Rocking Reads

Archived Posts from this Category

October 8, 2011

Rocking Read: Stay

Posted by Lavanya under Interview, Pets, Rocking Reads | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

One of the coolest things about being a writer is the ability to share things I love with the world. I recently came across a book titled Stay by Allie Larkin. It’s her debut novel about a single female who purchases a dog online to deal with a heartbreak. The book featured a cute German Shepherd puppy on the cover and I instantly knew I would enjoy it. I finished the first 50 pages on the train ride home. That same night, I reached out to Allie, telling her how much I was loving her book and that I wanted to interview her for NY Resident.

The next morning, I got her answer, and I was thrilled to be chatting with Allie and spreading the word about her book that I was thoroughly enjoying. Below is the interview, and I couldn’t recommend this book enough! Hope you get to read it too!

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the adorable dog on the cover of Allie Larkin’s debut novel Stay, I instantly bought it. I am glad I did because the book was a delight and I didn’t want it to end. Stay is about Savannah “Van” Leone, a twenty something from upstate New York who impulsively purchases a German Shepherd puppy from Slovakia online to soothe her heartache when the man she loves marries her best friend.

When the puppy turns out to be a clumsy 100 pound beast of a dog that she names Joe, Van is in for an adventure, one that involves dealing with chewed up furniture, unhappy neighbors and midnight runs to the vet. While the new bond of Van with Joe is the central theme, what tugs more at your heart is the relationship between Van and her mother, her best friend and ultimately the one she has with herself. Stay is charming, funny, hopeful and a must read for those who believe that animals help us more than we help them. Recently, I got to chat with Larkin about her book, life with dogs, and her other passions.  

NYR: This is your first novel, and you must be very excited. How did it all come about? Is any it based in reality?

AL: I am very excited. I started Stay in 2002 as a writing exercise in college, and it came out in hardcover in 2010 and paperback this summer. I graduated from college, had other jobs, bought a house and got married in that time period. Like Van, I’m from Westchester County and now live in Rochester. I used some locations and cultural quirks that are familiar to me. But with the exception of Van’s dog, Joe, the story and the characters are pure fiction.

NYR: How is Joe’s character based on your two German Shepherds Argo and Stella?

Stella and Argo

AL: Joe is something of an Argo/Stella conglomerate, although, neither of them are from Slovakia, and vodka was not involved. In the first few drafts of Stay, Joe was all Argo, but Argo is a very easygoing dog, and that didn’t make for much drama. When we adopted Stella, she gave me lots of material for Joe’s antics.

NYR: Savannah purchases her dog online, but in real life you do a lot of rescue related charity work. Can you share a bit about that?

AL: Van’s drunken acquisition of Joe in Stay is very obviously not something to be advocated, but the relationship between Joe and Van is a tribute to the way dogs change our lives for the better. I like to do what I can to encourage people to check with their local rescue organizations/shelters when they are ready for a pet. I partner with rescue organizations at my signings whenever possible, so readers can meet dogs face to face and talk with the heroes who work so hard to keep the animals safe and healthy and find them homes.

I’m also thrilled to be a contributor in the new dog anthology, I’m not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship: Hilarious, Heartwarming Tales About Man’s Best Friend from America’s Favorite Humorists, because a portion of the proceeds will be going to the Humane Society, and every contributor is donating their fee to their favorite charity. Argo is the subject of the essay in the book.

NYR: Can you tell us about your website Thegreenists.com?  

AL: My friend Courtney and I started the site, and it’s a great community of our favorite bloggers who share simple tips for making life a little greener. We focus on what is attainable and practical. There are ways to implement simple changes that won’t make you feel like a martyr. For example, bring your own shopping bags, get a reusable water bottle, carpool with your neighbor, or eat a vegetarian meal once or twice a week. Being green can be as simple as passing old clothes on to a friend, or not buying something new when it isn’t necessary. 

Allie Larkin lives in Rochester, NY with her husband, Jeremy and two dogs – Argo & Stella, and a three-legged cat. www.Allielarkin.com.

 

August 3, 2011

Delightful Summer Reads: Happiness Key Novels

Posted by Lavanya under Conservation, Rocking Reads | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Happiness Key * Fortunate Harbor * Sunset Bridge

This article appeared in the August 2011 issue of NY Resident.

It was love at first sight. The beautiful palm fringed beach and the lounging ladies on the cover of Happiness Key by Emilie Richards caught my attention two summers ago. It was the first time I had heard of the author, who I later learned has written more than 60 novels ranging from romance to mystery to women’s fiction. She began writing with her fourth child on her lap in 1983. Her former career as a therapist helps her create realistic characters and explore social issues and relationships on a deeper level. I devoured the novel in one weekend and eagerly waited for the following summers for the sequels. This July, the last in the series, Sunset Bridge (Mira Books, 510 pgs, $14.95) with a tag line, “If you have friends, you have everything,” hit the stores just in time for beach weather.

