The Blog

November 20th, 2008

Book Review: The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross

I first came across the writer Andrew Gross when he co-authored with James Patterson the books 2nd Chance and 3rd Degree. They also co-authored the books Judge & Jury, Lifeguard and The Jester, which are books I have yet to read. The idea of writing a book with someone else intrigues me as it implies that once planned both can contribute to the writing, but when I write the characters take on a life of their own and I certainly couldn’t work with another person. Nevertheless 2nd Chance and 3rd Degree were extremely readable and for a new author to have the opportunity to work with an experienced author would be an opportunity not to be missed.

The Blue Zone is the first book that Andrew Gross has published as a single author, and the book was recommended to me by my daughter, who said I would enjoy it. She knows me well. The Blue Zone is a term used for people who have gone missing from the Witness Protection Program. The story is told from the perspective of Kate Raab. Her father Ben is accused of laundering money for the Columbian drug cartel but he acts as a witness against the Columbians and is taken into the Witness Protection Program. Kate, who is about to be married, stays on the outside. Then her father goes missing and Kate finds out that nothing is as it seems and discovers that trust and safety are things of the past.

There were one or two red herrings at the beginning of the book, which when I’d finished reading, felt like a bit of a con, but forgetting those, this was an enjoyable read with a complex plot and with the same easy style as those books co-authored with James Patterson. Andrew Gross tells a good story, with a strong female lead character and there are lots of intrigues and twists to keep you concentrating. Perhaps this is no surprise because James Patterson would not have co-authored five books with him if he hadn’t thought Andrew Gross had talent.

November 14th, 2008

Book Talk: The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris

In the week immediately preceding Halloween, and the two weeks sense, I’ve been on a serious reading kick, and as is usual for me, this means I start a series I’ve been meaning to check out, and I read as much of it as possible. One such series, has been The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris.

For those of you who don’t read much genre fiction, and especially for those who don’t have subscriptions to HBO, these books tell the story of Sookie Stackhouse, resident of the fictional small town Bon Temps, LA (which seems to be located somewhere between Shreveport and Ruston), and the people she lives and works with, including her brother Jason, her grandmother, boss Sam Merlotte, best friend Tara, and flamingly fabulous Lafayette…oh, and next-door (well, across-the-cemetery) neighbor, the Vampire Bill.

Yes, you read that right. Bill Compton is a veteran of the American Civil War and he’s also a vampire, made one on his way home from battle, 140-ish years ago. He’s not a cape-wearing, turn-into-a-bat, wanna-be-a-rockstar vamp like Dracula or LeStat, however. He’s just a guy who happens to be daylight challenged, require blood to survive, and doesn’t age. He’s not the only such creature either for, two years before the beginning of the first book, Dead Until Dark, the Japanese invented a synthetic blood product, intended to be used for medical emergencies. Now, marketed under names like TruBlood (high end) and RedStuff (cheap stuff), and sold in six packs like beer, it’s also the beverage of choice for politically correct vampires, who have come out of the coffin, so to speak, and demanded to be treated as citizens.

Sookie meets Bill when he comes into Merlotte’s bar one evening, and is immediately drawn to him, in part because she can’t sense his thoughts. Our heroine is a telepath, it seems, and often has issues hearing the unspoken thoughts of her friends and family. Vampires don’t broadcast, so she finds them restful.

Of course Bill and Sookie are drawn into a relationship, and of course it’s tumultuous, but these books really aren’t paranormal romances - each novel really does have a mystery woven through - in the first book it’s the murder of several young women from Bon Temps, many of whom had dated Sookie’s brother. In later novels the mysteries tend to be more intertwined with the supernatural citizens of the area, and we get to experience Vampire culture, learn about Werewolves and Shifters, and even meet Sookie’s fairy godmother.

In anyone else’s hands, these ideas would be ridiculous, but author Harris grounds her otherworld creature in nature, and uses intelligent language, and a wry tone that makes these books fast paced, entertainging mind candy - and that’s fine, because we all need literary mind candy from time to time.

