Author Archive
As a new feature, MADreads is going to post reports of Madison Public Library book group discussions. If you’re like us, you’re always on the lookout for that next great, discussable book. Our inaugural report comes from the Sequoya branch. 
The Sequoya book group just read Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann which won the National Book Award. While it was a good discussion, because of all the different characters and because it was so beautifully written, some people felt it was a bit hard to verbalize their thoughts. The book opens with the tightrope walk across the Twin Towers so we started out the discussion showing just that portion of the video Man on Wire. It was a great way to set the tone for the discussion as it was such an integral part of the story! There was much discussion about the symbolism of the towers and all the hints of 9/11 that were layered in the story. A really good read! Next up for us is Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.
March 9th, 2010
Tracy - Sequoya
Guided by Susan Lampert Smith and her husband Matt who brought delicious food from their farm “Blue Valley Gardens”, the Go Big Read book discussion Thursday night at Sequoya of Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food was a lively foray into corporate versus small farms, school lunch programs, what we ate when growing up, how we eat now and what we can do to somehow meet Pollan’s proposal to “eat food, not too much, mostly plants”.
Visit the Go Big Read program site for a complete listing of upcoming book groups and events.
September 18th, 2009
Tracy - Sequoya
It took a recent book display at Sequoya and reading about the death of Grace Paley to remind me how much I enjoy reading short stories. So this isn’t a book review as such but more of a reminder to anyone else who may have forgotten about this lovely genre.
One of the many definitions out there of the short story is one’s ability to read it in one sitting. What a perfect way to end the day, spend a lunch hour, or wait for an appointment. (We all know how those appointments go.)
Here’s just a small list of the many many collections available. Next time you have a few minutes to relax….. start AND finish a story.
September 13th, 2007
Tracy - Sequoya
I probably shouldn’t start out a book review by saying that this is one of those great little books to read when you don’t have a lot of time to read. But hey it’s spring and there’s way too much gardening to do and way too little time. How I Learned To Cook: Culinary Educations From The World’s Greatest Chefs edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan is a little gem of a book especially if you’re a foodie and are curious about how all those famous chefs got to be so famous or at least how they first fell in love with their craft.
What I like the best about the book is that the essays are written by the chefs themselves. You get to read about Mario Batali flying to Italy and trying to locate the little trattoria where he would learn to make pasta and stay for three years! And there’s the great story told by Rick Bayless who as a ten year old wanted his parents to buy him a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. They did and he carried it with him everywhere, made formal dinners from it every couple of weeks and years later, after he had published his own cookbooks, appeared on In Julia’s Kitchen with the Master Chefs. “The offer sparked all kinds of emotions for me, everything from exhilaration to fear to gratitude-but most of all, a deep and powerful anxiety at the thought of meeting Julia in person.”
These are just a few examples of the 40 essays included in the book. They’re funny and interesting and just the right length so you can read a couple after a long day in the garden. If you enjoy this book you may also want to take a look at “Don’t Try This at Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World’s Greatest Chefs” also edited by Witherspoon.
June 7th, 2007
Tracy - Sequoya
Just finished reading Torch by Cheryl Strayed which was 
reviewed by Lisa in early December. And I agree with Lisa that this is one compelling read. This is a story of death and dying and the resulting grief that overcomes a family when a loved one dies. Teresa Rae has escaped an abusive marriage and now lives with Bruce her life partner and acting father to her two teenage children Claire and Josh. Teresa learns she has terminal cancer and has only a short time to live. In a few weeks time she is gone and the novel focuses on the ensuing grief the family goes through. Strayed’s writing is wrought with honesty and gives the reader glimpses into the many different ways people deal with loss. It is a heartwrenching story but not one without hope.
My reason for revsiting this book is twofold. One is because the book is a splendid read and I want to encourage others to read it. The second is to remind readers that Cheryl Strayed will give a book talk at Sequoya Library on February 24th at 2pm and to invite everyone to come. More information on the author is available on her website.