Emilie Richards with her beagle

Happiness Key is the first in the trilogy about the unlikely friendship between four completely different women who live on a barrier island called Happiness Key on Florida’s Gulf coast. When asked why she chose to write novels set in Florida, Richards said, “I grew up in Florida, but I never set a novel on the southern Gulf Coast, where I’m from. So it definitely seemed time, and frequent visits back home set those wheels in motion.”

When leading lady Tracy Deloche’s husband goes to prison for fraud, her only option after divorcing him was to give up her fancy life in LA and move into one of the five ramshackle cottages on the Key. Originally intended for development, the 25 acres of Happiness Key is the only property to her name and Tracy is presented with a chance to rebuild her life. Luckily, she is not without help from her neighbors. Janya Kapur, who leaves her family in India for an arranged marriage to a man she barely knows, is trying to adapt to a new culture. Alice Brooks, is dealing with her own issues when her son-in-law and granddaughter move in after her daughter goes missing. Then there is headstrong Wanda Grey, hoping to save her marriage and start a pie business. All four women are trying to mend from the heartbreaks, twists, and turns of life. But now, they have each other’s help.

Whether finding the family of a deceased neighbor named Herb Krause in Happiness Key or helping new tenants Dana and her daughter Lizzie who come with a deep secret in Fortunate Harbor, or supporting one another as each aspires towards her own happy ending in the face of an impending hurricane in Sunset Bridge, the four women confront difficult truths about their own lives and discover that life is truly better with good friends and of course, Wanda’s delicious pies.

In all three novels, environmentalism plays a key role. The land Tracy inherits from her ex-husband is fine property for development, but it is also ones of the sanctuaries in Florida. Thanks to Marsh Egan, a lawyer heading the non-profit Wild Florida, Tracy cuts a deal to protect Happiness Key from developers. Richards remembers, “A kayak trip along a mangrove trail on one of my visits renewed my interest in Florida’s environmental issues, and I suspect Marsh and Wild Florida were born that day.” She continues, “ Just today I spent hours looking up specifics about rising sea levels, climate change, and it’s inevitable effect on Florida’s beaches and cities. Spreading the word isn’t only important, but it’s mandatory. The news is not good. Florida is unbelievably fragile on far too many levels–as is the rest of our planet.”

When Tracy begins to fall in love with macho nature loving Marsh, despite his penchant for all things outdoors and her desire for the finer aspects in life, one can’t help but root for their love to succeed. Tracy, after having been in a superficial marriage learns to love again. Marsh, who has also been married with a kid, begins to trust Tracy to be there for him and his son. In Richards’ novels, relationships of all kinds- Wanda’s with her daughter, Janya with her arranged husband, or Alice with her granddaughter – touch upon subjects such as partnership, aging, motherhood and marriage.

With romance and suspense in equal doses, vivid descriptions, well-developed relatable characters and engrossing interwoven storylines, Richards’ Happiness Key novels are perfect for reading on summer days. They are all the more better with a sweet slice of lemon meringue pie.

Richards, who currently lives in Virginia, enjoys visiting New York. Richards’ parents were born in the city (Bronx and Brooklyn). She recently discovered that her great-grandmother, an Irish immigrant, ran a boarding house in Auburn in the 1800s. So she will be making more visits in the near future. Let’s hope she uses the trips for her next series.

For more information, please visit www.emilierichards.com.

 

February 20, 2011

Rocking Read: THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES

Posted by Lavanya under Rocking Reads | Tags: , , , , , |
[2] Comments 

Bush tea in Botswana over black ice in New York?

It’s been six months since the last time I left the country. I knew I needed an escape. Since getting on a plane right this week is not an option, I opted for some armchair traveling. I checked Alexander McCall Smith’s website, hoping the newest installment of the Detective series is out. A bright cover with a painting of the rising African sun and a procession of wedding guests entering a white tent above the title, “The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party” cheered me up right away. But the book won’t release until the end of March. Bummer.

I don’t exactly remember the first time I got hooked on UK author McCall Smith’s books, but my love affair with Botswana and the lovely characters of the No. 1 Ladies detective series began many years ago. Mma Precious Ramotswe, a traditional built woman (as she proudly likes to refer to herself as), is the founder and owner of the first female detective agency in Gaborone, capital of Botswana.  She solves mysteries ranging from missing children to catching cheating spouses to finding solutions to unusual situations (one in particular involving a man who poses as a long last father of a business woman only to be busted for being a con artist).

