2008(2)

FEAST is now entering its third year—it’s hard to believe, but the first issue came out in June of 2006. Each issue we have tried to make FEAST a little bit more delicious, easier to access, and more anticipated source of good reading choices among all that is published. We also do something else unique among reviewers: We bring renewed attention to books so special they should not be missed, books without big promotional budgets behind them that slipped into oblivion long before their time.

You have told us that good writing is right up there near the top of what you want, but a compelling story well told, with memorable characters, is valued most. You’d think that good writing, good storylines, and memorable characters would all be synonymous. But we’ve found that some authors use language well and understand the nuances of their craft, but they just can’t hang it all together in a tale that grabs you by the collar and won’t let you go until the pages run out. We are all innately curious when the action matters—whether it’s a mystery and we are rooting for our favorite character to outwit and survive, or whether it’s a deep exploration of complex relationships in which emotional survival is at stake. Even nonfiction depends on a story told well and we know that some of our readers prefer facts to fiction, so we continually strive to point you toward some prime selections. Each issue, we vet every book we propose and we try to offer something for every taste. Hopefully we succeed—let us know either way.

Our focus is on books, art, food, film, and travel, but we have been especially pleased with the reception our expanded art section has received. Notice that we include not only art books we think are special, but also individual artists, a couple each time, that you might enjoy knowing more about. We feel it’s “story and character” with art, too. Who an artist is, their “backstory,” informs the heart and soul of their work and we think a piece of art has more depth of meaning when you glimpse a bit of the artist’s life and his or her motivations. This month we feature the astounding glass work of Latchezar Boydjik and the transcendental magic of Randall LaGro. Be sure to click through in that section and learn more about each of these creative men.

Our fall travel section also focuses on art this issue. I recently traveled to the west coast and had the joy of visiting some museums that are truly a feast for the eyes and the soul. I hope you’ll note them and take in their sights on your own journeys west.

Whatever you choose, let us know if it enriches your mind, tickles your fancy, inspires you in one way or another. Feel free to make suggestions for future issues. Don’t forget that now, with one click, you can immediately purchase any book that you just have to have!

Wishing you a golden fall, beautiful crisp walks on shortening days, long, slow hours to savor the outdoors, a good book, a gripping film, a lovely piece of art.

-- Rosemary Carstens
Editor

NOTE: For your convenience, if you run your cursor across any of the book covers, a window will open allowing you to order right then from Amazon. There are a few selections, though, that do not offer that feature, but if you click on the cover you'll go to the page on Amazon so you can order.

COMMENTS

FICTION THAT BLEW MY HAIR BACK:

The Septembers of Shiraz, Dalia Sofer. HarperCollins 2007. A rich debut literary novel and a detailed portrayal of the uncertainty of safety and life in Tehran after the revolution there for those who previously aligned, or perceived to be , with the Shah. Isaac Amin, a rare-gem dealer, is arrested, accused of being a spy. As he struggles to survive prison and torture by those who felt oppressed under the Shah’s regime, his family disintegrates. His wife, who has led a privileged life until then, finds new strength and clarity as she maneuvers events beyond her control, is shocked by the depth of betrayal among people she had thought were friends or, at least, loyal to her family. Even Isaac’s very young daughter is drawn into the web when she discovers files of others to be accused, killed, or imprisoned while at a child’s birthday party. No one is safe from the machinations of a totalitarian regime, the whims of individuals who sense a chance for revenge, or from those who struggle to save their own lives and those of their family members even if it costs others theirs. This is a deep and thought-provoking book. Sofer reviews a favorite book of hers for NPR and compares it to her experiences living through the Iranian revolution: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12349776

Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch. Little Brown 2008. Like a sip of mint julep on a hot, muggy southern day, this book is both bitter and sweet. A group of young debutantes in Charleston, South Carolina, grow up with great expectations, but life deals them a host of unexpected challenges. Sarah Walters wants more than what she sees as the confining, stifling environment of best-foot manners and traditional southern ways. What she finds along the way as she searches for career success and a good love to carry her through is charming, saddening, and, ultimately, a good ride in big ole red truck! Author's website: http://www.katiecrouch.com/