As of this fall, the Southern Vampire Mysteries are also the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood, which is faithful to the spirit of the novels, while expanding the viewpoint to include more focus on secondary characters, often presenting them in situations that would logically have happened, but that readers would never see because the books are told from Sookie’s perspective.

The series, as most such derivative works are, is not so much a translation of the story from page to screen, as it is an interpretation of the story, if Sookie had sold her autobiography to a network…or at least, that’s how I can make myself accept the differences in plot and setting. Most of the novels, for example, happen in pre-Katrina Louisiana, but the series is set “now,” so Hurricane Katrina has already happened.

Whether or not you give the series a try (I’d advise animal lovers to avoid the opening credits, even though the song used is pretty cool), the books are worth the read, and all but the most recent, From Dead to Worse which was published in May, are available in paperback.

November 12th, 2008

The Unbearable Sweetness of Being Broke

Something not entirely unexpected has happened in the wake of my layoff two and a half months ago - we’ve been, well, pretty much broke.  One month after my two children moved back in with me after being with their dad for a year and a half, my position as a receptionist in a corporate head office was abolished due to cutbacks.  My fiance was working full-time and has truly shown his commitment by unflinchingly taking on the role of breadwinner while my severance pay and unemployment insurance benefits kicked in (after a six-week waiting period!  Ugh!).

It was in this time that we really fell behind on all the bills - we even had to borrow money to pay rent - and we found ourselves picking up cans in the street for redemption so we could, oh, I don’t know, take our clothes to the laundromat or get a loaf of bread.  We shed everything superfluous (movie rentals friday night, hot chocolate at Starbucks, homemade nachos) and found ourselves rationing bread and cutting out snacks.  No eating out of boredom.  No junk food.  No blowing cash at HMV or at the Eaton Centre for a quick hit of feeling “rewarded” or otherwise in the loop somehow (no cellphone, either - but then again, that’s been shut off for about six months now.  And I do not miss it, not one little bit).

Living in Montreal, we are also faced with an encroaching reality that winter will not wait until my income increases.  I was in need of a new winter coat and had been planning since spring to get a tidy little peacoat from Old Navy - certainly not expensive, but it seemed reasonable to me.  But when I’m counting how many bags of dried lentils I have to make it through meals for twelve days, what seemed reasonable needs to be reassessed.

I’m so glad that I was put in that position - yesterday at the local secondhand thrift shop, I found a nearly-new ankle-length double-breasted wool and cashmere peacoat in a dark, dark charcoal - a perfect fit! - and at an unreal price - all of $9.99.  I congratulated myself all day long.  My teenagers will have to do a trip there with me in the next few days as well.

In the last six weeks, I’ve sewn more patches, made more alterations, recycled more, cooked healthier, consumed less convenience refreshments, and generally slowed down.  I’m growing out my Sinead O’Connor ‘do from the summer and I’m trimming the edges myself, revelling in the complete lack of chemical damage to my hair.  And huzzah! - I’ve got this whole Victoria Beckham pixie thing happening and it’s not cost me a dime!

I’m wearing far less makeup and drinking much more herbal tea.  We’re all eating a mountain of brown rice and beans,  and my teenagers consider steamed edamame a fantastic snack.  Warren in the last three months has lost over 20 pounds (don’t ask what I’ve lost  - it certainly is not 20 pounds.  I’ve taken a sabbatical from the scale, if for nothing else, to preserve my self-esteem). Our lifestyle has become incredibly spartan and we’re counting pennies like we’ve never done before. It’s humbling, to be sure…but somehow, we can’t argue with the simplicity of it.

While I’m somewhat discouraged at the lack of response from employers, other possibilities are quietly revealing themselves in a way they couldn’t have before.  Being broke has created a change in focus and a stirring of creativity borne of longing and the need for resourcefulness. More and more,  I’m turning over stones and digging deeper and I’ve found myself thankful for the process.  It may sound cliched or overly optimistic, but it’s true - I feel richer than I did when I was earning 40% more than my current income and I am surprised and delighted to discover the sweetness in doing more with far, far less.

