A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick is a really good book. It is so well written. The book is Goolrick's first novel, but he also wrote a highly recognized memoir titled The End of the World as We Know It. Filled with beautiful, descriptive language; a compelling plot with two amazingly interesting and complicated main characters; passion and sensuality; and surprising twists and turns, you will not want to put this book down once you've entered this intriguing place and time.

The story begins on a cold, fall day. Set in Wisconsin, just after the turn of the century, in 1907. Fifty four year old Ralph Truitt is waiting for a train to arrive bringing him "a plain woman". A woman he has found through a personal ad he placed in a big city newspaper:

"Country Businessman Seeks Reliable Wife. Compelled by Practical, Not Romantic Reasons. Reply By Letter. Ralph Truitt. Truitt, Wisconsin. Discreet."

The train, carrying Catherine Land, the young woman who responded to the ad with a letter and a photograph, was running late. Ralph fondled her worn picture in his hand, noting for the thousandth time, "She wore a simple dress with a plain cloth collar, an ordinary woman who needed a husband enough to marry a stranger twenty years her senior." Goolrick's description of Ralph Truitt waiting on the platform is gripping and heartrending. This sad man finally has a ray of hope that he will find companionship and maybe even love. After just a few pages, I was hooked!

Catherine Land answers the ad because she cannot fathom living without two things: love and money. "She was determined, cold as steel. She would not live without at least some portion of the two things she knew were necessary as a minimum to sustain life." Ralph Truitt is her ticket. When her train finally arrives at the station, in Truitt, Wisconsin (the town Ralph Truitt owns) Catherine recognizes Ralph, but Ralph doesn't recognize her.

"Mr. Truitt. I'm Catherine Land."

"You're not her. I have a photograph."

"It's of someone else. It's my cousin India."

And so the relationship begins. Catherine Land is a beauty and a liar. She wants something of her very own and this is the story of how she goes about getting it.

In this NPR interview the author talks about the major themes of the book: Good vs. Bad, Winter to Spring, Redemption and Rebirth. A romance novel with extreme complexities, this novel arouses all of your senses. You want it to end a certain way, but you never believe it will get there. Do not miss this intriguing journey.

Blogger's Note: My book club LOVED this book, however, we were divided on whether or not we'd recommend it to a friend, mother, daughter, sister, brother or husband. Why do you think that might be the case? Would you recommend it? Can you see a reason why you might not recommend a book you LOVED to a friend? Let us know! I guess you know my response - I'd recommend it to everyone!

The dog days of summer ....

The dog days of summer demand some good old R & R .... grab a book, find a special reading nook, and treat yourself to a few magic moments ... Here are a few pics of my favorite early September spots:

Clickers vs. Brickers

Here's an interesting book-related blog post I saw on Twitter today [via @chrisbrogan]: It relates to an unscientific poll conducted by J. C. Hutchins and posted to his site "The Official Webspace of Thriller Novelist J.C. Hutchins." The author conducted a poll on Twitter today (8.25.09) asking the following question: "When you buy books, are you mostly a "clicker" (meaning shop on-line) or a "bricker" (meaning shop in a brick and mortar store)?" Check this out: Clickers vs. Brickers [Posted using ShareThis].

My answer: I'm a "bricker". I love local bookstores!! Browsing is my favorite way to buy books; however, if I hear about a specific title/author, and I decide I need/want that specific book late at night or early some morning, I have been known to take the convenient route and purchase books on-line.

So, how about you? Are you a "clicker" or a "bricker" when it comes to buying books?

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee

[Photo Credit: Barnes and Noble]

World War II is once again the setting for another excellent book - this time Hong Kong is the war ravaged city, but like Leningrad, in City of Thieves (earlier blog post), this story is really more about the people than the place. As one reviewer of the book noted, "In desperate times, when survival is the only goal, an individual's true character is revealed."

The author, Janice Y. K. Lee, the daughter of Korean parents, was born in Hong Kong and lived there until she was 15 years old. She is too young to have been impacted by the actual war herself, but she clearly can relate to the East/West themes in the book. At 15, she left Hong Kong to attend a prep school in New Hampshire and then went on to Harvard for college. Writing a book has been a dream of Lee's since elementary school. The Piano Teacher is her debut novel.

This book is first and foremost a love story and an historical fiction account of World War II, and the clashing of cultures in World War II, told in two time periods - beginning post war 1952-53 and alternating chapters with years during the war 1941 - 43 - set, not in Europe, but in Asia - Hong Kong to be exact. The war version details how the idyllic, gilded, Hong Kong changes dramatically the day the Japanese invaded.

