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Sunday Salon – February 7, 2010

Feb 7th, 2010
by Caribousmom.
22 comments

February 7, 2010

9:00 AM

Good morning and happy Sunday Salon! Today is a clear, crisp winter day with cerulean blue skies and a bit of frost on the ground. We’ve got the coffee on and a fire in the wood stove – a perfect morning for catching up on my reading. Later today we’ll be working on our bedroom. While I was gone to New Hampshire, my wonderful husband tore out the old, ratty carpets in our bedroom and put in hardwood flooring. Yesterday we started painting the walls a nice, soft sage green; then we’ll install some white 6″ baseboards and a little crown molding. And I’m also getting a new closet overhaul (we’re going into Home Depot later today to pick up some pre-forms for that). Yay!

Last week I told you about Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini (read my review). I really enjoyed this book which was full of good food and wonderful stories – all a part of showing us how our traditions around food can help us heal in times of crisis. If you have read the book, you might be interested in Lisa’s discussion of it on her blog for the Winter Reading Series…and don’t forget to catch the author there for a live chat on Monday, February 22nd at 5:00 PM PST.

I also finished The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer last week (read my review). If you love suspense-thrillers, you probably should read a book by Palmer sometime. He knows how to write this genre well, keeping the story moving forward at warp speed and filling it with enough violence to keep most fans of the thriller happy.

My current read is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel who won the Booker Prize this year for this historical fiction set in 16th century England and focusing on Thomas Cromwell. I have mixed feelings so far about this doorstopper. Mantel uses the present tense, which is not my favorite tense…but it works surprisingly well for this novel by putting the reader firmly into the story and making things feel immediate and contemporary. But Mantel is also having a little fun playing with the rules of grammar in her book – and that style is not sitting as well with me. Mantel is using an ambiguous pronoun (specifically “he”)…and she does not seem to care if the pronoun matches the subject of her sentence or not. Let me give you an example:

Once the boy has gone to bed he sweeps his papers out of the tidy stack he has made. – from Wolf Hall, page 143 -

Notice that Mantel has two instances of the pronoun “he” in this sentence. The subject of the sentence is “the boy”…so as a reader we at first read this sentence as “the boy sweeps his papers out of the tidy stack the boy has made.” But that would be wrong. Actually the first “he” relates to Thomas Cromwell, whereas the second “he” relates to the boy. It is a convoluted sentence…and the book is full of these kinds of sentences. Sentences which make the reader stop, think, back up and figure out who is acting or speaking. I find it mostly annoying as it breaks the flow of the reading.

I’m discussing this book in a book group, and some people don’t mind this butchering of English grammar. They feel that it is creative and effective, and done purposefully to make the reader pay more attention to Cromwell. One poster said that this is a new trend in modern literature – that teachers are telling students now to disregard grammar in their writing and be more creative in sentence structure. Really? I have to say, if that is so, I am going to pull my hair out.

Here’s my opinion: Most grammar is there and universal so that communication is clear and effective. As a reader, if I cannot understand what the author is trying to say, how can I understand the story I am reading? I suppose a writer could write every sentence in a book backwards and eventually the reader would probably figure it out and begin to understand…but would the book be enjoyable? I don’t think so. I read because I love characters and story. I don’t read to be necessarily challenged in my ability to figure out what the author is writing on the most basic level. I hate to feel like I’m reading – I want to be IMMERSED in the story, not constantly having to perform an analysis on the structure of the sentences. I don’t like experimental fiction for just that reason.

So what do you think? Do you want more writers to do what Mantel is doing? Do you think grammar is something we should toss into the wind? Do you like books which make you constantly have to think? Or does this kind of writing make you feel manipulated as a reader? Have you read Wolf Hall yet? If so, did this style bother you or not?  Inquiring minds want to know!

I hope to finish this book sooner rather than later (although it is going incredibly slow for me at the present). And then I’m picking up another chunkster: The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt.

What are you doing today? Whatever it is, I hope it involves a great book!

Posted in: Books, Prize Winning Books, Sunday Salon, Weekly Event.

TLC Book Tour: Paula Butturini, author of Keeping The Feast, Guest Post

Feb 3rd, 2010
by Caribousmom.
7 comments

Many thanks to TLC Book Tours for inviting me to tour Paula Butturini’s new memoir: Keeping the Feast (read my review). I love books that center around food in foreign countries, and Butturini’s story of illness and recovery in Italy reminds us how the ritual of food is a symbol of survival.

