Diana Abu-Jaber at the Gaithersburg Book Festival

Part 3 of my adventures at the Gaithersburg Book Festival:

If there was one author I was most excited to see at the Book Fest, it was probably Diana Abu-Jaber.  I've been a fan of this literary novelist/memoirist/thriller writer ever since I read her novel Crescent many years ago.  It's a real favorite, in part due to its depiction of the full richness of Arab (and Arab-American) culture, as well as romance, drama, suspense, comedy, tragedy--but I digress.  And I've never had the opportunity to hear her speak before.

Therefore, it was shameful that I missed her opening remarks, but there was socializing to be done.  After Ali (AKA novelist Allison Leotta) and I had chatted with Keith Donohue briefly, she introduced me to novelists Rebecca Coleman, who appeared to be out enjoying the day as we were, and Alma Katsu, who I'd met briefly at Thrillerfest and who was one of the speakers at the festival.  We were both, in turn, introduced to Eleanor Brown, who is apparently connected to the area via her parents who are local.  Anyway, all three ladies were lovely and we were still chatting away as Diana began to speak. 

Eventually, I excused myself, and joined the talk in progress in time to record Diana reading an excerpt from her most recent novel, Birds of Paradise.  What a surprise, I loved this novel!  My review may be read here.  In any case, it is that reading that is the video at the very top of this post. 

Below, are two videos of the Q & A session she did after the reading.





A note on the video.  Yeah, I know my shooting sucks.  It was very hand-held.  And most of the time I'm reasonably steady, but if there's big movement, it's a good bet that superstar puppy Maggie may have had a hand in it.  Between getting tangled in leashes and having her start eating my hair at one point, well, it can be a distraction.  But a very, very cute and forgivable one.  I'm so sorry I didn't snap a pic of her for you.

After Diana Abu-Jaber, Ali and I were supposed to head over to another tent where Eleanor was going to be having a conversation with writers Jen Lancaster and Sarah Pekkanen, but first I asked Ali if we could stop by Diana's signing line so that I could meet her.  Ali was so sweet about following along wherever I wanted to go, so we waited in line for several minutes, but it was worth it.  Diana was as nice as could be!  I think it was obvious that I'm a real fan and long-time reader.  I asked her about the Miami literary scene, because I'm considering relocating there, and she was like, "It's great!  Come on down!"  A very genuine and really lovely lady.  I'm so pleased to have finally met her; I'm just sorry that all my first-edition hardbacks are packed away.  Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to get them signed at a future event. 

Afterwards, Ali and I did go over to where Eleanor was interviewing Jen and Sarah, but the tent was packed.  After standing in the hot sun for a while, Ali was like, "Let's go back to our cool tent."  It was sort of good news/bad news in the land of literary fiction.  It was never hard to get a seat, but there wasn't the audience there was for some of the other festival offerings.  In any case, it was about time for Alma to begin speaking, and that will be the next post...

Diana Abu-Jaber captures a family’s grief and a cookie’s soul

Birds of Paradise
by Diana Abu-Jaber

Tolstoy said, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In Diana Abu-Jaber’s fourth novel, the Muirs of Miami are a deeply unhappy family. The tale is set in the days leading up to daughter, Felice’s, 18th birthday. Her mother, Avis, is a talented pastry chef, running a high-end bakery out of their home. Her father, Brian, is a successful real estate attorney. And at 23, her older brother, Stanley, is running a business he’s passionate about. These are privileged people with every reason to be content, but when Felice was only 13 years old, she ran away from home. She didn’t run far. She’s still in Miami, a “beach kid,” sleeping outdoors or squatting in houses. But there’s been virtually no contact with her family since she left, and it’s torn them apart.

This is not a story of abuse or addiction—although there is abuse and there are drugs in her story. No, Felice was a supremely lovely and loved child being raised by flawed, but essentially good, people. And part of the suspense of the novel is the motivation for Felice’s actions. No one can understand why this young girl went off the rails. At one point her father asks himself:

“What. What should he and Avis have done? Put their girl’s face on a milk carton?
Missing: Felice Muir, Age 13.
Kidnapped by herself.
Motivation: Unknown
What child does such a thing as that? Could she have been that unhappy?”

The story is told in chapters that alternate between Avis’s, Brian’s, and Felice’s points of view, until Stanley has his say near the novel’s end. Based on this overly simple summary, Birds of Paradise sounds like a Lifetime original movie. Nothing could be further from the truth! Diana Abu-Jaber is a lush, evocative novelist capturing subtle emotions and interplays amongst her characters. There is all the grief and confusion you would expect of a family in this situation, but beyond the family unit, there are dangerous friendships and complicated interactions. There is so much happening on so many levels.

