The Readers’ Workouts meme is hosted at Joy’s Book Blog.   This is a place to share exercise successes and challenges.

The crazy train has stopped once again at my office.  I have too much work to do that apparently needs to be done yesterday.  But I’m going to Pilates anyways.  Work can wait for a few hours.

Congratulations to roofbeamreader (Adam) who has won my giveaway.  He selected A Good American as his book and I have contacted him by e-mail.

I’m sorry I couldn’t send books out to everyone who commented but thank you for visiting and I hope to see you back soon!

And thanks once again to Judith at Leeswammes’ Blog for hosting a very successful hop.

Beyond the Possible by Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani

Published:  2013 by HarperOne

Source:  Received copy from the publisher for review

From childhood, Cecil Williams was destined to be a minister.  Nicknamed “Rev” by his family because of his pastime of playing church with his siblings, there was probably no surprise when he made that his career choice.  I would imagine the surprising thing though was that he found his true calling not in the traditional black churches of his youth in a struggling church in the sleaziest district of San Francisco.

Over the next fifty years, Williams turned Glide Church into an institution that welcomes and serves everyone, especially those on the margins of society.  I’m not a religious person and do not belong to a church, but Glide is exactly what I imagine a “proper” church to be.

That’s not to say that I would be comfortable attending a Celebration (Glide’s term for Sunday services) there.  That is my own failing, because Glide’s culture that allows anyone to interrupt the proceedings to say his or her piece is a real example of democracy at work.

Beyond the Possible documents the Glide’s evolution from the points of view of Williams and Janice Mirikitani, an early volunteer at the church who eventually became its executive director (and Williams’ wife).  More than that, though, the book provides lessons to everyone about acceptance, charity, and justice.  This couple almost seem too good, given all the work they’ve done and what they continue to do, but can that really be a bad thing?

For other thoughts on this book, please visit the other stops on the tour.

The Readers’ Workouts meme is hosted at Joy’s Book Blog.   This is a place to share exercise successes and challenges.

I’ve been keeping up with my gym attendance and have worked out four times since last Tuesday.  It would have been five except we had a snowstorm Thursday and my normal 25 minute commute home took 75 and I wasn’t really in the mood to get my gear and drive out again (Winter is my favorite season, but I am not a fan of driving in winter).

I don’t know that it will ever be easy for me to go to the gym, but slowly but surely I am making it a routine.  In my mind I whine about it (“Awww, but I don’t wanna go”) but grown-up me prevails and I do what I’m supposed to do.  And the funny part is 99% of the time I feel so much better for going, while when I decide to skip out on exercise I feel rotten – physically and emotionally.

Finding Me in France by Bobbi French

Published:  2012 by Creative Publishers

Source:  Purchased

Reading Challenge:  Books on France 2013 Reading Challenge

Bobbi French is leading a good life on the surface:  she is a successful psychiatrist, married to a wonderful man, and has everything she seems to need.  Yet something is obviously missing, because in July of 2010 she makes the decision (with her husband) to quit her job, sell her home and move to a small town in France.

Finding Me in France is the account of her first year adjusting to a new home, a new country and a new language all at the same time.  Dealing with just one of these major changes would be an adventure in itself, but all three at once results in book full of great anecdotes that anyone can relate to.  And for me, it made me more interested in seeing rural France; I’ve always been obsessed with Paris but the descriptions of the town in which Bobbi and Neil settled are simply charming.

The book is written as a collection of short essays that I suppose originally appeared as blog posts (which upon reading, I learn that Bobbi and her saintly husband have now relocated to Switzerland!) so they are very easy to read.  There are also some amazing photographs that capture that charming feel I referred to above.

If you love France, you will love this book.  If you are looking to make a change in your life, you will love this book.  If you enjoy reading witty memoirs, you will love this book.

It’s giveaway time again!  Judith over at Leeswammes’ Blog is once again hosting The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, where over 40 bloggers are offering some great bookish gifts to lucky readers.

I’m very pleased to offer  the winner of my giveaway their choice of one of the following books, all of which were among my favorite reads of 2012:

• A Good American by Alex George (my review)
• Annexed by Sharon Dogar (my review)
• Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (my review)

To enter, just leave a comment on this post specifying the book you would choose if you win and I will randomly draw a winner in the evening of Wednesday, February 13.

And be sure to visit the other participating blogs for more chances to win!  Have fun and good luck!