About Paula Butturini:

Paula Butturini has worked in overseas bureaus in London, Madrid, Rome, and Warsaw for United Press International and the Chicago Tribune. She is now a writer based in Paris. To learn more about Buttuirini and her work, visit the author’s website. Listen to the author’s podcasts here. Read Buttuini’s Keeping the Feast blog.

About Keeping The Feast:

Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Publication Date: 2/18/2010
Pages: 272

A remarkable story, gorgeously told. We reflect, relish, grieve, and heal our way with Paula Butturini, who is wise about so many things – family and place; depression, religion, and love; the disastrous long-term fallout of a single bullet fired at a loved one; and the immediate restorative pleasures of an Italian meal. This book evokes life at its most serious and dire, and at its most mysterious and delectable. Read it, and be deepened and refreshed. – Krista Tippett, host of the public radio program Speaking of Faith -

I was really happy when Paula agreed to write a guest post for me. What follows is one of Paula’s childhood memories of her Hungarian neighbor and the amazing garden which produced the homegrown ingredients for stuffed peppers. Enjoy!

*************************

Until I was nine, my family rented the sunny, ground-floor flat of a two-family house in a neighborhood of Fairfield, Connecticut, that had lots of Hungarian immigrants. Our Hungarian-born landlady, Grace Madaras, lived upstairs from us until she and her husband had a little house built next door at the front of their enormous vegetable garden.

I loved their garden in every season but winter, and when I was really young, I liked hiding among the plants where I wasn’t supposed to be playing in the first place. The garden produced all sorts of herbs and vegetables — like fresh, feathery dill and rows of red and white cranberry beans, whose foliage was big and lush enough to hide me if I crouched down low – that my own grandparents never grew in their Italian-style gardens. Every once in a while, greed would get the better of me and I would split open one of those enormous red and white cranberry pods while hiding among its leaves. I wasn’t interested in eating the beans; l just liked to look at them, in all their perfection, lined up cozily inside their pod. For some reason, they made me feel safe.

When our landlords moved next door into their new little house, it meant we no longer got to smell the wonderful aromas — so different from my mother’s Italian cooking — that would waft down the stairs when Grace was preparing the dishes her family used to cook back in Hungary. At some point though, Grace gave my mother her recipe for Hungarian stuffed peppers, sweet, green bell peppers from her garden that were filled with meat, rice, and onion, then simmered in a mild, glorious sauce made from tomato juice enriched with sour cream and fresh dill, straight from the garden.

To this day, I can still smell and taste this dish, and writing about it now, nearly fifty years later, makes my mouth start to water at the thought of it. I think the dill plant I have in a corner of my herb garden today stands there more in memory of Grace and my childhood than it does to flavor any of the dishes I use it for today. I wrote Grace’s recipe down on a file card when I set up my own household, and though I rarely make it, just seeing it in my recipe box makes me feel safe, like seeing those beans in their pod so long ago.

Grace Madaras’s Hungarian Stuffed Peppers

  • 8-12 green bell peppers, depending on size
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup uncooked rice, cooked as package directs
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until soft in 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt, pepper
  • Tomato juice
  • Fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup sour cream

Wash peppers and place them standing up in a deep kettle. Pour enough boiling water into the kettle to thoroughly cover the peppers, then let stand, covered and off flame, for 40 minutes. Drain pot, then using a sharp knife, cut a circle out of the very top of the pepper to remove the stem and a circle of pepper flesh surrounding it. Scoop out seeds, and drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, pork, cooked rice, sauteed onion, eggs, two teaspoons salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well, then stuff drained peppers with meat mixture. Placed the stuffed peppers upright in a deep pot. Pour enough tomato juice into pot to come 3/4 of the way up the stuffed peppers. Add a handful of fresh dill. Bring to a simmer and cook, simmering, for one hour. Toward the end of the cooking remove 1/2 cup of tomato juice and let cool. Thicken this cooled tomato juice by whisking in the flour and sour cream. Pour this mixture back into pot and mix well. Heat through but do not let it boil.

We always ate this dish — real comfort food — with mashed potatoes; I don’t know how it was served in Grace’s kitchen.

