Today’s the day I get to eat gobs and gobs of candy. I plan on being sugar high for he entire 24 hours of Halloween, and even though my celebrations have already come and gone (read as: last weekend was a real doozy), engaging in a little kid-like indulgence will be the perfect way to honor the holiday.
In All Hallows' Eve-related news, it’s the “birthday” of literature’s most beloved monster --- Frankenstein. This year marks the the 200th publication anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, and it's one of my favorites! So, if you’re still in a costume pinch, Frankenstein is definitely the way to go now that you have a fun fact to share around the cauldron. If you’re looking for some other outfit ideas, look no further. Elle pulled together 10 looks inspired by book covers that all your literature-loving friends will fully appreciate!
Another “holiday” of sorts is right around the corner, and it’s an incredibly important one. This coming Tuesday, November 6th is Election Day. Make yourself, your family, your friends and your country proud by getting out there and exercising your right to vote!
Last week, Carol and I attended a very special event at the 92Y on the Upper East Side. One of our favorite chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi, was in conversation with Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman. Yotam's latest cookbook, OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE, hit shelves just a couple weeks ago and is already a big hit on the cookbook circuit. An Israeli-born, London-based chef with several cafes and a couple of restaurants throughout the expansive UK city, he is predominantly known for his unexpectedly delightful flavor combinations. On top of that, he is an invigorating, passionate and eloquent speaker, which always makes for such a great time seeing him in person.
While many of his past cookbooks (there are now seven in total!) have become known for their lengthy and complicated (but oh-so-delicious) recipes, OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE is a breath of fresh air for old and new at-home cooks alike. He wrote and compiled his first cookbook, PLENTY, entirely by himself in his London flat over the course of one year. The six cookbooks that followed have been collaborative works of art. He really prides himself on being a team player and often highlights test dishes that his kitchen staff is working on on his own Instagram.
As he broke it down during the talk, the title is actually an acronym that makes the book seem that much more approachable. S = short on time. I = 10 ingredients or less. M = make ahead. P = pantry. L = lazy. E = easier than you think. Some recipes include “Iranian Herb Fritters” (which will be the very first recipe I try!), “Bridget Jones’s Pan-Fried Salmon with Pine-Nut Salsa” and “Beet, Caraway, & Goat Cheese Bread.”
The truth is that foodies, media and foodie media are all over this book. Food52 loves it, along with the LA Times and, of course, The Guardian, who also publishes Ottolenghi’s weekly column and is worth checking out. If you’re into podcasts, also be sure to check out “Simple Pleasures,” where Ottolenghi makes dishes from the book and talks with celebrities and friends about their own cooking and lifestyle habits. I can tell already SIMPLE will turn the sheepish home entertainer into a stellar dinner party thrower and instantly elevate weekday meals. If you’re like me, you may even have leftovers (but just maybe...his food is that good) to bring in for lunch the next day. Trust me, people want to be friends with the person who has second-day “Pappardelle with Rose Harissa, Black Olives & Capers.”
The following night, I attended a screening for If Beale Street Could Talk, an upcoming film based on the James Baldwin 1974 novel of the same name. It tells the story of a young couple, Fonny and Tish, who must navigate their relationship and the racial and social injustices of the 1970s. Twenty-two-year-old Fonny is falsely accused of rape and thrown in jail. While he awaits his trial, his young 19-year-old lover, Tish, finds out she’s pregnant and works tirelessly to prove Fonny innocent. It’s directed by Barry Jenkins, who’s most famous 2016 movie, Moonlight, took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. I am a huge Jenkins fan, so I had high expectations going in. Thankfully, they were all met.
In true Jenkins form, he chose a powerful and topical story. Also in true Jenkins form, it is exquisitely done. It’s moving, romantic at times and jarringly upsetting at others.The two rising stars have an undeniable chemistry, and Jenkins’ captivating lens on every angle of the movie really makes the whole thing a masterpiece. In true Nikki form, I cried a handful of times. The movie hits theaters on Friday, November 30th, so be sure to mark your calendar. Check out the trailer here. Also, listen to Jenkins talk about Beale Street with the New York Times here.
