Sink your teeth into one of these Red Meat Reads

One of the books I was able to get at this year's BEA was an advance copy of James Ellroy's September release,Blood's a Rover. This book is intended to be the final part of his "Underworld U.S.A." trilogy,which started with American Tabloid and continued with The Cold Six Thousand.

All three of them are set in the 1960s and interweave such real life figures as J. Edgar Hoover,Howard Hughes and Sal Mineo into the lives of the troubled schemers and behind the scenes players of his deadly dark vision of L.A. and American corruption.

This is the first time that I've read any of Ellroy's work;like many other lit fans out there,I enjoyed the film adaptation of L.A. Confidential but didn't really get into his books. They've been described as intellectual noir pieces,with no holds barred language and style. While the no holds barred part is correct(if you have any lingering P.C. qualms regarding your reading materials,consider any of Ellroy's cannon to be NC-17 and move on)and that while his writing is clever and clearly well thought out,it's not as inaccessible as one might have expected.

I'll have more of a full review of the book later this summer,but my main reason for reading it right now was the need for a change of pace. Just as I'm sure that some of the fellas out there like to read a romance novel or two to mellow out,I occasionally get a craving for an action packed,guns a-blazing,cool as Antarctic ice,tough with a slight chance of tender on the side,manly book,or as I like to call them, a Red Meat Read.



Most of my Red Meat Reads come when least expected. I took a chance on Dirty White Boys by Stephen Hunter when it came out in paperback and was pleasantly surprised by the raw impact it made.

Hunter is also a film critic(a great collection of his essays on that subject that I wholehearted recommend is Violent Screen)and the tale of three desperately dangerous men who break out of prison and the tormented cop who doggedly hunts them down has a strong cinematic flow to it.

In fact,if Rob Zombie is looking to make another movie that's not another horror movie remake,this book might be picture perfect for his off the wall talents. Lamar Pye and his cousin Odell would get along well with the twisted Firefly clan or have one hell of a fire fight(spoiler alert for the following clip for those who haven't seen Devil's Rejects-you have been warned):





Clockers was a crossover literary sensation,taking Richard Price into more mainstream territory with his novel about Strike, a young drug dealer who strove to maintain his tough guy image to survive the streets and the homicide detective who was headset on proving that Strike had a hand in the murder of his more law abiding brother,Victor.

While the Spike Lee film version made too many deviations from the source material,it did bring many of the pivotal characters in the book to vivid life such as Rodney,Strike's charismatic mentor who may be a father figure one minute but can turn into a man of undiscerning menace in the next:





Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games takes an epic and international approach to the genre,as the dark underbelly of Mumbai's criminal kingdoms gets exposed to full view. Think of it as a Bollywood Godfather,only with more twists and turns than a minotaur's maze.

The most dominant players in the game are Inspector Singh,an honest and unappreciated police office and Ganesh Gaitonde,a crime boss who built his brutal empire with his own dark determination and ruthlessness. One of the best parts of the book is a confrontation between the two as the authorities are attempting to break down Gaitonde's stronghold,where he has isolated himself as a last resort. It's as classic as any gangster moment from a Bogart film:





You can't get any more red meat than a good old fashioned Western and Lonesome Dove fits the bill nicely there. While Larry McMurtry is still best remembered for such female friendly fare as Terms of Endearment,his saga of the dying days of the Old West showcases a rough and ready sensibility that can throw a sure handed sucker punch when called for.

Despite the numerous sequels and prequels written,Lonesome Dove always seemed to be just fine as it was already,without any other helpings of this old school story stew required. I'm sure that some of them are good reads,but that doesn't mean I need to read them. No disrespect intended,especially since Augustus McCrae is not someone you should be trifling with if you value your health:



No doubt some folks believe that stuff like this only appeals to our baser natures and should be avoided like the plague. While overdoing anything is not a good thing,I don't think that taking a dip into murky fictional waters is a bad idea from time to time. Examining that taste for the warrior instinct is the only way to deal with those rampaging energies and channeling them into something positive. Not to mention that kicking a little ass every now and then totally rocks:

TC Masters make magic,The Next Food Network Star meet Rachel Ray and some sips of The Soup

Top Chef Masters returned this week,with Douglas Rodriquez,Anita Lo,Mark Peel and John Besh up at the plate,so to speak. Their Quickfire challenge was to cook an egg dish with one hand behind their back(oven mitts were worn on the "forbidden" hand)and only John Besh failed to make four servings of his slow cooked egg.



