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Today, Sunday, March 14, is the premiere of the 10-part miniseries The Pacific on HBO. The Pacific is produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the team that produced the wildly popular Band of Brothers miniseries, which originally aired on HBO in 2001.

Labels: Marines, Pacific War, World War II - history

Science: A Four Thousand Year History by Patricia Fara
"This one-volume global survey offers general readers an excellent starting point for more targeted reading."(LJ 5/1/09)
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
"In the Romantic era, when scientific advances seemed to augur a wondrous future, Holmes reveals how certain scientists epitomized that idealism." (LJ 5/15/09)
Newton and the Counterfeiter: the unknown detective career of the world's greatest scientist by Thomas Levinson
"As warden of the Royal Mint, Newton applied scientific thinking to catch a master counterfeiter and avert a crisis in British currency." (LJ 5/1/09)

Labels: History of science

Labels: child abduction, family stories, loyalty, spellbinding

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the fire that saved America by Timothy Egan Find this book in our catalog

This is what it says in our catalog: "The largest-ever forest fire in America and the tragedy that cemented Teddy Roosevelt's legacy in the land. THE BIG BURN tells an epic story, paints a moving portrait of the people who lived it, and offers a critical cautionary tale for our time."

Similar books you might like:
Life, Our National Parks : celebrating America's natural splendor This is a pictorial history of our national parks.
Snowstruck: in the grip of avalanches by Jill Fredston
Quakes, Eruptions, and Other Geologic Cataclysms: revealing the earth's hazards by Jon Erickson
A Disastrous History of the World : chronicles of war, earthquakes, plague, and flood by John Withington
Out of the Blue: a history of lightning: science, superstition, and amazing stories of survival by John Friedman
Fire Fighters : stories of survival from the front lines of firefighting

Labels: firefighting, fires, forest fires, national parks, natural disasters, survival

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: a Novel by Jamie Ford (Find this book in our catalog) won the 2009 Montana Book Award, which recognizes literary and/or artistic excellence in a book that was written or illustrated by someone who lives in Montana, is set in Montana, or deals with Montana themes or issues.

This is what it says about the book in our catalog:

"This debut novel tells a heartwarming story of fathers and sons, first loves, fate, and the resilient human heart. Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, the times and places are brought to life (Jim Tomlinson, author of Things Kept, Things Left Behind)."

Consider also checking out these honor books by the Montana Book Award Committee:
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the fire that saved America by Timothy Egan
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

Labels: award winners, boys, humorous fiction, Japanese Internment-fiction, Montana - fiction, Montana - Nonfiction, Seattle - fiction

Death at the Alma Mater by G. M. Malliet Find this book in our catalog
This is a very satisfying, if predictable murder mystery in the traditional mold. The Alma Mater in the title is St. Michael’s, a fictitious college of Cambridge University in England in dire need of an infusion of cash to fix its crumbling infrastructure. In order to woo prospective donors, the Dean and the Bursar have taken to organizing weekend getaways for groups of its most rich and successful alumni at the college. Of course, when these old college-mates are thrown together in the dubious comfort of the undergraduates' lodgings to partake of indigestible formal dinners, murder is bound to ensue. Being forced to relive old loves and rivalries is bound to bring animosities to the fore. Sure enough, when one of the guests is found strangled at the boathouse, Inspector St. Just discovers that nearly everyone had a possible motive for murder.

Fans of a cozy mystery will enjoy this one, as will fans of mysteries with a collegiate setting. It might even appeal to lovers of the Father Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, since the Cambridge college and its traditions have an almost monastic ambience.

Unlike some cozies, this book avoids cuteness, but it does have some humor in the foibles and quirks of some of the characters. The author draws them well, with insight, and with wit. Readers will recognize certain types, but will appreciate their eccentricities.