Resistance, Owen Sheers. Double Day 2007. As Sheers explains it, his debut novel “is a work of fiction set in an alternative recent history” about WWII and its end game. In a remote English valley at the end of a road, in a small cluster of farms, a group of wives wake one fall morning in 1944 to find their husbands have disappeared in the night. Without a word. Without a warning. Just gone, leaving all the work of the farms to their families. The women unite to help each other with the hardest labor and to emotionally support one another as they experience anger, loss, grief, and bewilderment. What occurs when a German patrol arrives in the valley on a secret mission, when the question arises of the difference between collaboration with an enemy and pragmatic acceptance of circumstances, makes for a fascinating tale. Author's website: http://www.owensheers.co.uk/

Gardens of Water, Alan Drew. Random House 2008. We don’t often have the chance to read anything about the Kurds that gives us insight into their culture, beliefs, their struggles with being marginalized, and to see their world from their viewpoint. This brilliant debut novel shares these issues and more. Two families, one American and one Kurdish, are irrevocably entwined after a massive earthquake hits Turkey. The two fathers reveal the human story behind international events neither can control. This is a story about devastation, determined efforts to survive, to retain cultural beliefs, and not to be swallowed whole by tragedy. It is about love between two young people who want modernity and the parents who value tradition. In the end, it is about the intricacies and difficulties of clear communication in family relationships, beautifully perceived by a skilled writer. Author's website: http://www.alan-drew.com/

Seal Woman, Solveig Eggerz. Ghost Road Press 2008. Charlotte follows her dream of becoming an artist in Berlin as Hitler comes to power, marries a Jewish artist who becomes increasingly incensed by the mounting atrocities of wartime, and bears a daughter. As the nightmares increase for those even “half” Jewish, her husband and her child disappear. Finally, in the aftermath of the war, in an effort to escape her painful memories, Charlotte answers an ad to do farm work in Iceland, to make a new life in a raw and rugged landscape that drains every ounce of energy from its people just to survive. In this debut novel, Eggerz reveals her writing skill and her deep understanding of the human struggle for happiness and peace. An interview with the author by Michael Lee Pope: http://ghostroadpress.com/blog/?p=146

Inside Out Girl, Tish Cohen. Just out from Harper Perennial! Single mother Rachel Berman is, by day, editor of a parenting magazine that is failing. Her work has made her all too aware of the all-around statistical dangers to children. As a result, she is overprotective of her son and daughter, striving to keep them safely in a bubble, and fails to see what is really going on with them. Rachel meets Len in an unexpected roadside incident and they soon begin dating. Len, a widower, has two enormous challenges in his life—a ten-year-old daughter, Olivia, with a severe learning disability, and a personal health issue soon to require the most important decisions of his life. This is an incredible story, delving deeply into issues of family, love, and the unpredictable ways people deal with tragedy. I think you’ll love it! Author's website: http://www.tishcohen.com/

Out Stealing Horses, Per Petterson, translated by Anne Born. Greenwolf Press 2005 in English. Literary fiction at its finest. An elderly man moves to a remote region of Norway to live out his life in a quiet, meditative way, with only his dog for company. For the first time in many years, he has time to reflect on the life-changing circumstances of his fifteenth summer. That summer a series of events crowded one upon another, creating the kind of tension felt just before lightning strikes on a muggy afternoon. Trond Sander is on the verge of manhood, feeling and sensing things he can’t quite comprehend. There’s a sense of danger in the air, of expectation. Why did his best friend never look his father in the eye? What had his father been up to, away for months at a time during the war? Why did he never see his father again after that summer? Petterson’s book has won the 2007 International Dublin Literary Award, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize, and the Critics’ Award for best novel. It's a winner in every way – A NY Times book review: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/books/review/McGuane.html

