Teaser Tuesday: Carry the Sky by Kate Gray

By the end of those parties, the tables in our living room with little cities, full of empty glasses, glasses with a cube or two, glasses with red lipstick on rims. By the end, my mother and father were fighting.

– Carry the Sky by Kate Gray, published by Forest Avenue Press.

Kate Gray is a Connecticut transplant to Oregon, a teacher, and a poet, the author of three published volumes of poetry.  Set in a Delaware boarding school in the 1980s, Carry the Sky is her beautiful, sad, funny first novel.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Book Beginning: Carry the Sky by Kate Gray

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

One foot in the single shell like a blue heron lifting off water, I pushed off from the dock and lowered myself into the seat. In twenty strokes I cleared the cove.

– Carry the Sky by Kate Gray, published by Forest Avenue Press.

Kate Gray is a poet and teacher, the author of three poetry collections. Carry the Sky is her beautiful, sad, funny first novel, set in a boarding school in the 1980s, which has gained praise from readers and fellow writers.

Teaser Tuesday: The Court that Tamed the West

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club started in Fontana, just west of San Bernardino, around 1948. . . .  Although club members claimed to be nothing more than fun-loving motorcycle riders, the Angels came to be viewed by the government as an extensive drug ring and crime organization akin to the mafia.

--  The Court that Tamed the West: From the Gold Rush to the Tech Boom by Richard Cahan, Pia Hinckle, and Jessica Royer Ocken, published by Heyday Books

The Court that Tamed the West is the history of the American West through an examination of the judges and the cases heard in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, one of the most influential courts in America..  It offers an inside look at some of the biggest events to shape our country, such as the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, Vietnam War draft dodging, and the environmental court battles of the more recent decades.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Carry the Sky by Kate Gray

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event. Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

I got one book last week, and I am very excited to read it:



Carry the Sky by Kate Gray, published by Forest Avenue Press.

Kate Gray is a teacher and poet, the author of three poetry collections. Carry the Sky is her beautiful, sad, funny first novel, set in a New England boarding school in the 1980s.  The book has already garnered praise from readers and fellow writers.

Book Beginning: The Court that Tamed the West

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Across the landscape of American institutions, the federal judiciary has consistently received the highest (by far) vote of confidence in public opinion polls.

-- from the Foreword by United States District Judge William Alsup, The Court that Tamed the West: From the Gold Rush to the Tech Boom by Richard Cahan, Pia Hinckle, and Jessica Royer Ocken, published by Heyday Books

On the morning of May 19, 1851, Ogden Hoffman Jr. prepared to enter his courtroom for the first time. He was just 20-9 years old and had been chosen as the first judge of the new United States District Court for the District of California.

-- from Chapter 1, "The Admiralty Court"

The US District Court for the Northern District of California is one of the most influential courts in America. The Court that Tamed the West is the history of the American West through an examination of the judges and of the cases heard in this court. Although legal in focus, the book is written for a general audience.

Five Faves: Thrillers

FIVE FAVE THRILLERS

I always like a good thriller, my escapist genre of choice.  Thrillers I distinguish from mysteries in a fuzzy, overlapping sort of way.  Thrillers involve chasing a known bad guy, not figuring out who committed a crime.  Thrillers move faster and are usually more exciting than a mystery.  But I could make the argument that any of the books on this list could be called a mystery rather than a thriller, by my guidelines or any others.

My list includes only one by a particular author, so I can't say these are my all-time top thrillers, just five that I really liked.

• Cathedral by Nelson DeMille (I really do think this is the best of the genre)

• The Killing Floor by Lee Child (this is his first and still my favorite)

• Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett (I screamed when I read the book)

• State of Fear by Micheal Crichton (or a couple of his others)

• The Pelican Brief by John Grisham (I preferred this to The Firm)

What are some of your favorite thrillers?

FIVE FAVES

There are times when a full-sized book list is just too much; when the Top 100, a Big Read, or all the Prize winners seem like too daunting an effort. That's when a short little list of books grouped by theme may be just the ticket.

Inspired by Nancy Pearl's "Companion Reads" chapter in Book Lust – themed clusters of books on subjects as diverse as Bigfoot and Vietnam – I decided to start occasionally posting lists of five books grouped by topic or theme. I call these posts my Five Faves.

Feel free to grab the button and play along. Use today's theme or come up with your own. If you post about it, please link back to here and leave the link to your post in a comment. If you want to participate but don't have a blog or don't feel like posting, please share your list in a comment.