Abu-Jaber captures the atmospheric otherness of her setting. (“She remembers how Hannah hated everything about Miami—even some of the best things, like the hooked-nosed white ibises roaming around in the grass and the flowers that blew up into winter foliage—a tree or bush opening overnight into flower like perfumed flames.”) And not just the exotic physicality of the place, but the uneasy clash of cultures. (“She’d felt disorientation strong as vertigo after they’d first moved to Miami—as if her magnetic poles had been switched. The drivers were appalling, punching their horns, running reds, cutting each other off like sworn enemies. There were certain shops and restaurants one would not wish to enter unless one spoke Spanish—and not at her halting, college intermediate level, either. There were whole neighborhoods and sections of town where she felt scrutinized and sized up. How many times had she waited by counters while salespeople went in search of ‘the one’ who spoke English?”)

Another reviewer described the novel as layered, and that is apt. On the surface, you have the story being told, the family drama. But in other layers, you’ve got the all kinds of subtext—the psychology of the characters, the social commentary, the time and the place. And there are external stressors ratcheting up tension as the book progresses: a husband’s temptation, the danger of the streets, financial crises, and physical jeopardy.

The language is as sumptuous as the rich desserts that Avis creates, and fans of the author won’t be surprised by the attention she lavishes on food within the text. Again, beyond mere description, the reader must ponder what is being said about sustenance, nurturing, creativity, privilege. The novel’s opening sentence reads, “A cookie, Avis told her children, is a soul.” Things are often more than they may at first seem in Abu-Jaber’s adept hands. A cookie is more than a cookie, and a family is more than the tragedy that defines it.

Mailbox Monday: Oy, three weeks late edition

Happy Monday, one and all.  How much do you love this mailbox?  It's a lobster trap.  It feels appropriately summery--unlike San Francisco, where high temps last week hovered in the upper 50's.  Please let this week get warmer!

I am finally back from my travels, and, as you can see, blogging again.  I have a lot more to write about Thrillerfest, and I'm trying to catch up on my book reviews.  Normally, I'm behind with my reading.  At the moment, I've been reading up a storm.  Unfortunately, I haven't been writing the reviews.  I'm more than a dozen behind, so that's a problem.  But look for them to start appearing this week, okay?

In other news, my voice is beginning to recover from T-fest.  So sad to have such delicate vocal chords.  Clearly, I should spend more time typing and less time talking.  And I have a lot of typing to do this morning.  I haven't posted a Mailbox Monday post in three weeks.  You can guess how many books I've acquired in a three-week period.  Plus, there was another Audible.com audiobook sale, and you know that I can't resist them!  So, we'll see how far we get before I give up.  Anything that I can't get to will have to roll over to next week.

Only Time Will Tell

by Jeffrey Archer

Release date:  August 30, 2011

Source:  Amazon Vine

This is how you can tell I'm a child of the 70's.  I keep hoping Jeffrey Archer's going to write another Kane & Abel.  I did so love those classic novels.  This one is apparently going to be the first in a series, a family saga.  My hopes aren't really that high, but this should be reasonably enjoyable nonetheless.

Dominance

by Will Lavender

Release date: July 5, 2011

Source: Amazon Vine

Yes, another copy.  Someone's going to get it.

The Vault
by Boyd Morrison
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I love it when publishers send em books that I'm dying to get my hands on!  However, this one didn't stay in my hands for long.  It was last week's giveaway.  I suspect another copy will be coming my way soon...

No Rest for the Dead
Various authors
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

This was a surprise from the kind folks at Simon and Schuster.  I hadn't heard of this book before it arrived in the mailbox.  It's one of those collective novels, where each chapter is written by a different novelist building on what's come before. The list of contributors is impressive indeed. Among the 26 authors are: Alexander McCall Smith, Sandra Brown, Faye Kellerman, J.A. Jance, Jeffery Deaver, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeff Lindsay.   I'll be honest, I generally like the idea of these things better than the execution, but hope springs eternal.  The book is short, starry, and in my house, so I'm going to read it.  I'll let you know how it is.

Overbite
by Meg Cabot
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

Ms. Cabot has moved from Princess Diaries to vampires.  That seems like a logical progression.  Sorry, can't give this away here.  I know someone who is desperate to get her hands on it.

Betrayal of Trust
by J.A. Jance
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

Wow, this is the 20th book in the series.  Impressive longevity!  I'm unlikely to jump into the series at this point, no matter how good the books are.  A likely future giveaway.