Thank You for All Things, Sandra Kring. Coming from Bantam in October! Thank YOU, Sandra Kring, for writing this great story about the effects of inadequate parenting on the lives of those of us who’ve been there and whose children have suffered as a result. The story is told from the point of view of Lucy, twin of a genius brother, and daughter of a freelance writer who is terribly troubled by events of her childhood. Lucy is 11, has a photographic memory and a keen sense of people’s emotions around her. Her family of three lives in a rough Chicago neighborhood and her greatest dream—outside of learning who her father is—is to lie down in grass and feel it cool and tickling against her face. An announcement by her grandmother Oma that her grandfather is dying and a fateful notice that they must find another place to live combine to force Lucy’s mother Tess and her children back to the house Tess grew up in and vowed never to return to. The mystery of Lucy’s father, the equally compelling and complex story about her grandfather, and what happened when her mother was growing up makes for a surprising and insightful story about families, love, and the complexity of human beings. Excellent storytelling. A reader's guide from Random House: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385341202&view=rg

The Painter from Shanghai, Jennifer Cody Epstein. Norton 2008. The author has taken a handful of facts known about the history of a Chinese woman artist with exquisite talent, denigrated for painting nudes in her home country, and has woven them masterfully into a work of imagination. Set in the early decades of the twentieth century, Pan Yuliang’s life is framed by betrayals and abandonment—from the death of her beloved mother, her sale to a whorehouse by her guardian uncle, and the loss of her first true love through murder and deceit. Her earliest memories are of colors, the shades of purple in a thundering sky, the tinge of pink around the fuzzy aura of a peach. How she escapes her desperate situation and becomes an honored Parisian artist against a background of world disorder and looming war is completely engaging. A rave review from the NY Times Book Review on the author's website: http://www.jennifercodyepstein.com/Home.html

She Was, Janis Hallowell. HarperCollins 2008. Gripping from first to last page! The author of The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn weaves a plot that will hold you spellbound. We all have secrets in our past, bits of things we’ve done or not done, said or not said, that we’d prefer to keep private. But Doreen Woods is a woman with a past so different from her life for the past thirty years that no one—not her husband, her son, her dental patients, or her friends—would ever have guessed she was hiding from federal agents. Only her brother, fighting a losing battle with MS and flashbacks from Vietnam, knows the truth about her past. When someone from her years at Berkeley recognizes her and uses that knowledge to achieve her own goals, years of deception begin to shatter. Beautifully written, raising questions about whether or not years of “being good” can ever bring redemption for an unforgivable mistake. For biographical detail and a full review by Jo Manning: http://www.writersarereaders.com/manninghallowellshewas.html

JUST THE CAPTIVATING FACTS - RECOMMENDED NONFICTION:

On Call in Hell: A Doctor’s Iraq War Story, Commander Richard Jadick with Thomas Hayden. NAL 2007. At 38, Richard Jadick didn’t expect to be on the frontlines. He was too old to be called up, but not too old to volunteer. He was unprepared for what he’d find—himself right in the middle of the two-months-long Battle of Fallujah, among the bloodiest urban combat encounters of the war. Jadick met the challenge by setting up a makeshift emergency room in the middle of the battlefield. Even though he was terrified and wanted to run for home, he stuck it out and, with his team, worked around the clock for eleven days to save lives. He was awarded a Bronze Star with a Combat V for valor. Jadick pulls no punches as he describes the action—in gritty, horrifying detail—and the bravery of our military men and women who must endure it. Jon Stewart has Richard Jadick—billed as “the world’s toughest urologist”—on his show. See video at: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=83308&title=richard-jadick

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, Deborah Rodriguez. Random House 2007. What a story! All her life Deborah Rodriguez has felt drawn to “making a difference.” Her own less-than-happy life experiences have given her a full measure of empathy for other women trying to survive. When she reads about the practically nonexistent opportunities for women in Afghanistan, even after international troops arrive and disperse the Taliban, she decides to go there with a nongovernmental organization to see how she can help. In time, she sees that what she knows best—being a beauty operator and salon owner—is a means to help and heal the women she meets there who are so tightly confined to their homes. Against great odds, she finds a way to fund and operate a beauty school to train women to be beauty operators and improve their lot. It’s a fascinating story of her unique way of making a difference, of DOING, not just talking or throwing money at it. Rodriquez is courageous, determined, some say crazy—but, above all, she sees herself and the women of Afghanistan as sisters. See or listen to a story about the author at NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10634299

