2018 Favorite Reads:

10 Fiction,

5 Nonfiction,

& 3 Must-Mentions -

All Well Worth Reading

     It looks like my new blog trend is to make only one post per year. That may sound like literary inactivity - on the contrary, it is due to an overabundance of literary activity. After completing my memoir, The Bitter Pill, I have decided to divide it into two smaller books and am drafting new first and last chapters for each. I am also writing a novel, set in mid-1990's Maine and South Carolina. And just for pure fun, I took a class in Modern British Literature at the College of Charleston, where I learned to love Virginia Woolf and the beautiful, cohesive symmetry of term papers. Each class was an intellectual thrill, and the biggest thrill of all was earning an  "A" in the course.

     Now, on to the books. My yearly reading goal for 2018 was 64 books. I came up a bit short at 61 books read. Not one to give up, I will again shoot for at least 64 books read in 2019. This year, I had a hard time choosing just ten favorite works of fiction, so I have added three must-mentions to the list, all well worth reading. I have also chosen five favorite nonfiction reads. Here are my lists, with the titles in each section in no particular order of preference.

  FICTION:

To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
Reads like poetry, especially the Time Passes section.

The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
A masterpiece of beauty and self-realization; in my top three favorite reads for the year.

The Reckoning, John Grisham
It's been a long time since I've read a Grisham novel & I loved this one. A tale of misunderstanding, love, war, and retribution, with a dose of Grisham legalese.

Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
A chilling play involving psychopathy in the form of the proper Victorian woman.

Less, Andrew Sean Greer
When his partner leaves him to marry another man, the central character, Arthur Less, avoids the wedding by traveling the world in this funny, touching, and wild romp.

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid
Population shifts and the refugee experience, facilitated by doorway portals. Very, very interesting.

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
A 2017 National Book Award Finalist, this work presents the Korea/Japan discordance through three generations of two extended families, revealing an ethnic rift that I never realized existed.

Islands in the Stream, Ernest Hemingway
Posthumously published, this might be my favorite Hemingway book, although as one of my favorite authors, it is almost impossible to choose just one Hemingway work to love- The Green Hills of Africa and The Old Man and the Sea are my other favorites.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan
This 2014 Man Booker Prize winner describes the POW experience in Burma in excrutiating detail. An unforgettable read.

Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
Told in the voice of a variety of characters, Ward weaves life, death, race, ghosts, prison, substance abuse, and love together to create an enthralling story. My favorite read, fiction or nonfiction, in 2018.

MUST-MENTIONS:

Husbands and Other Sharp Objects, Marilyn Simon Rothstein
This follow-up to her hilarious first novel, Lift and Separate, is a gem in its own right; a fun and witty read that I hope will breed another book in the series.

An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
A sad view of a marriage, Ms Jones' story involves loyalty, strength, and the various components of love.

Good Karma, Christina Kelly
An entertaining peek into the lives of retirees living in an over-55 community on the sea islands of Georgia. I eagerly await Ms. Kelly's next book.

NONFICTION:

The Life and Death of the Great Lakes, Dan Egan
A work of painful truth, documenting one of the greatest American ecological disasters, perpetrated in the name of progress. 

Worse than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice, David M. Oshinsky
A horrifying picture of the evolution of the prison system in the American South, post Civil War, exhibited by Parchman Farm, Mississippi's oldest men's penitentiary.

West with the Night, Beryl Markham
A beautifully written memoir of a woman's life in Kenya, early 20th century; about the African people - black and white - and her stint as a bush pilot.  

The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Jeff Guinn
Well-researched account of the rise and fall of Jim Jones, culminating in the massacre in 1978 in Guyana which left more than 900 people dead. A frightening look at what it takes to create and sustain a cult.

Ghost Soldiers: WWII's Greatest Rescue Mission, Hampton Sides
The riveting, true story of the Rangers first combat mission, a resuce of the last prisoners of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines. The cruelty of man towards his fellow man never ceases to amaze and appall me, yet the redemption of random kindnesses somewhat restores my faith in the human race - this is a tough story to tell but an important one to hear.

That's it for the hi-lites of my 2018 reading life. I'm starting the new year with the book Beloved, by Toni Morrison. How about you?

