New installment: some new stuff; some stuff I remember reading, but have not added yet...

Bird by Angela Johnson



not my review:

Johnson's (The First Part Last) quiet, affecting story told in three voices follows Bird, 13, as she runs away in pursuit of her stepfather. In rural Alabama, Bird is befriended by two boys connected by a single heart: Ethan, her stepfather's nephew and recent recipient of a heart transplant, and Jay, a teen coping with the sudden death of his younger brother-a death that provided a healthy heart for sickly Ethan. All three introspective teens seem mature beyond their years, even when they do stupid things (such as riding along in a stolen car), and Johnson's lyric touch occasionally lapses into twee moments (as when Ethan spies Bird dancing in the moonlight on his family's property). But the overwhelming kindness of these characters (Ethan keeps Bird's secret, Ethan's parents plant flowers, without explanation, in Jay's yard) trumps the occasional lapses in verisimilitude. The author leavens all the hurt with humor; Bird wonders, for instance, why everyone she meets in Alabama offers her a meal. "They'll feed you if they think you're hungry, guess you're hungry, or if you aren't hungry but they are." In the satisfying ending, Bird realizes she's run after the wrong thing, but the time spent in the compassionate world Johnson has created makes this a worthwhile journey anyway-for her heroine and readers. Ages 10-14. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Oct 18, 2004 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Johnson's (The First Part Last) quiet, affecting story told in three voices follows Bird, 13, as she runs away in pursuit of her stepfather. In rural Alabama, Bird is befriended by two boys connected by a single heart: Ethan, her stepfather's nephew and recent recipient of a heart transplant, and Jay, a teen coping with the sudden death of his younger brother-a death that provided a healthy heart for sickly Ethan. All three introspective teens seem mature beyond their years, even when they do stupid things (such as riding along in a stolen car), and Johnson's lyric touch occasionally lapses into twee moments (as when Ethan spies Bird dancing in the moonlight on his family's property). But the overwhelming kindness of these characters (Ethan keeps Bird's secret, Ethan's parents plant flowers, without explanation, in Jay's yard) trumps the occasional lapses in verisimilitude. The author leavens all the hurt with humor; Bird wonders, for instance, why everyone she meets in Alabama offers her a meal. "They'll feed you if they think you're hungry, guess you're hungry, or if you aren't hungry but they are." In the satisfying ending, Bird realizes she's run after the wrong thing, but the time spent in the compassionate world Johnson has created makes this a worthwhile journey anyway-for her heroine and readers. Ages 10-14. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Oct 18, 2004 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES THE SECRET LIFE OF A CRITIC IN DISGUISE by Ruth Reichl



As the New York Times's restaurant critic for most of the 1990s, Reichl had what some might consider the best job in town; among her missions were evaluating New York City's steakhouses, deciding whether Le Cirque deserved four stars and tracking down the best place for authentic Chinese cuisine in Queens. Thankfully, the rest of us can live that life vicariously through this vivacious, fascinating memoir. The book-Reichl's third-lifts the lid on the city's storied restaurant culture from the democratic perspective of the everyday diner. Reichl creates wildly innovative getups, becoming Brenda, a red-haired aging hippie, to test the food at Daniel; Chloe, a blonde divorcee, to evaluate Lespinasse; and even her deceased mother, Miriam, to dine at 21. Such elaborate disguises-which include wigs, makeup, thrift store finds and even credit cards in other names-help Reichl maintain anonymity in her work, but they also do more than that. "Every restaurant is a theater," she explains. Each one "offer[s] the opportunity to become someone else, at least for a little while. Restaurants free us from mundane reality." Reichl's ability to experience meals in such a dramatic way brings an infectious passion to her memoir. Reading this work-which also includes the finished reviews that appeared in the newspaper, as well as a few recipes-ensures that the next time readers sit down in a restaurant, they'll notice things they've never noticed before. Agent, Kathy Robbins. (On sale Apr. 11) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Appeared in: Publishers Weekly, Feb 14, 2005 (c) Copyright 2005, Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.