February 16th, 2007
Tracy - Sequoya
I’ve always been a big fan of Bon Appetite magazine, so much so that I had saved all the
magazines and indexes from 1980 on. It was only when I remodeled my kitchen a few years ago that I sadly got rid of them. But now comes the new Bon Appetit Cookbook chock full of 1200 recipes! Sure you can go online to Epicurious and find many of the Bon Appetit recipes. But there’s nothing better than becoming good friends with a cookbook you will enjoy for several years , nothing better than seeing those stained pages that scream “this is a good one”! Written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the magazine, most of the recipes have been carefully selected by Bon Appetit readers and staff and most are from the last 15 years.
The book is broken into 22 chapters including a chapter called “Notes from the Test Kitchen” which gives tips and techniques on kitchen equipment, well stocked pantries and some cooking terminology. What I find a really nice touch is that each recipe is accompanied by a paragraph offering serving recommendations, notes on ingredients and possible substitutions. There are a few illustrations scattered throughout the book and 32 pages of colored photos. But best of all are the recipes! I’ve always enjoyed the recipes I’ve made from the magazine, nothing too complicated, easy to follow directions and usually good results. An added bonus is a year’s subscription to the magazine with the purchase of the book. So open those pages and start cooking, so many recipes, so little time.
January 13th, 2007
Tracy - Sequoya
I recently attended a workshop featuring Nancy Pearl who many readers will recognize as the author of Book Lust and More Book Lust. She was speaking of the four main “appeals” books have and how some readers read for one versus another. The four appeals are character, setting, story and language. Some books feature one appeal more than another, more story than language, or more character than setting. Some books have all four appeals and I think The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson is one of those books.
For characters we have the brothers Arthur and Jake Dunn, two very different guys. Arthur wants nothing more than to run the family farm whereas it’s the last thing on Jake’s mind. Arthur is good, Jake not so. They both fall for the same girl and this is at the heart of the story. Think East of Eden set in northern Canada.
And here is where setting is one of the appeals: the 1930’s in a small rural northern Ontario town with rich descriptions of landscapes and small town atmosphere. World War II is around the corner and we read about its effects on the young men who volunteered and on the townspeople upon their return. And that same setting some twenty years later when we’re introduced to Ian Christopherson who comes to work on Arthur’s farm. The story is told beautifully in alternating chapters. We are transported in time from Arthur and Jake’s childhood to the adolescence of Ian some twenty years later.
If you’ve read Lawson’s first novel Crow Lake I don’t have to mention anything about the language except that it’s beautiful and is one of the reasons this book was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. And as for story it is richly layered with jealousy, rivalry, and family tragedy to name a few. So please read it and see if it’s as appealing to you as it was to me!
November 30th, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
Tyler Caskey is the new minister in the small town of West Annett, Maine who recently lost his young wife. A year after her death he continues to suffer other losses. He’s already lost one of his daughters to his mother who took the child after his wife died. He’s losing his older daughter Katherine to a silence and peculiar behavior he doesn’t understand. He’s lost his housekeeper Connie who was a source of stability in his downward spiral of grief. And finally he’s losing his congregation, unable to muster the words and strength needed to command the Sunday sermons he once so enjoyed. A congregation that welcomed him when he was new to the community and now because of petty behaviors and small town gossip begin to doubt he’s the minister they had thought. A congregation that isn’t very likeable, yet when needed the most comes through to help heal not only Tyler but themselves.
I can’t decide whether I liked this book or not. But I do keep thinking about it, which says something. It had an overall dreariness to it both in setting and people and the “redemptive ending” seemed a little rushed. Nevertheless if you liked Elizabeth Strout’s first novel Amy and Isabelle you will most likely enjoy Abide with Me. The messages are similar, and the prose is beautiful.