Circa 1886
Located in the carriage house at the Wentworth Mansion

     There's a reason that Circa 1886 remains in my top three best restaurant experiences in Charleston, and that reason is service.  It of course goes without saying that the food at Circa 1886 is unsurpassed locally in quality, flavor, and presentation.  But it is the service, the unparallelled attention to detail by the staff, that brings me back to this restaurant over and over again.   Even when our usual waitor, Charles, is busy with other tables, he always stops by our table to say hello.  And Kaitlyn steps right in to give Charles a run for his money in the favorite waitstaff department, a win-win for anyone lucky enough to have either as their server.

     Reservations are needed, but the staff will put you on a wait list if the restaurant is already booked.  I have always received a call and a table when this happens.  We have a favorite table, and never have a problem with it being reserved for us.  The bar staff are fun and creative, especially nice for me, a non-drinker, as they create new, delicious mocktails for me each time.  My favorite contains ginger beer and lime juice and is served in a copper mug.

     Whether it be at one of their many themed dinners, Blue Jeans and Burgers, Bourbon and Bacon, or the Dickens Dinner, the menu is varied, changes often, and includes something to please everyone.  Chef Marc Collins never disappoints.  On a recent visit, our server Kaitlyn suggested the Piedmontesse Beef and the Heritage Pork Belly.  My dining partner was leaning towards the Cider Brined Chicken (excellent) and the Wedge Salad, but took Kaitlyn's advice and was happy that he did.  The pork belly, lean with a rich, smoky flavor, was served over butter beans, fried peanuts, and yazu apple butter.  The beef dish was presented with pureed foie gras, hominy, fingerling potatoes, and a vidalia onion, each flavor complementing the perfectly prepared meat.  

     My appetizer was a favorite, the Chevre and Beets, three types of chilled beets served with greens and spiced pecans.  A pour-over of goat cheese veloute blended the beet juices into a lovely cream sauce.  For fun, I ordered the Broken Arrow Antelope and I was not disappointed.  The meat was tender, prepared medium-rare as the chef suggested, with smoked blackberry barbecue sauce, an apt flavor complement to the meat.
     After coffee and a double espresso, we tried two new desserts, the Pumpkin Souffle and the Caramel Apple Cake.  The souffle was light as air and the apple cake had a delicate sponge.  As a treat, our server brought us a third dessert, the Circa 1886 Smores, which the pastry chef has tweaked,  improving the toasted marshmallow and increasing the amount of graham crumbs surrounding the chocolate cake and house-made graham cracker.

     We here in Charleston are lucky to have many fine restaurantd, which I take advantage of on a regular basis.  Whether you want barbecue (Rodney Scott's and Lewis's) or biscuits (Callie's Hot Little Biscuit) or mussels and frites (Rue de Jean), there is always somewhere wonderful to find them.  But when I want delicious, creatively-prepared, locally-sourced food, served on white tablecloths by the best waitstaff in the business, I recommend Circa 1886.
     

     I'm keeping track of how many books I read this year, just for fun.  I follow a few reader/writer Facebook pages that ask for a monthly accounting of that number and I am humbled by the sheer numbers of books read by dedicated readers.  As of November 1st, I have read fifty books, far below the tally of many, but right on track for me.  My yearly total for 2016 was 54 - my goal for 2017 is 60 books.  So I need to keep my eye on the prize.

     I generally prefer the classics in fiction.  I am listening to Charlotte Bronte's Villette right now on Audible, unabridged, brushing up on my conversational French. But this year, I have veered off my usual path to read modern fiction titles.  I guess you could say that modern fiction is my 2017 reading theme.  In the process, I've discovered some wonderful books, the best of which is John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany.

