My Year In Audio

Happy Audiobook Week 2011!  Just because I'm in Poland, you didn't really think I'd miss the fun did you?  I would never fail to bend your ear about my favorite topic.  You may know that my goal in life is to convert you all to audio listeners.

Today I'm going to reminisce about the past year (since Audiobook Week 2010) with regards to my audio life.  Here are my highlights:

*  I won the BBAW Best Audio Book Blog.  Granted, I had no competition, and that took a little bit of the wind out of my sails, but I still proudly display my badge right at the top of my blog.

*  After a year-long endeavor, my kids and I finished the entire Harry Potter series on audio.  At the helm is one of the best narrators EVER, Jim Dale. 

*  After the Harry Potter audio "project", the kids and I decided we would try The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  We enjoyed "The Hobbit" but crashed and burned with LOTR.  This is the perfect example of how a narrator can kill a good time.

Audios that tested my endurance (and in some cases my patience):
1.  Under the Dome - Stephen King (30 discs)
2.  The Passage - Justin Cronin (29 discs)
3.  Last Night in Twisted River - John Irving (20 discs)
4.  Freedom - Jonathan Franzen (18 discs)
5.  Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides (17 discs)


Audios that tested my listening skillz and brain cells: 

1.  The City and the City - China Mieville
2.  The Third Rail - Michael Harvey (review coming next week)
3.  A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan


Audios that won my heart:
1.  Joshilyn Jackson:
     *  Gods in Alabama
     *  Backseat Saints
     *  Between, Georgia
     *  The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (review coming in two weeks)
2.  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
3.  The Book Thief -  Markus Zusak 
4.  Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - Tom Franklin 
5.  Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
6.  Revolution - Jennifer Donnelly (review coming this Thursday)
7.  A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan


So there is my year in a nutshell!  Stay tuned throughout the week for more engaging audiobook topics, and be sure to check out Jen at Devourer of Books who is hosting our week of fun!


 

Four Things Meme

I saw this meme over at Fizzy Thoughts, and I figured it might be a good thing to do to fill some of my June while I am gone.  Back when I first started blogging, I did memes all the time, but I couldn't even tell you the last time I've done one.  So this is for old time's sake.

Four jobs I've had in my life:
1.  Corn detassler
2.  Bank teller
3.  Internal auditor
4.  CPA



Four books I would read over and over:
1.  Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver
2.  To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
3.  Outlaw - Warren Kiefer
4.  Fingersmith - Sarah Waters


Four places I have lived:

1.  Attica, Indiana
2.  Muncie, Indiana
3.  Fort Wayne, Indiana
4.  Orlando, Florida


Four books I would recommend (that I've read in 2011):
1.  A Visit From the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
2.  Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter - Tom Franklin
3.  The Pursuit of Happiness - Maira Kalman 
4.  This Is Where I Leave You - Jonathan Tropper 



Four places I have been:
1.  Berlin, Germany
2.  Nice, France
3.  London, England
4.  Auschwitz, Poland


Four of my favorite foods:
1.  Risotto
2.  Pizza
3.  Dover sole
4.  Steak


Four of my favorite drinks:
1.  Wine
2.  Diet Coke
3.  Green tea
4.  Anything my husband mixes from the bar


Four places I would rather be right now:
1.  At the beach (reading)
2.  On a hike somewhere with cool weather
3.  At a spa
4.  At an amusement park, riding roller coasters


Four things that are very special in my life:
1.  My family
2.  My friends
3.  My pets
4.  My books


Four bloggers I hope will do this meme: 

Everyone that wants to!  It is fun to do these once in awhile!


  

Lost & Found - Shaun Tan

I think it was the recently published "Lost & Found" and the simultaneous Oscar win for Best Animated Short in 2011 for "The Lost Thing" that got me started on this whole Shaun Tan binge in the first place.  Beth Fish raved, and I dutifully scoured my library to see what all the fuss was about.  The result?  After reading "The Arrival", "Tales from Outer Suburbia" and now this, total fandom.