Besh's egg was half done,to boot,which made it all the easier for Anita Lo to win here for her scrambled eggs with shiitake and oyster sauce,served up in the shell. One of the folks who chose the winner for this round was Gail Collins,one of the regular TC judges,and she also took a seat for the Elimination challenge,which was to cook a meal for Neil Patrick Harris and friends at the Magic House in L.A..



The chefs had to use an element of magic as their inspiration for their dish and Douglas Rodriguez had "spectacle" as his. He served up duck three ways,with his big showpiece being the coconut that he had the duck soup in being lit on fire. Fortunately,the flames weren't too dangerous and the food was good,but not great.



Mark Peel was a big contender for the win,with his "mystery" course being tai snapper cooked in a parchment and served with sake and lime glaze on the side. The whole mystery bag concept was pretty cool and everyone at the table seemed to really enjoy the flavors of the foods combined here.




Anita Lo took the top honors,however,for her "illusion" entree. She made what looked like a giant scallop,but was actually a daikon stuffed with steak tartare. Her plate had other surf and turf trimmings,such as rice krispies crushed up to resemble beach sand and a shellfish broth to suggest the seashore. Nice work,Anita,and congrats to you!

Next week should be rather tricky,with a main challenge of preparing a three course meal for a hundred people solo and a classic Quickfire that demands a more down to earth take on familiar food:






While there wasn't an official winner on The Next Food Network Star this week,there were plenty of folks who did well. Unfortunately,Jamika wasn't one of them.

She took too long with her cooking demo for kids and then froze up for most of the main challenge,which was to present a grown-up version of a kid favorite on Rachel Ray's talk show. Part of the problem was Jeffrey,who didn't click with her during the food prep and then hogged the spotlight for as long as he could. Not cool,Jeffrey!



Jamika wound up on the chopping block,along with Michael,who sees the cameras as "very judgey" and speaks to them as if he was approaching "the depths of hell." I like them both,so I hope they do better soon. As I predicted last week,Katie was sent home for her lackluster performance skills and a bone dry chicken made for the Rachel Ray demo.

Every time someone on a cooking competition show who is either a dietitian or a healthy food advocate comes on board,he or she never makes it to the final round. The reason for that,in my opinion,is due to those folks focusing too much on pushing the health benefits of eating properly instead of making healthy food taste good. You catch more flies with honey,that's all I'm saying:





To round things off,let's watch a few choice clips from The Soup on E!,which never fails to score major points on the pop culture comedy scale. Their well placed hits on the silliness of social trends,reality show madness and celebrity hijinks are a much needed relief for these troubled times. Host Joel McHale will be getting a sitcom next fall(The Community)but hopefully,he'll still be bringing us the laughs every Friday night:

HI, HONEY,WHAT'S FOR DINNER?



NICK LACHEY,GO AWAY



TWITTERBUG INVASION



RANDOM NOTES:

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA: As part of the promotion for the return of the show this September,F/X put together a ad with clips of fans doing their own versions of the cult classic tune "Dayman" created by two of the characters. Congratulations to everyone who got their bit of business chosen for this commercial and props to the Sunny crew for acknowledging their audience this way:

Gangland giggle fest

One of the much touted summer movies this season,Public Enemies takes a seriously stylized look at the legend of John Dillinger,an American icon of crime who is considered pretty much the poster boy for gangster chic of the 1930s.

While this film looks and acts like an above the board straight shooting drama,I do wonder about the possibility of gangster parody flicks rearing up their goofy heads if Public Enemies leads to a revival of period crime films. It's a good subject for satire to be sure,but many times the results are a mixed bag of mirth.




A prime example of that is 1984's Johnny Dangerously,starring Michael Keaton as the title bad guy with a kid brother in the DA's office ready to take him down. To say that the humor is broad in this movie is an understatement;every cliche of a 30's crime saga is ponied up for not so subtle laughs.

It does have it's moments and one of the more amusing supporting characters is Danny Vermin,played with gleeful delight by Joe Piscopo. He's actually pretty believable as an ambitious henchman,so much so that any casting director looking for a career to bring back to life should think of him for a sturdier crime movie:





Sylvester Stallone tried his hand at gangster comedy in 1991 with Oscar,that had a crime boss promising his dying father that he would become a legitimate business man. That,of course,leads to plenty of hijinks that can be summed up by the most memorable line from Godfather III-just when he wants to pull out,they keep pulling him back in.