     It's hard to talk about A Prayer for Owen Meany without getting sentimental, even a little tearie - I loved the book that much.  The prose is real, something I love about Irving.  The characters are people that you would like to know, people you wish were sitting in your living room right now.  Such is the case with Owen Meany.  Owen was a completely good person.  Not without faults, granted, although his mother and father believe he was the result of immaculate conception.  He had a temper, exhibited occasional bouts of pride, but all in all, Owen was the type of person anyone would want as their best friend.
     The story is set in the fictional New Hampshire town of Gravesend, a place familiar to anyone who has lived in New England.  I was partially raised in New Hampshire, and I recognized the feel of the town immediately: small, quiet, severe and conservative on the surface and bubbling with ebullience and rebellion underneath.  The book covers the time between the end of World War II and the Vietnam War, and the story is told in flashbacks, from the point of view of the narrator, Owen's friend John Wheelwright.
     Owen Meany is small in stature, oddly made, with a big heart, a sharp intellect, and an outspoken manner.  His opinions garner righteous indignation in fellow Gravesend residents, even though they know that Owen is 100% right.  Owen's lifelong best friend was John Wheelwright, although Owen was the cause of John's mother's death.  If these two facts seem incongruous, you are correct.  They are.  But A Prayer for Owen Meany is just that, a prayer for his safety, in thanksgiving for his innate goodness,  his love and ultimately, his forgiveness.
   

   

     Last night I said goodbye to a close friend, Vikram Seth's book A Suitable Boy.  I began reading the 1474 page tome on June 22, 2016, slightly more than a year ago.  During that time, other books have come and gone, books that I have loved, liked, or merely tolerated.  But none became a part of me the way that Seth's A Suitable Boy did.  Every night before closing my eyes, I picked up "the book" and was transported to the India of the nineteen fifties, to Brahmpur and Calcutta, to the banks of the Ganga, onto dusty trains, into shaded gardens and crowded alleys.  The last words I saw before sleep were Lata and Maan and Pran and Savita, Mrs. Rupa Mehra and Mahesh Kapoor, Kabir and Amit and Haresh.  They peopled my waking and sleeping dreams.
     Each day, I counted my reading progress in page numbers, willing the characters to move ahead, to bring me closer to the end of the book. I had to know.  Who was a suitable boy for Lata?  But then, when the final page was in sight, I hesitated.  I had been carrying the two and a half pound book around the house with me for a year, but now I put it down.  I didn't want to read that last page.  I didn't want to find out who Lata Mehra had chosen as her husband, her "Suitable Boy." For 1400 pages the suspence had been killing me and now, right at the finish line, my horse balked.  A suitable boy was chosen.
    "No, she can't choose him!" my mind wailed.  Maybe something terrible will happen, I thought in desperation.  Maybe the wedding will be called off.  Maybe no one is suitable for Lata Mehra...but I won't spoil the book or its ending.   You'll just have to read A Suitable Boy and find out for yourself if Lata's choice was suitable!
   

Dining updates for Piccolo Spoleto

     Concerts, plays, art shows, performance art - Hoorah!  Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto have begun, with theater-goers and concert attendees working up an appetite for more than Charleston culture. So, while dashing between performances, plan to sample the culinary gold of the Lowcountry.  Most of the restaurants I have reviewed on my blog are still thriving and worth a visit but a few, alas, have closed or are no longer what they once were.  I've also added four new mini-reviews.

     Restaurants that have closed, and will be sadly missed:

P.I.E. Bake Shoppe

Cypress

Brasserie Gigi

Social

The Smith Street Bull Street Gourmet, but the King Street location of Bull Street Gourmet is thriving.  

New favorites to try:  

Poogan's Smokehouse - Located in the space vacated by Social, P's Smokehouse excels at Lowcountry comfort food: barbecue, cast iron skillet cornbread, and collards.  Their bar makes the best mint juleps in town.

Lewis Barbecue - Delightful atmosphere, with dining inside or out and a full bar with bar menu.  Their pulled pork and brisket is moist and flavorful, and especially good when paired with the creamy lemon slaw.

Carmella's Wine and Dessert Bar -  I have been eyeing this delightful dessert/wine/coffee bar for some time and was recently charmed down to my socks by their Italian Rum Cake.

Worth skipping dessert elsewhere and finishing your evening at Carmella's, or better still, skip dinner altogether and just eat dessert!

Twenty Six Devine - Full English tea.  Need I say more?  

Reservations required, as this lovely tea room prepares just enough to share with those who plan ahead.  

Restaurants that Charleston E. Diner can no longer recommend:

Poogan's Porch - (Hoped the quality would improve with the new chef in 2016, but sadly it did not.)