Between its covers, there are three separate tales, all originally published separately in Australia between 1998 and 2001.  All magical, all slightly mysterious, and all containing messages that may or may not be perceived by the reader.  In a note from the author in the back of the book, the stories are described as having come from Tan's experimental period as an artist and as a writer, and are all "about the relationship between people and places, especially when the relationship is ruptured by physical displacement".

In "The Red Tree", a young girl is overwhelmed by sadness and loneliness, but eventually finds hope in the form of a tiny red leaf "right in front of you, bright and vivid, quietly waiting".  Of the three stories, the art in this chapter is something you could get lost in, jarring and violent and haunting and beautiful.  The picture below was my son's favorite.  He sat and looked at it for probably ten minutes (the child that can't sit still).   

In "The Lost Thing", upon which the Oscar-winning short was based, a young man happens upon a creature that doesn't fit in.  It seems to be lost, so he takes it home and takes care of it, hiding it from his apathetic (and slightly intolerant) parents until he can find a place where it will be among its kind.  It reminded me of a stray animal, or an immigrant, or a person who feels separated from society.  It made me both sad and touched simultaneously.

The third story "The Rabbits", was the most disturbing to me.  It depicts a peaceful native land that is invaded by Rabbits, who arrive determined to conquer and rule.  They bring their technical expertise, new food, and new diseases.  They destroyed the land, ravaged natural resources and did as they pleased.  "Who will save us from the rabbits?".  This one was scary, and made me slightly nauseous.  

The book appears to the informed eye to be a children's picture book.  As I've said in my earlier reviews of Tan's work, however, small children are not going to grasp the concepts addressed here, although they are bound to be mesmerized by the amazing artwork.  My 11-year-old and I read this together.  He got it, and loved it.  That made two of us.

If you are interested in giving graphic novels a try, and you have an appreciation for mind-blowing art, I would recommend you give Tan a try.  You can read the books in an hour or so, and will most likely want to give them a second or third pass.  As I've said before, minimal investment, maximum impact. 

5 out of 5 stars

To Poland, and Beyond (for real this time)!

(Previously seen on May 1st, as a result of my inaccurate fingers.)

Tonight, my family and I make our pilgrimage to my husband's homeland of Poland.  This is a trip we take every other year to see his family.  Internet connectivity is a little dicey over there, but I have arranged for many reviews and things to entertain you while I am about.

Two years ago, when I was overseas, my readership went to hell in a handbasket!  So what do I have to do to bribe you to stick around this time?  I'm thinking that showing an occasional picture of Viggo might help.  Don't think I won't try it.

So I've said my prayers for my animals, who are in the care of my house sitter.  No runaway kitties!  I've fought with my husband over the quantity and size of my suitcases, and explained for the 53rd time why my beauty aids are important to me and why I must carry them on the plane.   The one feather in my cap is the Kindle of course.  I am having fantasies over the dozens and dozens of reading hours, and all that I will accomplish.  More on that in a minute.

Itinerary.  First to Sopot (burb of Gdansk) on the Baltic Sea for my husband's business meeting.  Let me clarify...meeting for him, spa and seaside for me and the kids.  Then we will hop on over to Bergen Norway to see the fjords (something on our bucket list).  I am going to have Wordless Wednesday pictures for two years.
 

Then to Wroclaw where my in-laws live.  No idea what we will do once we get there, but all travel will be by car (loud talking, smelly dog, confusing detours).  This will be prime audiobook time for me.  It may just save my sanity.

So, for the good stuff.  What is on my reading list!  Let me share:

On my Kindle
The Mango Season - Amulya Malladi (book club read)
The Fates Will Find Their Way - Hannah Pittard
A Mountain of Crumbs - Elena Gorokhova
The Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
The Winter Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
Hurting Distance - Sophie Hannah
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese (book club read)

Emergency books if Kindle blows upBad Things Happen - Harry Dolan
The Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo
The Poisoner's Handbook - Deborah Blum


NO WAY I'm going to get through all of these.  There are some seriously huge books on this list, but I think this is good.  These are the books that intimidate me when I am doing my usual running around and not sitting and reading.