November 11th, 2008

Inspiring Women: Flora Sandes

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One. Although a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote, let alone were welcome in the military,  80,000 women served in the British forces as non-combatants. One Englishwoman however, was an exceptional case. Flora Sandes, originally a nurse, became a soldier within the Serbian army.  In June 1919 a special Serbian Act of Parliament made her the first woman to be commissioned in the Serbian Army. She acted like any other male soldier and ensured she was treated in the same way.

Returning to civilian life after the trenches was difficult for Flora. Having experienced real freedom and equality, she was now expected to revert back to being subservient. As she said, “It was like losing everything at one fell swoop, and trying to find bearings again in another life and an entirely different world”. 

There are still arguments about whether women should or should not be allowed to serve in the military.  Regardless of where you stand on the issue personally, in 1914 Flora Sandes proved that a woman can be a soldier just as much as a man if she wants to. She wanted to fight for what she believed in, and she did.  It should also be pointed out that her regiment accepted her wholly. Calling her “Nashi Engleskinja” (or “Our Englishwoman”) as well as “Brother”. A regiment of men, accepting a fellow soldier as a woman at this period seems unfathomable, but perhaps war, if nothing else, allowed some people to open their minds a little further.

Today marks an important day in our history and we remember all the men and women who fought against tyranny.  It seems sad that most of the time we tend to forget how easy it is for us to start wars, and how difficult they are to end.

For more about Flora Sandes.

November 10th, 2008

Sound Advice: Five Uses for Peanut Butter

Inspired by my dog, Zorro (a 14-year-old red & white Chihuahua mix), I offer for this week’s sound advice, five uses for peanut butter.

1. Smooth peanut butter works well for removing sticky substances – such as the residue from price tags. It also does a great job of removing things like glue and silly putty from fabric.
2. Peanut butter can be used for bait in mouse traps. Rodents love the stuff as much – or more – as cheese, and frankly, it smells a lot better to humans. Also, it’s more difficult for mice and rats to steal without getting caught. (ATG does recommend using humane traps whenever possible however.)
3. Pets cannot resist peanut butter, so when you have to give them medicine, and hiding it in cheese or a meat-flavored treat doesn’t work, pulverize those pills or drop in those liquids, mix with peanut butter, and let them lap it up. I know for a fact this works with dogs, and I’m told cats fall for it as well.
4. Need a quick energy or protein fix? A teaspoon of peanut butter works wonders, and doesn’t have as much sugar as the average candy bar, either. Worried that it’s not on your diet? Studies have shown that small amounts of peanut butter actually help you lose weight by keeping the cravings at bay.
5. Make a sandwich. The classic pb & j (peanut butter and jelly) can be dressed up in grown-up clothes if you use really good whole grain bread, organic peanut butter (I like the kind you grind yourself at health food stores) and home-made jam. Alternatives include peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and honey. If regular bread isn’t your thing, try using half a pita, or spreading peanut butter on a bagel or English muffin.

So, there you are: five ways to use peanut butter in your daily life. If you have more, feel free to share them with us. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a bit of trivia: it’s not the peanut butter that sticks to the roof of your mouth; it’s the bread. Using high-quality, whole-grain bread virtually eliminates that problem.

November 7th, 2008

Product Review: Ryvita with Pumpkin Seeds and Oats

Earlier this year I developed an intolerance for wheat products, which my doctor advised me could improve with time, if I gave them a complete break. As a result I have been looking for wheat alternatives. There are some great “free from” products out there, such as pasta, breads and even cakes.

I’d tried original Ryvita in the past and it’s been fine but the new Ryvita with pumpkin seeds and oats is really good. It tastes more interesting with a nutty flavour and it goes with all sorts of savoury foods, such as cheese, salads and soups.

One day recently I was attending a writing course and we were asked to bring lunch. I packed a couple of Ryvita with pumpkin seeds, buttered with a slice of cheese and wrapped them up in foil. When I came to eat them they were chewy because they had absorbed the butter, but they were still tasty.

