Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Just the “facts”’ Category

Vermont’s NE Kingdom Picks Great Books for Summer Days

Posted in Belly Laughs, Fiction Fanatics, Food Lovers, Just the "facts", Kids at Heart, Must Read Memoirs, Sports and other Adventures, Tough GIfts, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2013 | 4 Comments »

On a GORGEOUS spring day last week – yes, spring does eventually reach Vermont – The Book Jam traveled to Vermont’s amazing Northeast Kingdom. We love to visit this region to bike, camp, ski and to simply enjoy the magnificent views.  This time, though, we were there to chat about books, to learn what librarians and booksellers in this more remote part of our state are recommending for summer reading, and to raise some money for Vermont libraries. (We also spent a bit too much in the Whistle Emporium, a superb gift/art/kitchen/just fun stuff store, located next to Claire’s.)  Thank you to the Vermont Community Foundation for making Pages in the Pub in Hardwick possible.

Our presenters to a packed pub at Claire’s Restaurant and Bar in Hardwick, Vermont included:

  • Linda Ramsdell, owner and founder of Galaxy Bookshop since 1988.  Linda considers herself extraordinarily fortunate to have spent half of her life in a place where books, people, ideas and imagination meet.
  • Lisa Sammet, library director of Jeudevine Memorial Library in Hardwick. She’s been a librarian, youth librarian, English teacher, farmer, and a Peace Corps volunteer. She also has been a professional storyteller in schools and libraries for over 30 years.
  • Rachel Hexter Fried, retired attorney and current Chair of the Stannard Selectboard. She supports independent bookstores and loves having the Galaxy in Hardwick. She is a voracious reader.
  • Lisa Christie, co-founder and co-blogger of The Book Jam Blog. Formerly the Executive Director of Everybody Wins! Vermont and USA; currently, a nonprofit consultant and mom who reads whenever she can find time.

We limited their written reviews to six words (those in the audience were able to hear a 2 minute review). So, although the list of books in this post is longer than our usual, we hope the brevity of the reviews helps you think about each, and helps you decide whether they should make your summer 2013 reading list.  Enjoy!

Non-fiction or reference book – For people who like to ponder large tomes during summer vacations

Former People by Douglas Smith. Selected by Rachel Hexter Fried. Bolshevik Revolution’s destruction of aristocratic Russia.

  

Memoirs – For people who enjoy living vicariously through other people’s memories

Elsewhere by Richard Russo. Selected by Rachel Hexter Fried. Russo’s life with his compulsive mother.

Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright. Selected by Lisa Sammet. Remarkable WWII story of courage tragedy.

North of Hope by Shannon Huffman Polson. Selected by Lisa Christie. Bear kills. Daughter grieves, grows, loves.

   

Adult Fiction – For a woman who only has time for the best fiction

John Saturnall’s Feast by Lawrence Norfolk. Selected by Rachel Hexter Fried. Poor boy’s rise to Manor master chef.

Sweet Toothby Ian McEwan.  Selected by Lisa Sammet. Cold war espionage, clever, love and truth.

Juliet in August by Dianne Warren. Selected by Linda Ramsdell. 1 horse, great characters, nothing terrible happens.

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. Selected by Lisa Christie.  Father Dies. Family Gathers. Gorgeous Prose.

  

Adult fiction – For a man who has enough camping equipment, but not enough good fiction

Canada by Richard Ford. Selected by Rachel Hexter Fried. Exquisitely written story. Parents rob bank.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Selected by Lisa Sammet. Post-apocalyptic suspense, savage and tender.

Truth in Advertising by John Kenney. Selected by Lisa Christie. ”Ad-man” matures late in life.                                      

                           

 Cookbooks or coffee table books or reference books – For your mom/grad/dad

Vermont Farm Table by Tracey Medeiros. Selected by Linda Ramsdell. Inspired photos, approachable recipes, neighbors, friends.