3 Matadors Taquileria - (same menu, poor quality)

     

There are only four days left until Christmas and if you're scrambling for some last minute gifts, books are the perfect choice.  Here are a few of my favorite reads from 2016, by category:
Mystery/Adventure
Summit: A Novel 
by Harry Farthing
A marvelous tale of adventure and murder at the top of the world, Summit is world traveler, explorer, and mountaineer Harry Farthing's first novel. Using Mt. Everest as his centerpiece, Mr. Farthing weaves a skillful plot around well-drawn characters and a fascinating setting.  Whether you are an experienced climber or just love adventure, you won't be able to put this book down.

Fiction:
The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead
Follow Cora on her journey from slavery to freedom, traveling via a real train traveling underground through nineteenth century America. The fictional United States that Mr. Whitehead describes resembles the racially divided United States of the 1800's, then veers off the tracks into a world that requires the reader to suspend belief and accept Whitehead's alternate view.  Very skillfully written and thought provoking, The Underground Railroad is harsh and hopeful at the same time; a must read.


Classic Literature:
Moby Dick
by Herman Melville
Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Stubb, Flask, Tashtego, the Pequod, and of course, Moby Dick.  What other cast of characters in 19th Century literature evokes the vibrant images, the harsh emotions, the colorful sense of place of Melville's Moby Dick?  Reading this book for the second time, I am struck by Melville's attention to detail, the brutality of whaling, the singlemindedness of New England seafarers, and the relentless power of the sea.  Truly the great American adventure novel.

Essays:
A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life
by Pat Conroy
Our loss this year of the singular Southern writer, Pat Conroy, is mitigated by the vibrancy of his voice in this, his last collection of essays.  On every page you hear the bright tones of his speaking voice, feel the enthusiasm and excitement of his world view, and revel in his effusive language.  A feast for Conroy fans, and for readers who are fascinated by the joy and majesty of a grand story.




American Playrights - Drama:
Fences
by August Wilson
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, August Wilson's Fences is bold, raw and heartbreaking.  Wilson writes vehemently, dishing out truth while your mind screams NO! and your heart tears right down the middle.  Pick up this small and powerful volume and read it before you see the newly released movie.

Nonfiction:
Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson
A timely read for all, Just Mercy reveals the flaws in the Southern justice system, post segregation.  Concerned with imperfect justice, innocence convicted, and the indiscriminate imposition of the death penalty, attorney Bryan Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative, which began its work in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia, and expanded nationwide.  Bravo Mr. Stevenson, the savior of the common man and the wrongly accused.

Marie Arana's memoir, American Chica - Two Worlds, One Childhood, guides the reader through two cultures, Peruvian and American, in the mid-twentieth century.  Seen through the eyes of five year old Marie, life in Peru is perplexing, comforting, and exciting, all at the same time.  Raised by her American mother and Peruvian father, young Marie is wrapped in what seems to outsiders as an intrusive South American familial culture.  Her American family seems cold in comparison.  Wise and powerful life lessons all seem to originate in Peru, while harsh realities come from the homogenized life of 1950's America.  
Ms. Arana's story is compelling, her settings rich and colorful.  The clash of ethnicity, belief systems, and social mores raise this memoir from a simple coming-of-age tale to an intricate tapestry, full of experiences that were woven into her very being.  The reader is drawn into Peruvian life and a bit repelled by American life, which helps explain Marie's difficulty straddling the two worlds she was raised in.  I highly recommend American Chica.

It's Summer Reading Time!

My regular blog followers know that I choose a reading theme each summer.  Last year, I chose pairs of books that were related in some way: Middlemarch and My Life in Middlemarch, Go Set a Watchman and To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye and My Salinger Year, and Wiesel's Night, Dawn and Day.  One summer I chose Russian authors (Dear, cheerful Dostoevsky is my favorite.) and another summer I read the entire collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. (Ask my husband how much he enjoyed that summer, as I was so excited by Sir C. D. that I read The Adventure of the Speckled Band aloud to him!)

This year's summer theme is an unusual one for me.  I will read one, huge, glorious book, 

A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth, all 1474 pages of it!  I wish you had a picture of my face when the mail carrier delivered it.  (I thought perhaps the package contained two or three books, not just one.)  