The book is filled with a rich cast of characters: Will Truesdale, the handsome Brit who arrived in Hong Kong in 1941 - lover of Trudy and Claire; Trudy Liang, a Portugese/Chinese beauty, daughter of a Shanghai millionaire - strong, fearless and provocative; Claire Pendleton, the "piano teacher" and naive wife of a British civil servant arriving in Hong Kong post war; and Victor, Melody and Locket Chen, the wealthy family both Claire and Will end up working for, who have a host of hidden secrets and past lives of their own. There are lots of other characters in the book as well; some the author introduces and then drops or never really ties up the loose ends on, but this doesn't really help or hurt the story. [Note: My book club determined these loose ends might be attributed to the fact that it took Lee 6 years to write the book and finally when she is pregnant with twins - her 3rd and 4th children - she becomes determined to finish the book before they are born. ] Overall, the key characters are well developed and make for a most interesting read (and book club discussion).

The Piano Teacher is a mystery, an epic tale of war and a twisted, complicated love(s) story. The author does an excellent job of describing the people, place and times - she picks you up and drops you right into the lives and events of the two different time periods. The novel illuminates a time and place, during and after World War II, not normally depicted. The different characters' reactions to the invasion, and the survival techniques they resort to as they live with the effects of their time and place, are ripe for discussion.

City of Thieves by David Benioff

[Photo Credit: Barnes & Noble]

I was fortunate to catch a reading, by David Benioff, of his newest book City of Thieves at a local book store. Benioff is an accomplished writer. His first novel, The 25th Hour became a film directed by Spike Lee. Additionally, he has written many screenplays including: The Kite Runner, and the forthcoming films "Brothers" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". He was born and raised in New York City and currently lives with his wife, actress Amanda Peet, and their daughter, in Los Angeles. [Note: Amanda Peet and their young daughter also attended the book reading. It was a fun sidelight to watch his family, watch him, as he spoke.]

Set in Leningrad, during the siege by the Nazis in World War II, City of Thieves gives a microscopic, insightful, historical look into the people, and culture, of this time. Though the premise of the story is a rather frightening and dark adventure for the two main characters Lev Beniov and Koyla Vlasov. The young men were thrown together after being captured on the streets after curfew, and without proper identification. Their ticket to freedom involved a dangerous challenge in search of a dozen fresh eggs for one of the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. The search leads them through the countryside where along the way the reader is given glimpses into how a culture survives in the most difficult of times by retaining its humor, theater, music, and literature.

In the spirit of how new media is being used to communicate in a variety of ways, I am going to let you hear more about this story directly from the author himself through the attached You Tube videos:

City of Thieves is a great book. I strongly recommend it for you and your book clubs!

Facebook Founders' College Antics!

[Note: An update has been added below on 8.10.09]
Facebook is a topic of discussion in our new media marketing class this week and coincidentally the author of The Accidental Billionaires, Ben Mezrich, and I are following each other on Twitter. (I think he, or his publicist, found me through my link to the Harvard Book Store on this site.)

The Accidental Billionaires is Mezrich's eleventh book. Impressive since he looks about 25 years old in his interview with Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show. Mezrich has created his own unique style of non-fiction by recounting stories about young geniuses and their creative shenanigans; sometimes leading to the creation of greatness as is the case with this pre-Facebook tale. One of his earlier bestseller books, Bringing Down the House, was recently turned into the movie "21" about the expert card counting MIT students who beat the system in Las Vegas.

Just released, The Accidental Billionaires is currently ranking #6 on the New York Times bestseller list and #1 on the Boston Globe bestseller list. The cover looks a bit chic lit, don't you think? I initially missed the fact that it was about Facebook's, Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard College roommate, Eduardo Saverin. These two math geniuses were a bit awkward with women, and in their frustration hacked into the Harvard computer system; they managed to create a database, capable of rating all of the female students, which ultimately crashed the servers and almost got them expelled.

The excerpt Craig Ferguson reads on the Late Late Show also indicates this is a bit chic lit in nature, but it is on my must-read list for sure. Sounds like a fascinating tale. Sony pictures has purchased the film rights with Kevin Spacey producing.

So the book is about new media; the marketing is about new media; the movie is traditional media, but you can bet it will be combined with new media. The whole phenomenon is incredible to immersed in.

Blogger's Note: If you get a chance follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mgnetworks or find my Facebook Page under MGNetworks (I need some fans there ... just started a business fan page this week - so far, not many fans!) Oh, and thanks, Mark Zuckerberg, and Eduardo Saverin, for being creative, mischievous nerds! You've given Ben Mezrich a story to tell and jumped some of us up a rung or two on Groundswell's Social Technographics ladder.

