King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France

author: Karen Wheeler

genre: memoir

published: August 2011

pages: 311

source: ARC from Sourcebooks



first line: Oh Dear God, what have I done?

rated: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

In her mid-thirties, fashion editor Karen has it all: a handsome boyfriend, a fab flat in west London, and an array of gorgeous shoes. But when her boyfriend, Eric, leaves she makes an unexpected decision: to hang up her Manolos and wave good-bye to her glamorous city lifestyle to go it alone in a run-down house in rural Poitou-Charentes, central western France.


Tout Sweet is the perfect read for anyone who dreams of chucking away their BlackBerry in favor of real blackberrying and downshifting to a romantic, alluring locale where new friendships–and new loves–are just some of the treasures to be found amongst life's simple pleasures.

About the book:

Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France is a fun, light, and interesting memoir where Karen Wheeler shares her experiences after she leaves her hectic London life behind and moves to rural France.



After a bad breakup, the thirty five year old successful fashion editor decides she needs to leave it all behind her. Karen lived a glamorous lifestyle, complete with her nice London flat, invites to fancy cocktail parties, jet setting off to fashion shoots and a closet full of designer handbags and shoes.
When Karen takes time out to open her eyes and look around, she doesn't like what she sees.

She packs up and moves to France to start a new life for herself.






My thoughts:

This memoir reads smoothly, it's the type of book you don't want to put down. It's also one of those memoirs that reads almost like fiction, this one could be chick-lit if it wasn't a true story.

I enjoyed the descriptions of France and felt like I was there as she described the sights and sounds.

I looked out of the open window at a vivid yellow and blue landscape, at the fields bursting with sunflowers and blond haystacks against the vibrant turquoise evening sky. As I felt the warm evening breeze on my arm, resting on an open window, and watched the long-armed irrigators send arcs of water soaring over the fields, I felt a surge of excitement for the first time in ages.

p.21 Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France

Karen takes us through her moving and renovating her new French home which she names 'Maison Coquelicot', which means 'house of the wild poppy'. She also describes her breakup with her boyfriend Eric, whom she thought was 'the one'. Even though she moves to France to start anew, Karen finds herself missing him often.



Her close friends and neighbors are also mentioned throughout and I found their antics entertaining. Karen had me laughing at times and cheering for her as I read. One scene in particular as Karen is giving a certain someone a ride home, and he professes his undying love to her, while at the same time offering her an 'open relationship', had me in stitches.


I liked Karen's voice and the way she told her story openly and honestly. I was hoping she would find her Mr. Right. What she does find in France is happiness and contentment.

I think it takes incredible bravery to pack up and start a new life in a foreign country no less. Go Karen!




I enjoy reading memoirs that aren't depressing and found Tout Sweet to be a fun summer read.





About the author:





Karen Wheeler is a former fashion editor for the Mail on Sunday and currently writes for the Financial Times How to Spend It magazine and London’s Daily Mail. Her work has appeared in the Evening Standard and You magazines, Sunday Times Style, and numerous international publications. A three-time winner of the prestigious Jasmine Literary Award for writing about perfume, she specializes in fashion, beauty and luxury goods trends. Karen also has a great blog at www.toutsweet.net and Twitters @mimipompom1.

title: Lost on Treasure Island A Memoir of Longing, Love, and Lousy Choices in New York City

author: Steve Friedman

published: 2011

genre: memoir/humor

source: sent for review by Skyhorse Publishing

pages: 304

first line: Everything here is true.

rated: 3 out of 5 stars

What do you get when you plop a moody Midwesterner in Manhattan, the land of the quick and the mean, then grant him a dream job and visions of true love? One disaster after another…



In Lost on Treasure Island: A Memoir of Longing, Love, and Lousy Choices in New York City, Steve Friedman recounts with utter honesty and mordant clarity those fateful years, starting with his first job at GQ, including his awkward efforts to impress his terrifying boss and find his future wife. Friedman’s misadventures include real and imagined love affairs, catastrophic encounters at work and play, and desperate attempts to find authenticity – nearly all of which, in the end, fail miserably.

About:
Lost on Treasure Island A Memoir of Longing, Love, and Lousy Choices in New York City is Steve Friedman's candid and sometimes humorous memoir where he shares his experiences working in New York City as a literary editor for GQ.



Originally from St. Louis, Steve takes the plunge and moves to NYC. While working for GQ he makes friends out of work colleagues, has affairs with different women, has his heart broken and meets actress Mary-Louise Parker among a few other celebs.



