2010 February 17

The Reagan Arthur Books Challenge

Wednesday 17 February, 2010 by knittingmomof3 4 Comments

I have been meaning to sign-up for the Reagan Arthur Books Challenge and after a few kindly reminders (thanks Julie!) I am finally joining in. The Reagan Arthur Book Challenge is being hosted by Julie/Booking Mama and Kathy/Burmuda Onion. This challenge is a bit different from some of the others. In this challenge the goal is to read Reagan Arthur Books which is a new imprint of Little, Brown, and Company. There are currently 3 inprint and 16 more on the way! The books all look to be fantastic, so come join in on the fun. Pleasurable reading with no pressure, it will be wonderful!

Book Tour & Review: Home Is Where the Wine Is by Laurie Perry

Wednesday 17 February, 2010 by knittingmomof3 6 Comments

Title: Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You’ve Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time
Author: Laurie Perry
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Paperback: 224 pages
ISBN: 978-0757313684
Genre: Crafts/Humour

About the book:

She’s Back, and edgier than ever. In her debut narrative, Drunk, Divorced, & Covered in Cat Hair, blogger extraordinaire Laurie Perry, aka ‘Crazy Aunt Purl,’ gave women everywhere a hilarious yet heartfelt glimpse into her misadventures as a recent divorcee with a herd of cats, a slight wine and Cheetos problem, and scores of unfinished and uneven knitting projects.

Now, in her second installment, she’s no longer drunk-dialing her ex. She is well on her way to divorce recovery and has embraced a new-found philosophy: To make the best out of the ‘extra odd bits’—both in knitting and in life. Discovering how she accomplishes this will make you laugh and cry as she navigates new territory, from dating in a weird, wired world to vacationing solo for the first time. On the cusp of the big four-O, she ventures to the most exotic, foreign locations—the gym, a therapist’s office, a self-tanning emporium— on a search for enlightenment and happiness in— where else?—downtown Los Angeles.

• Island Beach Bag
• Lonely Hearts Personal Massager Cozy
• Wineglass Flip-Flop Coaster
• Quick Knit Date-Night Bag
•Brain Freeze Ice Cream Cozy
• Super-Easy Beret . . . and more!

Over a dozen knitting recipes included with photos!

My review:

Laurie Perry’s second Crazy Aunt Purl novel, Home Is Where the Wine Is makes for a light, witty and rather delightful read. Perry writes in such a manner that one feels as though one is conversing with her. The book opens with New Year’s Eve and Laurie is planning to make and stick with her new resolutions for the coming New Year. Each chapter is divided into one of her resolutions and her reactions to the aforementioned resolutions. Laurie had me quite literally laughing out loud many times, which was not an easy feat as of late. While the novel is perfect as it is, Laurie adds a bonus section which includes 13 knit and crochet patterns which are well written, easy to understand and follow replete with abbreviation key and enough wit to each pattern to make even those who do not knit want to learn. While I am happily married I related well with Laurie as a woman and knitter and strongly recommend Home Is Where the Wine Is to anyone looking for a delightfully charming and witty novel to spend a cold afternoon reading.

About the author:

Laurie Perry knits and writes in Los Angeles, California, where she chronicles her daily life on her online diary, Crazy Aunt Purl. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, MSN.com, Vogue Knitting, the Boston Herald, and The Palm Beach Post. Perry has written for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Winter Haven News Chief in Winter Haven, Florida. She is the author of Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair.
Follow Laurie on Twitter, her blog, and her tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Home Is Where the Wine Is by Laurie Perry to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the novel. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

Filed Under: Book Tour Tagged With: Book Review, Home Is Where the Wine Is, Laurie Perry, TLC Book Tours

A Book Review: Corked by Kathryn Borel

Wednesday 17 February, 2010 by knittingmomof3 4 Comments

Title: Corked: A Memoir
Author: Kathryn Borel
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 16, 2010
Hardcover: 272 pages
ISBN: 9780446409506
Genre: Biography/Autobiography

About the novel:

Meet Kathryn Borel, bon vivant and undutiful daughter. Now meet her father, Philippe, former chef, eccentric genius, and wine aficionado extraordinaire. Kathryn is like her father in every way but one: she’s totally ignorant when it comes to wine. And although Philippe has devoted untold parenting hours to delivering impassioned oenological orations, she has managed to remain unenlightened. But after an accident and a death, Kathryn realizes that by shutting herself off to her father’s greatest passion, she will never really know him.

My review:

Corked: A Memoir rendered me confused, sad, and desperately hoping this is loosely based on Kathryn Borel’s life. Kathryn travels the French vineyards with her father learning about winemaking and tasting wines in an attempt to connect with her father. I honestly do not understand why she took this trip with him when she has no real interest in wine, even though Kathryn clearly states she wanted to learn something from her father. It is difficult to care for her father as he is rude and abusive to almost everyone they encounter who is not part of a vineyard. Kathryn, or Toots as her father refers to her, ran over an elderly man while she was in college and it is quite evident that she has not overcome that trauma and has engaged in self-destructive behaviours in what I assume is a desperate attempt for attention. I would very much like to write about how redeeming I found this memoir, however, I cannot truthfully say I enjoyed this novel, I never felt the father-daughter bond and found the disrespectful and at times rather crude language used toward each other to distract from the author’s goal of bonding with her father. Perhaps I just did not understand the novel.

About the author:

Kathryn Borel was born in 1979 in Toronto, the daughter of a hotelier.

After several years, she became the older sister to Nico, who was named after the family cat. She spent her early years living in hotels in Paris, Bermuda, Dallas, and New Jersey, finally settling in Quebec City.

In 2002 she moved to Toronto to follow a man. The relationship ended.

She continues to live in Toronto where she works at the Canadian Broadcasting Company. She has written food and wine reviews for radio and print. Her journalism includes a column which ran in the National Post under the title “Indignities.” Corked is her first book.

I received a complimentary copy of Corked by Kathryn Borel from Hachette as part of the tour. Receiving a free copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.