Teaser Tuesday: Food Lover's Guide to Portland, 2nd Edition, by Liz Crain

I get the jitters just thinking of the volume of coffee regularly imbibed in Portland – hipster baristas grind and pull thousands of shots a day from locally roasted beans. Portland coffee is spectacular and to be quite honest, the sheer selection can be intimidating.

– Food Lover's Guide to Portland, 2nd Edition, by Liz Crain.

This indispensable guide to the producers and purveyors who make Portland such a foodie Mecca is a must have for locals and visitors alike. Crain's updated directory of bakeries, cheese makers and mongers, chocolatiers, ethnic markets, brewers, coffee roasters, distillers, cooking classes, farmers markets, and much, much more features over 20 new full-length listings, 150 new businesses, and special sections on Portland's food carts and Hispanic markets.

You can order directly from Hawthorne Books, where regular shipping is free, or from Powell's Books, where they may have signed editions available.

Here is my review of the original edition of Food Lover's Guide to Portland, and my original author interview of Liz Crain.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Under False Flags by Steve Anderson

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event. Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

I got one book last week, and I am very excited to read it:



Under False Flags by Steve Anderson, also available in a Kindle edition and an audio edition.  This is the latest WWII novel from a terrific author whose loyal following grows with every new book.

My review of The Losing Role, one of Anderson's earlier novels, is here. My 2010 interview is here.

Book Beginning: Food Lover's Guide to Portland, 2nd Edition, by Liz Crain

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

I moved to Portland in 2002 with a small amount of money and a big appetite.

– from the author's Introduction to Food Lover's Guide to Portland, 2nd Edition, by Liz Crain.

Before researching and writing this book, I knew that Portland was blessed by bread – I just didn't know how blessed.

– from the first chapter, Bakeries.

Food Lover's Guide to Portland is the indispensable guide the producers and purveyors who make Portland such a foodie Mecca. Crain's updated directory of bakeries, cheese makers and mongers, chocolatiers, ethnic markets, brewers, coffee roasters, distillers, cooking classes, farmers markets, and much, much more is a must have for locals and visitors alike. The new edition features over 20 new full-length listings, 150 new businesses, and special sections on Portland's food carts and Hispanic markets.

You can order directly from Hawthorne Books, where regular shipping is free, or from Powell's Books, where they may have signed editions available.

Here is my review of the original edition of Food Lover's Guide to Portland, and my original author interview of Liz Crain.

Author Interview: Susan Winkler

Susan Winkler had the enviable job of writing, and updating, The Paris Shopping Companion: A Personal Guide to Shopping in Paris for Every Pocketbook. How great would that be?

Now, expanding on her Francophile sensibilities and drawing on a little family history, Susan has written a captivating novel about love and art and Paris and Nazis.  With war-torn lovers, a family saga plot, and a stolen Matisse, Portrait of a Woman in White is a terrific historical novel.  Each copy should come with a "Perfect for Book Club" sticker on the cover!

The is a busy week for Susan, with the official launch of Portrait today, at Powell's City of Books in Portland (see details below).  But Susan was gracious enough to answer some questions for Rose City Reader.

What is your background? How did it lead you to write Portrait of a Woman in White?

I fell in love with France when I saw the movie Gigi as a young girl. I studied french literature in college and in grad school, and in Paris, then worked as a journalist in New York and for The Oregonian. I was very fortunate to be asked to write a guidebook to Paris (The Paris Shopping Companion) which required regular updates that allowed me to travel to and explore my favorite city ever since.

Years before writing this novel, I had read a groundbreaking expose about how the Nazi's looted art from French collections during WW2 (The Lost Museum by Hector Feliciano) and I wanted to illustrate that history as fiction . . . the story of a single made-up family and what could have happened to them. But I was busy with the Paris guidebooks. One day I heard a moving memoir told by an old woman about having to leave her first young love in Europe when her family escaped to America during WW2. These threads of tales I found intriguing wove together to become my story.

What did you learn from writing your book – either about the subject of the book or the writing process – that most surprised you?

I had never written fiction, and I knew that I would have to come up with characters, dialogue and a lot more plot. So I started by reading all I could about Nazis and their art looting, figuring I would need very bit of that information to carry my story. What I didn't realize was that my fictional family would develop lives and relationships of their own and become even more interesting than those notorious Nazis. The fictional characters turned out to be the "real" characters who drive the book.