The idea for this summer's big read came from Stephen King, mentioned in his book On Writing.  On Writing is an interesting, informative page-turner which includes a list of books that King enjoyed during the three years prior to his book's publication.  King also mentioned two epic novels that he thought were worth a read: M.M. Kaye's The Far Paviliions, which I had read twice and absolutely loved, and Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, which I had not read.  So here I go!  I'm on page 45 and I can't put the book down.  I will now happily spend my summer in India with Rupa and Lata and Savita...and a cast of characters yet to be introduced.  Check back with me in September for a final report!

     The Uncommon Reader is a lovely, 120 page story by Alan Bennett, the author of The Lady in the Van.  Bennett’s novella is a quick, lively read, one that is especially entertaining for all who love both reading and writing.                
     This little gem tells the story of the British Queen, who follows her corgis into a bookmobile parked behind the palace,checks out a book, discovers a new interest in the people who work for her and ultimately learns to enjoy reading for reading’s sake.  The Queen has spent her life neither promoting nor advocating, but merely acknowledging, everything and everyone.  Now she finds that reading what she wants, when she wants, then telling anyone who will listen about her literary experiences, is an all-encompassing passion.  That is, until she decides that reading is a passive pastime, and she,The Queen, is not a passive person. 
     "Wouldn’t writing be a more active form of expression for her?" wonders the Queen.  Would it?  Read The Uncommon Reader to find out!

Christophe Artisan Chocolatier
West Ashley

     Hoorah!  We now have a French Patissier in West Ashley!  Stop by Christophe Artian Chocolatier in the Magnolia Plaza (by Crab Shack) at 1901 Ashley River Rd. for handcrafted chocolates, pastries and coffee.  

     Today's treats were Chocolate-almond Croissants and Sable Viennois.  The croissants were crisp and flaky on the outside and tender on the inside, just the way a true croissant should be.  Dusted with powdered sugar, these croissants were a perfect size to pair with a cup of coffee.  Christophe's coffee is French-pressed, a treat that I have yet to find in the To-Go format in West Ashley, but now am pleased to grab and go from Christophe.  I also tried the small and buttery Sable Viennois cookies, a shortbread dream dipped in dark chocolate.   I relectantly shared it, but could have eaten the entire cookie myself in three bites!     

     I look forward to trying all of Christophe's tempting sweets,  especially their famous macaroons, in all fourteen tempting flavors.  What could be better than a French-pressed coffee and a Lavender macaroon?

     In a slight digression from my book and restaurant reviews, today I am reviewing the play, A Sudden Spontaneous Event, by David Lee Nelson.  Halfway through its run, tickets can still be purchased for the 3/24, 3/25 and 3/26 7:30 p.m. shows, either  online or at the Pure Theatre box office, 477 King Street.  This will be the last locally produced play for Nelson, Pure Theatre's Playwright in Residence, as he is relocating to Atlanta.  But judging from his writing talent, I am sure that we'll enjoy many more great works from Mr. Nelson.
     A Sudden Spontaneous Event is a work of wit, drama, and poignancy, served up by a strong five-person cast, led by Joy Vandervort-Cobb.  I don't want to give too much away regarding the plot, as there are a few surprise twists and turns.  What I can say is that A Sudden Spontaneous Event was not at all what I expected.  I laughed and cried, applauded and cheered.  
     The play runs approximately 2 1/2 hours, plus a 15 minute intermission, but due to the skilled performances and lively direction, (and the comfy seats) the show did not feel overly long.  The theatre is small, so arrive early for the best seats.