Contributed by Paula Butturini, whose book Keeping the Feast will be published by Riverhead/Penguin on Feb. 18.

**************************

To see all the blog tours of Butturini and her book, visit TLC Book Tours for links.

Posted in: Authors, Book Tour, Events, Food.
Tagged:

Keeping the Feast: Book Review

Feb 3rd, 2010
by Caribousmom.
12 comments

Like memory itself, this book wanders back and forth between old recollections and new. Food is the thread that connects them, for food has always been my lens and my prism, my eye on the world. I may write about the smell of asparagus, the color of polenta, or the taste of figs still warm from the sun, but all of it is a personal shorthand for weighing hunger and love, health and nourishment, secrets and revelations, illness and survival, comfort and celebration, and perhaps above all, the joy and gift of being alive. – from Keeping the Feast, page 6 of the ARC -

When Paula Butturini and John Tagliabue met as foreign correspondents in Rome, they had no idea what the future held for them. Four years later, married and living in Poland during a time in Eastern Europe when communist rule was falling and violence was erupting, their lives were suddenly changed. As Butturini writes: ‘A single bullet started it all.‘ Recovering from a near fatal beating in Czechoslvakia only days earlier, Butturini was stunned when she received a phone call on Christmas eve that John had been shot in Romania, an event which led to a life threatening infection, repeated surgeries and months of hospitalization…and served as the catalyst for a slide into a debilitating depression.

Keeping the Feast, Butturini’s memoir of the years following the shooting, is a stunning, beautifully written celebration of how our traditions surrounding food, and the memories and comforts those bring, can speak not only to our physical cravings, but to our souls as well.

Italy still celebrates one of the most primordial rituals of the human community, the daily sharing of food and fellowship around a family table; what better place to take ourselves to heal? – from Keeping the Feast, page 15 of the ARC -

Keeping the Feast is not just about the horror of John’s injury and his slide into deep depression…at its core, this book is about the impact of our food traditions on memory, healing, and finding quiet comfort. Butturini begins each chapter with a childhood memory around food. Her descriptions are mouth-watering, consoling, and beautifully wrought. Who among us has not turned to a favorite childhood meal to find peace in a time of crisis?

To eat a food reminiscent of some childhood treat, to eat a food that nudges strong childhood memories, is to return to the country, town, neighborhood, and family – the very dinner table where we first encountered the edible world. – from Keeping the Feast, page 165 of the ARC -

For Butturini and her husband, a return to their genetic roots in Italy, where they had met and fallen in love, was the key to rediscovering peace and recovery. The simple ritual of getting up and walking to the local market to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and meat was the balm for Butturini’s psychic wounds. The act of making a healthy meal of pasta and sitting down daily to share three meals a day proved not only a calming activity for Butturini, but also just what John needed to find his way out of the dark recesses of his depression.

I found myself completely engrossed in Butturini’s story. I have long found solace in food and its preparation. The first thing I wanted to do for my sister when she was diagnosed with cancer was to make her comfort food that would heal her body and soul. Food represents so much more to us than simple nourishment – it represents our family traditions, our nationalities, and the joy of being with others around a table. Butturini’s wonderful prose captures the joy and healing food can bring to our lives.

Keeping the Feast is an honest, heartfelt exploration of one couple’s journey from depression to wholeness. Its stunning depictions of Italy (and Rome specifically) will satisfy the reader who enjoys travel writing. Butturini’s love of food and her mouth watering descriptions of it will delight those readers who consider themselves “foodies.” It is Butturini’s ability to unite all three of these subjects into a cohesive, compelling story that will have readers praising this book.

Highly Recommended.

Read a guest post by the author (with recipe!) on my TLC Book Tour of this book.

FTC Disclosure: This book was provide by the publisher for a TLC Book Tour.

Posted in: Books, Five-Ten Star Books.
Tagged:

Social Justice Challenge: Water

Feb 1st, 2010
by Caribousmom.
4 comments

The theme for the Social Justice Challenge in February is WATER.

Here are the questions to start off the month:

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of Water as a social justice issue?
What, if any, exposure have you personally had to a water shortage?
What potential action steps can you think of that relate to this month’s theme of Water?