The other good news is that they are only 45 calories a slice (obviously that’s without the butter and cheese) and they last much longer than bread. They also make a Ryvita with sunflower seeds and oats. So if you want a change from bread why not try these? The Ryvita website is http://www.ryvita.com/uk . I’d love to hear what you think.

November 6th, 2008

Book Review: The Extra Man by Jonathan Ames

“Women outlive men, so there’s more of them, that’s why sometimes you simply need an extra man at the table. It maintains a good seating arrangement. Boy-girl, boy girl. I am an extra man,” says Henry Harrison one of the two main characters in Jonathan Ames’ novel, The Extra Man.

The Extra Man is the story of two men living together: Louis Ives who is 26 and Henry Harrison who is 73. Henry works as a professor in New York and rents his only room out to Louis to help pay the rent. Henry’s whole existence is basically geared toward getting a free meal out of women who are nearly 20 years older than he is. For all intensive purposes, Henry is an aging escort.

Louis who is running away from his life in New Jersey comes to live with Henry in New York. In my opinion, the opening of this story is the best part. I picked up this book and was completely sucked in. But that was it for me. The whole book is a collection of descriptions about the daily life of Louis Ives and Henry Harrison, from Louis’ point of view.

In Ames’ defense, the writing is fantastic. The imagery is extraordinary. The subject matter could be viewed as controversial, which is a plus for me. Throughout the course of the story, Louis is struggling with his sexual identity. He is drawn to both females and transsexuals. That does make for some interesting reading. There are some well written descriptions of Louis’ sexual escapades. Ames did a good job with this aspect.

Here’s the problem for me. The story seemed to have no real plot. We followed the daily lives of these two men, but there was no sense of building towards something, or a feeling of movement for that matter. I literally had to force myself to finish this story.

The ending of this book is lackluster. The story just drops off. I turned the page expecting to start another chapter, and there was nothing. Finis, it was over. Perhaps I’m not familiar enough with the genre of literary fiction. Maybe I need to stick with commercial fiction? I’m sorry to say that I would not recommend this story to anyone. Sadly, The Extra Man left me wanting.

November 5th, 2008

From the Editor: Welcome to Naughty & Nice (Nov/Dec 2008)

As the days approach to the holiday and gift giving season, the child in me wonders what Santa will decide:  have I been a naughty girl this year or nice?  The adult in me wonders if indulging in that fabulous chocolate pot de creme after dinner is a way of being nice to myself, or if it’s downright naughty.  I mean, it tastes so sinfully good, I think it must be a little bit of both.  It’s with those thoughts that we welcome you to the final 2008 issue of All Things Girl: Naughty & Nice.

As you scroll through the virtual pages of the November/December 2008 issue of All Things Girl, I hope you appreciate the love, care, and joyfulness found here.  It’s so easy to see how good we are when we are being naughty - and how downright angelic we are when we are really nice.   First, our classics and representative of our theme: Writings & Arts. In Writings you will find lighthearted, whimsical and downright lovely short stories and poems. I know you’ll recognize some names here in Writings….and will be thrilled at the discovery of some new talent as well.   Go ahead - indulge in a cup of rich hot cocoa (with whip cream!) as you indulge.  And don’t forget our Arts section, which is a veritable joy to view.  Everything Girl is, as always, wonderful.  Our feature interviews are both chefs, which I find incredibly fitting when you look at the theme.  Food certainly embodies both the yin and the yang of naughty and nice.  You will find part one of our interview with Cat Cora as well as a joyful jaunt into the mind of Mario Batali.     In addition, you will find wise words and thought-provoking ideas from our regular columnists (including new columist Bev Hamel!).  And let’s not forget Reviews!. As part of the gift giving season, you will find some ideas here - as well as in the blog in the weeks to come.