The tone is civilized. The taking of a life is condemned, but there is the constant assumption that the murderer will be exposed and that good will triumph over evil. The plotting is elegant: there are plenty of red herrings and clues for the reader. Unfortunately, one vital piece of information is known only to the Inspector and not revealed to the reader until the end. No matter, this is still a satisfying and quick read and well worth the effort.

Labels: British, Cambridge, closed community, college, cozy, England, humorous, murder mystery, quick read, satisfying, traditional, witty

The topic of fertility clinics is a touchy subject. Some think that it's every woman's God given right to bear a child. Although honestly, the thought of having eight children makes me shudder! Others believe that it should be left up to the Creator alone. Tell that to a barren couple. I'm sure they would have to disagree. You may be adamant about your own beliefs, but until you are faced with that decision, I think the jury is still out.

This month's Jen's Jewels Kate White tackles that very issue in her new release, HUSH. Known for her quick-paced suspense novels, Kate's latest endeavor is just as riveting as she uses the fascinating world of fertility clinics as her backdrop. From legal to moral issues, her story will have you sitting on the edge of your seat! And, believe me! You'll never guess how it ends!

As part of this interview, Harper Collins has generously donated five copies for you, my lucky readers, to win. So, don't forget to look for the trivia question at the end. And as always, thanks for making Jen's Jewels a part of your reading adventure.


Jen: Most of my readers recognize your name as the editor-in-chief of the best-selling women's magazine in the world, Cosmopolitan. Yet, your career as a writer has been just as successful. So that we may have a better understanding of the woman behind the words, please share with us your educational and professional background.
Kate: From the time I was about 12, I dreamed of being a writer and an editor, but I had no clue how to go about it. This was before the Internet and you couldn't easily research anything. So I ended up getting a BA in English from Union College, assuming that would work for a variety of jobs in publishing. I had planned to take some journalism courses there, too, but they did away with them the summer before I arrived. But that was okay. Writing and editing, it turns out, don't require any kind of graduate degree. You just have to go someplace and get started-and keep at it. Of course it also helps to get your foot in the door somehow-with something like an internship. I won Glamour Magazine's Top Ten College Woman Contest and that enabled me to start at Glamour as an editorial assistant. I moved up the ladder and eventually became the editor in chief of Child, Working Woman, McCall's and then Redbook. I've been the editor in chief of Cosmo for 11 years.


Jen: Your high-powered position at Cosmo must be very demanding on your professional as well as personal life. With that being said, describe for us the driving force behind your decision to undertake a literary career while maintaining your current post at the magazine. How do you manage to find the time to do both so well?
Kate: It seems insane at times for me to do both, but like many women, I had a couple of dreams bouncing around in my head. I wanted to work in magazines but I also wanted to write mysteries. And one day, deep into my magazine career, I realized that if I didn't get started on the mysteries, they'd never happen. To pull it off I took a look at my time and my schedule. Things were gonna have to come off the list. I didn't want my writing to interfere with the kids so I knocked off learning to play tennis, shopping, and endless puttering, which I happened to love. I try to write one page every day during the week and five or six pages every Saturday and Sunday. Now that the kids are in college, I write all morning on the weekends, but originally I'd do it very early before they got up. And I write every day on vacation, no matter where we are. Two tips: 1) if you are going to write, write every day, even for a short while or it will be so hard to get started again. 2) Don't bite off more than you can chew. For the first six months of working on my first mystery, I only wrote 15 minutes a day because I knew if I set a goal to do more than that, it would be too daunting and overwhelming-and I'd avoid it like the proverbial plague.


Jen: In terms of your writing career, you write both non-fiction and fiction. Let's start by talking about your non-fiction titles. You have written WHY GOOD GIRLS DON'T GET AHEAD...BUT GUTSY GIRLS DO, 9 SECRETS OF WOMEN WHO GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT, and YOU ON TOP: SMART SEXY SKILLS EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE. From your experiences, what is the defining factor that leads to success for any woman whether in the bedroom or the boardroom? And, what is the biggest hindrance for us women in being able to achieve it?
Kate: I think you just have to be gutsy-and that means asking for what you want (the squeaky wheel does get the grease), letting people be aware of your accomplishments, and sometimes breaking the rules. By breaking the rules, I don't' mean cheating on your expense account but rather coming up with bold new ways to do things that will knock people's socks off (for instance, your boss or your husband). I love the expression "Go big or go home."