My first though about water as a social justice issue is the lack of it. Here in the United States, even in times of drought, we take for granted that we have fresh, clean water to drink. But in many developing countries, water is a scarce resource. Water = Life. We cannot live without it. And yet many people from around the world do not have clean water to drink, and suffer illness and even death from drinking contaminated water.

I live in California, so I am familiar with drought and water shortages. When I first moved to California in 1989, it was in the midst of a significant drought. We found ourselves saving bath water to flush our toilets and our water was rationed in terms of tough, high costs aimed at those who used too much. I remember feeling mostly annoyed by the whole thing; and despite the shortages, we never really went without.

I’ve already decided on my action step for this month. As everyone knows, Haiti is suffering in the aftermath of a horrible earthquake. Even before this disaster, they were classified as one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere. Living Water International writes:

Earthquakes destroy water systems. Pipelines break, electrical distribution systems fail, and hand-dug wells–—already questionable water sources–—are rendered useless or become contaminated with cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases.

They are partnering with several other organizations “to repair 500 incapacitated handpumps in Haiti during 2010, serving at least 250,000 people.”

The coalition of water organizations that are partnering to multiply their effect on Haitian communities  include Global Benefit, Mercy Water (working with Nspire Software), Wishing Well, Hydrate Hope Project (through I AM CHANGE), The Water Project, and Safewater Nexus.

I am planning to donate through one of these organizations to help Haiti recover its water supply.

I’ll leave you with this moving video provided by Hydrate Hope:

The Hydrate Hope Project from IAmChange on Vimeo.

Posted in: Current Challenge, Social Justice.

Social Justice Challenge: Action Step (Religious Freedom)

Feb 1st, 2010
by Caribousmom.
3 comments

January was all about Religious Freedom on the Social Justice Challenge. It was an interesting journey for me and I learned quite a bit about this topic. I chose to participate on the ACTIVIST level which meant I read a full length book (read my review of Sacred Hearts), explored other media (see below), and performed an action step.

Other Media:

Many people read and reviewed books related to religious freedom – I perused those reviews and added a couple of books to my TBR pile. You can see the full list with links here.

I also visited several websites, including:

  • Voice of the Martyrs (an interdenominational Christian organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide)
  • Amnesty International (a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all – this does not just include religious freedom)
  • Forum 18 (a Norway based news organization which believes that religious freedom is a fundamental human right, which is essential for the dignity of humanity and for true freedom)

Action Step:

I spent quite a bit of time considering what kind of action step I wanted to take. I found myself returning again and again to this page on Voice of the Martyrs. For some reason I was drawn to Asia Bibi, a 37-year-old Pakistani woman from the village of Ittanwali, who was arrested by police on Friday, June 19th after sharing her faith with other women in her village. Asia is Christian, but the Muslim leaders in her village claim her declaration of faith is blasphemy.

I wrote a letter to Asia – it was quite short because there are only a small number of phrases which the site will translate…but I found its brevity powerful. Essentially, I told her I would keep her in my prayers, and was also praying that those who were persecuting her would open their hearts.

I cannot imagine being imprisoned for my religious beliefs…and yet this is not an uncommon occurrence in Pakistan which was recently named by the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom as one of 13 countries where religious freedom is most violated. This was a quote from that article:

On Pakistan, [Commission head Felice] Gaer said while government leaders “acquiesced” to the rule of Taliban-associated extremists in some regions, members of civil society, particularly women, have courageously objected.

Commission member Elizabeth Prodromou says the situation in Pakistan, a CPC country since 2002, has worsened because of the “largely unchecked growth” of Taliban-associated extremist groups:

“Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad has ceded effective control of more and more of the country to these Taliban-associated extremist groups, notably of course, in the Swat Valley and its neighboring districts. At the same time, sectarian and religiously motivated violence continues apace. Particularly acute are violations against Shia Muslims, Amhadis, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs,” she said.

Other countries named in the Commission report include: Burma, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Thanks to the Social Justice Challenge, I learned a bit more about the threats to religious freedom in the world in January.

Posted in: Social Justice.

