'Drop Dead Healthy'

I've been a fan of A. J. Jacobs ever since I read his first book, 'The Know-It-All', his one-year expedition into the Encyclopedia Brittanica.  It was funny, interesting, and I learned quite a bit.  His next book, 'The Year of Living Biblically', is another one-year journey into living every rule in the Bible...literally.  Although his beard was rather unsettling (I pitied his wife), I learned a lot from that book, also.  And then came 'My Life as an Experiment', yet another year-long attempt to improve his life in many ways.  The internet dating episode was very, very funny.


'Drop Dead Healthy' is his newest book, and, as with the previous three, this one was very enlightening.  It is his year-long quest to improve his health, from every aspect, every organ, every method.  He covers diets, running, holistic medicine, vegetarianism, sex, sleep, the brain, appendages (the chapter on hands is remarkable).  You name it, he tries it.  Not only does he shed pounds (his concave chest must be thanking him), but he learns to respect his body and mind.


I feel sorry for his wife, Julie.  She and their children had to live with the insanity.  But the end result was a husband and father who not only became fit and more aware of his body, he grew more sensitive to the world around him.  The passages regarding his grandfather were especially heartwarming.


Mr. Jacobs opened my eyes to our nation's health controversies and the ways we can prevent many a medical catastrophe.  We need to practice preventive care, eat right, exercise (his use of the treadmill while using his laptop computer made a huge difference in his well-being), and become more focused on our bodies, minds, and spirits.


But I still feel sorry for Julie...


'Drop Dead Healthy' will be released by Simon & Schuster in April 2012.  A. J. Jacobs is an editor-at-large for Esquire magazine, and a contributor to NPR.

SUPPORT THE STRIKE!

This is dangerous, people, and Congress must hear from us!  Please click on the link and support the strike!  Knowledge is a powerful thing.

We are striking against censorship!  Although Book Hog is just a little blog, I join with other sites in the general black out.

http://sopastrike.com/strike/

'The Gilded Age'

"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth"

                -Ecclesiastes 7:4

Like many Americans, I've become hooked on the BBC series, 'Downton Abbey'.  Although it is reminiscent of another BBC classic, 'Upstairs Downstairs', it is a fantastic chronicle of privileged life in pre-WW1 England.  And that brings to mind Edith Wharton, and how much I love her novels.  She skewered 19th century society so thoroughly as only one who has lived it can.  Although I loved 'The House of Mirth', Lily Bart's ultimate demise distressed me.  But that was that time; that was how upper-crust society functioned in the late 1800's-early 1900's.

But times have changed.  Or have they?

Claire McMillan's new novel, 'Gilded Age', is not so much a reworking of Wharton's famous novel, but more of a contemporary satire of love gained, love lost, and the ultimate end.  It is a story of society's demands; once you reach the top, you can only fall back down.  And Ellie Hart has done it all.  She has survived an infamous divorce and a stint in rehab, and is now back in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.  Of all the characters in this novel, I love Ellie the most.  She is brash, out-of-control...but I expected more from her.  But then, this is a reworking of 'The House of Mirth', and we all know how that ended.

I did not feel sorry for the other characters; I felt rather...set apart from them.  Marry for money and security?  Ha! Money and society's approval equals happiness?  I don't think so.  But I applaud Ms. McMillan's well-written story.  It makes me appreciate how far women have come; how we don't need to 'marry for money' in order to survive.  We can start our own businesses, use our own brains.  We can live alone and like it.  But I enjoyed reading 'Gilded Age'.  It was well-written, but the narrator did not earn my sympathy.  But perhaps she wasn't supposed to earn it.  

For one who has no money and societal 'approval', I was rather amused to read about the chronicles of a contemporary woman who was considered a 'nobody' without marriage, money, and prestige.  The novel is pure entertainment, although the ending was expected, as in Ms. Wharton's much-heralded novel.

Poor wealthy women.  Poor wealthy men.  Boo-hoo.

I'm crying in my champagne.

Claire McMillan's wonderful novel will be released in June 2012.

'The Magician King'

I'm a sucker for all things magical.  I read the first Harry Potter novel in one sitting, and I love the 'Pern' series by the late, great Anne McCaffrey.  I'll read any fantasy novel that helps me escape from the stress of everyday living.


When I first picked up 'The Magicians' by Lev Grossman, I was ready to escape.  But Mr. Grossman had a trick up his sleeve.  As I read his very-adult novel, I thought it a cross between 'Less Than Zero' and 'Harry Potter'.  It was snarky, it was edgy.  But it had magic, and I really enjoyed it.


So, I was very eager to read the next in the series, 'The Magician King'.  The main characters are now living in luxury in their beloved kingdom of Fillory, but something is lacking.  Quentin, one of Fillory's kings, is getting restless...


It wasn't as edgy as the first (although it did retain a bit of snarkiness), but it was much more mystical.  There is a quest.  There is a hero/heroine.  There are fantastical creatures.