So bon voyage friends!  I will miss you!

Hop-along Git-along Read-along: Outlaw - Warren Kiefer

When James announced he was going to be hosting the Hop-along, Git-along, Read-along for May, I knew I had to do it.  Not only do have an extreme fondness for James because he has been my longest-standing follower, but I knew exactly what I was going to read..."Outlaw" by Warren Kiefer.  This is the only western I've ever read in my life (originally read before I started blogging), but ranks in my top ten reads ever.

I convinced James to read this little (well, no so little...518 pages little) treasure with me.  Because we love doing little joint projects together, we posed questions to each other to answer in our reviews.  I will use these questions to help me express my thoughts about this book the second time around.

Synopsis:  In a narrative format similar to hanging out on the front porch and shooting the shit, 89-year-old Lee Garland reminisces about his life, his pearls of wisdom, his dreams and defeats.  Something all old men love to do.  This is no ordinary life though.  Lee's adventures represent the definition of the establishment of the West and of this country from the late 1800's until the present day of 1968.  If there was something exciting going on anywhere in this time frame, Lee Garland was in the middle of it.

Orphaned at a young age, Lee was raised by a hard-working Mexican family in New Mexico.  He begins his young adult life smuggling cattle, rubs elbows with Pancho Villa, fights in the Spanish-American War as a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba, becomes a banker, gets into the oil business, making and losing millions, becomes an ambassador to Mexico.  He has fought in WWI and WWII, has friends in high places and has made bitter enemies.  He has buried children, friends and wives.

In a gregarious, honest-to-a-fault, addictive voice, we are given an insight to the West from a man that was a born leader, a risk-taker, and endearing despite his bull-headed lawlessness.

James:  How did you come across Outlaw in the first place?

Sandy:  This book was recommended to me by two men that my husband works with.  Both men are avid readers, but are more inclined to read books that I would call "man-fiction" (a genre I am drawn to...love all that testosterone).  They both told me, with wide wide eyes and huge smiles on their faces, that it was one of the best books they'd ever read.  They glowed and they gushed.  Accepting this book to read was a huge leap of faith for me.  I didn't "do" Westerns.  I learned a very valuable lesson here.

James:  How was the experience of re-reading Outlaw different from reading it the first time?There is so much going on in this book, that re-reading it was just as good the second time around as the first (which was about six years ago).  As with this go-around, I could focus on nothing but getting through it.  The tone is easy and conversational, and there is never NEVER a dull moment.  The opposite in fact - it is a whirlwind. 

Not to be pompous, but I believe I am more discerning with literature now than I was six years ago.  So I was scared I would find flaws.  I needn't have worried though.  I WAS more aware of a great deal of prejudice expressed by Lee and his friends towards women, Indians, Mexicans and gays.  I was concerned that this could offend other readers, but it never dawned on me to worry about this when I was reading only for myself six years ago.

James:  I think Mr. Kiefer, or maybe his narrator Lee Garland, has a woman problem. I honestly couldn't buy the scenes with Lee and Caroline, the great love of his life. While the men in the novel all came to life for me, most of them anyway, the women never really did. There aren't many women in the novel and I don't think the narrator is reliable, so I'm willing to cut Mr. Kiefer some slack but I didn't find the women of Outlaw to as memorable characters they the women in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove though the women in both novels are the same sort of characters. What did you think about the portrayal of women in Outlaw?Sandy:  I'm going to have to slightly disagree with you here James.  Just slightly.  Generally, the opinions of the male protagonists about women in this book were derogatory...that they tie you down, that a little nooky from local prostitute is totally acceptable, and that they aren't that smart.  I didn't like it, but I figured this was how things worked back then.  However, I did buy into Lee's great love for Caroline.  I think initially it was based on her beauty and her unattainable status, but he wouldn't be the first guy.  He never wavered from his love for her though, even when he married someone else.  Kiefer also had a couple of other strong female characters in the book, ones with cunning, money and power.  Overall, though, this was a story about strong white men, period. 