Monique and the Mango Rains, Kris Holloway. Waveland Press 2007. The author joins the Peace Corp and is assigned for two years to the small, mud-hut village of Nampossela in southern Mali, West Africa. Her hostess is 24-year-old Monique Dembele, official midwife for the community. Kris struggles her way through the culture shock of learning local language and customs, and of seeing births take place in very primitive circumstances. She and Monique become close as Kris learns how best to help her in the clinic. There’s shocking revelations about lack of healthcare in these areas, the lack of women’s rights, and genital excision. It’s an inspiring, human tale of friendship and love in a place as far as possible from American suburbia. If you loved Three Cups of Tea, this book will resonate even more! For an interview with author by another Peace Corps writer: http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/2006/0609/609talk-holloway.html

Santa Fe: History of an Ancient City, edited by David Grant Noble. School of Advanced Research 2008.This revised and expanded edition covers four centuries of the complex and often contentious history of Indian, Spanish, and American interactions in what is today known as the “city different.” The Spanish arrived by 1610 to establish a remote outpost and who Santa Fe belongs to has been a contested vision ever since. Noble does a fine job of exploring its history and the lives of those who influenced its development and draws on recent archaeological discoveries to sharpen our understanding of events. Contains 33 color and 120 black-and-white illustrations. This would make a great gift for the history buff on your list! For background and full discussion, see Pasatiempo article: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Pasatiempo/On-a-clear-day--you-can-see-the-Pleistocene

COMING UP AND NOT TO BE MISSED IN 2009

Reif Larsen's debut novel The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet, the story of a 12-year-old genius mapmaker from Montana sold to Penguin Press—reportedly for around $900,000—at auction, for publication in summer 2009. It’s said to be a fascinating story and I can’t wait to read it!

We showcase books on art we think you'd enjoy, and sometimes galleries and museums to visit, plus provide a link to our special FEATURED ARTISTS page.

Randall LaGro

Latchezar Boyadjiev

Click HERE to meet our featured artists ~

Fire Light: The Life of Angel De Cora, Winnebago Artist, Linda M. Waggoner. University of Oklahoma Press 2008. This is the first biography about Angel De Cora, an important artist, teacher, and Red Progressive, born in 1869 in Nebraska. Waggoner does an exceptional job of scholarship, digging deeply into archives and letters, following every lead to turn up more, and yet this is not a scholarly read. Waggoner shows herself to be an artist as she paints for us a vivid picture of a flesh and blood woman who became one of the first American Indians to be accepted within the mainstream art world, a woman who significantly influenced the American Arts and Crafts movement. The life story of Angel De Cora is embedded in the history of the times and reveals some startling facts about prevailing ideas of race and education, and about women’s place in both. The book features more than forty illustrations, including a reproduction of Fire Light, which Angel painted to depict nostalgic memories of her childhood. Author's website: http://www.angeldecora.com

Wild Hoofbeats: America’s Vanishing Wild Horses, Photography and text by Carol Walker. Painted Hills Publishing 2008. Wild horses have long epitomized the spirit of the west, the idealized bold and independent nature of all who live in these wide-open spaces. But has that changed? Are these magnificent creatures still able to run free, live free—or do some see them as a resource to exploit or a pest to eliminate? Carol Walker paints a compelling visual narrative with her professional and breathtaking images of the horses of the Adobe Town herd in Wyoming’s Red Desert. She’s spent years observing this herd both from afar and near and, over time, has come to know these horses as individuals, to respect their social alliances. They have captured her heart, as these photos will capture yours. This beautiful book of painterly images allows us in, allows us to understand the importance of protecting a diminishing western heritage. Design for both book and calendar were created by artist and graphic designer LAURIE PRINDLE. A perfect holiday or birthday gift for anyone on your list!