I actually saw the movie when it first came out in theaters and while it was entertaining enough,Oscar is really one of those comedies that you just have to be in the mood for. Otherwise,it may not strike you as all that funny. Stallone does give it everything he's got,but comedy is harder than it looks,folks:





The only successful gangster satire I know of is Bugsy Malone,written and directed by Alan Parker who took a bold approach to the material. He made the typical old school gangster movie into a musical and had it cast entirely with kids,featuring such future child stars as Jodie Foster and Scott Baio.

Bugsy Malone's criminal antics were made more family friendly as well,with cream pies as weapons and sarsaparilla taking the place of bootleg gin. This is such a silly sweet movie that it's a crying shame that it's not yet available on DVD(at least in the U.S.). There's no need for a remake but the original should be given some TV time for newer generations to see how musical parodies can be at their very best:



Public Enemies was number three on the box office list last weekend,and while it may be overshadowed by more gaudier film fare,the movie still has a chance at pumping up gangster style. With the increase from five to ten nominees to be chosen as Best Picture in the next round of Academy Awards,Public Enemies might make a strong comeback for the fall film season and if it does garner some Oscar gold,Hollywood will jump on that bandwagon quicker than TMZ on a Lindsay Lohan rumor.

If that happens,gangster parodies are sure to follow and for future reference, the jokes need to be well thought out and not simply based on suits and set design. The satirical devil is in the details,after all:

Summer staycation getaways by the book

With the peak of the summer season upon us,vacation time is either just around the corner or sitting squarely in your lap at the moment. Since most people have plans to set their holidays close to home(or right at home),the need for armchair travel is more important than ever.

So,if you want to see the world without the hassle of airports,crowded tourist attractions and long drives,here are a few helpful hints for leisurely reading that will truly relax you during the long,hot days of summer:



Our first stop is Ireland,where the leading lady of Heather Barbieri's new novel,The Lace Makers of Glenmara,goes to in order to renew her spirits after going thru some heartbreak back home in Seattle.

Kate Robinson only intends to spend a brief time in the small town of Glenmara,but finds a new circle of friends within the local lace making society and shares a fashion inspiration with them that may not only revive her flagging career as a designer but shake up things for the Glenmara gals themselves in ways that they couldn't begin to imagine. Those readers looking for a Gaelic good time might want to stop on by.



A number of different stops are made in The Prayer Room,not just in location but in time as well-Shanthi Sekaran sets her story in 1974,where art historian George Amritage brings back his new wife,Viji,first to England and then to Sacramento,where they quickly settle into suburban life via the birth of triplets to the hastily married couple.

As the years go on,Viji takes refuge from the hectic and occasionally lonely pace of her new family life by communing with the spirits of her dead relatives in the prayer room that she has created in her home. When given an opportunity to revisit India,both Viji and George get some breathing room to truly access their lives together. This debut novel provides food for thought,especially for the characters as they go along with both a physical and emotional journey of the heart.



Speaking of journeys,the folks in Carolyn Parkhurst's Lost and Found go around the world not just for fun,but in order to win a million dollar prize. They are all contestants on a reality competition show,who are interested in gaining more than fame and fortune,such as mother and daughter team Laura and Cassie who need a way to rebuild their crumbling relationship.

Fans of The Amazing Race will particularly enjoy this book,due to the depictions of both triumphant and turbulent couples whose emotional growth is charted as a special feature of their race to the finish line. One thing that both the novel(which is not officially connected to TAR)and the TV series have in common is the testing of the bonds of love,with a strong emphasis on the romantically attached teams:





For those of us looking to go to only one spot on the map,Isobel's Wedding takes the reader to Spain,along with disappointed former bride to be Isobel,who decides to start a new life and job in Madrid.

As Isobel begins to settle into the more laid back flow of Spain and find a new love,her ex-fiance Tim pops back into the picture with a fresh load of old feelings for rekindling. I first read this book while on vacation and it's a deeply refreshing read to have on hand.



An English vacation that many Pride & Prejudice appreciators would swoon for is the one described in Austenland by Shannon Hale. Jane Hayes receives an unusual bequest from her Aunt Carolyn's will,an all expenses paid trip to Pembrook Park,where the Regency way of life is recreated for Jane Austen fans,right down to having suitable suitors provided for the ladies on the guest list.

