this cover! It may have to do with the fact that I love snow globes when they’re done right, not that I want dozens floating around the house, but the occasional few can be quite beautiful. Not only does the cover of Shelia Roberts The Snow Globe look perfect for the holidays, so does the synopsis. A perfect Christmas miracle brought in the form of a snow globe. It sounds delightful! This is definitely making my list this season! Take a look and let me know what you think…

    Discover an unforgettable holiday treasure in Sheila Roberts’ heartwarming tale of love and laughter, magic and miracles, friendship and coming home…

    On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe. “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her. The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas. When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living. For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

    Kiley could use a miracle herself. This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love. A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kylie shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends—two women with problems of their own—they don’t believe it. But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

    Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book News | 3 Comments »

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