A Walk in the Woods

by 

Bill Bryson

      Try to read Bill Bryson's book, A Walk in the Woods, without laughing out loud.  I dare you.   What could be funnier than a forty six year old man (with no hiking experience) hiking the Appalachian Trail with  an old college pal, (also with no hiking experience) who is a recovering alchoholic addicted to Little Debbie Snacks and soda pop?  Nothing, I assure you.
     Bryson begins by describing the purchase of his backpack at a specialty "outdoorsman" store, (ha ha) and then filling that pack with a tent, groundcloth, portable stove, pots and pans, (ha ha ha) bottles for water, water purifying kit, waterproof jacket, (hahahahaha) extra socks, extra sweater, maps...get the picture yet?
     He and friend Stephen Katz manage to hike approx. 875 miles of the 2100 mile long Appalachian Trail during one long, very hot, summer, taking breaks to go home and regroup, hitch rides, skip over the boring parts, and slip in a few weeks of solo day hikes.  This haphazard hiking method (which is better by far than anything this normal human being could accomplish) leads them finally to the toughest part of the A.T., The Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine.  A maze of trees and swamps, frosty lakes and sheer rock climbs, The Hundered Mile section of the trail prompts the two men to  look each other in the eye and...quit.  But considering that only 10% of the hikers who start the A.T. in northern Georgia end up making it this far, even an unsuccessful attempt is quite an accomplishment.
      Expecting bear attacks at every step, Bryson and Katz encounter only pushy novice hikers, rude twenty-somethings who are ignorant of even basic trail etiquette, and nasty bunkhouses.  I'll admit, I kept hoping that they would encounter some type of threateneing wildlife, just to see what their reactions would be.  But, other than dirt, heat and hunger, (Katz had a habit of tossing their provisions out of his pack when the going got tough.)  intense discomfort and soul-sucking exhaustion were the only threats.
     So I highly recommend unwrapping a Little Debbie cake, lacing up your hiking boots then propping your feet up on the couch to take A Walk in the Woods with Bill Bryson!

 

Ruth's Chris Steak House, New Orleans

     It was only a matter of time before Ruth's Chris Steak House arrived in Charleston.  As our lovely city became nationally known for fine dining, and of course the good manners and hospitable welcome of Charlestonians, the establishment of a chain steakhouse in the midst of our locally owned and operated farm-to-table gems was inevitable.  What was not inevitable was that locals would give Ruth's Chris a chance.  Isn't there room for everyone at the Lowcountry table?
     After all, we here in Charleston are spoiled by our wide variety of James Beard Award nominated (and winning) chefs who prepare creative and delicious meals at some of my favorite restaurants.  But while Charleston diners are discerning, we are also creatures of habit.  Why try a chain restaurant downtown when there are innumerable other fine restaurants offering locally sourced produce, Mepkin Abbey mushrooms, meats from Keegan-Filion Farm and drinks from Cannonborough Bev. Co. and High Wire Distillery?  Because it's fun to try something new.

     Originating in New Orleans over four decades ago, Ruth's Chris Steak House offers thick-cut USDA Prime steaks on superheated plates (plates warmed to 500 degrees, meat cooked at 1800 degrees) and lumberjack-sized side dishes and desserts.  The dining room and bar are popular with those who travel for a living because they know their expectations for good quality beef, hearty portions and attentive service will be met.
     On my first visit to Ruth's Chris all of the guests at my table ordered steak with a shrimp cocktail  appetizer.  The jumbo shrimp were as good or better than any I have eaten anywhere in Charleston. The steaks arrived in a timely manner, prepared exactly as we had requested.  Our filets were tender, our rib eyes juicy and the plates were hot enough to fry an egg on.  All of the family style side dishes were generous enough to serve at least three diners.
     My favorite side dish was the asparagus, which was prepared in the way God intended, lightly seasoned and slightly crisp.  (There is nothing worse than limp asparagus - well, I'm sure there's something worse but I can't think of it right now. ) The scalloped potatoes were thick and buttery. (Every dish is buttery, from the rib-eye dripping in it to the bread budding.)   The best word to describe my first Ruth Chris meal is hearty (almost Mid-Western or Pennsylvania Dutch hearty).
     On my second visit to Ruth Chris Steakhouse, we took the waitstaff's advice and ordered the stuffed chicken breasts which were butterflied and filled with garlic herb cheese (not overpowering) and lemon butter (very light lemon flavor).  I can honestly say that I enjoyed this chicken dish more than the steak.  The skin on my chicken breast was bubbling and crispy, the breast moist and flavorful and it was, of course, served piping hot.
     Our waitress on both occasions was Janea, a polite and helpful professional who kept our bread basket and water glasses filled, was friendly but not overly so, and even hung my coat up for me.  The rest of the waitstaff (who were very busy on a mid-week evening) were equally efficient and genial, even granting our request for a table adjacent to the fireplace.
     For a comfortable evening and a substantial meal, I recommend giving Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the new gal in town, a chance.