Blogger's UPDATE 8.10.09: I finished reading The Accidental Billionaires this past weekend. It is a quick, easy, fun read. The insight into how Facebook got its start, in a college dorm room, just 6 short years ago is really amazing. Filled with intriguing characters, and ethical dilemmas, the book serves as a teaser for more information about all of it. I can't wait to see the movie. I will also be much more interested in reading about Mark Zuckerberg, and all of the real-life characters mentioned in this book (Eduardo Saverin, Sean Parker, Peter Thiel, Tyler & Cameron Winklevoss, Larry Summers, and more), in the future, as a result of this glimpse into the founding of Facebook. I realize the author, Ben Mezrich, took creative license with the dialogue and some of the events in the book (as mentioned in his note at the beginning of the book) but it's clear he did his best to piece together the real story using the sources he had available to him-minus any input from the key character, Mark Zuckerberg.

Vanished by Joseph Finder - New Media Phenomenon

Let's talk about new media and book sales. Recently Joseph Finder [Photo Credit: Amazon.com] showed up as one of my Twitter followers. Now, I do not consider myself gullible, but I found it fascinating that a New York Times Best Selling author found me on Twitter. I started reading his tweets and realized he had a new book coming out in August called "Vanished".

Recently, he tweeted about an offer that for some reason or other I found too enticing to pass up. If you pre-order his book and then send him the receipt, prior to an August date, he will send you a signed paperback of one of his previous books, a signed book plate, and a comic book, based on some character in his new book, Vanished. It was all too intriguing especially since I am taking this New Media Marketing Class and trying to get a grasp on how powerful social media can be for marketing. (Note: I did have a Barnes and Nobel gift certificate sitting here just waiting to be spent.)

Anyway, I pre-ordered the book (it does sound like a great mystery) and sent in (all through my Twitter link) my request to take advantage of the special offer. We'll see what happens and once I read the book, I'll update this post and let you know how I liked it. And to think some people think Twitter is just a big waste of time. Doesn't seem to be for Joseph Finder ....

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (pictured here credit: Harper Collins) is the author's first novel. It is a very interesting story, so compelling that many people really believe there were/are Lace Readers. The author acknowledges in interviews that she never really found evidence that Lace Readers existed - she thinks she just made it up, but it seems logical there may have been since, throughout history, people have "read" everything from hand lines, tea leaves, quilts to minds.

I was lucky to get to hear the author speak when I was a guest at a local book group in San Diego. Brunonia Barry first published the book, in 2006. She and her husband are software publishers and decided to publish and market the book on their own. Initially they gave copies to regional book clubs in an effort to get the word out about the book. Some how the book ended up garnering a starred review in Publishers Weekly and major publishers launched a bidding war. The self-publishing side saga really is a unique and inspiring story for all struggling authors out there hoping to get published.

Although it is fiction, the book is filled with layers of history involving witchcraft, spirits, family secrets and religious undertones. It is aptly set in Salem, Massachusetts, the author's home town, during modern times. Descriptions of Salem, and the surrounding area are one of the highlights of the book, in my opinion. Brunonia Barry's family name actually is Whitney (a family name in the book), but other than that she said it was not, in any way, autobiographical.

The book's main theme is "a hero's journey for women". The author uses unique pacing and tells the story using multiple perspectives and voices. The narrator announces in the first chapter, "we're from five generations of crazy". The characters in the book are amazingly well developed - you really feel like you know them by the end of the story. The young protagonist, Towner Whitney, suffered a severe nervous breakdown, moved to California and only returned to Salem after her Great Aunt Eva disappeared. There is a religious cult leader, Cal Boynton, who creates some of the drama, along with other family members and local townspeople. Suspense and a well-crafted twist make the mystery complete.

Lots of information about the book, including reviews and interviews, is well catalogued on Brunonia Barry's website. Book clubs are guaranteed to have lots to discuss with this great read!

My book club thought it would make a great movie - What actors and actresses do you think best fit the roles?

Find a special reading nook ....

June 2009 Sun Valley ...
My cell phone camera shot .... check out the wonderful bench for reading in the upper right corner!

New Media Benefits Authors With Their Debut Novels...

It is absolutely amazing the impact new media has had on the book world. The ease, and availability of self publishing and on-line promotion platforms, have opened huge doors for passionate, self-promoting, first-time authors to enter a previously, well-guarded, gated arena.

Some say an author's best book is their first; although Alison Morris, in her Shelftalker Blog states, "Maybe it's time we scrapped the stereotype altogether." Morris argues that it might be true for authors of adult literature that their first book is the best, but children's and young adult literature authors improve over time. Nevertheless, I think it's safe to assume that all first time authors, regardless of genre, have more opportunity to get a shot at success in today's new, high tech, world than they had previously.