Jen: Your career in fiction catapulted to the forefront when your first novel, IF LOOKS COULD KILL, was selected as Live with Regis & Kelly's first Reading with Ripa book selection. (You and I both are thankful for her book club!) How did this opportunity set the stage for your present day career as a highly regarded novelist?
Kate: It was such an amazing experience. Kelly is a dynamic, lovely woman and her endorsement made the book climb to number one on Amazon and helped me build a fan base for the next books in the mystery series.


Jen: Your character, Bailey Weggins, is one of my favorite all-time sleuths. Her take-no-prisoners attitude and gutsy charm make her a force to be reckoned with. Your books have been optioned by Lion Gates Pictures. What exciting news! Will you have an active role in bringing Bailey to the big screen? Also, when can we hope to read about her next big case?
Kate: Thanks so much for saying that. I feel sometimes like I know Bailey. I have another Bailey book finished but Harper Collins plans to bring it out after Hush and another thriller-so probably not for two years. In terms of a movie or TV, it would be great, but those things so seldom happen. I'm not betting the ranch it will happen!!!


Jen: Your latest project, HUSH, arrives in bookstores this month. Not surprisingly, this novel is a roller-coaster ride of suspense! (I did not see that ending coming! Bravo!) First of all, this title is a stand-alone. So, all of you Bailey Weggins fans out there, get ready to meet Kate's newest power woman, Lake Warren! (Love the name, by the way!) How did you arrive at the premise?
Kate: I finally figured out a system for coming up with book ideas, though it took me awhile. With my first book I panicked because I knew a nanny was going to be murdered, but I didn't know whose nanny it was or why someone would want her dead. Now I keep a huge file of clippings-crime stuff and just fascinating scientific stuff. When it's time to start thinking about the next book-which is always smack in the middle of when I'm writing the last one-I will get out the folder and go through it with a cup of tea. Then I take a nugget-perhaps from one of those clippings--and ask myself "What If..." Terraces in New York City have always intrigued me. I had one as a single girl. And I asked myself, "What if you were out on your terrace and something was going on inside that you weren't aware of?" It also can help to put your question to the universe. For instance, "Why is the nanny dead?" You often bump into the answer.


Jen: As you mentioned, this book takes on a controversial topic, fertility clinics. Approximately how much research was needed in order to accurately portray their day-to-day operations?
Kate: I actually took some workshops at fertility clinics. They were open to the public and very helpful. I also read several books and did a ton of research on- line. The Internet is a godsend for writers.


Jen: Tacking onto that last question, what was the most surprising revelation you discovered? And, how did it affect your view of fertility clinics in general?
Kate: The shocker was discovering that they're not really very regulated. Fertility clinics do awesome, wonderful things for women. But because there's so little regulation, there's room for abuse. Just look at Octomom.


Jen: In this story, your lead character Lake Warren has been dealt a very bad hand! Her ex-husband is filing for full custody, and she happens to flee a murder scene after having a one-night stand. Ouch! How do her husband's devious ways positively affect her unflappable will to beat him at his own game? What is the source of her inner strength?
Kate: Though Lake's husband acts like a real jerk, it forces hers, as you say, to tap into reserves of strength and spunk she never knew she had.


Jen: After the murder takes place, Kate is pulled in many directions. In order to fly below the radar, she must keep her wits about her. Despite knowing that her children may be in grave danger, she insists on pursuing the mastermind behind the evil plot to destroy Dr. Keaton. Why is she so willing to jeopardize theirs as well as her own safety?
Kate: She has to make a tough choice. Trying to figure out who the killer is puts her in danger, but if she doesn't find out, it may be an even bigger risk to her and the kids.