Saved: How I Quit Worrying about Money and became the Richest Guy in the World by Ben Hewitt. Selected by Linda Ramsdell.  Much to ponder at any point in life.

Picture Books (zero to 7) – books for youngsters to peruse under trees and in tree houses

The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmet. Selected by Lisa Sammet. Fractured fairy tale with wry humor.

Books for summer campers/ young reader (ages 8-12) – books for those beyond tonka trucks and tea parties but not yet ready for teen topics.

Hold Fast by Blue Balliet. Selected by Lisa Christie. Langston’s poems. Homeless Family. Books save.

Books for your favorite High Schooler – “not required” reading for teens to ponder during the long hours of summer vacation

Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum. Selected by Linda Ramsdell. Rarely glimpsed window to a world.

Some bonus books mentioned by the presenters during their presentations:

Catherine the Great by Robert Massie. Mentioned by Rachel.

Atonement by Ian McEwan mentioned by Lisa S.

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon mentioned by Linda

The Danger Box by Blue Balliet mentioned by Lisa C.

At the end of our chats, the four presenters were curious about what audience members were reading.  Some of their current reading includes:

Beautiful Ruins by Jesse Walters; Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand; Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwen; Freeman by Leonard Pitts; Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson; Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, bringing decision-making back home by Susan Clark and Woden Teachout; Seward: Lincoln’s  Indispensible Man, by Walter Stahr; My Beloved World by Sonya Sotomayor; Mysteries by Benjamin Black;  and  Same Ax, Twice by Howard Mansfield.

Read Full Post »

Assault is not an April Fool’s Joke: Books that Address Abuse

Posted in Just the "facts", Must Read Memoirs, Two Peas in a Pod: Similar Themes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2013 | 1 Comment »

wise-old-site

Our local shelter for abused women  – WISE (Women’s Information Service) - recently designed an educational program involving the use of fiction and non-fiction books in discussion groups sponsored by local libraries and bookstores. It is their hope that these specially selected titles will serve as a platform for safe discussions, and will  support their mission of reducing the number of sexual assaults in our community. This groundbreaking  program launches today, the first day of Sexual Violence Awareness Month, and specific outcomes remain unknown.  We are certain, however, that good literature can lead to very positive outcomes; so we at The Book Jam are hopeful.

Below are some of the books being used in this important program that we can recommend as excellent reading.

And, we truly hope that this program leads to action and the  reduction in the number of crimes against women.

 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (2006). Years after reading this award-winning young adult novel, I still remember reading it and being completely taken by the narrator, Melinda, and her story.  The novel opens in autumn with Melinda in High School and outcast because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the police.  Nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. In turn, she stops talking altogether.  An art project allows her to finally able to face what really happened at that party: she was raped. And unfortunately, the rapist attends her high school.  As the year progresses, she has another violent encounter with him.  In this moving novel, this heroine bursts open many of the hypocritical aspects of high school.  In doing so, Melinda illustrates the importance of learning to speak up for oneself (and I would argue to speak up for those who can not speak for themselves), and opens a window into the horrors of rape. Speak is a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature. ~ Lisa Christie

Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold (2002). In this memoir, which we read years ago but remember for its honesty and extreme candor, Ms. Sebold shows how her life was utterly transformed when, as a college freshman, she was brutally raped and beaten in a park near her campus. Through her prose, she shows her profound struggles for understanding, how her friends and family can’t quite help – even though they desperately try and truly want to do something useful, and finally how she ”recovers”.  She also manages to help the police and prosecutors in her rapist’s arrest and conviction along the way. With this book, Ms. Sebold provides a strong voice for trauma victims (even if she herself is only one individual case) and ultimately states that,  ”You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” ~ Lisa Christie and Lisa Cadow

Other titles suggested by this WISE program, that we have not yet read (and thus can not review), include:

  Product Details

  • Aftermath: Violence and Remaking of a Self by Susan Brison (2003). WISE lists this as a non-fiction academic treatment of assualt.
  • The Lolita Effect by Meenakshi Gigi Durham (2009). WISE describes this non-fiction book as good for skill building for parents and adults invested in youth.
  • Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the rise of raunch culture by Ariel Levy (2006).  WISE says this non-fiction read offers an investigative work on media culture that is appropriate for adults and older teens.
  • Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz (1998). Unfortunately, this appears to be out of print, so we can not provide a link to it.  However, your local bookstore or library can track it down for you.  WISE describes this as a non-fiction, investigative work on the secrets of sexual assault that is appropriate for adults and older teens.

