Archive for the ‘Books & Reading’ Category

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What is the NCN Book Club Reading in 2012?

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

After much spirited discussion, the NCN Book Club finalized our 2012 reading list last month.  Why don’t you read along with us?

The NCN Book Club 2012 Reading List

Title

 Author Genre Locale

The Buddha in the Attic

 Julie Otsuka Fiction USA

Peace Like a River

 Leif Enger Fiction Minnesota c. 1962

El Narco

 Ioan Grillo Non-Fiction Mexico

Still Life

 Louise Penny Mystery Quebec

Thinking Fast & Slow

 Daniel Kahneman Business  

City of Thieves

 David Benioff Fiction Leningrad during the siege

Warmth of Other  Suns

 Isabel Wilkerson Non-Fiction USA 1915-1970

The All of it

 Jeannette Haien Fiction Ireland

The Tiger

 John Vaillant Non-Fiction Russia

The Submission

 Amy Waldman Fiction Contemporary USA

Country of my Skull

 Antjie Krog Non-Fiction S. Africa

 

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Two Authors at NPL

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Robert Massie (Catherine the Great) and Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus) are the Salon@615 visiting authors at the Nashville Public Library this month.  

For more information about the Massie and Morgenstern events, click here.

Salon@615 is a partnership among Nashville Public Library, Humanities Tennessee, the Nashville Public Library Foundation, and Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

Authors visit the Main Library for a talk or reading followed by a book signing.

Past Salon@615 authors include: Hampton Sides, Jean Auel, Andrea Wulf, Erik Larson, Madison Smartt Bell, Meg Cabot, Will Kaufman, and Ann Patchett.

 

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Books From Santa

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Lots of books under the tree at #108! Here is what I’ll be reading over the next few months.

 

The Litigators by John Grisham

I’ve almost finished this one. Classic Grisham—underdog young lawyer triumphs over duplicitous colleagues and corporations.

 In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

A master of narrative nonfiction, Erik Larson (The Devil in the White City,) has written the story of American ambassador William Dodd and his family’s experiences in Berlin in 1933. 

 One Writer’s Garden:  Eudora Welty’s Home Place by Susan Haltom and Jane Roy Brown

In addition to a distinguished literary career, Welty was a passionate gardener. This beautifully illustrated book is interspersed with passages from Welty’s personal letters and unpublished writings.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Santa didn’t realize that I’d already read the latest Grafton! I think it is one of Grafton’s best Kinsey Millhone novels.

Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

Can’t wait to read the biography of Russia’s brilliant and ambitious empress by the author of Peter the Great and Nicholas and Alexandra.

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Jolly time on the Upper East Side

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Mild weather in NYC makes an afternoon on the Upper East Side even more delightful.

Mom & I both enjoyed the selections from Mr. L’s personal collection at the Neue Galerie.

Even better, a joyful hr spent in the excellent bookstore Crawford Doyle, 1082 Madison Ave –helpful staff & a thoughtfully curated selection of good books. Now how to squeeze the 4 books into my suitcase!

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Books To Give (or Keep!)

Saturday, November 26th, 2011

 

Yeah! The Holiday Gift Guide-Books was published in The New York Times  yesterday.

Sooooo many good reads, but here are a few I am considering as gifts or (more likely) for my own library!

FICTION

You Know When The Men Are Gone, a short story collection by Siobhan Fallon about military spouses.

The Tiger’s Wife, Tea Obreht’s debut novel about a politically unstable Balkan country.

NONFICTION

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family In Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson (Devil in the White City,)   a novelistic nonfiction account of  the experiences of the U.S. Ambasador to Berlin William Dodd & his family in 1933.

HOME

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, Michael Pollan’s updated manifesto.

The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How To Decorate & Live Well  by the founding editor  of the late lamented Domino magazine, Deborah Needleman.

COFFEE TABLE

Chicks With Guns, a self explanatory book of photographs whose title alone makes it worth a look!

Temples of Cambodia: The Heart Of Angkor, lush photographs, perfect for the traveler, armchair or otherwise.

 

 

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Deconstructing Books

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

It’s happening already.  Books are not yet extinct, but creative folks are developing new uses for these soon to be relics of another culture.

From Rebound Designs, I recently purchased a “book purse” for my niece made from a slightly worn hardback copy of Emma. (I was momentarily tempted by the bright orange copy of The Chicago Manual of Style,   but thought my niece would be less than enthusiastic. ) 

For do-it-yourselfers,  Lisa Occhipinti  offers step-by-step instructions for “33 craft projects that give old books new life”  in her book The Repurposed Library.  

Book destruction is not limited to the etsy crowd , “serious” artists are using books as canvas too.  Artist Kylie Stillman as seen in a recent ArtStormer post creates book sculptures from stacked books. 

Books torn asunder to make decorative objects  is still a bit creepy to a book lover such as myself , but the sheer creativity of the repurposing is intriguing.

What do you think? Is this a travesty or are you already reaching for your glue gun and that stack of old books ?

 

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Fall Book Preview -More

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

 

I love Fall– turtlenecks and  “serious” reading!  This Fall there are so many good books—I don’t know how I’m going to keep up!  In the meantime, here are two more promising Fall picks. 

 

 

Aravind Adiga  Last Man In Tower (September 20)

One of my favorite books of 2008 and a fav of my book club as well was The White Tiger, winner of the Man Booker Prize. In his latest book, Adiga turns his eye once again to contemporary India as  a ruthless real estate developer in Mumbai  trys to replace a modest residential building with fancy condos.

Robert K. Massie Catherine the Great (November)

Massie, winner of the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Peter the Great and author of Nicholas & Alexandra profiles another legendary Russian, Catherine the Great.

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Design*Sponge at Home

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

 

My copy of Grace Bonney’s new book, Design*Sponge at Home, arrived yesterday.  Gorgeous!!!

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Fall Books Preview

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

New releases from three popular authors.

Lisa Patton Yankee Doodle Dixie September 13

The further adventures of Leelee Satterfield, Patton’s perky heroine from her first novel, Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter.

Patton is speaking at the University Club in Nashville on Thursday, Oct 27th from 6-7 PM as part of the “Evening with an Author” series.  The evening is free and open to the public. Please send an email to eveningwithanauthor@yahoo.com to reserve your spot.

Michael Lewis Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World October 3 

Lewis’s new book promises to be another informative but highly readable book on what could be a mind-numbing subject –cheap credit and how it created a worldwide financial bubble. 

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot October 11

The author of Middlesex (winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize) and The Virgin Suicides is back with  the story of three recent college graduates in the early 1980s. Per Amazon review, “a delicious novel about modern love.” 

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Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Covers sell books. A good review, a friend’s recommendation, and previous experience with the author also influence my selection,  but an appealing front cover is an attraction.

But I don’t buy a book based solely on the cover art.  I read a few chapters before making my final decision.   

As with books so it is with houses.  You have to visit  the house to see if it’s right for you. “Covers”can be deceptive.

Case in point –4045 Vailwood.  A traditional exterior promises a traditional interior, or does it? 

 

Come experience this Green Hills knockout for yourself. Sunday, August 7th 2:00 to 4:00 PM

$749,000

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