The Last Surgeon – Book Review

Feb 1st, 2010
by Caribousmom.
5 comments

“[...] I have killed surgeons before – a couple of times, in fact. But I don’t know if I’m ever going to be hired to kill another surgeon again,” Koller continued. “Think about it, that would mean you would be the last surgeon I ever kill.” The assassin paused a moment, clearly deep in thought. “I have to really, really embrace this moment. You can’t record these feelings, the smell of your apartment, your fear. But if you believe it might be the very last time you do something, it’s best to approach it with deserved reverence. You might not be the last surgeon, but then again, you might.” – from The Last Surgeon, page 170 of the ARC -

A nurse, a gifted surgeon, an anesthesiologist – all professionals in the medical field – begin to turn up dead. Murders made to appear as something else – a suicide, an accident, a drowning. When psych nurse Jillian Coates is told her younger sister’s death is a suicide, Jillian begins to seek some answers. Her stubborn effort to find those answers leads her to an unlikely man – Dr. Nick Garrity, a trauma surgeon suffering from PTSD after serving time in Afghanistan. Together they begin to piece together the mystery of the disappearance of Nick’s friend Umberto Vasquez and how it relates to the death of Jillian’s sister. What they find is a cold blooded killer with pale blue eyes, and a conspiracy which reaches to the very top of the United States government.

Michael Palmer’s latest suspense-thriller has all the elements which make it a page turner – intrigue, an evil serial murderer, a growing love between the two main characters who find themselves in constant peril, and a mystery which must be unraveled to save their very lives.

If I have any complaints with the book it would be a plot which seemed somewhat improbable at times (and somewhat predictable), and an evil character who seemed just a little too evil to believe. Despite these criticisms of The Last Surgeon, I did find myself racing through the pages. Fast-paced and creepy, the novel embodies what readers generally look for in this genre – sweaty palms, a little bit of romance (to unite the main characters), and the requisite gruesome murders. Palmer does not shy away from gory descriptions…and since his killer is a sexual sadist, Palmer doesn’t spare the reader when it comes to revealing a graphic, twisted sex scene. This novel is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Readers looking for an edge of your seat thriller will find it in The Last Surgeon. As the book ramps up toward the end, most readers will want to continue to its conclusion, even if it means burning the midnight oil as I did.

Readers who enjoy genre fiction – specifically suspense-thrillers which delve into the medical and political – will most likely enjoy The Last Surgeon. Recommended for readers who like their reading gritty and fast-paced.

The Last Surgeon is due for release on February 16th through St. Martin’s Press.

Read other blogger reviews:

Presenting Lenore

Cafe of Dreams

*Have you read and reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a link, and I’ll add yours to the list above.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from the author, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press.

Posted in: Books.
Tagged:

Mailbox Monday – February 1, 2010

Feb 1st, 2010
by Caribousmom.
7 comments

It is Monday again – and time for the next installment of Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Readers are invited to share the books that came into their home during the week. To play along, visit Marcia’s post today.

Here is what was delivered to my doorstep:

Chocolate: A Love Story by Max Brenner (with artwork by Yonatan Factor) was a win from a giveaway at Bethany’s blog Dreadlock Girl. This large, hardcover cookbook is full of all things chocolate (are you drooling yet), but that’s not the only thing great about this book. It is also filled with amazing illustrations by Yonatan Factor. So this is not just a cookbook but a book of art as well. Readers can shop Brenner’s online store (just in time for Valentine’s Day), or learn more about his work by visiting his website. Thanks to Bethany and Hachette Book Book Group for offering this book for give-away!

How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking by Michael Psilakis was also a win from the same giveaway at Bethany’s blog Dreadlock Girl. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes in this book (like Beef Stew with Leeks, and Pan Roast Chicken with Lemon Potatoes). Psilakis also includes a personal narrative to accompany his 150 recipes. Learn more about Psilakis by reading this article on the Restaurant Insider, or better yet, visit his famous restaurant Anthos in New York City. Thanks again to Bethany and  Hachette Book Book Group for offering this book for give-away!

Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt arrived from Ecco (an imprint of Harper Collins) through a Shelf Awareness offer. Making Toast is due for release later this month. This memoir is marketed as a “testament to familial love.” When Rosenblatt’s daughter (a doctor, wife and mother) suddenly collapsed and died from an asymptomatic heart condition, Rosenblatt (along with his wife Ginny) packed up their home in Long Island and went to live with their son-in-law and three very young grandchildren. Making Toast is the story of the years which followed. Rosenblatt is a nationally acclaimed author of 13 books, 2 satirical novels, 6 off-Broadway plays, and numerous essays for Time Magazine. To learn more about Rosenblatt and his work, visit the Wikipedia entry for him or drop by Harper Collins’ page for him and read an excerpt from Making Toast.