If you’re looking for something to read now, check out THE CLOCKMAKER’S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton. The story is set in the summer of 1862 when a group of young artists descends upon Birchwood Manor in rural Oxfordshire. By the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins. Over 150 years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel with two seemingly unrelated items in it: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?
Have a happy and safe Halloween!
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. Beetlejuice is coming to Broadway
2. Bret Easton Ellis (AMERICAN PSYCHO, LESS THAN ZERO) has a new book
3. Nick Offerman will be hosting the 2018 National Book Awards
4. Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot on board for the screen adaptation of Agatha Christie's DEATH ON THE NILE
5. ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET is heading to the silver screen
Happy reading,
Nicole Sherman
ALASKAN HOLIDAY by Debbie Macomber (Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Laurel Rankin and Luke Daniels
Before beginning her dream job as sous chef in one of Seattle’s hottest new restaurants, Josie Avery takes a summer position cooking at a lakeside lodge in the remote Alaskan town of Ponder. Josie falls for the rustic charms of the local community --- in particular, famed master swordsmith Palmer Saxon, who would like nothing more than to make Josie his wife. But Josie can’t imagine abandoning her mother and sacrificing her career to stay in this isolated town --- not even for a man she’s quickly coming to love. Fate has other plans, though. Josie misses the last boat out of town before winter sets in, stranding her in Ponder and putting her dream job at risk. As the holidays approach, Josie and Palmer must grapple with the complications that arise when dreams confront reality. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.
THE BURN ZONE: A Memoir by Renee Linnell (Memoir)
After seven years of faithfully following her spiritual teacher, Renee Linnell finally realized she was in a cult and had been severely brainwashed. But how did that happen to someone like her? She had graduated magna cum laude with a double degree. She had traveled to nearly 50 countries alone before she turned 35. She was a surf model and a professional Argentine tango dancer. She had started five different companies and had an MBA from NYU. THE BURN ZONE is an exploration of how we give up our power --- how what started out as a need to heal from the loss of her parents and to understand the big questions in life could leave a young woman fighting for her sanity and her sense of self. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Joanne Froggatt
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists descends upon Birchwood Manor in rural Oxfordshire. By the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins. Over 150 years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel with two seemingly unrelated items in it: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets? Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL by Jean Thompson (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Evelyn set aside her career to marry, late, and motherhood never became her. Her daughter Laura felt this acutely and wants desperately to marry, but she soon discovers her husband Gabe to be a man who expects too much of everyone in his life, especially his musician son. Grace has moved out from Laura and Gabe’s house, but can’t seem to live up to her potential --- whatever that might be. In A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A GIRL, we see these women and their trials, small and large: social slights and heartbreaks, marital disappointments and infidelities, familial dysfunction, mortality. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
THE DARKNESS by Ragnar Jonasson (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Amanda Redman
The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed. Over a year later, Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced into early retirement at 64. But before she leaves, she is given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice. She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DECK THE HOUNDS: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Grove Gardner
Andy Carpenter doesn’t usually stop to help others, but seeing a dog next to a homeless man inspires him to give the pair some money. Soon after, man and dog are attacked on the street. The dog defends its new owner, and the erstwhile attacker is bitten but escapes. The dog is quarantined, and the man, Don Carrigan, is heartbroken. In a matter of days, Don and his dog Zoey are living above Andy’s garage. It turns out that Don is wanted for a murder that happened two years ago. Don not only claims he’s innocent, but that he had no idea he was wanted for a crime he has no knowledge of in the first place. It’s up to Andy to exonerate his new friend, if he doesn’t get pulled into the quagmire first. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
THE GLASS OCEAN by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available; read by Vanessa Johansson, Saskia Maarleveld and Brittany Pressley
From the New York Times bestselling authors of THE FORGOTTEN ROOM comes a captivating historical mystery, infused with romance, that links the lives of three women across a century --- two deep in the past, one in the present --- to the doomed passenger liner, RMS Lusitania. Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.leahdecesare.com).