Jen: In order for a story to be successful, it must have strong secondary characters. No doubt! HUSH has an entire entourage of people! From evil doctors to innocent by-standers, you keep us guessing whodunit. Let's talk about Hayden, Lake's damage control PR person who comes in to hopefully save the clinic. A question I just have to ask. Does she realize Lake is hiding something? And if so, does she just choose to ignore it due to their friendship?
Kate: I'm so glad you liked Hayden. I based it loosely on a dynamo PR woman I know. Hayden is smart but she's too caught up in her own ambition to realize that Lake is in trouble.


Jen: AH...the love interest! Archer, Kate's journalist friend as well as confidant, is the best! What makes these two such a good pair?
Kate: I love Archer. I honestly have to confess, I felt attracted to him when I was writing the book, though don't tell my husband, please. I based him on a guy I saw at Penn Station with prematurely white hair. I think he's appealing because he's confident and cocky-the investigative journalist-but he's a decent man. He adores his stepson and is involved in his life even though he's not married to the mother anymore!



Jen: Let's switch gears and talk about your promotional plans. Will you be involved in a book tour? Do you have a website? If so, what can you tell us about it? Also, do you participate in author phone chats? If so, how would my readers go about scheduling one?
Kate: Because of my crazy day job, I can't do a book tour. But I'll be on the Today Show on March 2, I'm doing lots of radio and I relaunched my web site with some interesting stuff on it. KateWhite.com


Jen: It has been an absolute pleasure being able to spend some time with you! Thank you so much for stopping by to chat with my readers. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of HUSH today! I wish you all the best!
Kate:Thanks so much. I think this book is fun and scary and I love the fact that so many people are telling me they couldn't guess who the killer is. I also have to say that these are awesome questions. As an editor I have so much respect for smart, thoughtful questions. You don't' always get them! So thanks for that, too!!

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Kate. If you haven't picked up a copy of Cosmopolitan Magazine lately, you may want to check it out! While you're at the bookstore, you may want to also pick up a copy of HUSH today!

Better yet, how would you like to win one instead? Okay, be one of the first five people to e-mail me at jensjewels@gmail.com with the correct answer to the following question and you'll win!

What is the name of the lead character in HUSH?

Later this month, I will be bringing to you a special interview with my fellow Marylander, Lucie Snodgrass. Her latest release, a delightful cookbook called DISHING UP MARYLAND, is the perfect treat! You won't want to miss it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Jen

Labels: Jen's Jewels

Now that the Winter Reading Program has finished amid great fanfare, this will be the last blogpost about Winter Reading favorites. I have enough material to make one last booklist, though. Look out for it on the New Releases and Booklists page! If the feedback I have been getting is anything to go by, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the Winter Reading Program. Here, taken at random from the generous amount of notes I have received, are the last few reader comments I have space to post. Thank you everyone for participating!

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones de Sierra Find this book in our catalog
This is a downloadable e-book. "An unhurried narrative of a fate of one man and the cathedral he helps to build. His life story is full of tragedy and hopes. You grow to love the main character and find yourself hoping for a happy end of his life, full of suffering."

Three Junes by Julia Glass Find this book in our catalog
"Generational family life showcases differences of life styles between father/son/brothers. Eye-opening reasons to share "secrets" with family and reason not to do so."

Highest Duty by Chesley Sullenberger Find this book in our catalog
"This autobiography shows how one ordinary person's life and sincerity to duty prevents a major disaster. He gives credit to the people, events, and practices upon which he stands and is able to resort to on common and uncommon days."

Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko Find this book in our catalog
"In this day with the prevalence of obesity, it is interesting to see how fashion sizes have changed over the years. One also learns about hidden calories in what are believed to be "healthy" foods. This book was a real eye-opener." (there is also an Eat This, Not That: Restaurant Guide, and a 2010 update)

Labels: Readers' Picks, readers' reviews

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin Find this book in our catalog

One day in Oxford in the summer of 1862 Alice Liddell and her older sister went on a picnic with the Reverend Charles Dodgson, a trusted friend of the family. To enliven their regular expeditions together, Dodgson, who used the literary name Lewis Carroll, was used to telling the girls fantastical made-up stories. This day he told the story of eleven-year-old Alice, who fell down the rabbit hole. Alice Liddell just knew that this story about a girl who didn’t want to grow up was her very own story, and she begged Dodgson to write it down. Eventually Dodgson did and had it published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the well-beloved children's classic. He gave Alice Liddell the first copy, but by then there had come about a break in relations between himself and the Liddell family.

That was the real-life genesis of Alice in Wonderland. No one to this day really knows what caused the break between Alice Liddel and her friend. Melanie Benjamin has made a wonderfully readable novel about what might have been.

Alice I Have Been is a fictional account of Alice's life both before and after the break. It is the story, told by Alice herself eighty years on, of what it meant to her life to have been Alice in Wonderland: to have been forced to grow up and to be kicked out of Wonderland.

This is a finely-wrought and nuanced novel with many layers. Alice Liddell as portrayed here is a passionate, precocious, free-spirited child. The descriptions of her privileged life among the academic and artistic elite of Victorian society add richness to the background and also are a part of the story. Victorian social mores and the upper class attitude to children are very important to what happened to Alice. Just what happened is difficult to pin down because Alice, of course, sees everything through the eyes of a child. The author does a great job of eliciting our sympathy for Alice with her emotions, passions, childish frustrations, pettiness and immature understanding of the adult world. At the same time Alice can sometimes seem unnaturally precocious and knowing. At times what happens can appear to be hectic and dreamlike.

In fact, as she tells it, Alice has actually forgotten the circumstances of her familys break-up with Dodgson. Some little-understood but traumatic incident occurred that was wiped from memory. Certainly it was never openly spoken of, though gossip and rumor combined to blight Alice’s life as a young woman, and later as a wife, and mother. It takes old age to enable Alice to come to terms with who she is. Hers is a compelling story: an intriguing tale about love, jealousy, betrayal, self-delusion and the nature of reality

Labels: Alice in Wonderland, children, compelling, dreamlike, fantastic stories, fathers and sons, intriguing, jealousy, literary fiction, love, mothers and daughters, reality, Victorian

Here are some more reader recommendations from the Winter Reading Program:

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie Find this book in our catalog
"Give me an "old fashion" murder mystery any day. Requires more observation and thinking than modern day "forensics - a la CSI". And I love the language!"

How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper Find this book in our catalog
"How to Talk to a Widower was well written - funny, heart warning and crazy at times. Very entertaining."

Merry Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart Find this book in our catalog
"This was a very enjoyable book. The main character, Bailey Ruth, is very likable and makes the reader want to keep reading. I loved the way she would incorporate her fashion sense into the story. It was always in a humorous way. The story was actually a murder mystery, but was written in a very light, enjoyable way and could be recommended for teenagers as well as adults."

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris Find this book in our catalog
"Great Book - I can't wait to see the interpretation in the seasons to come on HBO's Tru Blood."

Exection Dock by Anne Perry Find this book in our catalog
"Exection Dock is a Victorian era mystery that vividly depicts the challenging lving conditions of the time. Inspector Monk's struggle to apprehend the criminal is told against the backdrop of the people's struggle to survive the Industrial Revolution."

Deeper than the Dead by Tami Hoag Find this book in our catalog
"Very moving story - difficult to put down. Wonder if her next book will include some of the characters that were in this one, especially since the ending of the story is like another story waiting to be told."

Labels: Murder mysteries, Readers' Picks, readers' reviews