Becoming a Judge: Nerds Heart YA

Do you know about the Nerds Heart YA tournament for underrepresented young adult literature? If not, be sure take a moment to click on over to the tournament blog for more information.

The topic this year is diversity, and the books had to have been originally published in 2009. I'm pleased to have been asked to be a first-level judge for the tournament. Here are the books I'll be reading:

A Wish after Midnight by Zetta Elliot.

Genna is a fifteen-year-old girl who wants out of her tough Brooklyn neighborhood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a wish gone awry transports her back in time. Facing the perilous realities of Civil War-era Brooklyn, Genna must use all her wits to survive. In the tradition of Octavia Butler’s Kindred and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, A Wish After Midnight is the affecting and inspiring tale of a fearless young woman’s fight to hold on to her individuality and her humanity in two different worlds.

I like time travel stories and I like the Civil War setting, so that's two pluses right off the bat. The negative is that the book was self-published, which is sometimes a problem for me. Based on the great reviews I've seen, I'm have high hopes.

Published by AmazonEncore
ISBN-13: 9780982555057

The Rock and the River by Kekla Morgan

Set in 1968 Chicago, this powerful debut novel follows 13-year-old Sam Childs, the son of a known civil rights activist who questions the possibility of change after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I grew up in the Midwest and remember 1968, so I should be able to relate to the novel. I've read that the book paints a bit of an idealistic picture of the Black Panthers, but that a well-written author's note fills in the historical details.

Published by Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN-13: 9781416978039

The books are ordered and will be waiting for me after BEA. Have you read or heard of either of the novels?

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Weekend Cooking: Under the Tuscan Sun (Film)

Weekend Cooking 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. For more information, see the welcome post.

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The film Under the Tuscan Sun, starring Diane Lane, is just barely based on Frances Mayes's memoir, also titled Under the Tuscan Sun. In the movie, we follow the story of Frances, a San Fransisco writer, from the time she is divorced to the establishment of her new life in Italy. Along the way, we learn there are many meanings of the word family and that there are unexpected ways to find happiness and love.

The food lover in me particularly enjoyed the movie because Tuscany is home to some of my favorites: olives, fish, pasta, cheese, and wine. In the film, Frances puts her new kitchen to work when she cooks elaborate meals for her workmen friends. Those scenes helped make the movie for me.

Well, I also like Diane Lane and I love the setting. This is a fun movie, and you can enjoy the meals vicariously, even if the romance and humor are not quite for you.

The book Under the Tuscan Sun was recently reviewed at S. Krishna's Books, and she does a great job discussing the differences between the book and the movie. I highly recommend the memoir and suggest the movie for some night when you're looking for pure entertainment.

The movie trailer doesn't particularly highlight the food scenes, but take a look anyway.

Have you read or seen Under the Tuscan Sun? How about Mayes's other books?

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Featuring . . . Amy Einhorn Books

Last Friday, I featured the final title in the current catalog of Amy Einhorn Books. I have now introduced you to all sixteen books that have been or will be published under the Amy Einhorn imprint thus far. I am looking forward to seeing the next batch of books, and as soon as the titles are released, you can be sure that each one will be featured here.

There is something for everyone in this imprint, and for many of us, there doesn't seem to be a single title that looks easy to pass by.

Here again is the list of current books in the imprint (alphabetically by year); the links take you to the feature post.

Books Published in 2009

• Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man and Dog by Diana Joseph
• The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
• Life's That Way: A Memoir by Jim Beaver
• The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
• Remedies by Kate Ledger
• Ten Degrees of Reckoning: The True Story of a Family's Love and the Will to Survive by Hester Rumberg

Books Published in 2010

• The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things by Neil Pasricha
• The Gendarme by Mark Mustian
• The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
• My Wife's Affair by Nancy Woodruff
  
• The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
• This Is Not the Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness by Laura Munson
• Where's My Wand?: One Boy's Magical Triumph over Alienation and Shag Carpeting by Eric Poole

By the time you have read all the books on the list, you will have laughed, cried, been inspired, learned something, appreciated the little things, and certainly been entertained. Start anywhere, jump right in, and get reading.

It is not too late to join the Amy Einhorn Books Reading Challenge (click for information). We already have forty reviews linked to the challenge pages, so be sure to check them out if you want a deeper look at a particular title. As more books are added to the imprint, I'll feature each title and then include it on the review link-up pages.

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Thursday Tea: Charm City by Laura Lippman

I'm listening to Charm City, the second book in Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series (review of book one). Six months earlier, Tess was almost killed after she started nosing into a murder case, but with the coming of spring, her life is looking up. She has a full-time job by day and a cute younger boyfriend by night.

Well, life isn't completely wonderful. One of her uncles got robbed and beaten and is barely alive. And a journalist friend might be in trouble after he wrote a tell-all piece about a wealthy local businessman. I'm not far enough along in the book to see how or if the two story lines will come together, but a few more evening walks will give me the answers.

The Tea. It's been cold again in central Pennsylvania, and I've been drinking Stash Tea's Keenum Hao Ya. I bought a sampler of the tea, but I think I'll be ordering more next fall. Here's the description: "The narrow, tightly twisted black leaves brew into a brilliant reddish-gold cup with a full-bodied fruity, sweet flavor and a unique orchid aroma. Keemun Hao Ya tastes wonderful without milk or sugar and goes exceptionally well with baked goods like breads and cakes and muffins." I need to bake me some cookies!

The Assessment. Tess is more of a strong coffee in the morning and strong drink at night kind of person. I really doubt she'd give a second look to Keenum Hao Ya tea! That's okay, that means there's more for me.

What about you? If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you're finally seeing some warm weather again. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, hope it's a glorious fall. No matter where you are, what are you reading or listening to this week? What's in that mug?

Charm City at an Indie

Charm City at Powell's
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Thursday Tea is hosted by Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog. Here's how it works: Tell us what tea you are drinking (and if you like it). And then tell us what book are you reading (and if you like it). Finally, tell us if they go together.

FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.

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Wordless Wednesday 79

Bird on a Wire

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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