What arrived at your house this week?

Posted in: Mailbox Monday.

Sunday Salon – January 31, 2010

Jan 31st, 2010
by Caribousmom.
13 comments

January 31, 2010

10:00 AM

Good morning, fellow readers and bloggers! I have been delinquent in posting a Sunday Salon for a few weeks now (my last post for this event was way back on January 3rd). I made an unplanned trip back east and was there for much of January…but now I’m home and have no more excuses!

So what have I been reading in January?

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (read my review) was just a tad disappointing to me.  I read and loved Oryx and Crake (in fact that was my first Atwood novel and made me an instant fan) so I had hoped to be blown away by Atwood’s latest companion novel. Although I still find her writing beyond brilliant, The Year of the Flood just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (read my review) is a rich, historical fiction about two sisters. Of See’s three historical novels (Snowflower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and Shanghai Girls) this one falls right in the middle in terms of my favorite, with Snowflower and the Secret Fan being in the #1 slot. This book was toured for TLC Book Tours and almost universally enjoyed.

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (read my review) was another historical fiction novel. I really liked this one, although it has a slow start. Have you read anything by Dunant before? From what I understand from other bloggers, Sacred Hearts is a bit different from her other novels. I am eager to read more by this author.

The Writing of Fiction (read my review) AND The House of Mirth (read my review), both by Edith Wharton were books I read as part of The Classics Circuit. Have you checked out their site yet? They’ve already done tours for Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell, and beginning in February they’ll be hosting The Harlem Renaissance tour, then in March there will be a tour of Georgette Heyer. In 2010, I’d like to read more classics – I have a ton on my shelves!

Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini was a quick read – and I loved it. You’ll have to wait from my review as it is part of a tour for TLC Book Tours on February 4th – but I will tell you that if you are a foodie, love to travel, and enjoy an engrossing memoir from time to time…you will want to read this book. Along with my review on the 4th will be a guest post by the author – hope you’ll come back then to read it!

I am currently reading The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer – this one is a medical thriller and it is good genre fiction (my sister read this when I was visiting her and knocked it off in less than 3 days). Palmer’s writing is quite accessible and although there are some gory parts (what thriller doesn’t have those?), those readers who enjoy a compelling suspense-thriller will most likely gush over this one. I should have a review up by tomorrow or Tuesday (I expect to finish it today).

Next up is the much anticipated Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. I am very eager to read this novel (which won the Booker Prize). Have you read it yet? What did you think?

Finally, the last thing I want to talk about is the Book Expo of America (BEA) and The Book Blogger Convention coming up at the end of May. Last year I sulked at not being at the BEA and vowed I’d go this year. Those plans were almost derailed when I had to travel back east this month…but, Kip and I have worked out the financial puzzle, and we’ll be there! The Book Blogger Convention is OFFICIALLY linked to the BEA (yay!) and will be held at the same venue on the 28th (the day after the BEA wraps up). Registering for that event will automatically get you your pass to the BEA (so you don’t have to register separately). I’m so excited…hope I’ll get to see some of you there!

What are your plans for today? Whatever they are, I hope they involve a good book!!

Posted in: Sunday Salon, Weekly Event.

May in New York City…

Jan 29th, 2010
by Caribousmom.
8 comments

May 28th, 2010

Have you all seen this? Thanks to some motivated and energetic bloggers (Trish, Amy, Natasha, Rebecca, Michelle, Nicole, and Pam) the Book Blogger Convention is a go. Scheduled to coordinate with the Book Expo of America in New York City (May 25, 26, and 27) this is an event you really don’t want to miss if you can help it. Some information about the event:

What is it?

  • A one day event intended to provide support, instruction, and social time for people who blog about books.

Where is it?

**NEW LOCATION as of January 30th:

NYC Seminar & Conference Center (map)
71 West 23rd Street
Suite 515/Lower Level
(northeast corner of 23rd Street & 6th Avenue)
New York, NY  10010

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
635 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001

**Same place as the BEA!

When is it?

  • Registration begins at 7:30 am on May 28, 2010, and conference sessions will begin promptly at 9AM and conclude at 5pm.

What are the topics?

