Hooked on…Books: Part III

Huffington Book Club

When Sam Jones got the Huffington Book Club request for her favorite books, her response was immediately apologetic: “But I don’t read anymore!” It turns out that Sam has, like so many others, “crossed to the other side.” She only listens to books! And she thought that didn’t count! It turns out that all her favorite “listens” have actually been our favorite “reads” including the “Girl with Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl Who Played with Fire” (Meg’s faves right now) as well as “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”(Ann’s fave right now.

So Sam thought that rescued her from participating in our blog, but on the contrary, we think our “listeners” will be so pleased to know that they have some of the same wonderful options as our readers!

Sam Jones: Audiobook Connoisseur Extraordinaire

Actually, it’s not entirely true that Sam only listens. She also has a very keen eye and doesn’t miss a single detail – and, she is unabashedly the queen of the coffee table books. Usually around Christmastime, she shares the love with the rest of us. In fact, don’t tell our families, but possibly our favorite Christmas presents are those heavy, rectangular-shaped packages that come wrapped in a stylish brown paper bag with a signature silk and raffia bow. As in everything else she does, Sam can pick out a stylish book (and always wraps it elegantly, too) and has introduced us to some of our all-time favorites:

“Crossing Boundaries” by Vicente Wolfe

“Style & Substance: The Best of Elle Decor” by Margaret Russell

“Inspired Interiors” by Suzanne Kasler (OK we technically gave it to her but she still shared it with us!)

“Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People” by Hamish Bowles

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And speaking of presents and books and happy wishes, today is our wonderful Madame Mohan’s birthday!

Bon Anniversaire!

What do you buy the person who is the absolute best at gift giving? Madame Mohan has such an amazing eye for gifts that we've kiddingly dubbed her the “VP of Corporate Gifts” at Huff Harrington. Linda is an expert spotter who knows how to find the diamond in the rough every time, and never misses a beat. So it's a challenge buying a present for the person with the best eye.

But taking our cue from Sam, and knowing how much we all love to read, swoon and renovate, we think we did OK for our Linda with this book for her birthday.

With this blog, and on this special occasion, we wish our sweet Linda a very happy birthday!! And finally, unsuspecting of any ulterior motives on our part for her birthday, Miss Linda has given us the following book for her Huffington Book Club favorites:

Madame Linda

"I've just finished a sweet little book called "Just Who Will You Be?" by Maria Shriver. It follows her thought process as she struggles to write a commencement speech for her nephew's graduation.

She challenges us to see the difference between what you will do and what you will be during your lifetime, and the importance of knowing the difference. It is a good read for all ages, especially poignant at this time as my older son begins the college process. I also enjoyed the part where Maria said she ate a bag of Swedish Fish during writer's block. It too is my stress food of choice during harried moments at the ballpark!"

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We hope you’ve enjoyed this past week’s Book Club entries. Look for a continuation of the series this summer after we’ve all been on vacation and had time to sink our feet in the sand and read to our heart’s content.

Tata!

HH

Hooked on…Books: Part II

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 17^th/18^th 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

Hooked on...Books: Part I

Huffington Book Club

We are all big readers here at the gallery and it’s always fun when we start comparing notes. Our tastes vary wildly: Ann prefers biographies and non fiction, often in French; Meg goes for travel fiction – or any kind of fiction for that matter; Linda likes her books good and juicy and with a Euro slant; Sam is always on top of the newest and prettiest coffee table books (usually dealing with design, architecture or art); Sarah cannot get enough historical fiction.

Which got us thinking and talking about what’s sitting on our bedside tables these days.

Meg’s Latest Finds

Oooooohhh, the books have been stacking up on the bedside table lately – both read and unread. The read ones are slightly dog-eared and a little tattered and the unread ones are crisp and smell new, like your favorite bookstore. Is there anything more wonderful than curling up with a good book? I’m one of those people who likes to keep the favorites around and re-read them again and again. It’s like visiting an old friend.