BETWEEN YOU & ME

Confessions of a Comma Queen

by

Mary Norris

     The first word that comes to mind when describing first-time author Mary Norris's homage to punctuation is FUN.  You weren't expecting the word fun, were you?  Perhaps you were thinking more along the lines of dry or bland or mundane.  Between You & Me is none of those things.  I can honestly say that I laughed out-loud many times while reading Mary's chapters, such as "Comma Comma Comma Comma, Chameleon" or "Spelling is for Weirdos."  Whether it was her sharp humor or her dead-on "this drives me crazy so it must drive you crazy" list of punctuation faux pas, Mary's words made me chuckle, guffaw and shout "Yes!" 

     I actually may have found a kindred spirit in Mary Norris.  Who else worships the lowly pencil as an editing tool in this age of high tech? Who else appreciates the finely wrought beauty of a well  placed cuss word?  And who else would ponder a comma, a colon, a semicolon and, gasp - a hyphen with such delight?  I would.  And many of my friends would, too.   

      Mary Norris includes a wonderful appendix at the end of Between You & Me entitled "Some Books I Have Found Particularly Helpful."  And many of her suggested titles already inhabit my own bookshelves.  As if that were not enough, upon reading her chapter "Ballad of a Pencil Junkie," I immediately ordered a set of Palomino Blackwing pencils on-line, at two in the morning, by the light of my I-Phone.  I get a thrill each time I think of the Palomino's lovely soft lead and the smooth, square eraser attached firmly to one end. (Preventing pesky rolls off the table edge.)  Oh my goodness!  I've just realized something.  I am Mary Norris's doppelganger.  Yes, as Emily Bronte's Catherine Earnshaw said, "I am Heathcliff!"   Confessions of a Comma Queen will never be far from my elbow!

     

     

      ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
                                By
                      Anthony Doerr 

                        Three adjectives: 
                   Powerful, Lyrical,Vibrant                    
             
                    Dinner conversation with Mr. Doerr:

     "How did you manage to create the perfect balance between the book's main characters, one that enabled the reader to sympathize with both the Germans and the French during WWII?"

     At our dinner, I would serve bread pudding, canned peaches and a large pitcher of clear, cold water.  

      

The Enchanted April

Elizabeth Von Arnim

At the risk of seeming repetitive, 

 Enchanting, Lovely, Picturesque

My dinner conversation would include women's rights in post WWI England and the merits of an extended vacation.

 I would serve Ms. Von Arnim a full English Tea.  (Although I am certainly tempted to serve a meal featuring that  mysterious food, spaghetti.)

                     Fire in the Blood
                                        by
                            Irene Nemirovsky

                             Minute Review

                           Three nouns today:

                      Love, Secrets and Denial

   Dinner conversation:  My question for Irene Nemirovsky,
"We lost you in the Holocaust.  How many stories were lost, how many wonderful books were already written in your head and heart when your life was cut short?"

At dinner I would offer bread, apples and individual mulit-layer cakes.  And of course, wine.
 

Lady Love to Read’ s Minute Book Reviews

Are Back!!

One minute to read. 

Just three adjectives, a brief dinner conversation with the author and a culinary gift. 

Love, love, love it or the book’s a snooze…..  

Are you in?  

Let’s go! 

Eight books to review, one per day.  Today's gem is Joan Didion's 

Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

Vivid, Real,Perfect

My request during dinner with Ms. Didion, "Tell me what you really think."

At our dinner, hot coffee, black, lots of it.

     A Peach of a Pair

     South Carolina native Kim Boykin was in Charleston recently, promoting her newest book,  A Peach of a Pair.  I was lucky enough to meet the author at the Blue Bicycle Book Luncheon held at Hall's Chophouse on King Street.  We were treated to a delicious meal and the hospitality that Hall's is known for, as well as an insider's view of the publishing world.  Ms. Boykin is a lively, interesting speaker and a very talented author.