Steve makes some bad choices in fashion (he wears a lime-green business suit to a job interview), makes bad decisions in love and pitches some interesting story ideas to his boss.


In his mid-forties, Steve realizes he wants to settle down and find Mrs.Friedman. He embarks on what he calls 'The Plan' in order to find a wife.


Steve takes the reader along his personal journey of ten years while living in New York, which includes several bad dates, betrayal by loved ones, his joining a self-help group and his difficulties at work.





My thoughts:

I enjoyed reading Lost on Treasure Island and found it to be an open and honest memoir by Steve Friedman.


As I read, I felt like an old friend was sitting next to me telling me his life story. Some of it was funny, some of it was endearing, some of it was awkward, all of it was interesting and well written.
Steve tells his story and you can either like him or not. He writes about his several affairs, and even cheating on his girlfriend.

Although Steve had a drinking problem in the past and suffered from chronic stomach aches and sleeplessness, he manages to add humor to his story and keep his memoir light and even inspirational at times.

I found it to be refreshing reading a memoir that wasn't depressing.



Steve always tried to keep his head up, and when things got tough his mantras were It is a pleasant day. I am my own worst enemy. Things aren't so bad. This too shall pass.



Steve had me laughing out loud as I read with his witty remarks and his reactions to different people and situations.


I recommend Lost on Treasure Island to anyone in the mood for a memoir that's open, honest and funny.






About the Author:


Steve Friedman, writer-at-large for Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Backpacker magazines, is the author of four previous books, including The Agony of Victory and Driving Lessons: A Father, a Son, and the Healing Power of Golf. His work has appeared in Esquire, GQ, Outside, and the New York Times, and in a number of anthologies, among them The Best American Travel Writing and The Best American Sports Writing. He lives in New York City. For more information, please visit www.stevefriedman.com

title: The Case for Falling in Love: Why We Can’t Master the Madness of Love—and Why That’s the Best Part

author: Mari Ruti, Ph.D.

genre: non fiction/self-help/relationships

published: February 2011

first line: I got the idea for this book from a course on romantic love I taught at Harvard for a few years.

pages: 270

rated: 4 out of 5 stars

Based on a popular course taught at Harvard, author Mari Ruti, Ph.D. invites us to rethink our notions of love in The Case for Falling in Love: Why We Can’t Master the Madness of Love—and Why That’s the Best Part .


Are you tired of hearing that men and women come from different planets? Are you sick of the idea that men and women live in separate emotional universes? You’re not the only one.


The Case for Falling in Love is aimed at women who are tired of hearing that they need to learn to read “the male psyche” in order to have successful relationships. Dr. Ruti rails against that gender-specific advice of many self-help guides—calling out the popular works of Sherry Argov, Greg Behrendt and Helen Fisher—and dismantles the tired notions that men and women are “wired” differently, and that men therefore need to be “tricked” into love and marriage.


Through pop culture examples, Dr. Ruti shows that television shows—yes, Gossip Girl—and movies offer us much better models for gender and romantic behavior than most self-help guides.

The Case for Falling in Love is a helpful relationship advice book that touches on a wide variety of topics when it comes to romantic relationships.


With chapters like Saving the Soul of Love , Modern Cinderellas Look Beyond the Prince's Ball and What is Meant to Happen Always Will, author Mari Ruti, Ph.D. debunks several myths about romance and love in great detail.






The author gives great examples of how women fall into the trap of dating the wrong men. She discusses men who have commitment phobias and who are narcissistic and how they manipulate the women they are dating.
She talks about advice offered in self-help books, ideas like men wanting women who appear weak and needy. Mari Ruti discusses preconceived notions such as how men are supposed to be predators and women their prey, and how these ideas land people in unhealthy romantic relationships.

Love breaks you open. It confounds you. Through it, a sliver of magic enters your everyday world. How you choose to care for this sliver is your decision to make. But I urge you not to squander it by buying into self-help fantasies about what makes you a woman worthy of being loved.
p.25

I like how she uses popular television programs like 90210, Bones and Dawson's Creek, as references for couples in relationships. She says shows like these shatter gender stereotypes, because the males in them are more emotional and open, instead of being stereotypical alpha males.



I think The Case for Falling in Love is a great book for women trying to get some advice and insight when it comes to finding Mr. Right. The book is well written and author Mari Ruti has done hear research. She even refers to Freud and his thoughts on mourning and melancholy.



Some of her advice is to be yourself, know when to get out of an unhealthy relationship and break negative patterns when it comes to relationships.

