Title: The Sixty-Eight Rooms
Author: Marianne Malone
Published: 2010
My edition: Random House Hardcover 2010
Purchased From: Barnes and Noble Greenwich Village
Pages: 269

Synopsis (from Strand): Every Chicagoan knows about the Thorne Rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago. Sixty-eight miniature rooms, depicting rooms from European homes throughout the centuries, in immaculate detail, precise right down to the tiny rugs and doorknobs. Sixty-eight rooms so marvelously real that they seem magic. And for Ruthie, they are. Because she has found a key that allows her to shrink down to a size where she can explore the rooms, and discover their secrets. Small enough to find that someone has been in the rooms before her, and left important clues behind.

I read this because: I love the Thorne Rooms, they are my favorite part of the Art Institute of Chicago. Combining these lovely rooms with children’s literature is a perfect fit. Also – if ever one was to judge a book by its cover, this one pretty much takes the cake. I have Kelly to thank for giving me a heads up that this book was about to be released, and you can read her review here. Thanks Kelly!

My thoughts: What a magical book. There’s a lot to love about it: likable characters, unique setting, good writing, magic, adventure, mystery, and tiny things. A great read and a wonderful escape into a magical world.

If you don’t enjoy reading children’s books yourself, first of all take a moment and think about when exactly it was that you lost your soul. :) Seriously though, if you’re not interested in this for yourself, it would make a great gift for any child in your life.

Book club worthy? For book clubs interested in children’s literature, definitely yes.

Follow up required: Reading this really makes me want to go back and visit the Thorne Rooms again soon. I also really hope there will be a sequel.

You might like this book if you like: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall 

Links to purchase: IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Strand

My favorite passage:

It was the feeling you sometimes get when leaving the darkness of a theatre after a really exciting movie – you notice how the world around you is exactly the same as when you went in, only you feel different. (page 45)

Extras: Excerpt from the book, Marianne Malone’s Website

I’ve been enjoying the Casson family series by Hilary McKay. This month I finished the third, Permanent Rose. I don’t feel the need to post a full review of it, but here are a few of my favorite lines from the book:

“I always say a little prayer when I put cakes in the oven,” remarked Eve, as she stopped to kiss Rose good-bye.
“What do you say?”
“I say, ‘Please, God, don’t let me forget I’ve put that cake in the oven.’” (page 102)

“Where can Caddy have got to?” moaned Bill for the hundredth time. “Why doesn’t she answer her mobile?”
“It’s switched off,” said Rose.
“Why?”
“In case someone rings.” (page 183)

David, always aware of his lifetime’s collection of guilty secrets struggling to escape, had been shocked at being seen through so quickly.” (page 2)

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Published: 2009
My edition: Putnam Hardcover 2009
Purchased From: Book Depository
Pages: 451

Synopsis (from Strand): Set deep in the heart of Mississippi, circa 1962, “The Help” offers readers an enchanting and original journey into the trying lives and times of three very different women who chose to come together for a common cause. In this book weare introduced to 22 year-old Skeeter, who has recently graduated school and is being pushed into marriage; Aibileen, a wise and regal maid whose troubles as an African American in Mississippi are enough on their own; and Aibileen’s best friend Minny, whose just been put out of another job and is in need of help. Through author Kathryn Stockett’s touching and remarkable characters this moving narrative will take readers by the hand and lead them to new places.

I read this because: The rare combination of a well-reviewed novel and long run on the bestseller lists is always intriguing.

My thoughts: It’s been a while since I’ve read a fantastic, page-turner of a historical novel, and I’m happy that the drought is over. I can see why this book has done so well; it’s immensely enjoyable. It’s a great story, good writing, lovable narrators and main characters, and a bit of sass. It’s also not without its villains, which is important for any good story. I expected the ending to be sadder than it was, but that’s not a criticism. Also, I think it’s been a while since I read a novel set in the south, which was lovely. I enjoyed this book a lot and had trouble putting it down for things like work and showering.

Book club worthy? Yes, I think it would be great for discussion.

Follow up required: This is Kathryn Stockett’s first novel, but I will definitely keep an eye out for her second.

You might like this book if you like: The Thirteenth Tale, and historical fiction in general. 

Links to purchase: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Strand

My favorite lines & passages: Even though she has zero kids and nothing to do all day, she is the laziest woman I’ve ever seen. Including my sister Doreena who never lifted a royal finger growing up because she had the heart defect that we later found out was a fly on the X-ray machine. (page 48)

“Every morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone have to make this decision.” Constantine was so close, I could see the blackness of her gums. “You gone have to ask yourself, Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?” (page 63)

Extras: Kathryn Stockett’s Website, The Help on Facebook

My goal of making 52 new recipes this year is off to a very fun start. I love that it’s making me try new recipes instead of making my old standbys over and over again. I’m hoping to have a much larger repertoire of favorites by the end of the year. So far my favorite new recipe is Beer Batter Cheese Bread. It’s a hearty, savory bread with a wonderful flavor that’s amazing with soup. Or on its own. For breakfast. Three days in a row. Heavenly.

This recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. It’s a very easy recipe, and aside from the Gruyere, I always have all of the other ingredients in my kitchen. As much as I love to make homemade yeast breads, I also love having loaf recipes that can be made quickly. As soon as you have this mixed up and in the pan you can throw it right in the oven.

Ingredients:
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (1 cup, packed – I like a little extra)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1.25 cups beer (I used Blue Moon, light beers work best)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for brushing

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees & grease an 8.5 x 4.5″ loaf pan.

2. Whisk flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in beer & melted butter until just combined.

3. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Smooth top and brush with 1 to 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

4. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Rotate halfway through baking.

5. Cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour before serving, if you can wait that long to dig in.

One last thought…is there anything cozier than having a dutch oven full of soup simmering on your stove in your kitchen on a cold winter evening?

I don’t think so.

Books Purchased:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker

Books Read:

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay
McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy

Previously reviewed: Shades of Grey, Wishful Drinking, The Left Hand of Darkness, McCarthy’s Bar

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers: This novel was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and was reviewed very well, so when I saw it in a bargain books section for $5 I couldn’t leave it there. It’s an unique book, it’s written from the perspective of a young Chinese woman who moves to England to attend school to learn English. She doesn’t know a lot of English when she arrives (the beginning of the novel) and so her writing voice is in choppy, ‘beginner’ English. As her English improves, the writing throughout the book gets cleaner, with a lovely simplicity. She writes about the discoveries she makes about the language, and what things confuse her. It’s a really interesting look into what it’s like to learn a new language by leaving your comfort zone and immersing yourself in it, along with the loneliness and struggles that come from being on your own in a foreign country. As the title suggests, the book is centered around a romance with an English man she meets shortly after moving to London.

44 Scotland Street: This is my first Alexander McCall Smith book, and I liked it. It was originally serialized in a newspaper, so the chapters are very short. It switches perspectives from character to character and back again, and that made for a very quick, fun read. I have the second book in this series out from the library right now, Espresso Tales. It’s still a bit shocking to me how much/fast Alexander McCall Smith writes, and the number of different series he has going right now.

Indigo’s Star: After loving the first Casson family book, Saffy’s Angel, I had to get the second book and continue reading about these great characters. Indigo’s Star was just as enjoyable, and now I’m reading the third, Permanent Rose.

Title: The Left Hand of Darkness
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Published: 1969
My edition: Ace Paperback 2000
Purchased From: Barnes and Noble Lincoln Square
Pages: 304

Synopsis (from Strand): Winner of HUGO and NEBULA Awards for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year. The story of a lone human emissary’s mission to Winter, an unknown alien world whose inhabitants can choose – and change – their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters. Completely embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, the novel stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.

I read this because: Ursula K. Le Guin is an author I’ve meant to read for a long time. My book club also selected this as our January book, which gave me the perfect reason to stop dilly-dallying.

My thoughts: I didn’t really go into this book knowing much about the plot or what it was like, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think I was expecting more of a epic story, with dozens of characters and an intricate plot. I liked that the focus was on the relationship between Genly and Estraven, and on Genly’s personal challenges and growth.

Book club worthy? Yes, my book club’s discussion of this was fantastic. It’s the sort of book that you want to talk to people about after you finish it.

Follow up required: I’d like to read more of her work, most likely starting with A Wizard of Earthsea. I also own a collection of her short stories.

You might like this book if you like: I haven’t read a lot of Science Fiction, so the only thing I’ve read that I find it at all similar to is Margaret Atwood’s novels. I think it’s the style and creativity that I find comparable.

Links to purchase: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository

My favorite lines & passages:

I am not trying to say that I was happy, during those weeks of hauling a sledge across an ice-sheet in the dead of winter. I was hungry, overstrained, and often anxious, and it all got worse the longer it went on. I certainly wasn’t happy. Happiness has to do with reason, and only reason earns it. What I was given was the thing you can’t earn, and can’t keep, and often don’t even recognize at the time; I mean joy. (page 241-2)

To learn which questions are unanswerable, and not to answer them: this skill is most needful in times of stress and darkness. (page 151)

Extras: New Yorker Interview with Ursula K. Le Guin about The Left Hand of Darkness, Communal book club discussion from NewYorker.com