Who are your three (or four or five) favorite authors? Is your own writing influenced by who you read? What are you reading now?

Most fiction I read is set in Europe, and I always look for something that will teach me about good writing. Currently I'm reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a great sensually descriptive book. I just read Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, which has a special writerly interest in the way it plays with plot. I loved The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt), mostly because of a character, and everything by Eric Maria Remarque, the German WW1 writer because he has a way with dialogue. The Great Gatsby, while set in America, is a fave because of point-of-view and simply great writing.

What kind of books do you like to read? Do you have a favorite genre? And guilty pleasures?

I don't read much genre fiction. I download "samples"of new books on my kindle to read for style, and keep up with short stories in The New Yorker.

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as an author?

By far the most valuable advice was given to me at a New Year's Day party shortly after I got my first book contract (for The Paris Shopping Companion). It was simple: Get a daily writing schedule on your calendar a month in advance, and keep to it. That solves half the problem. It's been my New Year's resolution ever since.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Once you are far enough into your work, it can provide endless fascination. You are trying to solve a huge puzzle: to create an entire intricate world that works in the end, like the mechanism of an old clock.

What do you do to promote your books? Do you use social networking sites or other internet resources?

I have a publicist, Mary Bisbee-Beek, who works wonders. The book has a new Facebook page, and a presence on twitter and pinterest.

Do you have any events coming up to promote Portrait of a Woman in White?

I have a book talk at Powell's Books on Burnside, in Portland tonight, September 10, at 7:30 pm. This is the official book launch and author reading for Portrait of a Woman in White. The event is sponsored by Alliance Française de Portland.

Other events are in the works, including:

• Book talk at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA on Saturday, September 13, at 4:00 pm

• Reading at Beach Books in Seaside, OR on Thursday, October 30, at 11:30 am

• Signing at Annie Bloom's Books, Portland, OR on Tuesday, November 4, at 7:00 pm

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

Yes, I'm thinking about it. Hmmmm . . . it will take place in France . . .

THANKS SUSAN! PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN IN WHITE IS AVAILABLE AT POWELL'S, ON KINDLE, AND FROM OTHER BOOKSELLERS, OR ASK YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE TO ORDER IT!

Teaser Tuesday: Portrait of a Woman in White by Susan Winkler

. . . Göring turned back with a swirl of his cape and fixed his piercing blue eyes on Claude. He said, in perfect French, "Normally, I look for Renaissance painters and the Dutch school, but here in Paris I find I'm attracted to French art, especially the romantiques – the nudes."

-- Portrait of a Woman in White by Susan Winkler, published by She Writes Press, available in paperback and a Kindle edition.

Young lovers are torn apart when Lili Rosenswig flees Paris with her family as the Nazis invade and her husband-to-be stays to defend his country.  When the Nazis loot a Matisse portrait of Lili's mother, art, love, and war are entwined in an enthralling new historical novel.

PORTLAND BOOK EVENT:  Tomorrow, September 10, 2014 at 7:30 PM at Powell's City of Books on Burnside

This is the official book launch and an author reading for Portrait of a Woman in White. The event is sponsored by Alliance Française de Portland. You can pre-order a signed edition on the Powell's website.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Summer Finds

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event. Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

Summer always brings a mixed bag of books. Between garage sales, passing Little Free Libraries while out enjoying the nice weather, socializing with book-loving friends, and my family cleaning house in a burst of back-to-school energy, all kinds of books come into my house in the summer.

These came last week:



The Illustrated Rhododendron: Their Classification Portrayed Through the Artwork of Curtis's Botanical Magazine by Pat Halliday. I found this gorgeous, pristine, coffee table book at an estate sale for only $1! Thereby appealing to the book-, botanical print-, and bargain-lover in me all at the same time.



Just This, tanka by Margaret Chula, from Mountains and Rivers Press. My friend Kirsten Rian gave this to me. It is the latest poetry collection from one of the foremost practitioners of Japanese poetic forms. If it weren't for Kirsten, who among other roles is the Poetry Editor for The Oregonian, I wouldn't read new poetry.



An Expensive Place to Die by Len Deighton. All that art and poetry is fine, but a good, Cold War spy novel always finds a place on my TBR shelf!



An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin. I really enjoyed Shopgirl, so was pleased to find this in one of the half-dozen Little Free Libraries that dot my neighborhood.

Book Beginning: Portrait of a Woman in White by Susan Winkler

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Tomorrow was to have been her wedding day.

