Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Sunday Salon with "Books with Buzz"


What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....

My reading week started out with a bit of a panic-NO INTERNET! Actually sporadic internet. I decided to try out my local Borders HotSpot (WiFi internet connection) and see how it worked. Actually it was pretty easy, and for $6.00 I could get online for an hour, or for about $8.00 I could buy a 24 hour pass and access away! Of course I'm sure that the management may have found it a bit odd that I was dressed in my pajamas and demanding to get my money's worth at midnight while sitting in the coffee shop for the past 12 hours! I opted to test it out with a hourly pass. After arriving with my laptop, having it already turned on, the first site I tried to connect to lead me to a T-Mobile popup that gave simple instructions on how to sign up for an account and log in to access the internet. Other options were available for other internet providers, but not knowing how to access my AT & T WiFi I just opted for the T-Mobile. I was good to go! During the week we determined that it was probably a faulty modem and after my DH went to buy a new modem and spent the morning hooking it up, we are now back to normal! But, at least we know that Borders is a good option just in case. Then yesterday morning in my email, Barnes & Noble made an announcement that they had FREE WiFi available at most of their stores. My local B&N was listed, but since last being there, there were only a few chairs to be had for sitting down.... I guess a low bookshelf may work out to put my laptop on.... Anyone ever use a HotSpot? I would love to know where you found one!

So,this week there has been an interesting mix of books coming my way. First I started reading our book club read, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and was immediately drawn in. A whirl of events puts Henry Lee facing the painful memories 40 years later of his youth and the internment camps that had separated him from his boyhood crush Keiko. Keiko was an american, but of Japanese heritage and was swept up in the ugly part of WWII, that suspected any person of Japanese heritage to be a possible saboteur. Life went on and Henry grew up, married and had a family, but never forgot Keiko. When the belongings of some of the Japanese families are found hidden in the basement of a long abandoned hotel that is going to be refurbished, memories flood Henry Lee's mind and we are taken back with him to a different era... Look for my review later in the next few weeks! From what I've read so far it is a winner!

Putting that book aside for a moment I started reading a book that Caitlin of Unbridled Books sent my way - In Hovering Flight by Joyce Hinnefeld. I want to call it a quietly beautiful book, because it is thought provoking and stirring. I started reading it and didn't stop reading it until I finished it. It begins with a daughter coming home to say goodbye to her mother dying of cancer. The mother, a famous bird artist and environmental activist, is surrounded by her best friends from college and her dear husband, Tom. In saying goodbye, we are whisked off to the beginning of Addie and Toms humble beginnings as student and college professor. We learn of a complicated life that draws everyone back to Addie in the end. And with the gentle remembrances Addie's daughter gains a better understanding of her mother and who she really was. With rich characters set in a beautiful surrounding of nature with purpose. Check out the full review this week!

Another fun book that came my way is Up For Renewal, What magazines taught me about love, sex, and starting over by Cathy Alter. Cathy is a writer whose life was out of control. She was in her 40's, with a failed marriage and a slew of poor decisions and inappropriate men behind her. She decided what she really wanted and the list looked like what every women's magazine on the rack promised- "Find the love you deserve", "Perfect meals", "Paint to the rescue"... That's when she decided that for the next year she would follow the advice she could find in these magazines without question. And this is the book about the how, why and what happened during that year! I'm looking forward to reading about how it all went! Do you think you can solve your problems with a magazine article? I also have a extra copy thanks to the publisher! That means giveaway! And since I'm going to be mailing it out myself to the lucky winner, that means I can send it as far away as I like! (Do I hear international giveaway?!)

One more book I'd like to mention with A lot of Buzz this week is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead! A YA(young adult) novel, but being enjoyed by adults as well... 6th grader Miranda and her best friend Sal enjoy navigating the New York City neighborhoods they are familiar with. One day Sal gets into a fight and stops talking to Miranda, who is left to her own devices and begins to mysteriously get these notes delivered to her. The notes slowly begin to tell a story and a mystery, which Miranda must solve, she believes, in order to prevent a tragic death... It is now on my TBR pile!

One more thing of note this week for my Kindle friends! On Monday August 3rd between 11 am EST and Wed. Aug. 5th 10:59am EST you can download a FREE eBook copy of Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann... "It's 1974, and a man is dancing on a tightrope between the towers of the World Trade Center—risky business, but as Colum McCann reveals in Let the Great World Spin (Random House), so is simply living day to day." And the book is suppose to really depict the New York City of old remarkable well- all happening down below while the man is on the tightrope. You must belong to the Oprah bookclub to participate, but it's very easy to join and it's FREE. Here's the link for the download and to join : Oprah Book Club . Now it does not specifically say Kindle only eBook, but Oprah is a big fan of the Kindle, so I am assuming that the eBook will be able to be downloaded on the Kindle... **UPDATE: The download for this book is a PDF.