It's essential to realize, though, that breaking counterproductive patterns is no something we ever fully accomplish. It can always only be an imperfect (and ongoing) process. There may even be times when we slide backward. That's okay. The point is not to conquer the unconscious. The point, rather, is to become more aware of how it motivates our behavior. The point is to identify the part we unconsciously play in the crafting of our emotional destiny.

p. 189

About the Author:



Mari Ruti, Ph.D. was educated at Brown, Harvard, and the University of Paris. After finishing her Harvard doctorate in 2000, she spent four years as assistant director of the university’s program for the study of women, gender, and sexuality. She is currently associate professor of critical theory in the University of Toronto’s English Department. She splits her time between Toronto, the East Coast, and Maui. Read more here: www.mariruti.com



Special thanks to April over @ Sourcebooks

title: Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide

author: Linda Gray Sexton



genre: memoir

published: 2011

pages: 320

source: TLC Book Tours


first line: Sometimes, even my bones resonate with the melodies of my childhood.

rated: 4 out of 5






Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide is Linda Gray Sexton's heartfelt and emotional memoir.


Her mother was famous poet Anne Sexton. Linda is a successful writer herself and the prose in her memoir is achingly beautiful.



Linda's mother Anne suffered from severe depression and as a child she was witness to her mother's mental illness.
Linda was twenty one years old in 1974 when her mother committed suicide, after several attempts.

She loved her mother greatly, but Linda swore that she would not take on her mother's legacy of suicide and depression. She went on to marry and have children and become a writer. Throughout her life, Linda battled severe depression. As much as she fought it, her depression would return again and again.



Linda's memoir is intensely personal and emotional, and when I was done reading, I almost felt like I wanted to give her a hug. She shares her battle with depression and certain things she talks about are heart wrenching.
Her pain comes right off the pages.

I was curious to read Linda's memoir because I wanted to hear her take on suicide and depression. She shares her story here in a brave and insightful way.



Linda describes her suicide attempts as almost being beyond her control. Her depression was something she could not control or will away as much as she tried to.

A metaphor occurred to me that illustrated how I really felt: I was a soldier in a war zone, and I had to stay awake at my post. The enemy however, was no person. Instead it was depression, and, like a seductress, it sole up on me-just as sleep inevitably would, quietly pulling down the gray shades of my eyelids and making them as heavy as if they were weighted with the wet dirt of the grave. Increasingly, my world went into slow-motion and I spun out of myself, out of my head and heart, my face averted so no one would know the shame of what was happening to me and how I was giving in.


p.91

When Linda describes her first suicide attempt and how she was thinking about how she promised her children she would never do such a thing to herself as her mother had done, she brought tears to my eyes.

As if I could take back my terrible act, as if I could tighten the slack lips that could not kiss, mend the broken arms that could not hold, repair the promises cracked as old mirrors-all from this mother who, as her own mother before, had lost her grip on love.

p.9

After battling years of lingering depression and taking endless medications and going to therapy, Linda comes out a stronger person and gets some closure with her friends and family.




Half in Love: Surviving the Legacy of Suicide is a moving and beautifully written memoir that is not to be missed.







Special thanks to Lisa over @ TLC Book Tours.
Click here to see other blogs on tour.




About the author:

Linda Gray Sexton was born in Newton, Massachusetts in 1953. As the daughter of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Anne Sexton, she grew up in a home filled with books and words and an attention to language, and at an early age she, too, began to write. Afternoons were sometimes spent together with her mother, reading aloud from Anne’s favorite poems.

quoted from the authors website.

title: TheSmartestWay to Save, Why You Can't Save Money and What to Do About It

authors: Heidi E. Clingen, Samuel K. Freshman

genre: self-help/non-fiction

published: 2008

pages: 217

first line: We live in the richest country in the world, but many Americans are just living "month to month."

source: review copy

rated: 3 out of 5

TheSmartestWay to Save, Why You Can't Save Money and What to Do About It is your guidebook for surviving the recession. Your money is hard to make, but easy to spend. You know you need to save to pay for your home, send your kids to college, and retire. But so many people drown in a sea of toxic debt and feel powerless to overcome destructive, compulsive spending. This concise, readable manual will help you spend less, save more, overcome bad habits, and conquer debt. It is filled with hundreds of practical, doable tips that you can apply to your daily life, regardless of your age or finances. Authors Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi Clingen have two different perspectives, but their stories come together to encourage you to embrace your economic situation with enthusiasm. Their straight talk is engaging and compassionate and will make a genuine difference in your wallet--and your future!