They allowed themselves just a few hours before nightfall to pack – a single suitcase for each of them, and only what they could easily carry.

-- Portrait of a Woman in White by Susan Winkler, published by She Writes Press.

When Nazis invade Paris in 1940, lovers are torn apart and a Matisse portrait goes missing. This enthralling story of love, war, and art should be at the top of your Must Read list!

PORTLAND BOOK EVENT:  Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at 7:30 PM at Powell's City of Books on Burnside

This is the official book launch and author reading for Portrait of a Woman in White. You can pre-order a signed edition on the Powell's website. The event is sponsored by Alliance Française de Portland.

Teaser Tuesday: The Witch-Hunt Narrative by Ross D. Cheit

The book argues that even though many cases have been held up as classic examples of modern American "witch hunts," none of them truly fits that description. . . .  Other cases that have been painted as witch-hunts turn out to involve significant, even overwhelming, evidence of guilt.

--  The Witch-Hunt Narrative: Politics, Psychology, and the Sexual Abuse of Children by Ross E. Cheit.

Cheit is a professor at Brown University who examined high-profile day-care abuse cases from the 1980s and undertook empirical studies of criminal sentencing in sex abuse cases to determine whether child sex abuse is a pervasive problem or a "witch-hunt" blown out of proportion by eager prosecutors and sensation-seeking reporters.

I got this book because of my work with child abuse survivors and it is fascinating. It has also generated quite a bit of buzz:

• How the ‘Witch Hunt’ Myth Undermined American Justice in The Daily Beast
• Abuse Cases, and a Legacy of Skepticism:‘The Witch-Hunt Narrative’: Are We Dismissing Real Victims? in the New York Times
• Professor Aims to Discredit ‘Witch-Hunt Narrative’ of Child Sexual-Abuse Cases in the Providence Journal

For a summary of his argument, see Cheit's piece on The Huffington Post: Mythical Numbers and Satanic Ritual Abuse.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Happy Labor Day!

Mailbox Labor Day Monday: Elizabeth George

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event. Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

Below is the list of Elizabeth George books that have come into my house in the last couple of weeks. I've been collecting her Inspector Linley books from garage and library sales this summer, based on nothing more than watching one Linley BBC episode and hearing good things.

I get like this about mystery series. If I hear about one that sounds good, I want to read them all, but in order. So I start collecting them but don't start reading them until I get the first one. Luckily, last week I found the first book of the series at Booktique in Lake Oswego, my favorite Library Friends store. I now have eight of the books in the series and look forward to starting it!

A Great Deliverance (#1)

Playing for the Ashes (#7)

In the Presence of the Enemy (#8)

Deception on His Mind (#9)

In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner (#10)

A Traitor to Memory (#11)

What Came Before He Shot Her (#14)

This Body of Death (#16)

I better keep collecting because I still need many of the early books.

Favorite Author: P. D. James

P. D. James was an English novelist, best known for her mystery series featuring policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh. Those I've read are all set in some kind of closed society -- an adaptation of the "closed room" mystery. She also has two mysteries starring Cordelia Gray, stand-alone novels, and non-fiction books.

She passed away in 2014, at age 94, still writing books and serving as a Life Peer in the House of Lords.

I've now read 12 of James's books. Unusual for me, all but one with my ears. The audiobook editions are particularly good and readily available from my library.

Those I have read are in red; those currently on my TBR shelf are in blue.

ADAM DALGLIESH MYSTERIES

Cover Her Face (1962) (country house)

A Mind to Murder (1963) (private mental hospital)

Unnatural Causes (1967) (writers' colony)

Shroud for a Nightingale (1971) (nursing school)

The Black Tower (1975) (reviewed here) (adult care home)

Death of an Expert Witness (1977) (forensic lab)

A Taste for Death (1986) (parish church)

Devices and Desires (1989) (community with a nuclear power plant)

Original Sin (1994) (publishing house)

A Certain Justice (1997) (inns of court)

Death in Holy Orders (2001)

The Murder Room (2003)

The Lighthouse (2005)

The Private Patient (2008)

CORDELIA GRAY MYSTERIES

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972)

The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982)

MISCELLANEOUS NOVELS

Innocent Blood (1980)

The Children of Men (1992)

Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)

SHORT STORIES

The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (2016)

NON-FICTION

The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811 (1971), with Thomas A. Critchley

Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography (1999)

Talking About Detective Fiction (2009)

NOTES

Updated on January 7, 2019.