  • Professionalism/Ethics
  • Marketing
  • Author/Blogger Relationships
  • Building Community
  • Writing/Building Content

How do you register?

  • Visit this page on the dedicated blog. Register by February 14, 2010 you can even save $25 of the registration fee of $115. Your registration for the conference will automatically get you a three day pass to the BEA!

For answers to more Frequently Asked Questions, visit this page.

I am DEFINITELY going to be there (to see who else is registered so far, visit the attendees page of the blog). And I am VERY excited about it.

I am also going to the BEA this year (and Kip is coming with me). Bloggers are considered Press…so if you are registering, make sure you go through the Press registration form to get free admission to all three days of the event. If you’re like me, the whole thing is a little confusing…so to help us all learn what we need to know, there is a blog tour scheduled to give us the information we need. Here is the schedule:

Monday, February 1st

Tuesday, February 2nd

Wednesday, February 3rd

Thursday, February 4th

Friday, February 5th

Saturday, February 6th

Sunday, February 7th

Monday, February 8th

Tuesday, February 9th

Wednesday, February 10th

Thursday, February 11th

Friday, February 12th

Saturday, February 13th

Sunday, February 14th

Monday, Feburary 15th

Are you excited yet??!?

Posted in: Book Blogger Conference, Book Expo of America, Events.

The Basic Book of Digital Photography: Book Review

Jan 29th, 2010
by Caribousmom.
2 comments

Digital photography is fascinating, fulfilling, and  just plain fun. Little wonder that in relatively few years it has become far more popular than film photography. (It was 1994 when the first consumer digital camera appeared.) In our fast-paced times, we all want instant gratification – and that’s what you get with digital photography. There’s no more waiting for the film to be processed to see how your pictures came out. These days you can literally point and shoot a camera – and immediately see the results. - from The Basic Book of Digital Photography, introduction -

Are you still using  an “old style” camera, but want to switch to digital photography? Have you recently bought a digital camera, but find yourself overwhelmed with the new terminology and all the things it can do? Have you had your digital camera for awhile, but want to get more out of it including better photos? If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then you might want to pick up a copy of Tom and Michele Grimm’s latest book.

The Grimms, both veteran photographers and authors, have been recognized for their classic guide to photography (The Basic Book of Photography) for more than 30 years. Now they’ve written the ultimate guide to digital photography with 400 illustrative photos and organized into eighteen easy to read sections and two appendices.

I resisted buying a digital camera for a long time – instead relying on my reliable 35mm Minolta which my dad gave me for my sixteenth birthday. But when that camera broke and I found I could not get the parts to fix it, I was forced to reconsider my options. My purchase of a Nikon digital camera was one of the best decisions I’ve made…but I quickly discovered that the amount of  knowledge I needed to use it to its fullest capacity was a bit overwhelming. I could have used the Grimm’s guide!

The Basic Book of Digital Photography covers the most elemental aspects of the craft up to the more complex ideas. Whether you have a simple point and shoot or a more complicated SLR model, the book provides easy to access guidelines. Individuals who are considering purchasing a digital camera will find the section on choosing the right camera helpful. There are also sections which deal with lenses, accessories, and settings; as well as teaching you the best way to use the settings on your camera, special techniques for shooting, creative composition, and even transferring your images from camera to computer, organizing them, editing them, and finally printing them. I found the section on shooting video the most helpful as that is one aspect of my camera I have neglected to learn.

I can recommend this book for beginning digital photographers, as well as those who are comfortable with their cameras, but want to improve on their photography. I know I will continue to reference this helpful guide as I grow more and more comfortable with my camera.

Visit the Author’s Website

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from FSB Associates.

Below is an article I am reprinting here with permission from the authors:

Simple Ways to Make Better Pictures with Your Camera Phone
By Tom Grimm and Michele Grimm,
Authors of The Basic Book of Digital Photography: How to Shoot, Enhance, and Share Your Digital Pictures

As camera phones become more prevalent, they are expected to become as popular for casual photography as regular point-and-shoot digital cameras. Unfortunately, camera phone photos are often poor or mediocre. But that is usually the fault of careless shooters, not the quality of the phone’s camera.

Here are five simple ways to instantly help you make better pictures with your camera phone. Professional photographers Michele and Tom Grimm offer these and many more tips in their brand-new handbook, The Basic Book of Digital Photography.

