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29: A Novel by Adena Halpern – A From Left to Write Book Club

April 12, 2011 Leave a Comment
29: A Novel by Adena Halpern

29: A Novel by Adena Halpern

It’s tradition to make a wish before blowing out candles on a birthday cake. Our child-like hope for our birthday wishes to become reality have long since faded now that we are adults.

But what if, just, what if, one of our adult birthday wishes comes true? That’s what happens to 75-year-old Ellie wishes to be 29 years old again, just like her granddaughter. For one day, 29-year-old Ellie paints the town red with her granddaughter in Adena Halpern’s novel 29.

From Left to Write members share their personal stories inspired by 29: A Novel:

What would you wish for on your next birthday?

Filed Under: Amy H, April, Book Club Days, Brenda, Darryle, Emily C, Eunice, Helen, Kristin, Lisa, Lisa H, Melanie, Melissa, Michele, Michelle F, Nicki, Novels, Shannon, Thien-Kim

Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard – A From Left to Write Book Club

April 5, 2011 1 Comment

Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard

We don’t choose who we love, but rather love chooses for us. Elizabeth Bard’s memoir Lunch in Paris chronicles her romance with her husband as well as the City of Lights.  From their apartment together to her marriage proposal, food plays an important role. Not only does Elizabeth share her adventures in Paris, but shares mouthwatering yet accessible recipes for her readers.

Some of our members were even inspired to try out Elizabeth’s recipes for a potluck style gathering.

From Left to Write members share their personal stories inspired by Lunch in Paris:

Do you have food associated memories? Or would you like to travel the world to see new places and taste new foods? Do you live in a bi-cultural family?

Filed Under: Book Club Days, Brandi, Brenda, Cookbooks, Elaine, Emily, Emily C, Kristina, Kristine, Lisa, Lisa H, Melanie, Memoirs, Michele, Michelle, Michelle F, Patty, Shannon, Thien-Kim, Tiffany, Uncategorized, Vanessa, Zen Mama Wannabe

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams In English by Natasha Solomons – A From Left to Write Book Club

March 8, 2011 1 Comment
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

Mr. Rosenblum's Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

Mr. Rosenblum's Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

Do you have a dream  so powerful that you would give up almost everything to obtain it? What if you were living in a foreign country as you pursued your dream?  Read what From Left to Write bloggers have to say about Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons.

About the book

At the outset of World War II, Jack Rosenblum, his wife Sadie, and their baby daughter escape Berlin, bound for London. They are greeted with a pamphlet instructing immigrants how to act like “the English.” Jack acquires Saville Row suits and a Jaguar. He buys his marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and learns to list the entire British monarchy back to 913 A.D. He never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse. But the one key item that would make him feel fully British -membership in a golf club-remains elusive. In post-war England, no golf club will admit a Rosenblum. Jack hatches a wild idea: he’ll build his own. It’s an obsession Sadie does not share, particularly when Jack relocates them to a thatched roof cottage in Dorset to embark on his project. She doesn’t want to forget who they are or where they come from. She wants to bake the cakes she used to serve to friends in the old country and reminisce. Now she’s stuck in an inhospitable landscape filled with unwelcoming people, watching their bank account shrink as Jack pursues his quixotic dream.

In her tender, sweetly comic debut, Natasha Solomons tells the captivating love story of a couple making a new life-and their wildest dreams-come true.

Visit  the author’s website.

Purchase your copy of Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Bay, Book Club Days, Cindy, Cristie, Elaine, Emily, Emily C, Jen B, Kristine, Lisa H, Melanie, Melissa, Michele, Michelle, Nicki, Novels, Robin M, Thien-Kim, Tina

Exploiting My Baby by Theresa Strasser – A From Left to Write Book Club

February 17, 2011 Leave a Comment

Exploiting My Baby by Teresa Strasser

How did pregnancy change your life? Do you ever feel like you’ve been exploited by your baby….or like you can exploit your baby? Read what the From Left to Write bloggers have to say today about the book Exploiting My Baby by Theresa Strasser.

About the book:

Teresa Strasser made her baby a spleen and some eyebrows.
He got her a book deal.

Everyone loves babies-and pregnant women-so TV and radio personality Teresa Strasser decided to use this obsession to her advantage. She came up with a way to provide for her newfound family and help other mommies-to-be with this down- and-dirty memoir about first-time pregnancy.

An award-winning writer, Teresa is achingly honest about the motherhood she begins experiencing at age thirty-eight. With a biting sense of humor and heart, she portrays the tribulations that come with each trimester, from nausea, weight gain, and bladder infections to dealing with those other kinds of pregnant women. (You know the ones. The ones who glow-and gloat about it.)

Exploiting My Baby is a must-read for anyone pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or who is just more crazy than baby-crazy. Hopping on a trail pioneered by such lions as Laura Ingalls Wilder, Erma Bombeck, and Tori Spelling, Teresa has no problem using her pregnancy, childbirth and difficult relationship with her own mother for material. It’s her blunt and plain-spoken approach to exploiting her family for literary success that sets her apart.

Visit  the author’s website.

Order your copy of Exploiting My Baby by Teresa Strasser.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Amy, Amy H, Annie, April, Book Club Days, Brenda, Elaine, Emily C, Jennifer M, Julie, Kristin, Lisa H, Marinka, Melanie, Memoirs, Michelle, Nicole, Patty, Shannon, Susan

Young Mandela by David James Smith – A From Left to Write Book Club

January 19, 2011 1 Comment

Young Mandela by David James Smith

What can history tell us about ourselves? There IS more to the story of almost any story. Read what the From Left to Write bloggers have to say about Young Mandela by David James Smith.

About the book:

Nelson Mandela is well-known throughout the world as a heroic leader who symbolizes freedom and moral authority. He is fixed in the public mind as the world’s elder statesman–the gray-haired man with a kindly smile who spent 27 years in prison before becoming the first black president in South Africa. But Nelson Mandela was not always elderly or benign. And, in YOUNG MANDELA, award-winning journalist and author David James Smith takes us deep into the heart of racist South Africa to paint a portrait of the Mandela that many have forgotten: the committed revolutionary who left his family behind to live on the run, adopting false names and disguises and organizing the first strikes to overthrow the apartheid state. YOUNG MANDELA lifts the curtain on an icon’s first steps to greatness.

Visit  the publisher’s and author’s websites.

Like YOUNG MANDELA on Facebook.

Order your copy of YOUNG MANDELA: The Revolutionary Years by David James Smith.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Annie, Book Club Days, Melanie, Michelle F, Patty

Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova – A From Left to Write Book Club

January 12, 2011 2 Comments

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Do you have to give up your passion to be a parent? What happens when your passion becomes an obsession? Or drives you crazy? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the book Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova.

About the book:

Andrew Marlow, a psychiatrist, has a perfectly ordered life–solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when the renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes Marlow’s patient.

When Oliver refuses to talk or cooperate, Marlow finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this silent genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Moving from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.

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Visit  the author’s website.

Become a fan of Elizabeth Kostova on Facebook.

Purchase your copy of The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubsand follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Bay, Book Club Days, Brenda, Elaine, Emily, Jen B, Kristine, Marianne, Melanie, Melissa, Michelle, Nicki, Novels, Shannon, Sharon, Thien-Kim, Tina, Tracy

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