It's a fun frolic for Austen fans,many of whom have taken their own Jane Austen themed trips and hopefully have not been called on to provide entertainment for their fellow Austenites that showcase their modern day limitations:





Heading back to the U.S. of A,The Leisure Seeker follows an elderly couple,John and Ella Robina,who are sick of being hovered over by doctors and intrusive offspring and escape to share their last moments together on an old fashioned road trip down Route 66.

Author Michael Zadoorian actually did hit the road as part of his research for the book and the sights he saw and savored along the way helped to enrich his delightfully amusing and thoughtful tale of a married couple who dare to take the ultimate adventure of their lives:



Whether you plan on going or staying for your summer getaway,be sure to have at least one good book packed up with your other vital pleasure necessities. Remember,folks,that proper planning is the key to enjoying any vacation and if you don't take the time to do that,no complaining about lack of entertainment essentials is allowed:

Celebrating New Year's in July

I know that January 1 is the usual time to make those traditional New Year's resolutions that most of us give up on before the month is out,but my resolve to keep on going with a personal project of mine really needs a boost right now.

When I left my bookseller job a couple of years ago(the store I used to work at sadly went out of business last spring),I decided to work more on my writing skills,partly thru this blog and partly by writing a book. A novel,actually,and since Autumn of '08,I've been sending queries to agents,hoping to get one interested in selling my story to someone out there.



Don't worry,this narrative is not about to become an angry rant about how frustrating it is to get a break in this industry. Between the turbulent economy and the general state of flux in publishing at the moment,my situation is nothing new,plus I'm not in this boat alone by a long shot.

The replies that I have received so far have been courteous and professional,even when my partial and full manuscript has returned to me with a "thanks,but no thanks" letter. I have to admit that getting that first request to see more of my work after a good number of polite rejections felt amazing. It was similar to finding a Golden Ticket in a Wonka candy bar or discovering that your lottery numbers match the winning set listed in the morning paper:





Even with the set backs,I've been more fortunate than most by having plenty of loving support from both family and friends in this endeavor. From giving me suggestions about how to best represent my work to getting the right sized mailers to send out those queries and manuscript submissions to just being there to pick me up when I'm down,my mother and sister are two of the greatest people I've ever known.

The only true nemesis in my path is my self doubt;something everyone has to learn to deal with in life and one that plagues those who pursue the arts the most. There are many times when I feel awkward and out of place,like a freshman who's too shy to enter the party where the cool,sophisticated seniors are hanging out. Even with an official invite to the dance,you can still give in to that nagging sense of being completely out of your element:





Yet,that's no excuse for not giving it the fabled good old college try. While my quest will be going on longer than I had hoped,there's still a chance that I will find the right person to help me get my book published and the one I'm currently working on now(which is a sequel to the first one)as well.

My goals are modest ones,folks. I'm not looking to become the next literary superstar or even a worldwide phenomenon along the lines of J.K. Rowling,Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer. I just want to be able to make a living doing something that I love and with any luck, am pretty good at. That's the real American dream,in my opinion.

Therefore,I hereby resolve to keep my publishing dreams alive and well,plus to not let my inner voice of doubt drown out any positive feedback or potentially good advice about what to do next. Who knows,maybe someday my name will be on that list of bestsellers-stranger things have happened,especially in book publishing:

Become spellbound by The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

In Katherine Howe's debut novel,The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane,The main focus of the plot is set in 1991,where Harvard grad student Connie Goodwin winds up spending her summer trying to get her grandmother's abandoned house in Marblehead ready to be sold in order to pay off the back taxes that her flighty mother Grace ignored for years.

Since Grace now lives in New Mexico,Connie was talked into this thankless job and at first is overwhelmed by the huge mess that the ancient house and garden has become,not to mention worrying about finding a topic for her dissertation. As luck would have it,she finds an odd set of items during her cleaning that open up a whole new path for her intellectual curiosity to follow.



A key falls out of an old Bible that has a piece of paper with the words "Deliverance Dane" written upon it,which intrigues Connie into doing some research and discovering that it is the name of a woman who was excommunicated from her church in 1692 due to accusations of witchcraft.

With some help and encouragement from a new found friend and romantic interest,Sam who is a former scholar turned building restorer,she learns that Deliverance was a "cunning woman",a healer who may have passed down her book of recipes to her daughter Mercy,a book that seems to have been lost track of over time:





Excited by the prospect of documenting a previously unknown victim of the Salem Witch Trials and finding such a historically rich in knowledge book,Connie goes deeper into her research and starts to feel the affects of some odd roadblocks in her way.