New media makes it possible for authors to create elaborate websites, blogs, facebook pages,and the list goes on, to promote their books, and themselves directly to their audience. Live interviews can be heard over the web, or on podcasts. All of this innovation enables a wealth of first-time, often young, authors to make it into bookstores, and even skyrocket onto bestseller lists with their debut novels.

These valuable, often primary, resources created by, and about, novelists are treasure troves for reading groups. Research is incredibly easy to do compared to, even 20 years ago, when you used to have to go to the library to dig through microfiche to gather any news to share with your fellow book club members.

To illustrate, here's a list of books, by first time authors, along with their official website addresses, that make a great reading list for a new book club:

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry - http://www.lacereader.com/;


• The Help by Kathryn Stockett - http://www.kathrynstockett.com/;


• Still Alice by Lisa Genova - http://www.stillalice.com/;


• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick - http://www.robertgoolrick.com/;


• The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee - http://www.janiceyklee.com/;


• City of Thieves by David Benioff - http://www.cityofthievesbook.com/.

Future posts will contain more information about each of these books, and the authors, so let's start reading! We want to get the discussion going ....

Special thanks to my fellow book club members who helped compile this list of books, by contemporary authors, guaranteed to lead to wonderful conversations.

Let's Read!!

A picture says a thousand words .....

Invite Some Friends ...

When you start your book club, you may want to consider only asking friends who are "tech savvy" enough to be on-line and capable of opening an email, or evite. It is so much easier to organize groups of people using the internet!

Even if the people you want to include in your book club aren't currently on-line - use this as an opportunity to do a good deed and get them set up with an email account. They don't even need a computer (although seriously, are there still people out there who aren't on-line?) as they can check their email accounts on the local library computer, if need be.

Appearing organized for your first book club meeting will help set the tone - this is a real group, with a real mission, and we're really going to meet and be active. Talking to other book clubs is a good way to learn how to organize a group and also benefit from the lessons they've learned along the way. I would sugggest you plan to meet once a month to get started and I think the group size is optimum when limited to 10 - 15 active members. Anything larger than this gets really hard to coordinate. If you are starting with just a handful of friends, that's fine. Once word gets out that you are an active, interesting group - friends of friends will be clamoring to sign on!

Get started by sending out your first evite, on-line invitation. There are some wonderful resources out there. Here's a list of on-line invitation recommendations:

• http://www.evite.com/ - free on-line invitations with a great book club template;
  
• http://www.mypunchbowl.com/ - free on-line invitations;


• http://www.sendomatic.com/ - free version has some ads attached, but if you upgrade to a paid version you can get no ads;


• http://www.pingg.com/ - free version - these designs are terrific;


• http://www.socializr.com/ - free version has a great book club template;


• http://www.purpletrail.com/ - free on-line invitations, with no ads
  

Many of these on-line invitations can even be sent to cellphones and social networking sites like facebook, twitter, etc. Most will track rsvps for you, and send reminders, eliminating time consuming follow-up for the organizer.

So decide on a time and place to meet (some groups rotate homes, and others meet in public places like libraries, Starbucks , Peet's, or some other local gathering spot), and get your first book club meeting on the calendar. You can start off your first meeting by having the organizer choose the first book or you can make the first meeting an organizational one. Either way, be sure to include all the details for your first meeting on your evite, including: time, place, date, and a reminder to 1) read the first selection and be prepared for discussion or 2) bring along two or three book suggestions so that your group can start the process of calendaring each month's reading selection.

You're now ready to get on with the fun of sharing the joy of reading and talking about books.

How To Start A Book Club

Forming a book club is a great way to get started on a shared journey "into the pages" of literature. There are several ways to begin:

• Joining a pre-existing book club organized by a local, independent bookstore;


• Following a radio show, or television show that shares a book of the month;


• Engaging in a networking group or cultural organization that advertises a book club as part of their scheduled meet-ups;


• Gathering a group of friends and scheduling a time that you're all willing and able to commit to, and then, just get started.

I think the most intimate way to form a book club is to begin talking with people you find interesting, about your desire to start a book club, to see if they share your passion for literature. It's often more fun to reach out to a diverse group of friends rather than just sticking with an already established group or clique. The discussions tend to be much more stimulating when people you don't know very well bring different perspectives into the conversation. Once you've got a handful of friends who are excited about the prospect, begin throwing out dates and times to see what might work best for all.

A great way to begin is to send a postcard or evite out to the group indicating the initial date and time for your first meeting and ask everyone to bring a few books to suggest to begin creating your reading list.

I'll talk about how to choose books for your reading list in my next blog post.