GONE SO LONG by Andre Dubus III (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Andre Dubus III
Daniel Ahearn lives a quiet, solitary existence in a seaside New England town. Forty years ago, following a shocking act of impulsive violence on his part, his daughter, Susan, was ripped from his arms by police. Now in her 40s, Susan still suffers from the trauma of a night she doesn’t remember, as she struggles to feel settled, to love a man and create something that lasts. Lois, her maternal grandmother who raised her, tries to find peace in her antique shop in a quaint Florida town but cannot escape her own anger, bitterness and fear. Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.leahdecesare.com).
HEAVY: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Kiese Laymon
In HEAVY, Kiese Laymon writes about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to his trek to New York as a young college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing and ultimately gambling. By attempting to name secrets and lies he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, Laymon asks himself, his mother, his nation and us to confront the terrifying possibility that few in this country actually know how to responsibly love, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
HOLY GHOST: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Eric Conger
Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of 700 souls, for which the word "moribund" might have been invented. Nothing ever happened there and nothing ever would --- until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map. They'd heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They'd all get rich! What could go wrong? When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that's only the beginning of their troubles --- and Virgil Flowers' --- as they are all about to discover all too soon. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
MARILLA OF GREEN GABLES by Sarah McCoy (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Marilla Cuthbert is 13 years old when her beloved mother dies in childbirth, and she suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother’s sister, who managed to escape to the bustling city of St. Catharines. Aunt Izzy’s talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world. Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. However, she soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition --- jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Reviewed by Carole Turner.
OPEN YOUR EYES by Paula Daly (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Emma Fenney
Jane Campbell avoids confrontation at any costs. Given the choice, she’ll always let her husband, Leon --- a bestselling crime writer --- take the lead, while she focuses on her two children and her job as a creative writing teacher. After she receives another rejection for her novel, Leon urges Jane to put her hobby to rest. And why shouldn’t she, when they appear to have the perfect house and the perfect life? But then Leon is brutally attacked in their driveway, and suddenly their perfect life becomes the stuff of nightmares. Who would commit such a hateful offense? With her husband in a coma, Jane must open her eyes to the problems in her life, as well as the secrets that have been kept from her. Reviewed by Lorraine W. Shanley.
THE RECKONING by John Grisham (Historical Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Michael Beck
Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi’s favorite son --- a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor and faithful member of the Methodist church. Then, one cool October morning, he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed his pastor and friend, the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder wasn’t shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's only statement about it --- to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury and to his family --- was: "I have nothing to say." He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
TIME'S CONVERT by Deborah Harkness (Paranormal Thriller/Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Saskia Maarleveld
On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one, and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus' deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality and brotherhood. Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor --- the young employee at Sotheby's for whom Marcus has fallen --- is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
TOWNIES: And Other Stories of Southern Mischief by Eryk Pruitt (Crime Fiction/Short Stories)
TOWNIES collects, for the first time, Eryk Pruitt's short fiction in a single volume. The title story, "Townies," details what really happened one night, after hours, in a once-popular East Texas sports bar, and the sinister revenge that would soon follow. "Let's Be Awful" tells the story of a cocktail waitress who decides that, after a horrid round of revenge porn, her days of playing the victim have past. In "A Lot Prettier (When You Smile)," we are introduced to a woman who can wrap any man around her finger and decides to put that powerful skill to use one last time. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
UNSHELTERED by Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Barbara Kingsolver
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy, he seems likely to join them. In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? Science teacher Thatcher Greenwood’s employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His friendships with a female scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Barrie Kreinik
Alva Smith, her southern family destitute after the Civil War, married into one of America’s great Gilded Age dynasties: the newly wealthy but socially shunned Vanderbilts. Ignored by New York’s old-money circles and determined to win respect, she designed and built nine mansions, hosted grand balls and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. But Alva also defied convention for women of her time, asserting power within her marriage and becoming a leader in the women's suffrage movement. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.