The concise guide is packed with pointers to help all ages and incomes keep resolutions to:


-batten down the hatches for the rainy days looming on the horizon


-rescue themselves from drowning in a sea of toxic debt


-spend more time with loved ones and spend money on what really matters


-save money on clothes, gas, cars, food, parties, and more


-get started on the road to financial independence





TheSmartestWay to Save, Why You Can't Save Money and What to Do About It is a great resource for anyone who is looking for advice or motivation for saving money.

"Its not how much you make, its how much you keep"

The authors touch on the factors that make us spend too much money in the first place to what we can do to change our spending habits to tips for saving money for the long haul.

Do you own your possessions? Or do your possessions own you?
Do you fill your life with things that have real value for you and truly enrich your life? Or are your possessions stealing the time and affection that you should give your loved ones?

Your relationships with your friends and loved ones should be your top priorities.

p. 5

There is some sound advice within these pages and this is a helpful book, I finished it in one day. The book is written in three major parts.
1. Your Money And You
2. Your Money and Others
3. Your Money and the World.

The authors touch on things like frugal party planning, vacations and gift giving. One good point they made was the topic of gift cards as gifts. Such as the fees involved with gift cards and how gift cards are usually put inside our wallets and forgotten about.

'Gift cards are designed to sit in your wallet and serve as a constant advertisement of that store'

p.82

The authors discuss why it is that we overspend our hard earned money in the first place. Media and peer pressure to fit in or impress others are topics that are brought up. They also touch on strategies to pay off toxic debt, such as credit cards and loans. I liked the sections on budgeting and prioritizing. They suggest taking it one day at a time, and being realistic when it comes to saving. There's even a section on protecting yourself from different types of internet scams that are created to steal your money.




I recommend this one to anyone looking for a few ideas on saving money and for those who are in a need of a little motivation to get them to start saving a bit more.

When you establish the habit of saving, you will be able to start investing what you have saved. There are many dreams that you thought were out of reach, but they are obtainable under a good investment plan.

What do you need to improve your career and your earning capacity? Plan ahead to create a legacy for your loved ones that lasts for future generations.

p.183

title: Lincoln's Yarns and Stories

authors: Abraham Lincoln & Alexander Mcclure

source: Daily Lit

genre: non fiction/history


rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

This 1901 collection of personal anecdotes and fables brings warmth and humanity to our image of Abraham Lincoln. Insightful and often humorous, these stories capture the essence of a man who has gone down in history as a great and heroic leader. Through these tales, many of which Lincoln loved to tell himself, we see a different, more accessible side of a legendary historical figure.

Abraham Lincoln has always been my favorite president. He served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.




I have watched a few documentaries about Lincoln and never cease to be fascinated by him. I think his having endured a difficult childhood helped make him the man he became. He ended up suffering an unhappy marriage and having 4 sons, only to lose them all to illnesses. Lincoln suffered from depression himself. His wife wound up in a mental asylum.



The letters and speeches included in this collection are about everything from taxes and education. There's even one letter about courting a woman and another has advice for lawyers. Lincoln mostly discusses slavery. He brings up the Dred Scott decision repeatedly, which stated that people of African descent that were imported to the U.S. would never be citizens or be protected by the Constitution.

As a nation, we began by declaring that all men are created equal. We now practically read it, all men are created equal except negroes. When the Know-nothings get control, it will read, all men are created equal except negroes and foreigners and Catholics. When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty--to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.

-AUGUST 24, 1855

This was the type of read that I needed to get in small doses, which was what made it a perfect selection for a Daily Lit
read. It's not the type of book I'd be able to immerse myself in for a few days. I'd actually be a bit bored with it if I did that.




Lincoln's Yarns and Stories was an interesting read. I especially liked peeking at Lincoln's personal letters, the ones that were not related to politics and I wish there were more like those included in this collection.



I was happy to see the former president mention Shakespeare, and how he loved Macbeth.

AUGUST 17, 1863

Some of Shakespeare's plays I have never read; while others I have gone over perhaps as frequently as any unprofessional reader. Among the latter are Lear, Richard III., Henry VIII., Hamlet, and especially Macbeth. I think nothing equals Macbeth. It is wonderful.

