And the winner is...

Two major literary awards were announced today. The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Herta Muller, a Romanian-born, German novelist, poet and essayist noted for her works depicting the harsh conditions of life in Communist Romania.

The Booker Prize was awarded to Hilary Mantel for her novel Wolf Hall, an historical fiction novel of the Tudor period told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. How on earth did I miss this one?

Day After Night

There seems to be so much fiction that takes place during WWII. Experiences of war, concentration camps, escape and survival are told again and again. But there isn't a lot of fiction about right after the war. What happened to the Jews after they were liberated from the camps? Where did they go? What did they do? How did they go on with their lives? The extent of my knowledge ends with the death of Hitler, so it was enlightening to read Anita Diamant's new book, Day After Night, which follows four Jewish women who leave Europe after the war and head to Israel. Once they reach Israel, they are considered illegal immigrants and placed in Atlit, which was a detention center for Jewish immigrants seeking refuge in Palestine. Each woman must face the uncertainty of her future while confronting her own scars and memories. Although each woman's experience during the war has been quite different, they form a very close bond that sustains them during their time at Atlit. This was a great read, with well-developed and distinct characters, vivid descriptions of Atlit and Israel, and although their histories are quite horrific, the ending leaves the reader with a sense of hope.

Let's Eat!

As I am always on the lookout for new cookbooks that promise healthy meals in very little time, I was eagerly awaiting Mark Bittman's new cookbook, Kitchen Express: 404 Inspired Seasonal Dishes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less. Bittman is the author of the popular How to Cook Everything series, and I've always liked his easy to follow, no frills recipes. Since his last book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, he has been focusing more on healthier recipes with local and seasonal ingredients, which I like. Kitchen Express is great. The recipes are super-simple and laid back. The recipes are about a paragraph long and very few exact measurements are used. He uses phrases like "heat a couple of tablespoons of butter," "add a bunch of chopped spinach," and "beat an egg with a little buttermilk and a couple of handfuls of grated cheddar." I love that. It makes me feel less anxious about getting the exact right amount of an ingredient. And I think it encourages cooks to learn to focus on the food-when it looks done and if it tastes right, rather than trying to rigidly follow a recipe. My only complaint is the lack of photographs. I like pictures in my cookbooks and Bittman's books never have photos. The recipes are divided into seasons: Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring, each featuring ingredients that are at their freshest at that time. Since I think we can definitely say we are well into fall, I'll try the Gruyere Apple Grilled Cheese, the Apple Cider and White Wine Slushy, and the Pumpkin Creme Brulee. Mmmmm. Doesn't that sound delicious?

October Author Events

Here are a few upcoming author events in the area next month...

October 1st at 7:30pm at the Barnes & Noble at Old Orchard: Jen Yates, founder of the website www.cakewrecks.com, will be signing copies of her new book Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Horribly, Hilariously Wrong. If you haven't seen this website, check it out. It's hilarious. It will also make you crave cake.

October 7th at 7:30pm at the Winnetka Congregational Church: Tracy Kidder, author of Mountains Beyond Mountains, will be discussing and signing copies of his new book, Strength in What Remains. Admission is $10 per person, which will be donated to Partners in Health.

October 13th at 7pm at the Northbrook Public Library: Mystery Authors Panel with Libby Fischer Hellman, Theresa Schwegel, and Kevin Guilfoile

October 15th at 7pm at the Borders on Michigan Avenue: Alton Brown will be signing copies of his new book Good Eats, based on his TV show on the Food Network.

The Bookstall in Winnetka is hosting a Women Writers Series, where they will be having a luncheon with an author talk. Please contact the Bookstall for more information, as I believe there is a fee:
October 26th at 12pm: Sarah Dunant
October 29th at 12pm: Jacquelyn Mitchard

Gimme Shelter

Have you ever seen one of those "As seen on TV" products and thought: "I came up with that idea years ago!" Well, I just had that experience with a book. My husband and I have been trying to buy our first home for years. It has been nothing like I imagined it would be. I always thought buying our first home would be exciting, maybe even fun. Not even close. It has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. Fortunately, I came across Mary Elizabeth Williams's book Gimme Shelter: Ugly Houses, Cruddy Neighborhoods, Fast-Talking Brokers, and Toxic Mortgages: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream. I could have written this book. I should have written this book. Her story of her experience trying to buy her first home is so similar to mine, I feel a kinship with her. Like me, she is a well-educated, middle class American in a dual-income marriage. Like me, she lives in an area where the cost of living is extremely high, which makes it very difficult for a middle class family to purchase their own home. But also like me, she has an intense desire for her own home. As she says: "Of course I want a home. I'm American; it's encoded into my cultural DNA." As her desire grows to set down roots for her growing family, she begins to explore their real estate options. She quickly finds out that the influx of wealthier residents to her neighborhood and the expanding housing bubble has priced her out of all but the tiniest, grimiest, housing options. While exploring different neighborhoods, she also explores the various kinds of mortgages that are available to first-time buyers, and how the sale of some of these mortgages to unqualified borrowers has caused the mess we are in right now. Although it's a frustrating process, her humor and her strong relationship with her husband seem to sustain her, and it makes for a pretty good story.

I will concede though, that Williams definitely has it worse than me. She lives in New York City, and the housing prices for a tiny apartment are astronomical. It's hard to comprehend paying that much money for a home. And, I also learned that when you live in an apartment or co-op in NYC, you will pay a monthly maintenance fee. This is not new information to me, but what I didn't know was that the fee can be $600 or more a month! Can you imagine? Just the thought of that makes my eye start twitching.

Picking Cotton

Imagine being convicted of a crime you did not commit and serving 11 years in prison. I know this happens. I've read other stories of similar injustices, and they are truly mind-boggling, but I really wanted to read Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption, because I was amazed when I heard that the victim of the crime and the man she accused, wrote this book together.

In 1983, a man broke into Jennifer Thompson's apartment and raped her. She identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker. Ronald was tried, convicted, and sent to prison for life for this crime. Throughout, Ronald maintained that he was innocent, but Jennifer testified in court twice that she was absolutely, positively certain that Ronald had done it. DNA testing was finally able to prove Ronald's innocence, and he was released after serving 11 years. When I try to put myself in Ronald Cotton's shoes, I think I would be so angry. Angry at this person who accused me. Angry at the attorneys and judges who wouldn't listen. I don't know if I could forgive. But Ronald harbors no anger. Not only has Ronald Cotton forgiven Jennifer Thompson, they are friends and keep in touch with each other regularly! This is such an amazing story. Jennifer's attempt to overcome the psychological damage from her attack, and later, her guilt of condemning the wrong man; and Ronald's struggle to keep fighting and find forgiveness are truly captivating and inspiring.

Just Right

How is it possible that I have never read Elinor Lipman until now? I just finished her new novel, The Family Man, and am now in love with her. It's a good story, with likable characters, and subtle humor. It's light, but not so light that it's complete fluff. It has enough depth to make for a good story, but it's not so serious that it's depressing.

Ahhh, this story is just right, she said happily and she ate it all up.