Huffington Book Club
This post is a continuation of Tuesday’s “Hooked on…Books: Part I.” Reading is one of the most popular Huffington pastimes, and we couldn’t fit all of our bibliophile love into one post.
Ann’s Picks
I’ve been going through a Paris phase, which will surely make it into a blog at some point, and as a result, I keep reading everything I can get my hands on that relates to Paris.
Oddly enough, I have had four copies of “A Moveable Feast” in the last few years, but with my strange habit of leaving the book on planes, trains, automobiles and hotel rooms, I haven’t actually managed to finish it once since I first read it in my twenties. Freud may have something to say about this, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s simply frustrating!
Many years ago, Meg and I first bonded over our mutual like for “Cooking for Mr. Latte” which is a well-written love story by one of the food editors at the N.Y. Times, filled with self deprecating humor and delicious recipes. The illustrations remind me of Meg and something tells me that if we Huffingtons ever met the writer, Amanda Hesser, we’d all be bff’s. So when Meg recently recommended the book, “Lunch in Paris,” and said it was a Parisian version of Mr. Latte, I jumped on it and had to agree that it was highly entertaining, delicious and well written. In fact after borrowing Meg’s copy, I actually had to go out and buy my own (hard copy!) because the recipes were so irresistible.
On our most recent trip to Paris, Mr. Marathon and I decided to visit our favorite book store, Shakespeare & Co., known for being a literary hangout of American expats in the 1920’s. Not exactly fashioning myself as one, I asked the salesperson if she’d ever heard of “Lunch in Paris” and she said, “Oh God, not another American girl meets French boy in Paris” love story?” Clearly, she’d never heard of it.
Somewhat apologetically I said, “Well, yes, actually it is … but this one’s really well written” (trust me!) to which I was greeted with an exasperated roll of the eyes and a sarcastic, “I’m sure it is.” No but really, I insisted, it’s great! You should get it! As the eyes continued to roll, my husband nudged me slightly, and said, “It’s OK.” Not everyone will believe that this is a delightful book with some serious undertones and seriously delicious recipes, but I happen to know that that is their loss!
And, on this same Parisian note, I am three pages from finishing “The Elegance of the Hedgehog,” probably one of the most universally popular books of the last few years. When I started to read it, several weeks ago, I thought it was so philosophically boring and pedantic, that I questioned the dozens of people who’d recommended it.
In all fairness, I am reading it in French, and although I’ve always considered myself to be fairly bilingual and as comfortable in French as in English, this book makes Proust seem easy!! It took me several nights to get in to it, and still I questioned and cursed all those responsible for my nightly mystery (but at least I fell asleep fast!). Now, I am devouring every last delicate and delectable detail with my only regret being that there isn’t more of it to savor. I don’t want to put it down. I don’t want it to end. It’s like a trusted old friend that you never want to leave. It’s become a part of me. An extension of my soul.
It’s exactly what a great book should be and the reason we all still love to read.
Sarah’s Picks
After finishing my dissertation last fall (about the Charleston art market - a lovely topic - but 30,000 words about anything can be a bit of a chore), I had a long list of “fun & fluffy” books that I wanted to read while my brain took a rest from heavy lifting. Currently on my bedside table…
I finally decided to see what all the Emily Giffin hoopla was about, and I’m hooked! I breezed through “Something Borrowed” and “Something Blue” in a day apiece, and now I’m onto “Baby Proof,” “Love the One You’re With,” and her new release, “The Heart of the Matter.”
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Dorothea Benton Frank’s fantastic accounts of life in the Lowcountry. Her new book, “Lowcountry Summer: A Plantation Novel,” comes out in June, and I can’t wait to read it.
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My guilty pleasure is Lauren Willig. I’m currently on the fourth book,“The Seduction of the Crimson Rose.” The series chronicles Harvard graduate student Eloise Kelly’s, attempt to uncover the identity of the England’s most famous spies, the Scarlett Pimpernel, the Pink Carnation, and their cohorts and fellow spies, in order to complete her dissertation. Each book flip-flops between present day and the 17th/18th centuries, when relations were tense between England and France and spying was at its heyday. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love these books!
Rachel’s Picks
I’m currently enjoying “The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism.” The Bauhaus group was a group of avant-garde artists living in Germany during the volatile interwar period 1919-1933. They believed in combining form and function to create a beauty in the industrial (they were the ones to come up with stackable chairs!).
I love reading the stories of this group of artists who blew the art world out of the water in 1919 and continue to shape our culture. This book is broken up into 6 sections, with one artist per section. So although the book seems long you can pick and choose which artist seems most interesting to you. It's a really personal look at artists, whose work is usually all you get to read about.
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In other news, Doug Foltz’s solo show last Thursday was a smashing success! Thank you to everyone who came out to support Doug and view his beautiful new work. Erin Hollenbank, of the Atlanta Art Critic blog, was kind enough to write a little review about Doug’s show. Click here to read it.
What’s a party without pictures? A very boring event, indeed. Click here to see photos from the event of Doug and his fans.
Have a wonderful weekend!Tata!
HH
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