Another letter that made me smile was one to his wife:

LETTER TO MRS. LINCOLN. WASHINGTON. AUGUST 8, 1863


My dear Wife, All as well as usual, and no particular trouble anyway. I put the money into the Treasury at five per cent., with the privilege of withdrawing it any time upon thirty days' notice. I suppose you are glad to learn this. Tell dear Tad poor "Nanny Goat" is lost, and Mrs. Cuthbert and I are in distress about it. The day you left Nanny was found resting herself and chewing her little cud on the middle of Tad's bed; but now she's gone! The gardener kept complaining that she destroyed the flowers, till it was concluded to bring her down to the White House. This was done, and the second day she had disappeared and has not been heard of since. This is the last we know of poor "Nanny."

This is not my usual type of read and I'm happy I ventured out a bit and learned something along the way. I enjoyed Lincoln's speeches, and see him even more now as a great man.










Here's are a few quotes from his many speeches:

For my part, I desire to see the time when education--and by its means morality, sobriety, enterprise, and industry--shall become much more general than at present; and should be gratified to have it in my power to contribute something to the advancement of any measure which might have a tendency to accelerate that happy period.


-MARCH 9, 1832

Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges. Let it be written in primers, spelling-books, and in almanacs.
Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation.



-JANUARY 27, 1837

But we cannot be free men if this is, by our national choice, to be a land of slavery. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.

-MAY 19, 1856

title: WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters And Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil


authors: Jonathan Maberry & Janice Gable Bashman


genre: nonfiction

pages: 363

published: 2010

first line: To many, Cain's killing of his brother Abel was not only the first murder, but the first crime.

rated: 3 out of 5






WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters And Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil is a type of reference guide for horror fans.


This book is full of interesting information about the paranormal, fictional as well as real life monsters, and folklore among other things. Artwork from various sources is included throughout the book.



One chapter I enjoyed in particular was 'Legendary Heroes'. They discuss several different heroes from the fictional ones, James Bond to Rocky Balboa to Indiana Jones, to real life heroes like Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks.

We all love a good hero-a champion who triumphs over obstacles, who perseveres when hope seems lost, and who manages, somehow, to emerge a better person on the other end of the struggle.


p. 100

Another interesting chapter was 'Who You Gonna Call?' which centered on ghosts and hauntings. Famous haunts such as the Bell Witch and Lizzie Borden's house are discussed as well as techniques and equipment used on ghost hunts.








There is a chapter devoted to demonic possession and exorcism and the different types of rituals different cultures and religions use to get rid of evil spirits.
Another chapter discusses weapons used to fight evil, such as amulets and charms. There are a few chapters devoted to different kinds of vampires and vampire history as well as famous vamp slayers like Buffy and Van Helsing.

It's impossible to create a definitive list of vampiric powers or vulnerabilities because they vary from culture to culture. Most vampires from folklore do not fear sunlight or the cross. Stakes won't kill them, they can cross running water, mirrors are irrelevant, and they don't have to obtain permission before entering a house.

p. 37

One chapter is about serial killers and how they are evil real life monsters. I was kind of reading this chapter with just one eye open since I was a bit squeamish about the topic. But the serial killer issue is one that is morbidly fascinating and I couldn't help but read on. They do list different serial killers and their crimes, and I was surprised to see some date back to as early as the
1700's.




I could really go on and on, this book is full of information about the paranormal, villains, heroes and monster folklore.



WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE: Vampire Hunters And Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil comes complete with a list of 100 top villains of all time. Who are the top three? 1. Darth Vader 2. Hannibal Lecter
3. Norman Bates.





I'd recommend this book to fans of horror and things that go bump in the night.

Special thanks to Janice Gable Bashman for this opportunity.

title: Perfection

author: Julie Metz


pages: 344

first line: It happened like this: Henry's footsteps on the old wooden floorboards.

published: 2009

rated: 4 out of 5







Julie thought she had the perfect life. She was married to the love of her life, Henry and had a beautiful 6 year old daughter, Liza. She had a nice job as a freelance graphic designer and was able to work from home.



Henry was spontaneous and extravagant. He enjoyed cooking gourmet meals, parties, and was a social butterfly. He traveled alot, at times being away from home for weeks at a time. He was in the process of writing a book on cuisine and would travel around the world for research.



Henry hadn't been feeling well for months, but chalked it up to too much workload. One day however, while Julie was working at her computer, she heard Henry enter the house, then soon after she heard a loud thump. She found Henry dying on their kitchen floor. He died soon after of cardiac arrest.



Seven months after Henry's death Julie finds out that Henry was having multiple affairs, five to be exact. Julie's friends found out about his infidelities right after Henry died and chose not to tell her until later. A mutual friend hands over Henry's emails and journal to Julie and reveals what he knows.