Killer Move
by Michael Marshall
Release date: June 28, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I'm not familiar with Michael Marshall, but the description of this book is really enticing.  Much more so than the cover, I'm afraid.  Is it just me?  I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing this one soon!

The Map of Time
by Felix J. Palma
Release date: June 28, 2011
Source: finished hardback from publisher

This book, on the other hand, has a beautiful cover.  And, I read my galley of it from cover to cover within the past few weeks.  I haven't written the review yet, but the short version is that after some early misgivings, I found this book to be truly delightful, and am looking forward to the next book in the trilogy!  I would give away my galley copy here, but it's a little too well-read for you guys.  (I like to give you clean, unread books.)  Your loss is the face-to-face book group's gain. 

French Lessons
by Ellen Sussman
Release date: July 5, 2011
Source: Galley from publisher

Does this look familiar?  Oh yes, it's this week's giveaway that no one is entering.  What I've seen of this book is completely delightful.  Man, y'all are tough to give free books too!  Perhaps once I get video of the author up on the blog...  Sorry for the delay.  There aren't enough hours in the weekend.

Excavation
by James Rollins
Release date: March 1, 2011
Source: Gift from author

This is a newly reissued copy of this novel.  Jimbo's earliest novels are finally being released in hardback, one a year.  This particular title is special to both of us, as it is the book that brought the two of us together 11 years ago, and incident that we still frequently laugh over.  Jimbo bought this copy for me at the Mysterious Bookshop while we were in NY and nicely inscribed it for me.  Thank you, Jimbo!  You know I love all your books!

Adrenaline
by Jeff Abbott
Release date: July 1, 2011
Source:  Thrillerfest tote bag

Yes, I received a lovely finished hardback of this current bestseller in my T-fest tote bag.  Score!  I've heard nothing but good things about it.

End of Days
by Robert Gleason
Release date: August 30, 2011
Source: Thrillerfest tote bag

This galley was the other title in my tote bag.  I haven't really had a chance to look it over properly yet, but the cover is certainly an eye-catcher!

Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
Release date: 6/28/1992
Source: Thrillerfest giveaway

I now have a Kindle, audiobook, and paper copy of this book on hand.  I am rapidly running out of excuses not to read it--except for the fact that it's 896 pages long!  Should I move it up on the TBR list?

The Crown
by Nancy Bilyeau
Release date: January 10, 2012
Source: Thrillerfest giveaway

The debut author of this forthcoming period thriller was signing galleys at T-fest.  I heard her speak on a panel regarding historic fiction, and I look forward to checking the book out.

Rebirth
by Sophie Littlefield
Release date: July 19, 2011
Source: The novel's editor

Adam gifted me a copy of the galley of Rebirth while we were at Thrillerfest, and Sophie kindly signed it.  Guess what?  It's going to be this week's giveaway!  As it happens, I finally read this book over the weekend, and I loved it.  And not just because we're friends.  I'll be posting a review within the next 24 hours.

Luminarium
by Alex Shakar
Release date: August 23, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

I already have a paper galley of this one that I was looking forward to reading, but having an electronic copy as well just moves it that much higher on my TBR list.  You guys may have noticed that I like reading books in multiple formats--often at the same time.

Birds of Paradise
by Diana Abu-Jaber
Release date: September 6, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

Here's another book I have in paper.  It was one of the titles I was most excited to grab at BEA, as I am a fan of the author.  There are so many great books to read before fall, I barely know where to begin!

The Prague Cemetery
by Umberto Eco
Release date: November 8, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

Shameful confession:  I have never finished an Eco novel.  I tried to read Foucault's Pendulum years ago, but it defeated me.  I can probably count on the fingers of one hand writers who were too challenging for me:  Eco, Pynchon, Dostoevsky.  Those are the only three I can think of, and I haven't attempted to read any of them in years.  I've been intimidated.  It's time to conquer my fear.  Mr. Eco, we've got a date this fall!

The Twilight of Lake Woebegotten
by Harrison Geillor
Release date: October 4, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

Some readers may recall that I read the first book in this series, The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten, because it was a gift from the publisher.  Despite being neither a fan of Prairie Home Companion nor zombies (all evidence to the contrary), I thought the book was a hoot!  That is why, after refusing to read or view anything written by Stephanie Meyers, I will read this book.  What will the pseudonymous Mr. Geillor satirize next?  I can't wait to see!