For one thing,her mentor Manning Chilton is rather too intense in his interest for Connie's work and a strange symbol burned into the door of her grandmother's house can either be seen as a threat or a mark of protection. Also,some more tidying up around the place reveals a possible connection to the legacy of Deliverance Dane and Connie herself that may ultimately make the difference in a matter of life and death close to her heart.



This novel is quite the absorbing read;Katherine Howe intercuts the narrative with flashbacks to Deliverance and her descendants,one of whom tried to clear her mother's name and another who simply wanted to be rid of the whole mess altogether. Both the past and the modern day sections fit neatly beside each other,like the grooves of well shaped puzzle pieces.

Howe successfully invokes the competitive frenzy of the academic world and the guarded society of old school New England ,that even after the Salem Witch hysteria died down turned a harsh eye to any unconventional behavior from a woman,with a realistic flair combined with touches of magical wonder. She doesn't strain to create a plausible atmosphere for her characters or to accentuate the mystical elements of the story. Every bit of the book flows to the reader's imagination with captivating clarity:



The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is now available and if you're looking for something to treat yourself to on this holiday weekend,this novel is well worth your time and money. It's a heady blend of mystery,mysticism and family ties that bind more than one generation together in order to embrace the blessings and the curses that come with true knowledge of the natural world:

The Fashion Show loses some of their flair,True Blood and more Next Food Network Star follies

I've been watching Bravo's The Fashion Show for a while now and even tho it's definitely not in the same league as Project Runaway,there are plenty of amusing and annoying fashionistas assembled here to create enough drama for several soap opera seasons.

One of the more entertaining contestants was Merlin,who wound up going home last night after his tarot card inspired outfit for the challenge failed to deliver. His designs have been a tad extreme and sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. A clear sign that things weren't going to go his way this time was that the card he picked during the reading had a very different meaning for him that what the psychic actually told him:



Despite his overconfident weirdness,I'm sorry to see Merlin go. He was the kind of guy who you'll never know what he will do next,which makes competition shows like this fun to watch:





Since Top Chef Masters took a break this week(they'll be back next Wednesday),my foodie TV fix came solely from The Next Food Network Star. Melissa did very well this round,acing the main challenge of making a regional dish for returning members of the military onboard the USS Intrepid.

Her burger for the warm-up challenge was a contender there,too,but I'm glad that Michael won that one(he needs to work on his on camera presentation skills,seriously).



Teddy was sent home,due to his lackluster presentation at the Intrepid dinner,which was fine with me since he should've been packing last week for trying to hog the credit on the meatloaf dish from Debbie.

The chopping block was pretty full,with Jeffrey and Jamika both having dive bombed on their dishes(hopefully,that was just a one time glitch) and Katie serving up raw,uncooked meat AGAIN! If I was taking bets on who was due to leave next,the safe money would be on her,folks:





On True Blood,the good news is that Lafayette survived his fang attack from Eric and company and is now out of the basement dungeon,thanks to Sookie. She found out about his imprisonment while recovering from a mysterious creature assault in the woods(which helped to patch things up between her and Bill)and used her moxie to negotiate with Eric for his release:



The only bad news here is that Lafayette isn't a vampire,which would be cool but I don't think that possibility is completely off the table. Meanwhile,Jessica is still in need of supernatural supervision as she picks up Hoyt from Merlotte's and takes him home for a make out session on the couch. In a strange way,Hoyt might actually be good for her-he's very accepting of who and what she is,plus she was willing to clue him in about her living dead status right off the bat(a good sign there):





The next new episode of True Blood will be aired on July 12(they're taking the Fourth of July off,giving fans a mini-thon of the first three S2 shows)but it looks like our wait will be well worth it.

Some of the highlights to come include Tara trying to break free of Maryann(good for her,that woman is up to something bad),Sookie getting ready to go to Dallas,Jason getting in over his head with the Fellowship of the Sun folks and Eric not being done yet with haunting Lafayette(who should be made immortal for his troubles,in my opinion):



RANDOM NOTES:

MORE TO LOVE: I tend to avoid TV dating shows like the plague but it may be hard to turn a blind eye away from this upcoming reality series that intends to find a mate for a group of plus sized ladies. The intentions are meant to be in the right place,but I think I'd rather be in the wrong zip code here. You decide,folks: