And the Mountains EchoedKhaled HosseiniFiction It has been six years since the release of A Thousand Splendid Suns and 10 years since the release of The Kite Runner. Finally, fans of Khaled Hosseini have a reason to rush to the bookstores again – the release of his newest novel, And the Mountains Echoed. And you will not be disappointed. But more on that in a moment. First, the synopsis. SYNOPSIS: And the Mountains Echoed is set mostly in Afghanistan, between the 1950s and the 2000s. The story follows how the decisions made by parents, children, brothers, sisters and cousins reverberate through the decades to come. It looks at how families care for one another. With many side stories unfolding (too many to mention in a synopsis), the main story follows a decision made by a father and uncle to give 4-year-old Pari away for adoption to a wealthy couple. It gives Pari security, but it tears the girl away from the family she loves, the brother she adores. MY THOUGHTS: Khaled Hosseini has an uncanny understanding of the human condition. There was a point in the book, about halfway, that my jaw dropped. It actually, physically dropped. I can’t ... Read more

InfernoDan BrownFiction SYNOPSIS: Dan Brown is back with more intrigue, and Robert Langdon is back with his Harris Tweed jacket. Inferno starts with Langdon waking up in a hospital in Florence. The doctors tell him he has a head wound, an injury that has given him a mild form of amnesia. Langdon has lost 36 hours of his memory. He can’t remember how he ended up in Italy. And he can’t remember why someone is trying to kill him. As he escapes a mysterious woman and a band of soldiers in black, all trying to chase him down, Langdon works to remember what brought him to Florence by starting with his first clue – a strange and terrifying object found inside the seam of his tweed jacket. His journey to remember takes him through the museums and basilicas of Florence, Venice and beyond. And it is all connected to Dante and his 14th-century epic poem Inferno, which tells of a journey through hell. Langdon’s adversary is trying to recreate some of the poem’s dark and twisted imagery. As he uncovers codes and symbols, Langdon has to figure out who he can trust before the world is changed forever. MY THOUGHTS: I’m a ... Read more

The long weekend is here and I bet I know what's on your mind: cottages, patios and BBQs. I myself am planning to pull out the BBQ this weekend for the first time this season. Can't wait! And you can be sure that one of the cookbooks at my side will be Gastro Grilling because you can't go wrong with Ted Reader. This new cookbook from the BBQ king isn't about grilling steaks the boring way. It's about grilling food of the highest quality with "fun and passion," as Ted puts it. In his intro, he says, "I'm a fat kid in a candy shop, only the candy shop is a circle of hot smoking and crackling grills." And with Gastro Grilling he's bringing that candy shop to you. If "Fire-Roasted Oysters with Crawfish Bacon BBQ Butter" and "Grilled Squid with Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Radichio & Caper Balsamic Sauce" sound deliciously appealing to you, give this cookbook a try this long weekend. And if you love beer along with your BBQ (who doesn't), make sure to check out Ted's cookbook from last year, Beerlicious -- for more info and to check out a video of Ted and I in his BBQ ... Read more

The Miracles of Ordinary MenAmanda LeducFiction INTERVIEW: Listen to my chat with Amanda Leduc about her debut novel, her own beliefs and her thoughts on the necessity of doubt. You can listen to the interview here. SYNOPSIS: Sam, an English teacher, wakes up one morning with wings growing out of his back. Only several people can see the wings, including his childhood priest. Sam turns to him for help – what do the wings mean? Why did this happen to him when he doesn’t even believe in God? Lilah, meanwhile, struggles with figuring out her life. When she finally comes back home after spending months adrift in Europe and Asia, she wastes her days away working as a secretary and trying to save a brother who has turned to homelessness as a way of life. She ends up in a sadomasochistic relationship with her boss because, at least, it makes her feel something. All the characters begin to question God, His message, their destinies. Not even the priest has any answers. MY THOUGHTS: Amanda Leduc brings up fascinating questions about faith and destiny. And she doesn’t provide answers because the point is, she says, that there will and ... Read more

Drunk MomJowita BydlowskaMemoir INTERVIEW: Listen to my chat with Jowita about her memoir and her battle with alcoholism. She talks about how she felt the day her revealing book was released, and how she hopes her son will take it when he’s older. You can listen to the podcast here. THE BOOK: When Jowita Bydlowska’s son was born, she celebrated by throwing back a glass of champagne. That moment marked her relapse into alcoholism, three years after she had given up drinking. Drunk Mom is Jowita’s account of the months following her son’s birth and her relapse, as she tried to quit, failed, and tried again. During those first months as a new mom, Jowita became an expert in math (at least, she hoped she was getting the numbers right). Every other day, she would calculate when she could breastfeed her newborn son, based on how much she had to drink and when. For the 14 or so hours the alcohol was still in her system, she would turn to baby formula to feed her son.  She knew that she had become a “drunk mom,” endangering her child every time she passed out with her son in the ... Read more