James:  You asked me about the prejudice in Outlaw. My reaction was that Lee Garland, the main character, was pretty forward thinking for his day. If anything, the novel contains much less prejudicial language and attitudes than existed at the time. What took me by surprise were Lee's tirades against Democrats. But all of this is historically accurate. If you're going to read material dealing with American history, you're going to need a thick skin. Many westerns deal with the conflict between the heroic "cowboy myth" and the reality of their lives. Heroic gunslinger, men of action, types in westerns are often portrayed as relics or soon to be relics of a by gone era. At the end of the day, many westerns leave us asking if men like Lee Garland are heroic characters and if they are men America can take pride in. Lee Garland mentions this conflict towards the end of the novel after seeing a discussion about himself between William Buckly who admires him and another man who calls him a robber baron. (page 551) What do you think of Lee Garland and his generation? Heroes or scoundrels?Sandy:  Yes, the prejudice just hit me over the head when I read it this time around.  But I've never read any other Westerns, so I had no basis of comparison.  It didn't necessarily bother me - I consider myself to have very thick skin.  But it did cause me some concern that others might take offense.

I loved Lee Garland and his homies.  I loved Lee's friendly, humble and self-deprecating voice, which made this book so totally unique.  These guys were deadly loyal to each other, with lifelong friendships solidified by camaraderie in the hard times of war, business and general survival in a wild and woolly country.  They were full of piss and vinegar, and didn't always follow the rules.  They killed people!  They stole money and cattle!  But I think at this time in history, it was survival of the fittest.  They wouldn't have made it had they stayed purely honorable.  So to answer your question, I think they were both.  I think it is possible to be both.  Nobody got to the top back then without being just a tad bit of a scoundrel.  Sure we can have pride in them.  I mean, really.  Are their actions any worse than what we see in our political leaders now?       


James: Finally, will this lead you to more westerns?

Sandy:  Oh without a doubt!  I'm a little concerned they won't measure up to "Outlaw", my first Western love, but I'm willing to try.  Everyone says "Lonesome Dove" is amazing (although it's girth scares me to death).  But I no longer have the pre-conceived notion that Westerns are for men, or old-fashioned. This is cutting edge stuff here!


Be sure to hop-along over to Ready When You Are, C.B. to get James' opinion on "Outlaw" and answer my questions!



5 out of 5 stars
       

Sunday Salon: I hope there are no appointments in heaven

 Good morning, friendlings.  So by that title, you know immediately that I'm OVER appointments right this minute.  In order to wrap things up before our travel, I experienced the third circle of hell...appointments.  Good Lord.  I had them every day this week. Some of them doctors, others to work on my beauty.  All of you book lovers would then say "well, at least while you were sitting and waiting, you could read" but that only carries me so far.  While I was sitting and waiting, I was actually making my lists.  But it's all cool.  It had to be done.  The compensation was a business dinner last night at a lovely Italian restaurant here in town.  Wine, food, and friends made the boo boos go away.   

I feel really really good about where I am right now.  I have persisted and have managed to get reviews done for all of my finished books right now, which should take me through early July.  I got my Monday Movie Memes written.  Jen at Devourer of Books sneaked a peek of the topics for Audiobook Week 2011 and I've done a couple of those.  I believe I am leaving unencumbered.

Very exciting moment late this week when I received not one but SIX copies of the audiobook "Fallen", Karin Slaughter's latest.  AudioGo, I love you.  It will be next up in the listening queue, and when I get home, I'm going to have me a killer giveaway!

Another highlight...although Uncle Stevie has officially retired from his writing gig at Entertainment Weekly, he stopped in this week to offer his Summer Reading List.  I was thrilled to see that "Buried Prey" was on there, which I just gave five stars.  Also included were "The Sentry" by Robert Crais, "The Cypress House" by Michael Koryta, and "Case Histories" by Kate Atkinson (a pre-blogging read for me).  There are some other great ones on his list, so you really need to check it out.  I was so geeked out, I even had a dream Friday night that Stevie and I hung out and talked about Jack Reacher.