2 Days in Paris (2007). Marion and Jack (she’s French and he’s American), stop in Paris on their way home from a vacation in Venice to visit her family. But Marion’s Parisian ex-lovers, her free-wheeling and outspoken parents, and the fact that he speaks no French—those around him converse without explanation—lead Jack to feel they are talking about HIM (which they are). All these events conspire to drive the couple apart. It’s a hilarious story with many laugh-out-loud moments, yet with a deeper thread about the meaning of love and connection. Here's the You Tube trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8raqLzb3rQ

Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye (2000). A documentary about the celebrated photographer Alfred Stieglitz. He was highly influential in the rise of modern art appreciation in America, and his work established photography as an accepted artistic medium within the world of fine art. Archival imagery and interview footage of artists who worked with him illustrate the accomplishments of this prolific artist. It’s also a fantastic way to see what New York looked like in his day! For a lovely overview of some of Stieglitz's work, see You Tube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Xu4PNWkV4

Damages: Season 1 (2007). This Emmy-nominated legal drama stars Glenn Close as steely, scheming, manipulative litigator Patty Hewes, head of the feared and revered Hewes & Associates. Dedicated to their work, Hewes, protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) and senior associate Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan) battle billionaire CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) in a class-action suit where millions of dollars, reputations and lives are at stake. This is a 3-disc series and I watched the first because it was recommended—I watched the other two because I could NOT get these characters and the plot’s twists and turns out of my mind. Intense and compelling! The trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5tIwA8Qd_U&feature=related

Driving Lessons (2006). Shy teen Ben Marshall (Rupert Grint) finds a summer job working for a cranky, eccentric retired actress (Julie Walters). He soon finds that his employer bends all rules to suit her own agenda and a contest of wills ensures between her and Ben’s mother (Laura Linney). A wickedly funny coming of age drama from director Jeremy Brock. The trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb65nuiS2qY

The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner, Jay Rayner. Henry Holt 2008. Ever wonder what it would be like to eat at the very top of the food chain? In the most exclusive, highly touted restaurants around the world? Jay Rayner is the restaurant critic for the London Observer, and a contributor to numerous food magazines. He decided to go in search of the perfect dinner and used his many contacts to dine out among the rich in London, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo, and New York, all in the name of love. Love of food. His love of food, that is. If you, too, love dining out, fancy food, biting and wicked British wit, you’ll get many a chuckle from this book—and learn some amazing things that people think are cool to eat! Pass the brats, Charlie, and, oh, some of that Frenchy mustard! For some fun food reading, sometimes by Jay Raynor, check out the Guardian's Word of Mouth Blog: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth

The following four books combine story with food, style, and recipes and would make perfect gifts for friends and family who love to cook. All are recently out or appearing soon:

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart, Pauline Nguyen, Mark Jensen, Luke Nguyen. Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008. A visual narrative of food and family photographs that chart the family’s escape from war-torn Vietnam to the successful founding of the Red Lantern. Includes more than 275 traditional recipes.

Amarcord: Marcella Remembers, Marcella Hazan. Penguin 2008. Teacher and best-selling author Marcella Hazan, now 84, shares how a young girl raised in Ceenatico, a quiet fishing town on the northern Adriatic Sea, came to have her own cooking schools in New York, Bologna, and Venice. This is a memoir rather than a cookbook, but, as is Marcella, it’s deeply immersed in the world of food.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone, Jenni Ferrari-Adler, ed. Penguin 2008. A collection of essays from 26 writers and foodies reflecting on the secret meals they relish when no one else is looking. Filled with inspiration, humor, and recipes “that require no division or subtraction.”

Amish Cook at Home: Simple Pleasures of Food, Family, and Faith, Kevin Williams, Lovina Eicher. Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008. The seasons of the year strongly influence Amish life and cooking and this collection, partly cultural overview, offers wonderful recipes emphasizing seasonal ingredients along with stories of community celebrations and anecdotes from Lovina’s own family life.