1) Keep the Camera Phone Steady. Many cell phones are small, lightweight, and awkward to hold for shooting. In order to prevent blurred pictures, use both hands and brace your arms against your body. For additional support, lean against something solid, such as a tree or a wall. A common problem is the delay after you press the shutter release until the camera fires, so remember to remain motionless until you are certain the shutter has opened and closed.

2) Get Close to Your Subjects. Move closer physically, or adjust an optical zoom lens (if available) toward its telephoto setting. Note that shooting close up at a wide-angle setting can distort your subjects, which is particularly unflattering for people. Do not use a digital zoom function; it only enlarges the pixels in a picture, which degrades the image.

3) Make Sure Your Subjects are in Good Light. That way your pictures will show the most detail. Beware of harsh sunlight that creates dark shadows and high contrast in phone photos. If available, use the built-in light or flash even in daylight to give more clarity to your subject. Or, when indoors, turn on more lights if you can. Try to avoid backlighted subjects, unless you want them to turn out as silhouettes.

4) Keep the Lens Clean. Most lenses are protected only by a see-through plastic or glass cover, which can quickly get dirty when carrying your camera phone in a pocket or purse. Also, the lens is quite small, so dust or finger smudges will be more evident in your pictures. Wipe the lens gently with a microfiber cleaning cloth designed for regular camera lenses or eyeglasses.

5) Always Shoot at the Highest Image Quality. The names of the quality settings vary with the phone manufacturer. For example, the choices might be called: high, medium, low; or super fine, fine, normal; check your phone’s user guide. Image files are automatically compressed to save space in the phone’s internal memory or on a removable memory card; the higher the image quality you set, the less compression.

You’ll also find settings for image resolution, which may be called image size. We recommend you always select the highest resolution, especially if you expect to print your photos. The higher the resolution, the larger the picture will be displayed on a computer or television screen. Also, more detail will show in the image. Image resolution/image size in some camera phones ranges from 320×240 pixels (low) to 1600×1200 pixels (high).

By the way, do not confuse image resolution with the resolution of the image sensor in a camera phone, which is expressed in megapixels, abbreviated MP. Little attention is paid to image sensors and their maximum megapixels (MP) in camera phones, but higher-end models range from 5 MP to as many as 10 MP.

If you are serious about getting quality photos and are buying a new camera phone, look for a model with high-resolution capability, autofocus, an optical zoom lens, built-in flash, and a large LCD screen to compose and review the images. For the most versatility, the camera phone should also have a slot that accepts a removable memory card. As you might expect, top-end camera phones can be expensive and often cost more than regular non-SLR digital cameras.

Most user guides for mobile phones have minimal information and instructions for the camera, but read carefully to learn as much as you can about its various features, as well as any limitations. For example, most camera phones can be set to shoot in black-and-white or old-time sepia tones rather than color.

Try out all the different settings by shooting practice photos, and then analyze the results. It is worth the time to become familiar with the camera operation so you won’t be fumbling with the phone and pressing the wrong buttons when a photo opportunity suddenly appears.

Photos you make with a camera phone are automatically saved in the JPEG (.jpg) image file format. They can be viewed on the phone’s LCD screen as a group of thumbnail photos or as larger individual images. On the screen, you can select images to delete, or to send to another mobile phone, a Web site, desktop printer, photo kiosk, or computer.

Camera phones with WiFi, Bluetooth or IrDA (infrared) technology make it easy to download images to a wireless-enabled computer or printer, or to a photo kiosk that makes prints. Some phones have a port to plug in a cable that connects to your computer to download the image files. Of course, if your camera phone has a removable memory card, it can be inserted into a memory card reader that is built in or connected to your computer.

However, you probably will be sending most images from your camera phone directly to another mobile phone or to a Web site or in E-mails. The fees to transmit image data from a camera phone can add up quickly. If you shoot and send many photos, we suggest you buy an unlimited media package from your mobile phone service provider in order to save money.

Finally, as with any camera you use, remember to be respectful of your photographic subjects and situations. Despite the temptation, don’t take voyeuristic photos or use your camera phone in places where photography is prohibited, as in health club dressing rooms, and many museums, theaters and concert halls.

©2009 Tom Grimm and Michele Grimm, authors of The Basic Book of Digital Photography: How to Shoot, Enhance, and Share Your Digital Pictures

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