Julie reads Henry's explicit journal and email correspondence with his lovers. Most of it describes his sex life, with one of Julie's close friends in particular.

Reading that hurt me in ways I could never have imagined, every word a spike in my chest. I had lost him long before he died. I had lost a love that had once been central to my life.

Eventually Julie confronts all of Henry's mistresses. They all admit to having a relationship with Henry. Surprisingly all the women were petite brunettes, like Julie, and she even found herself liking a couple of them after ongoing conversations with them. Julie even finds out details about her husband through these women that she herself never knew.




As Julie tells her story, you get to see that there were many red flags in her marriage. Henry wouldn't wear a wedding ring and he was often at her one girlfriend's home. One day Julie even saw that the bedsheets on the twin bed in his office were crumpled and stained. Henry had a quick temper and tended to be very grandiose with every thing he did. He liked throwing expensive dinner parties, he flirted alot, and he indulged in whatever he wanted. Julie couldn't stop him from his expensive purchases. In the end he left Julie over $40 thousand dollars in credit card debt.


I think the biggest sign of all was that when Julie met Henry he already had a girlfriend, yet was chasing Julie anyway. He also cheated on her before they were married. If that's not a red flag, I don't know what is.

Though truly, the more I thought about it, the clues had been everywhere and I had chose to ignore them.

I first heard of Julie Metz's story on the Oprah show. I remember being both shocked and intrigued by her story.
Reading her memoir, I was definitely stunned. Especially when reading Henry's emails and journals. I didn't agree with some of the choices Julie made, like taking a lover so soon after Henry's death. However I do admire her candidness in telling her story. I can't even fathom what she went through finding out her husband was unfaithful after becoming a widow and single mother. And one of his mistresses was supposed to be a good friend of hers.




Julie's memoir is brave, emotional, disturbing and intriguing all at once. I was hooked from page one and hoped Julie would find some kind of closure and happiness in the end. I think she is brave to share her story. Despite devastating betrayal she was able to persevere and move on with her life.

I had been afraid to look at the truth, because there was so much at stake. I had been afraid of being alone. Now I was alone. I had accepted intolerable behavior because of the fear that I couldn't live without him. But here I was, living without him.

About Julie Metz


Julie Metz is a graphic designer, artist and freelance writer whose essays have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Hemispheres, Glamour, and more. Julie received a MacDowell Fellowship in 2008 where she completed work on Perfection and began work on a novel. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.


visit her website here: http://www.perfectionbook.com/

special thanks to BookSparks

title: Never Tell Our Business to Strangers

author: Jennifer Mascia


published: 2010

pages: 383

genre: memoir

rated: 3 1/2 out of 5








Never Tell Our Business to Strangers is journalists Jennifer Mascia's memoir about growing up an only child who ends up finding out her parents were living a double life. Jennifer's father John Mascia, whom she thought was a carpet cleaner, was selling drugs, was associated with the mafia and at one time served prison time for murder. The first time the FBI came for her dad, Jennifer was just five years old. To calm her down, Jennifer was told that her dad was acting in a movie.



Her mom went from shopping sprees and wearing designer clothes, to maxing out credit cards then filing for bankruptcy. Jennifer and her parents were always on the move. While her father was in prison, she and her mom would stay with family and friends, moving from New York, to Florida to California.
Her dad kept his cash hidden in a hole below the carpet at home and soon Jennifer found out that both her parents used false names and social security numbers. She also found out that she and her parents were living as fugitives on the run for five years. When Jennifer finally found out about her family's secrets, she was stunned and hurt.

I had a family, however imperfect, and not that long ago. I had a life, albeit one that doesn't remotely resemble the one I'm living now. Where there was once a house full of laughter and argument and cooking smells there is now nothing, just a furnished reverie that exists only in my memory. Sometimes I wonder if my time with them was real.

I enjoyed reading Never Tell Our Business to Strangers. I found this to be an interesting memoir. You can tell by reading it that Jennifer loves her parent and misses them. You can also see that her parents wanted to keep her sheltered from the awful truth. I did feel that the book could have been a bit shorter, there's parts where she ventures off into details of events and dialogue that I didn't think were necessary.



About the author:

Jennifer Mascia graduated from Hunter College in 2001, and in 2007 she received an M.S. from Columbia University ’s Graduate School of Journalism. She has spent the past three years as the nightside news assistant on the Metro desk of The New York Times.






Special thanks to Tony Viardo @ Blue Dot Literary for making this possible.