THE WINTERS by Lisa Gabriele (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Rankin
After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter, a wealthy politician and recent widower. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell. She soon realizes there is no clear place for her in this twisted little family. As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets --- the kind of secrets that could kill her, too. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
YOU WERE ALWAYS MINE by Nicole Baart (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Nina Alvamar
When Jessica Chamberlain’s phone rings one quiet morning, her world is shattered. As she tries to pick up the pieces and make sense of what went wrong, Jess begins to realize that a tragic death is just the beginning. Soon she is caught in a web of lies and half-truths --- and is horrified to learn that everything leads back to her seven-year-old adopted son, Gabriel. Years ago, Gabe’s birth mother requested a closed adoption and Jessica was more than happy to comply. But when her house is broken into and she discovers a clue that suggests her estranged husband was in close contact with Gabe’s biological mother, she vows to uncover the truth at any cost. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
FINDING BABA YAGA: A Short Novel in Verse by Jane Yolen (Fantasy)
A young woman discovers the power to speak up and take control of her fate --- a theme that has never been more timely than it is now…You think you know this story. You do not. A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself.... Reviewed by Sally Tibbetts.
LIGHT YEARS by Kass Morgan (Science Fiction)
Reeling from the latest attack by a mysterious enemy, the Quatra Fleet Academy is finally admitting students from every planet in the solar system. Hotshot pilot Vesper dreams of becoming a captain. Cormak will take any chance he can get to escape his dead-end life and join the Academy. Arran was always considered an outsider, always dreaming of something more than a life working in the mines. And Orelia has infiltrated the Academy to complete a mission. These cadets will have to put their differences aside and become a team if they want to defend their world from a cunning enemy. Reviewed by Alice D., Teen Board Member.
OTHERWORLD (Last Reality, Book 1) by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller (Science Fiction)
Otherworld introduces you to sensations you’d never be able to feel in real life. You discover what’s been missing --- because it’s taboo or illegal or because you lack the guts to do it for real. And when you find out what’s missing, it’s almost impossible to let it go again. There are no screens. There are no controls. In this new reality, there are no laws to break or rules to obey. You can live your best life. Indulge every desire. This is Otherworld --- a virtual reality game so addictive you’ll never want it to end. And Simon has just discovered that for some, it might not. Reviewed by Ansley K., Teen Board Member.
PERIOD POWER: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement written by Nadya Okamoto and illustrated by Rebecca Elfast (Nonfiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Nadya Okamoto
Throughout history, periods have been hidden from the public. They’re taboo. They’re embarrassing. They’re gross. And due to a crumbling or nonexistent national sex ed program, they are misunderstood. Because of these stigmas, a status quo has been established to exclude people who menstruate from the seat at the decision-making table, creating discriminations like the tampon tax, medicines that favor male biology and more. PERIOD POWER aims to explain what menstruation is, shed light on the stigmas and resulting biases, and create a strategy to end the silence and prompt conversation about periods. Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member.
A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA by Tahereh Mafi (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Priya Ayyar
It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a 16-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments --- even the physical violence --- she endures as a result of her race, her religion and the hijab she wears. So she refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James, the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. Reviewed by Dana Cuadrado.
A WINTER'S PROMISE: Book One of The Mirror Visitor Quartet written by Christelle Dabos and translated by Hildegarde Serle (Fantasy)
Ophelia's ability to read the past of objects is unmatched in all of Anima and she also possesses the ability to travel through mirrors, a skill passed down to her from previous generations. Her life is disrupted, however, when she is promised in marriage to a taciturn and influential member of a distant clan. Ophelia must leave all she knows behind and follow her fiancé to Citaceleste, the capital of a cold, icy ark known as the Pole. There, in the presence of her inscrutable future husband, Ophelia slowly realizes that she is a pawn in a political game that will have far-reaching ramifications not only for her but for her entire world. Reviewed by Lauren C., Teen Board Member.
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