As I mentioned, keep an eye on The Blog. You never know what you might find as the editors and columnists share what’s on their minds.
We’re still taking submissions for “Naughty & Nice” by the way, but you need to be quick. We’ll have a mid-issue update December 1st and will be adding a few items here and there… If you are inspired to share your talents, submissions are open for future editions of All Things Girl – and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Do enjoy the fruits of the holiday season - and share your own special moments of naughtiness and niceness with those you love.

November 4th, 2008

Inspiring Women: Women Who Vote

It was only in 1918 that women over the age of 30 were granted the right to vote in Britain. It took another 10 years of fighting by the Suffragettes for women to finally gain the same voting rights as men in Britain in 1928. American women were given this right in 1920. It really isn’t that long ago.  Imagine a time when you had no right to vote for your President or Prime Minister.  Hard to stomach, isn’t it? Women fought long and hard, enduring verbal and physical abuse, so that we could all have a voice. Of course we are pretty lucky. Women in Kuwait were only given the right to vote in 1999 (although with an amendment). Many other countries still today ignore the voices of women. They have no say in their government.

As everyone is aware, unless you are living under a rock, there is an important election today. If you are a US citizen, please exercise your right to vote and have your say. We don’t want to know who you are voting for, but we hope you will appreciate this hard-earned right you have and make use of it. Be an inspiring woman today! Vote!

November 2nd, 2008

Don’t Forget To Vote

As an editorial team, we decided to encourage you to VOTE if you are living in the US.  No, we aren’t endorsing a particular candidate, but we feel strongly that each person should have her voice heard.

In the meantime, we are hard at work on our November/December issue of All Things Girl, which will be released on Wednesday, November 5th. Just cause we don’t want all the fabulousness to distract you.  Cause it is ALL kinds of fabulous.

October 30th, 2008

Book Review: No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

Twenty five years after the mysterious disappearance of her mother, father and brother, Cynthia agrees to a television programme in the hope that she will finally find out what has happened to them. This action starts a fast moving chain of events and an intriguing plot. The story is told by Cynthia’s husband Terry.

Did Cynthia kill her entire family when she was fourteen? Has the strain of wondering what has happened to them driven her over the edge or is she right to be very frightened of the brown car that follows her and her daughter to her child’s school?

No Time for Goodbye is written by Linwood Barclay, an author who is new to me, but who has written a number of other books. The story has many strands which come together bit by bit to reveal the truth. It is compelling reading with likeable main characters that the reader can easily empathise with. It’s certainly worth reading.

October 22nd, 2008

Your Turn: Gag Me with a Spoon - Surviving Acid Reflux

I don’t love being pregnant. My girlfriend swore I would. At 13 weeks, I’ve survived the constant naseau, the psycho need to eat every two hours, and the hormonal sedation that would cause me to pass out at my desk, but the acid reflux has actually gotten worse.

I’m about ready to fall into a depression if the gaggy sensation doesn’t go away from the back of my mouth. How many times can I eat mints or brush my teeth in one day? I choke on water. I’ve tried Pepcid AC, avoiding highly acidic foods, nothing will make it go away. So this is a plead to all of you out there, please share your secrets or I might seriously consider living on milkshakes and will be forced to gain to to three times the prescribed weight.

October 21st, 2008

Inspiring Women: Esther Rantzen CBE

Esther Rantzen has been a broadcaster for more than forty years but it is her work for charity that I find inspiring.

She was first known in Britain for reporting on Braden’s Week and then for producing and hosting a programme called, That’s Life. This drew a viewing public of 18 million and whilst it had a dry humour element the programme also tackled issues of injustice. That’s Life lasted for twenty one years.

Esther’s programme, The Big Time, helped to start the career of Sheena Easton. Since then she has done a number of radio and documentary programmes. Whilst preparing a programme about child abuse in 1986 she invented the concept of ChildLine. This is an emergency telephone line designed for children who need help, who don’t have anyone that they can go to and they are guaranteed a listening ear. ChildLine is a major contributor to fighting abuse, neglect and cruelty to children in Britain. ChildLine, which is run by the NSPCC, has fourteen counselling centres throughout Britain and each day answers 2500 calls from children. The lines are open 24/7 and are free to callers. If you’d like to find out more about Esther’s brainwave the ChildLine’s website is http://www.childline.org.uk and if you need the telephone number to give to a child it is 08001111.