The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow

Published:  2009 by Ballantine Books

Source:  Purchased

Reading Challenge:  2013 TBR Pile Challenge

 Molly Marx died far too young under mysterious circumstances — was it really an accident or did she take her own life?  Or was it murder?

We meet Molly as she is narrating the events of her own funeral.  She is not revealing details about her death, but rather follows those she left behind:  her philandering husband Barry, her mother-in-law, her parents, her twin sister, her best friend, her lover, and her young daughter Annabel as they cope with her sudden disappearance from their lives.  She watches as they move on without her, and how they react to the questioning of Hiawatha Hicks, the police officer charged with investigating her death.

Despite the subject of death that lingers throughout, this novel is a lot of fun.  It has a bit of everything:  mystery, humor, romance, sadness, and it all works well.  I really enjoyed reading it.

]]> http://bibliosue.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/the-late-lamented-molly-marx-quickie-review/feed/ 2 bibliosue 8518359 http://bibliosue.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/readers-workouts-old-me-vs-new-me/ http://bibliosue.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/readers-workouts-old-me-vs-new-me/#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:00:01 +0000 bibliosue http://bibliosue.wordpress.com/?p=2308 Continue reading →]]>

The Readers’ Workouts meme is hosted at Joy’s Book Blog.   This is a place to share exercise successes and challenges.

About two weeks ago I strained my back and almost literally could not move.  Thankfully it was on a Sunday so I was able to lay down and take it easy; the next day it was still stiff but much better.  The old me would have used it as an excuse to stay away from workouts until the pain went away completely (it still hasn’t).  The new me went to the gym and exercised to the best of my ability, letting the class instructors and my trainer know I wasn’t at 100% but still ready to participate and burn some calories.  Was it comfortable?  Not entirely, but it was certainly more beneficial than sitting around.

And last week my job stress just about reached crisis levels.  The old me would have rushed home and crawled into bed (probably with a book) in an attempt to shut out the world.  The new me went to the gym and vented out a lot of frustration during my training session and kickboxing class (the poor guy who stood in front of me — I pretended his back was “someone’s” head as I punched and kicked).  And afterwards I felt great – well, not great exactly, but it certainly cleared my head.

I won’t deny that I miss the reading I sacrifice by making time to go to the gym, but I cannot argue the fact that it is completely worth it.  The old me, though enjoying the books, would be suffering both physically and emotionally.  The new me is feeling better about myself and appreciating the reading time I am able to carve out during the day.

Anyways, on to what I plan to read in February:

For Review:

Beyond the Possible by Cecil Williams and Janice Mirikitani

Not Less than Everything edited by Catherine Wolff

Capital of the World:  The Race to Host the United Nations by Charlene Mires

For Reading Challenges:

Finding Me in France by Bobbi French

Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch

For Book Club:

The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal

Hopefully I’ll have time for more, but …..

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

Published:  2012 by Harper Perennial

Source:  Received from the publisher for review

 In 1912 at a run-down English estate, the “man of the house”, Edward Swift, departs for Manchester to make a last-ditch effort to save the home that his wife, Charlotte, and her children adore.  Meanwhile, the remaining members of the household are making preparations for the celebration of daughter Emerald Torrington’s 20th birthday; and the youngest daughter, Imogen (known as Smudge) is preparing a Great Undertaking.

As the invited guests — family friends Patience and Ernest Sutton and neighbor John Buchanan — arrive for the festivities, the household learns of a train accident nearby, and because they are the only residence nearby they are forced to accept the stranded passengers until the Railway Service can come and sort them out.

Where most of the uninvited guests of the title are shoved into a room with little or no hospitality on the part of the Torrington clan, one guest stands out from the crowd as being of the proper class and is invited to join the dinner party.  However, Charlie Traversham-Beechers is not merely a survivor of the accident – he has secrets that can destroy the Torringtons.

To me, the novel was a high-class comedy of errors.  Nothing seemed to go right for Emerald’s birthday right from the beginning – from her misinterpretation of Mr. Buchanan’s gift to the arrival of the passengers to the game Charlie begins among the dinner party guests, everything does NOT go to plan.  Even Smudge’s Great Undertaking was not without its difficulties.

But then the end comes and I had to wonder if I missed something throughout the novel.  I suppose it speaks to the craziness of what went on, but it left me a bit confused.  It didn’t ruin the book for me, though.

Overall I found The Uninvited Guests to be a fun read.  It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

For other thoughts on this book, please visit the other stops on the tour.