Ramotswe likes her donuts and bush tea, and relies on help from her assistant detective Mma Grace Makutsi, achiever of the exceptionally high mark of 97% in her exams at the Botswana’s Secretarial College, and a lover of shoes. She is ambitious but high strung and a tad bit judgmental, but Ramotswe’s calm and sensible nature balances out their differences, and helps run the agency like a well oiled machine.

Speaking of machines, Mma Ramotswe is married to the best mechanic in town- J.L.B. Matekoni, a kind gentleman who on many an occasion has requested his wife to replace her tiny white old van, to no avail. He runs the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage with the help of two young (rather mischievous) apprentices who provide plenty of laughs. Then, there is Mma Potokwane, the matron at the orphan farm, who does everything in her ability to provide for the kids under her roof, including bribing supporters with generous servings of her fruit cake. Mma Ramotswe and Rra Matekoni have taken on fostering two of the kids including one wheel-chair bound girl who shows an interest in mending cars.

Now, it’s not hard to see why I love these characters. They are good people who work hard and help others. The stories they share are heartwarming, and always have happy endings. McCall Smith is a master of storytelling that is honest, lighthearted and down to earth. But above all else, his books’ setting- Botswana – with its wild splendor, the acacia trees, the bright sun, and the Kalahari desert- is portrayed with such love and tenderness that you almost want to experience it for yourself. And believe me, you do without ever leaving your room, thanks to McCall Smith’s vivid descriptions and his own admiration for the place.

With such charming titles like, “The Kalahari Typing School for Men” and “The Double Comfort Safari Club,” who wouldn’t want to dig in? Since I have to wait another month to read the twelfth in the series, I am going to re-read some of my favorites this month, with plenty of hot tea and a healthy dose of Botswana, which all together are sure to drive away my winter doldrums.

McCall Smith will be speaking at Cooper Union, Cooper Square (7th Street), between 3rd and 4th Avenues in New York on March 31st at 6:30pm. For more information, please visit his site here.

To catch the TV version of the series, please add HBO’s No. 1 Ladies Detective Season 1 to your Netflix.

 

January 29, 2011

Rocking Read: TRAVELS IN SIBERIA

Posted by Lavanya under My Publications, Rocking Reads | Tags: , , , , |
[6] Comments 

Once a month, in my new Rocking Reads section, I will talk about a book that I found superbly entertaining and the reasons for why it rocked my world. The books will range from engrossing fiction to enthralling travelogues to engaging non-fiction. Some are bestsellers, some not many have heard of. Old or new, short or long, the goal here is to share my love of books and hopefully start a discussion.

I hope you tune in and contribute to the section with your comments and suggestions. I am always looking for book recommendations, so please feel free to share your favorites.

This month’s book suggestion is Travels in Siberia by New Yorker writer Ian Frazier. In this travelogue that is part historical and part humorous, 59 year old Frazier chronicles his five trips over seventeen years across the massive wild land of Siberia not many think of venturing to. When was the last time you heard anyone say they are going to Siberia? I suppose never. But with this book in hand, you basically go there- to the endless forests, the haunting gulags, and drive along in a rickety Renault step van or take a train ride over 9000 miles and eight times zones. You experience the chill of the bitter Siberian cold, and the thrill of a land steeped in dramatic history and intriguing culture.

When my wonderful writing guru Susan Shapiro introduced me to her friend and mentor Ian Frazier at a panel event last Fall, I had no idea how famous he was. In his signature baseball cap and blue jeans, he was simple and humble and talked about his love of the wilderness. When I told him I wanted to write for Outside magazine that he used to contribute to, he kindly made suggestions and offered to connect me with the editor. When he visited our New School class as a guest speaker a few months later, I was awed by this man’s achievements- from his best selling Great Plains and On the Rez books about his western adventures to his Thurber Prize for his humor works. After class, I emailed my professor if it’d be overly ambitious of me to consider doing a profile of Frazier for the magazine I write for. “Sure, go for it!” was all the encouragement I needed to go ahead. But soon, anxiety set in. How could I write about THE Ian Frazier? What if the profile doesn’t measure up? What if I can’t do it? After all, it was my very first attempt at writing an author profile.

Within the next week, I raced through the 500 page hardcover, jotted down notes and questions for him. With his responses and help from my professor and writer friends, I was able to produce a profile for Resident magazine that you can find here. Those who read it said it was good, but I think it’s the book’s material that is enchanting. I learned more than I ever needed to know about Russia and its history. I fell in love with the poetic style of Frazier’s writing. Frazier’s dry and witty sense of humor made me forget about the length of the book. Most of all, the book was eye opening and enriching, as any travelogue ought be.

Below is a video of Frazier on The Colbert Report. At another panel event recently, Frazier recounted the whole experience by saying, “it’s like your favorite uncles tickles you for a bit, and then he’s done.”

Watch and find out for yourself. :)

Ian Frazier on The Colbert Report

FSG, 544 pp., $30

 

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 239 other followers