Ester has received many awards over the years. She was the first woman to receive the Dimbleby Award for factual presentation and in 1991 she received an OBE for her broadcasting work. In 2006 Esther received a CBE from the Queen for her services to young people.

She also works for other charities and she is president for the Association for Young People with ME. Esther Rantzen is a powerful woman, who has used her talents to make a difference to children and young people’s lives. She has left her mark!

Picture from BBC website.

October 20th, 2008

Sound Advice: Travel Numbers

There is nothing more stressful than being in a strange city and feeling lost.  Wasn’t the hotel that way?

Sure, you can grab a cab and tell the driver you need to go to “the Hilton”, but what if there is more than one Hilton in the area?   My solution:  my handy dandy cell phone.

As part of my travel planning, I program the phone number to the hotel that will be my home for my trip.    This has saved me numerous times whether I am using public transportation (what Metro stop are you closest to?) or renting a car (I’m at 5th and Main and I am lost.  How do I get there?)  If it’s a city I am likely to visit again, I also program in numbers to favorite restaurants, cab companies, and salons.  Because I travel to multiple cities, I file the numbers by city, so that a search of the way-too-many numbers in my contact list can start with “DC” or “Chicago”.

You’d never believe how comforting it can be to be far from home and know that “lost” can be “found” in the few minutes it takes to make a call.

October 17th, 2008

Giveaway Reminders

BookTalk has been hijacked to remind you that we still have a couple of giveaways open:

- Tell us why you think vampires are cool/sexy/compelling and you’ll be entered to win an ARC of the last Gardella Vampire Chronicles book by Colleen Gleason (deadline 10/31/08 - details here)

- One more slot is open to receive a gift certificate to Posset’s Perfume. (Details at the bottom of this post.)

October 15th, 2008

Your Turn: Going with the flow…

…without thinking about it too hard.

I’ve spent less time online in recent weeks than I ever can recall since I started using the Internet in 1997.  Somehow, getting laid off from my job 6 weeks ago has afforded me this incredibly introspective time in which I’ve allowed myself to meander, sleep in, dream, investigate, contemplate, ruminate, and masticate, both literally and figuratively.

Fascinating what happens when Life, the Universe, and Everything converges to set you in the direction of your dreams - even if you got lost, or at least distracted, along the way.  This time last year I was settling in with my new roomate and partner.  Now I’m engaged to be married with my kids living with us and out of a job - but somehow this feels like it was the best thing ever to happen to me in a long while.

I’ve had some serious anxiety in the last few years with issues involving my financial viability, parenting, relationships, security, spirituality…and then somehow along the way things seem to have fallen into place.

Something I always wanted to do - but procrastinated about repeatedly - was to get in shape.  Drop the weight, get fit.  For the last month I have been running at the local gym and have gone up from a couple of times a week to 5 days a week of 40 minutes of cardio each time.  Currently I am running 15 k a week and my time getting this done has diminished incrementally - I am seeing results and it feels damn good.

I’ve added other activites - yoga once a week, pilates twice, and today I am heading to a core strengthening class.  Somehow, with the running, the fitness classes, and the time, I’ve found myself with more momentum, and the other things that weighed me down - worries - have been simply put aside for now while I find my pace.  It’s picking up, becoming steadier, and I think I am actually getting somewhere - without looking at it too directly or trying too hard.  Strange and exciting.

What do all of these have to do with one another?  I’m not sure how to articulate it more coherently than this, except to say that somehow I simply believed that it was time for me to feel better inside my own skin, and I started following the instinct, naturally.  A month later, and I am surprising myself.

Let’s see where this takes me.

Your Turn:  With the changing seasons of your life, what lasting changes have you made for the better?  How did you motivate yourself?