So, speaking of Jack Reacher.  As you may or may not know, he is the dude-ish protagonist in the Lee Childs crime series, and I just finished the latest on audio this week, "Worth Dying For".  Yeah baby!  I then started "Anansi Boys" by Neil Gaiman, something I've had loaded on the iPod for over a year.  I'm totally digging the British and Caribbean accents of the narrator.  Wow.

As far as print reading, I don't even know why I bother.  I'm so scattered, I can't manage to sit for more than five minutes, but I have gotten about halfway through Jo Nesbo's "The Redbreast".  This is a really really worthy crime thriller, more literary than most, but I think it will have to be finished on the airplane.  We'll see.  (I'm slightly mad at the fact that our flight leaves in the evening, and therefore I will be tempted to *gasp* sleep, instead of read.  When else do I get undisturbed reading?  Sleep is not in the Master Plan people.  I've got my e-book light and I'm going for it.)

I hope all of you lucky ducks at BEA this week had fun.  I got update e-mails from my stand-in representative, Rhapsody Jill. I think she hugged everyone for me, and gathered all relative gossip and tips and stuff.  Now please be sure and get those recaps and photos posted before Wednesday evening!

I hope you all have a wonderful three-day weekend.  The rest of ours will be spent packing and organizing; kids will be preparing for their finals.  Maybe I can get a few more pages of Nesbo in.  This Sunday Salon will be back in business on June 26th! 

Weekend Cooking: Slow Cooker Revolution (Redux)

No, you're not seeing things.  No, I haven't screwed up my posts again.  I did just publish a post on this cookbook two weeks ago.  But as Dawn says, I've been drinking the Slow Cooker Revolution Kool Aid and I had to report back to you with more good stuff.

With most cookbooks, I can pick one or two great recipes and have success.  But this collection here is the REAL DEAL.  I've now made nine recipes, and every one of them have been incredible.  Obviously I can't give all of them to you, so I'm going to have to decide which one.  Here are my choices:

1.  Aloha Pork Chops - as you might guess, these pork chops are smothered in a sauce that contains pineapple juice, cider vinegar, soy sauce, curry powder, red pepper flakes and ginger.  The sauce is then thickened at the end to make a wonderful sweet and spicy glaze.

2.  Huli Huli Chicken - another Hawaiian recipe that slow cooks the chicken in a type of sweet barbecue sauce made from pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, lime juice and brown sugar.  Then topped off with a little high temp baking for crispness.  Moans of happy mouths with this one.

3.  Jerk Chicken - the jerk rub in this recipe is as authentic as it can get, with scallions, habanero chiles, ginger, molasses, garlic and spices all blended in the food processor.  They also finish off the recipe with broiling for crisp skin.  This one might be too spicy for tender mouths.

4.  Sausage Lasagne - I've never made lasagne in the slow cooker before, but this was fantastic.  To make it, you line the crock with aluminum foil and cook it on low.  Who knew?

5.  Sweet and Sour Braised Red Cabbage - I'm not a fan of the cabbage, but my Polish husband is, and with all his experience in eating it, he claimed it was the best he'd had.  I think the secret ingredients here are the apple cider, cider vinegar and brown sugar.  I'm sure the onion and the bacon didn't hurt either.


After mulling over these last dishes, I think I'll give you the Huli Huli Chicken:

2/3 cups pineapple juice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 TBL minced or grated ginger

4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces

1.  Simmer pineapple juice, sugar, ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in medium saucepan until thickened and measures 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper.

2.  Coat slow cooker with cooking spray.  Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to slow cooker, reserve remaining.  Season chicken with salt & pepper, add to slow cooker and coat evenly with sauce.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

3.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Transfer chicken, skin side up, to sheet.

4.  Brush chicken with reserved sauce and bake, brushing with more sauce every few minutes, until it has a deep, mahogany lacquer, 20 to 30 minutes.


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Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads, and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.