But the quest is much more than it claims to be.  It goes so much deeper; into love and being a whole person.  Pursuing your dreams and becoming who you are meant to be.  


The latter part of the novel tells Julia's story, a prominent figure from the first book, and her quest to find the ultimate magic.  She finds much more...which plays out very well in the end.


The ending was not 'cut-and-dried'.  It was unexpected, which opened the door for another story.  This novel could have been so much more, and I'm hoping that Mr. Grossman will do better with the third book (please let there be a third!).


So, read 'The Magicians' and enjoy the Gen X attitude.  And then read 'The Magician King' and hope the author is a bit more successful with the next.


Mr. Grossman, I'm not giving up on you.  Just don't forget to include the snarkiness.

'The Possibility of You'

As adoption has reached beyond the U.S. borders, and records that were previously sealed are now opened, many people who have discovered that they are adopted are now writing sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes uplifting stories of their experiences.

Although 'The Possibility of You', by Pamela Redmond, is pure fiction, it could almost read like a memoir.  Written with great sensitivity and intelligence, her story centers on the choices of three women living in three different eras.  Bridget's story is set in 1916, and the choice she makes changes the lives of those she loves.  Billie, living in 1976, is faced with a dilemma that affects Cait, who lives in the present day.

Part mystery, part revelation, 'Possibility...' exposes the risks that each woman takes, the heartbreaking choices that they cannot avoid.  They are all searching for their own identities, and when their stories converge, you will be stunned.

Ms. Redmond is an accomplished author, having written for many publications, and writes a column for Glamour magazine.  But this, her most sensitive novel, was one I could not put aside.  I wanted to solve the mystery; I wanted to know how each woman related to the other.  And I was not disappointed.

I strongly urge you to add this one to your reading group book list because it will promote not only many discussions, but maybe a heated argument or two.

I, myself, cannot stop talking about it.

'The Possibility of You' will be released in February 2012 by Simon & Schuster

'Welcome 2012! Good riddance, 2011'

2011 has not been kind to many of us.  Most of us have lots jobs in the bookselling industry, and many have lost their homes.  Many of us have had to supplement our meager incomes by raiding our retirement savings.  Let's face it:  2011 sucked.


But not in the publishing industry.  My fellow book bloggers and I have been extremely fortunate to have read new works by talented authors; some have deep backlists, others are new to the publishing game.  I honestly don't care if an author is established.  All I know is that we have been graced with some tremendous stories.


And the world will always need more stories.


I have searched websites and found hundreds of 'Top 100 Books of 2011' lists.  When I open my newspaper (yes, a real newspaper) on the last day of a year, I always head for the 'Top' lists.  Top movies, top music. But I am most eager to read reviewer's choices for Top Books.  I don't always agree with their picks, but I respect the fact that any little mention of a book is invaluable for the industry and the author.


I have not listed my favorite books of 2011.  Each story is so different that putting them on a list seems almost disrespectful.  It reminds me of the Academy Awards; how can one pick a 'top' actor when each performance is so unique to its setting?


So, I say to you all, read on.  Pick up a book and give it a chance.  The author has spent countless hours composing a story that might reach the hardest of hearts.  I, myself, have received books that I thought I might not like.  But once I open the book and start reading, I am transported to a different place.


And that's what storytelling is all about.  Transporting us.  Enlightening us.  And most of all, sharing our experience.  No matter which way you read a book (i.e., digital or 'real'), no matter where you read a book (i.e., bath tub.  My favorite place), just read.


When a book blogger suggests you try reading a book by a new author, just read.


Every writer got his/her start somewhere, and the new author you discover just might turn out to be your very favorite.


Happy New Year to all!  Be safe, be healthy...and happy reading!

'The Midwife of Venice'

After reading so many thrilling mysteries, I felt that it was time for something paced a bit slower.  I was in the mood to read something that didn't leave me reeling, that made me appreciate the subtleties of fine writing (the mysteries were well-written, but they made me race to the end).


'The Midwife of Venice', by Roberta Rich, was the story I was looking for.


Set in 1575 Venice, Italy, it is the story of Hannah Levi, a Jewish midwife.  Her husband, Isaac, who had left to secure a better life for them, is captured at sea and held for ransom.  Hannah is an accomplished midwife, with a small secret:  She has invented 'birthing spoons', the forerunner of today's forceps.  Afraid of being accused of witchcraft, Hannah uses her 'spoons' in secret, careful not to let the mother and attendants see them.  But late one night, a Christian aristocrat begs her to help save his dying wife who is having difficulty giving birth to their child, but by a Papal edict, Jews are not allowed to offer medical assistance to Christians.  However, the count offers Hannah enough money to pay her husband's ransom.  As events unfold, she is witness to a family treachery that threatens her very life.


Ms. Rich has skillfully written a tale that is full of humanity, yet left me stunned.  I felt Hannah's desperation, appreciated Isaac's resolve, and cherished the love they had for one another. 


This is a brilliant, sensitive read, and I hope that Ms. Rich soon gifts us with another.


'The Midwife of Venice' will be released in April 2012