LET’S KEEP THE DOLLAR AT HOME! I recently visited the California coast for inspiration. Following are a few suggestions for places to visit if you find yourself in Los Angeles or San Francisco for business or pleasure. It’s easy to fit any of these into a couple of hours here and there to enrich your stay and you’ll be amazed at the array and sophistication, the vitality, of the offerings.

Fowler Museum at UCLA. 310.825.4361. A pleasant afternoon can easily be spent on the UCLA campus, even just strolling along under the massive Eucalyptus, Sycamore, Cypress, and Oak trees of their 5-acre world-class sculpture gardens. Several museums are open to the public and offer amazing collections. One favorite is the Fowler. Its collections comprise more than 150,000 works of art and cultural material and 600,000 archaeological objects from Africa, Native and Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific. It is now considered to be among the most important collections of non-Western arts in the world. It is a small display venue, but exquisitely presented. Their present exhibition is titled “Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives” and its mission is to present “enduring traditions while also bringing attention to the dynamism and brilliance of world arts as they respond to a constantly changing world.” You’ll be fascinated! For full details: http://www.fowler.ucla.edu. To view a video about Intersections, click HERE

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. 323.857.6000. Always a pleasure to visit, it is now showcasing its Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the centerpiece of its $156 million campus transformation. There are always a full range of exhibits at any one time, something for all tastes, and often live music, tours, and presentations.
Click HERE to see what’s happening between now and the end of the year . Open late most evenings, LACMA is a great place to spend an evening art- and people-watching, eating or sipping a glass of wine at Pentimento, its fine indoor and outdoor dining location. Parking is easy, free after 7 p.m., and there is free wireless. For complete information and driving directions, go to http://www.lacma.org

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA. 415.357.4000. There’s a lot going on at any one time. Right now, exhibits include Half-Life of a Dream: Contemporary Chinese Art, running through October 5, focusing on the individual artist moving beyond collective politics; Double Down: Two Visions of Vegas, through January 4, 2009, the work of two videographers who transform this iconic vision in unexpected and imaginative ways; and, in SFMOMA’s Matisse and Beyond painting and sculpture collection, works by Paul Klee will be featured until February 22, 2009. That’s only the tip of what can be viewed at the museum and staff is welcoming and helpful and their museum shop is a great place to find unique gifts. While there is only a busy café available in the museum, you are right downtown with many restaurants within walking distance. If you’ve never felt quite comfortable with “modern” art, or if you would just like to view an engaging presentation and learn more, visit the following link to view Making Sense of Modern Art: http://www.sfmoma.org/MSoMA/index.html.

The de Young is a landmark building designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architects Horzog & de Meuron, and dramatically blends art and architecture within the grand natural setting of Golden Gate Park. There’s a wonderful exhibition opening on November 1 that will run until April 5, 2009, honoring Yves Saint Laurent and exploring his designs and his inspirations, plus several other exhibits I’ll leave for you to discover yourself. There’s always something new at the de Junge—and then so much more to explore in the park itself. You could easily spend several days at least here—or simply hop on a bus from downtown and check out the de Young for a couple of hours. For a full schedule: http://www.famsf.org

Speaking of Golden Gate Park—have you been there or just heard about it? It’s a huge urban park consisting of over one thousand acres of public grounds. It is 174 acres larger than New York’s Central Park, and offers a multitude of cultural and natural highlights, including not only the de Jung museum but a wonderful Japanese Tea Garden and the phenomenal San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. Many events are held there and, especially on a sunny day, it can be heaven to stroll around among what has been declared to be a million huge trees and lush shrubbery, flowers in bloom everywhere. The California Academy of Science has just reopened after completion of the largest cultural renovation project in San Francisco’s history. Under one roof are housed the Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, and Kimball Natural History Museum (one of the ten largest in the world and one of the oldest in the US). It was a fascinating place before the renovation—I can’t wait to see it now! For a detailed presentation of all to be found there, NPR has an audio file, several interactive files, and photos—click HERE and take your pick
The academy’s website is http://www.calacademy.org