If you have questions about WISE or this program, please contact Edith Walsh at 603-448-5922 x118, or edith.walsh@wiseoftheuppervalley.org.

Read Full Post »

Our Unique Election Guide

Posted in Belly Laughs, Fiction Fanatics, Just the "facts", tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

 Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (2012) – The death of a town councilman unearths dysfunctional town politics, not-at-all-functioning public housing complexes, turned off teenagers engaging in unsafe activities, corrupt politicians, and townspeople looking out only for themselves.  And despite the fact plot is often bleak, her characters are memorable and the messages embedded throughout this novel resonate during this election season.  Ms. Rowling’s first forray into adult literature is all about muggles, and we know it was panned by many critics, but this book does make you think.

Primary Colors: A novel of politics by Anonymous, later revealed to be Joe Klein (2006)- A fun romp through 1990s politics. Yes, the campaign greatly resembles Bill Clinton’s, but what is wrong with that? Have fun laughing at, or possibly with, a fictional look at presidential campaigns.

From the policy makers, because sometimes you just need the numbers

The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the next revolution for women work and familyby Madeleine Kunin (2012) - We should first say that we are fans of our former governor, Ms. Kunin. Her career path, poise, thoughtfulness, compassion and intelligence are inspiring.  In her latest book, she argues that empowering women to succeed in their work is good for everyone – men, women and children.  She then discusses what it will take for this vision to occur.  Whether you agree with her politics or not, this book provides important fodder for intelligent discussions. (At the very least we recommend you read her short introduction.)

A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget by the National Priorities Project  (2012) – An accessible, amply illustrated look at the complications of our national budget. To be truly informed voters we should all know a little something about our budget and the national priorities project has made that task a bit more palatable.  Perfect for your favorite wonk.


From the satirists, because sometimes you just need to laugh

 Tweet Land of Liberty:Irreverent rhymes from our political circus by Elinor Lipman (2012) – One of our favorite humorous novelists, Elinor Lipman, has produced daily poetic tweets about the 2012 election for quite some time.  Recently, someone was smart enough to gather them in a book.  This collection contains many tweets that are hilarious and most are cleverly embedded in actual headlines about the various campaigns. Enjoy revisiting the work of Michele Bachman, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and many others.

 The Snark Handbook: politics and government edition. Gridlock, red-tape and other insults to we the people by Lawrence Dorfman (2012). This little book has quotes by politicians about politics, by politicians about other politicians, by people you have never heard of about politics and politicians, all presented in a lovely little book that will leave you smiling and sometimes a bit sad, but ideally comforted by the fact that politicians and politics have said and done nasty things for years, not just today and somehow we have survived as a nation.

 America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t by Stephen Colbert (2012) – The Colbert Show team returns with a parody of elections.  Yes, this book employs
the egotistical voice of “Stephen Colbert” to inform readers.  And if you are not a fan of that voice, you will probably not be a fan of this book.  But this book offers an interesting take on how our country is “Americeptional” in a wide range of subjects: healthcare,
Wall Street, energy, and elections. Through it all, there are gags to make you smile (even if only a little bit) no matter what your political bent.

Disclaimer – Lisa Cadow wanted to make sure our readers know that she relied on Lisa Christie to screen the books for this post.  So please don’t ask her for her take on the Federal Budget any time soon. She still has a few pages to go on that selection.

Read Full Post »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 274 other followers