     A Peach of a Pair is set in and around Columbia and Camden, South Carolina in the early 1950's.  It is at once a road-trip book, a love story, and a study of the complicated relationships that can exist within families.
     The "Peaches" are elderly, spinster sisters Emily and Lurleen Eldredge, proper Southern ladies who have secrets to keep and stories to tell.  Enter Nettie Gilbert,  a college senior with secrets of her own.   Hired as the sisters caregiver by handsome Dr. Remmie Wilkes, Nettie soon learns that both love and forgiveness are needed to mend her broken heart.
     Told alternately from the perspective of each elderly sister, the college coed and the young doctor who cares for them all, A Peach of a Pair is a page turner.  I carried the book around with me for three days until I reluctantly finsished it.  I didn't want it to end!
     It's also the first book in a long time that has made me cry real tears over the well-formed characters and poignant storyline.  Jealousy, betrayal, forgiveness and ultimately love shine bright in A Peach of a Pair.
   
   
   

    Middlemarch 

by George Eliot

(pen name, Mary Anne Evans)

     My path to Middlemarch was circuitous.  I read a review of another book, My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead and although Ms. Mead's book sounded interesting, I couldn't read it.   How could  I read a book written by someone who had spent her entire life obsessed by Middlemarch when I had not actually read Middlemarch myself?   So I purchased both books, then jumped  into George Eliot's nineteenth century, eight hundred page tome.
      My reaction to Middlemarch was one of delighted surprise.  I was entertained and above all, I was enchanted.  Set in the Midlands of England, the same magical countryside that housed the rabbit warrens of Watership Down, Middlemarch is a country town that is at once bucolic and busy.  Inhabited by a fascinating assortment of characters, both working class and landed gentry, the inhabitants of Middlemarch never fail to behave in interesting and surprising ways.
     And whether you are hoping against hope that Dorothea does not marry the much older Mr. Casaubon, which she unfortunately and unhappily does, or you are cheering for young Will Ladislaw to win Dorothea's heart once she finally becomes a widow, there is not a single page that does not draw you into their dramatic lives.

     I'll warn you that reading Middlemarch is addictive.  It is also fun.  Each page pulls the reader willingly along on a carefully crafted ride.  Eliot's storytelling skill compels you to turn to the next page, plunge into the next chapter, and complete the next section, and there are eight sections in all.
      Immersed joyfully in Eliot's plot lines,  I especially enjoyed Book I: Miss Brooke, which introduces Dorothea, a serious-minded innocent, Book V: The Dead Hand in which you hope and pray for Mr. Casaubon to hurry up and die, for goodness sake and Book VIII: Sunset and Sunrise where loose ends are finally tied up, the book provides everything a reader needs for a delightful literary experience.  Eliot creates sympathy where there should not be any, offers forgiveness where there should be regret and judgement, and even inserts sardonic humor into every chapter.  By the last page, I was so invested in the fates of Dorothea, Will Ladislaw, Dr. Lydgate and Mary Garth that I was ready to scream if the story lines were not concluded to my satisfaction.
     Middlemarch has become one of my favorite books and I am already anticipating reading it again.
 I freely admit to being obsessed by the foolishness, the innocence and the wisdom that is Middlemarch.

    Now that I was satiated and enthralled by Middlemarch, I felt comfortable beginning Rebecca Mead's My Life in Middlemarch.  I looked forward to reading an analysis of Middlemarch, written by someone who was at least as charmed by George Eliot as I was.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  Mead's analysis of Eliot and her prose is lacking something.  Her take on Eliot and Middlemarch is dark and rather unpleasant.
     As much as Mead insists that she has always been obsessed with Middlemarch, I find that claim hard to believe.  Her observations and analysis lack joy.  Wouldn't a literary work that was central to your emotional life bring you joy?  And wouldn't that joy shine through in your description of the book's characters?  I did not see even a glimmer of that joy.
     I did, however, enjoy the biographical aspects of My Life in Middlemarch,  and if this book had been advertised as a biography, I would have been satisfied.  I suggest that you read Rebecca Mead's book on Middlemarch only if you are interested in reading a reference book, as My Life in Middlemarch is at the very least that.