Ghost Lights
by Lydia Millet
Release date: October 24, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

I have never read Ms. Millet, have you?  The description of this novel sounded interesting, and the page count sounded short.  It seemed like the perfect introduction to the work of an author I hope I'll like. 



Okay, we're already at 20 books.  Let's save the dozen Audible.com titles for next week, shall we?

Books finished within the past few weeks:

I can barely remember them all, but here are a few titles...
Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield
Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
Charlie All Night by Jennifer Cruisie (red-eye flight reading)
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Buried Secrets by Joseph Finder
Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Blood of the Reich by William Dietrich
Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Books I'm currently reading:

Machine Man by Max Barry
Dominance by Will Lavender
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Yes, Nicole, I'm reading my first Murakami.  I'm totally lost, but the writing is gorgeous!)

So, what books have come into your home?  What have you been reading?

Mailbox Monday: BEA boxes edition

Sorry all, I meant to have this up last night, but my computer froze up shortly before I was about to post it.  Anyway, as promised, here is the full inventory of the boxes I shipped by from BookExpo America in NY.  It's roughly 100 books which weighed 121 pounds and cost a lot to ship back to California.  And of course, add to the cost of these "free" books my travel and other expenses for the trip to NY and you'll see that that aren't so free after all.  But that's okay, I've done this before.  I know the costs involved.

If you're wondering why I grabbed duplicate copies of so many books, well, they're for you, of course.  I'll read and review as many of them as I'm able, and I have reason to believe that will be a fair number of titles.  But in addition to a copies for my own reviewing purposes, I'll share these books with blog readers in the Humpday Giveaways on Wednesday.  If you see a book that you're especially interested in having a chance to win,  please feel free to speak up in the comments section below.  I may be able to schedule it for giveaway sooner, rather than later, and it may also keep me from giving it away to my face-to-face book club.  (I bring a good stack of books to share with them each month, too.

Here's the list:

AUDIOBOOKS:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (2 copies)
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS:

Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell (signed)
In Desperation by Rick Mofina (signed)
Before Cain Strikes by Joshua Corin (signed)

HARDBACKS:

* In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsson (5 copies)
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (5 copies)
The Whisper by Carla Neggers (signed)

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane (signed)
Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi (2 copies)
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey (signed)
Phantom Evil by Heather Graham (signed)
Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson (2 copies)
Dogfish Memory by Joseph A. Dane
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (signed)

TRADE PAPERBACKS & GALLEYS:

Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea (2 copies, 1 signed)
The United States of Banana by Giannina Braschi
* The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (3 copies, 1 signed)
Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Temporary Perfections by Gianrico Carofiglio (2 copies)
Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain by Jim Lehrer (3 copies)
Crossed by Ally Condie (signed)

Hot Water by Erin Brockovitch with C.J. Lyons (2 copies)
Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield (signed)
Dove Season by Johnny Shaw (signed)
* The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (2 copies, signed)
The Restorer by Amanda Stevens (signed)
* Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (signed)
American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar (2 copies)
Wahoo Rhapsody by Shaun Morey (signed)
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close (2 copies, signed)
The Pluto Files by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
The Maid by Kimberly Cutter (2 copies)
Great House by Nicole Krauss
Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

The Lost Angel by Javier Sierra (2 copies)
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
Enthralled by Melissa Marr (signed)
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (2 copies)
The Inquisitor’s Apprentice by Chris Moriarty
The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy
Spontaneous Happiness by Andrew Weil, MD (2 copies)
* The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen
Defending Jacob by William Landay (2 copies)
The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg (2 copies)
Fallen by Karin Slaughter (signed)
* Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber (2 copies)
Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2 copies, 1 signed)
Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason
* The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2 copies, 1 signed)
The Taker by Alma Katsu
* The Submission by Amy Waldman (signed)
Next to Love by Ellen Feldman (2 copies, signed)
Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo
Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan (signed)
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber (3 copies)
Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman (signed)
* The Bridge to Neverland by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (signed)
The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

Emory’s Gift by W. Bruce Cameron (2 copies)
How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston
Neon Panic by Charles Philipp Martin
* The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright (4 copies)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (signed)

This list doesn't include the handful of books I carried back in my luggage, but the books with the asterisk are the ten titles I'm most excited about.  The Chuck Klosterman novel I hand carried back would have bumped something above.  So, are you excited about any of these books?  What are your top picks?

Oh, as for my normal Mailbox Monday influx, let's just put those books off for next week.  This is enough.  I did finish Ann Patchett's State of Wonder since I posted yesterday.  I loved it!  What are you reading right now?  Picked up any good books in the past week?