November 2nd, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
“Practical and inspiring, it’s a bit like a great cookbook. You pick it up thinking that you are looking for one thing and wind up finding 20 other things you can’t wait to try!” I LOVE cookbooks so after seeing this quote from Bookpage about You Can Do It by Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas and hearing about it from my coworker Amy I decided to take a look. The subtitle of the book is The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-up Girls and was the dream of the author until her tragic death on Flight 93 on 9/11. Her family helped bring the book to fruition and the proceeds from the book go to the Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation , which was established by Lauren’s family to support charitable causes. The book is based on the premise that if you want to do something or dream of doing something than you CAN! So if you didn’t earn those merit badges as a young Girl Scout years ago now’s your chance.
This is a great browsing book! There are 60 possible “merit badges” to earn for activities ranging from beading, yoga, billiards, car care and gardening to mention a few. Each mini chapter includes a Meet the Mentor page, Badge steps (how to accomplish the goal), payoffs of the activity, beyond the badge and the Mentors Picks.
Here’s an example: you finally want to become knowledgeable about all those wines you see and have no idea what they are or how they taste. Meet mentor Cailyn Mccauley, one of the founding members of Wine Brats, the largest wine-comsumer organization in the world. The badge steps guide us in understanding wine labels, tasting procedures, hosting a wine party and how to house the wines we buy. Beyond the badge suggests visiting wineries or trying a daring pairing. And Cailyn’s picks include several books, magagzines , web sites and retail suggestions. There’s also great tips on the margins of the pages. The tips on the wine pages included what types of glasses to use, restaurant tips and health benefits. This is a book loaded with good stuff! Take a look and start earning those badges!
September 19th, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
Just finished reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan which 
Molly commented about on Liz’s review of Women of the Silk. This is destined to become if it isn’t already, a book group favorite. The novel tells the story of two young girls, Lily, the book’s narrator and Snow Flower her laotong or old same. This laotong friendship is meant to last a lifetime and those in the friendship communicate with a secret langugage known as nu shu.
Lisa See first came “across a brief mention of nu shu when she wrote a review of Wang Ping’s book Aching for Beauty.” She “became intrigued and then obsessed with nu shu and the culture that rose around it.” Traveling to China in 2002 to further investigate this secret language prompted the first chapters of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
See does a wonderful job letting us into the darkest aspects of women’s lives in 19th century China. The isolation, the ritual footbinding of small girls, the oppressive role women had especially if they didn’t produce sons. But ultimately the book is about friendship and the power of women to persevere under the harshest of circumstances. I highly recommend this one.
August 9th, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
Mousy Sylvie. Unobtrusive Sylvie. Forgettable Sylvie. But for Richard and Lelia who meet this ordinary woman at a Christmas party, Sylvie Lavigne turns out to be anything but. In alternating chapters told in the voices of Richard and Lelia we learn about Sylvie and the effect she has on their lives. From happenstance meetings, anonymous snippets of a novel on Richard’s email, and secret memories from Lelia’s childhood, Sylvie insinuates herself into their lives. At a time when Richard and Lelia should be the happiest, recently married and a baby on the way, it becomes a time of doubt and suspicion. Sylvie is a very smart and seductive “stalker”. We want to warn Richard and Lelia about her as we read this well written psychological and at times erotic thriller. Sleep With Me is my first read by English author Joanna Briscoe and I look forward to reading more of her works.
June 22nd, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
If you like the look of Real Simple magazine you’ll love the look of Meals Made Easy by its editors. Simply stated it’s beautiful! There’s big, bold, colored photographs of every recipe included, easy to read directions, tips for each recipe and good indexes. There are seven chapters all designed to make cooking meals less stressful. That said I can’t honestly say I’m all that crazy about it except for its visual appeal. Granted the recipes are easy, and there are several that can be made with ingredients you might already have on hand. But many rely solely on store bought ingredients with no other added flavors. Take for instance the French Fry Pie. The ingredients are a package of frozen fries, a pound of ground beef and a jar of pasta sauce. Easy? yes. Tasty? maybe. Now I will waffle a little and admit that I do want to try the ham and cheese sandwiches grilled on, you guessed it, frozen waffles!
June 3rd, 2006
Tracy - Sequoya
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