Here’s a quick little story: we recently bought our twelve-year (who, happily, is a voracious reader) a Kindle. She had been begging for it, and we finally capitulated. I was dead-set against it and vowed never to pick it up – after all, what could take the place of a real book and the gentle thrill of turning a page to reach deeper into a story? The Kindle spells the end of the retail bookstore and, indeed, the written word, I ranted. What’s wrong with going to a good, old-fashioned library? The twelve-year-old rolled her eyes. I soon found out what the big deal is with the Kindle. We were recently invited on a lovely decadent vacation that guaranteed plenty of reading time and I immediately thought of three books I’d been dying to pick up - but my excitement paled at the thought of lugging these three large, heavy books along in my carry-on. My daughter innocently suggested I borrow the Kindle. After a little internal torment, I did…and my life changed. Not only was the Kindle the size of a large paper envelope and about as heavy, but I read four books and could download anything my heart desired.

Meg’s bedside vignette- she always has the latest issues of House Beautiful and Veranda along with her current favorite books (and now a Kindle, too!).

For a reader, it was true nirvana. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving the sweet allure of pages caught between two covers, but there’s a time and place for that funny little gadget, the Kindle. (It was especially welcome during the six-hour layover in Miami.) Anyone else have a Kindle story?

So, here’s what I read on vacation:

Stieg Larsson’s novels, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. It seems like the whole world is into these books. On our decadent vacation, I spotted at least six people reading one of these two books around the pool. I can’t even tell you how good these books are – the writing is very clean and concise (could have to do with the Swedish-English translation).

The plot is surreal but mesmerizing (okay, have to admit that there is a big creep factor going on in both of them) and the characters are believable and, more importantly, likeable. They’re those kinds of books that leave you almost breathless and panting and you can’t turn the pages fast enough.

Ann had the pleasure of seeing the cinematic version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Her thoughts on the film:

“My husband was a little surprised when I insisted on seeing the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," since he had read the book and I hadn’t (not to mention that neither of us speaks Swedish). In fact, throughout the movie (he told me later), he expected me to walk out or be bored or not understand it, and was thrilled and surprised when I told him I’d loved it.

Others who read the book and saw the movie were equally surprised that I’d liked it and understood it (am I really that dumb?). And I guess the reason is that the book is apparently fairly complicated and goes in to tremendous detail, and those who’ve read the book think that it could never translate to a movie, especially one in a foreign language.

But I’m here to tell you that even without the book, the movie is fabulous, as long as you’re forewarned that it’s not light entertainment. You become strangely attached to the unusual and even unlikable characters, and the story moves along at a very fast and engaging pace.

And finally, it’s so fun to listen to Swedish and admire the bleak but gorgeous countryside. I just may see it again AND read the book!”

The third book in this series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, comes out soon here in the States and has already been released in Britain. In a sad little twist, the author died before completing the third book and his father finished it for him.

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett: I’d been hearing about this one for months. Ms. Stockett lives here in Atlanta and has a huge following. I don’t know why I was a little reluctant to pick it up, but ended up loving the bittersweet story about life in the South in the early 60s.

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And, sitting on the bedside table for the second time in a year: My Life in France by Julia Child. This book has everything that is dear to my heart: food, France, and great fun, as told so eloquently by Julia Child. When I turned the last page, I felt sad and disappointment that it was over, and I missed Julia for days afterwards. It’s become one of my go-to books, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

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Here’s a plug for a book that debuted this week: The Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Emily is here in Atlanta and a good friend of the gallery. She’s a terrific writer and has legions of fans who adore her books. We’ve all been waiting anxiously for this one. (Her first book, “Something Borrowed” is being made into a movie as we speak, starring (or so we hear) Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin.) We plan to invite Emily back to the gallery for another fun evening of book signing this summer.

Stay tuned for more of our Huffington book club, coming Thursday! And with beach season now upon us, we especially welcome your suggestions of favorite bedside table companions -- the book or electronic variety.

Tata!

HH