*P.S. All These Books are Kindle Ready! Click on the their titles!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like some wonderful reading for you!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Rhapsodyinbooks! It was a good reading week! I'm looking forward to sharing Up For Renewal in a giveaway too! Can you imagine JUST following the advice in magazines to shape your life!? Thanks for stopping by!

Suzanne

Veronika said...

Up for Renewal sounds interesting. Simply because I just gave up trying to follow the advice these mags always give. I always thought: I know how to do things much better.
; )

see how Ms. Cathy fared.

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Tatiana,
Well, you probably do know how to do things better! But these magazines really make you believe that they have all the answers! I'm going to start Cathy's book this week! If anything, it's suppose to be really funny! And I think she does actually turn her life around....

Thanks for joining in!

Suzanne

BurtonReview said...

After a major thundersstorm last week I went to work and found myself in a panic due to NO INTERNET! On a payroll day also and I was imagining my day being immersed with the boss's expecting me to be Tech-Y and fixing it with my magic wand while I needed to accomplish Payroll instead.. and I have no idea how or who we get internet from.. So I go to the closet with the router and unplugged two different somethings and counted to twenty, turned it back on, and Prayed. Went back to the Computer and OMG IT WORKED!! I was quite relieved to say the least. That's the extent of my TechY knowledge. Do you have a library nearby? My library has Free Wi-Fi there as well.
I have my eye on the Hotel on the Corner book, that looks like a good read.

And thanks for commenting on my Sunday Fodder post, I appreciate the feedback.

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Marie!
I also use the old unplug and plug trick! Unfortunately it didn't work this time! lol! I never thought of the library! I will give them a call tomorrow and check it! Thank you for the suggestion! In a total panic I didn't even think of that! I'm glad you were able to solve your internet problem! OMG, on payroll day!!

And Marie, I think you will enjoy Hotel on the Corner!

Take care! And thanks for stopping by and saying hello!
Suzanne

Literary Feline said...

WiFi came in so handy when hubby and I were on vacation last sommer. I made sure the two hotels we were staying in had free access. Never would have considered that as a necessity until I got my laptop. LOL I'm glad you were able to find somewhere to connect. Hopefully you can get a spot at B&N if you need one now that it's free.

I hope you continue to enjoy Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I haven't read the other books you mention, but In Hovering Flight sure sounds good.

I hope you have a great week, Suzanne!

Yvette Kelly said...

Cannot wait for your reviews and especially the international giveaway.Yay!!!
And I am going over right now to do the Oprah bookclub thing.Thank you for letting us know.
You know me,can't give any advise on techno stuff,I get all my advice from you(lol)
Here in SA we get warned to never use public access internet because of the rampant fraud.I don't think I told you but my mobile got hacked bout 2 weeks ago and when I called it in they told me to check if my bank accout blance was still the same.I got such a fright I couldn't remember my code and nearly got kicked out.Luckily all was ok-an investigation into the hacker is now pending!!!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Literary Feline!
That's somewhere else I didn't think of - a hotel for WiFi! I wonder if I could just get it by sitting in the lobby! :D

BTW, check your EMAIL! You won a book! And I've been trying to get your mailing address! Hope I have the right address! As I said in today's post my internet was funky this week, but I resent you an email...Congrats!

You have a great week too!
Suzanne

Suzanne Yester said...

Hey Marie B!
My Library DOES have free WiFi!! So there's another great resource!
Thanks for bringing that one to our attention!

Suzanne

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Yvette!
You noticed that INTERNATIONAL mention, huh!? :D I am so glad that all worked out with your banking!! Hacking is just horrible, usually by the time you find out it's too late! They always warn you to log off the public computers at the library, but I think it may be OK with your own. I will have to look into that- is a WiFi in a public place giving access to hackers unknowingly?

Glad you signed up for the Oprah book! It should be good! AND free!

Talk to you later,
Suzanne

soozzie said...

Oprah's books are not quite kindle ready, I think. The past one I sent to my kindle via amazon and it came back kindle formatted for $.30.

BTW -- thanks for the heads up!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi soozzie!
OK, just went to Oprah and the download is a PDF, which can be transfered directly via the computer for the Kindle DX or needs to be converted to a Kindle friendly file before putting on the Kindle 2. And the whispernet will cost as you as you said.... Nice though to get a current free book!

**Anyone need help converting their PDF to a Kindle 2 readable file? Let me know... I'm sure we can find someone to help out!

Veronika said...

as far as knowing how to do things better......err....lets just say I am trying. Trial by error, as it were.

Will definitely read the book though. I like funny books.

Veronika said...

one more question: is the book out yet in my part of the world? Europe? Or has it just been released in the States?

thx.

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Tatiana!
Up for Renewal was just released in the US end of July.I just checked TheBookDepository.com and it was available! And they say free worldwide delivery... I'll probably put the giveaway up for this book sometime next week... and I'm going to do an international giveaway! So you may want to see if you can win a copy first! :D

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