Wednesday, August 18, 2010

A Great Big Hello from Roberta Isleib!

ROBERTA:  Hurray for Karin Gillespie and this brand new Girlfriends Book blog! I'm so excited to be a part of a grand and ongoing celebration of women's fiction.

I write murder mysteries--and that started because (cross my heart) I was playing so much bad golf that I had to figure out how to make something of it! So five of my books feature neurotic but lovable professional golfer, Cassie Burdette. In real life, I'm a clinical psychologist so my next series stars psychologist, advice columnist, and amateur detective Dr. Rebecca Butterman (DEADLY ADVICE, ASKING FOR MURDER). She's also a fabulous cook--which is great fun to write! I had some exciting news recently--my short story, "The Itinerary", was chosen to be included in the next Mystery Writers of America anthology, THE QUICK AND THE DEAD. The collection will be edited by none other than Nelson DeMille! Meanwhile, my agent has two books she's trying to sell, and I'm working on another.

Enough of all that. Besides writing, I love, love, love to read. Last year I chaired the Mystery Writers of America committee that chose the best crime novel of 2009, so I've been resting a little from reading mysteries, instead concentrating on women's fiction. Here are a few books that I've read and enjoyed this summer.

THE RED THREAD by Ann Hood. From the jacket: "After losing her infant daughter in a freak accident, Maya Lange opens the Red Thread, an adoption agency that specializes in placing baby girls from China with American families." The book takes us through the stories of six couples who are waiting to adopt through Maya's agency. As the adoption date draws near, the lives of these people begin to unravel and Maya is forced to face her own tragic history with her daughter and her husband. Ann Hood is an expert about getting into the minds of her characters so they come alive on the page.

RED HOOK ROAD
by Ayelet Waldman.  Two families in Red Hook, Maine are joined by a marriage and then shattered by a tragedy almost as quickly. As their grief unfolds, the tension between the families does too, bringing cracks to light that were not visible before the wedding. Waldman started her writing career with a mystery series, the Mommy Track mysteries--her books have only gotten better and better.

THE STUFF THAT NEVER HAPPENED by Maddie Dawson. Dawson is Sandi Kahn Shelton's new identity. I've loved her other novels, which are set in my neck of the woods in Connecticut. STUFF wanders through the long marriage of Annabelle McKay, from its unusual beginning to its major hiccups to the warm and wonderful ending. The book asks the question: "What if you were married to a wonderful husband for twenty-eight year but in love with another man?" An excellent read.

And my last recommendation, SPOON FED by Kim Severson, is not fiction at all. But if you follow the food articles in the New York Times, you'll have seen Severson's byline. In this appealing book she profiles seven cooks who've had a big influence on her career and her life. You'll get her inside scoop on Alice Waters, Rachel Ray, and others, and you'll be drooling by the time you finish. I interviewed Kim on my group blog, Jungle Red Writers, so go over and check that out when you're finished.

Okay, that should keep you busy for a few days anyway! And you can find me on Facebook, my website, or Jungle Red writers. And can't wait to hear what my other girlfriends have to say....

23 comments:

  1. Hi, Roberta! It's so nice to see a site that offers support from other women writers. Women offering other women support...what a concept! Thanks for the info on what looks like some very interesting books as well. I'm heading to Facebook to add you right now!

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  2. Hi Roberta! I'm so excited to be part of this great blog. Thanks for the recommendations. I loved THE KNITTING CIRCLE by Ann Hood and have heard only good things about her latest book. I'll have to pick it up (along with the others you mentioned). Now, I just need to find a deserted island where I can go with my TBR pile and finally get caught up!

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  3. Congrats on your story! And what great recommendations. I loved The Red Thread (Ann Hood is one of my favorite authors) and Red Hook Road, which I just finished. I had no clue that Maddie Dawson and Sandi Kahn Shelton are one and the same! I've read and loved a couple of her novels (she has such a great voice) and now will check out the Maddie Dawson. And Spoon Fed is new to me and sounds great--I thought I'd read/ordered every book about food/cooking this past year. Off to check it out. Thanks, Roberta!

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  4. Wonderful suggestions, Roberta. I hadn't heard about Red Thread at all so I'm thrilled Ann Hood has another book out.

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  5. Okay, so I'm beginning to see that this blog is going to be very expensive for me. I've already got Ayelet's latest, and an Ann Hood on my bookshelf, but now I have to run out at buy that Maggie Lawson book.

    Great post, Roberta! It's so much fun to see that our book tastes are so similar!

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  6. I saw this blog from your FB post and immediately had to come over. On 8/1, I put a moratorium on reading/buying any new books until I finished at least 5 from the growing stash I already have. I can see that I'm going to have to break my rule to add these books!

    Can't wait to come back for more! Definitely a new follower!!

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  7. Yes, yes, break all rules and moratoria, Jennifer and Brenda! I have a stack of at least 14 that need to be read:). I've just last night started on Allison Winn Scotch's TIME OF MY LIFE. She's got the kind of high-concept idea that I'd kill to think of. (Sorry, mystery writer's exaggeration...)

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  8. This was driving me crazy all morning long-- I KNEW I'd seen the cover art they used for Maddie Dawson's The Stuff That Never Happened:

    http://shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/2010/08/similar-covers-woman-with-pink-gloves.html

    It's the exact same cover as Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis (another really good book, btw!). So, now I can stop procrastinating and get back to writing. OR, find some other reason to procrastinate....

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  9. Oh, and Roberta, OF COURSE I'm buying all of these books asap! I have no self control.

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  10. Hi Roberta! I love that "bad golf" inspired your series. My golf is pretty bad; has yours improved since writing about it?

    I'll be teaching a class at this fall's South Carolina Writers Workshop conference on how to turn inspiration into viable stories, and hope you won't mind if I use your experience among my examples. :-)

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  11. Brenda, that cover of Maddie's with the pink gloves was trying me crazy too because I KNEW I'd seen it before.

    As Roberta mentioned Maddie is really Sandi Kahn Shelton and this copycat cover thing has happened to her twice:

    http://shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/2010/06/similar-covers-woman-with-necklace.html

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  12. Scandal!!! Man, if I were Maddie/ Sandi, I would not be delighted. Though, I must say that both covers are gorgeous. So, maybe she is delighted!!

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  13. Hey, Roberta! It's so great seeing you here.
    Brings back some fun memories of my mystery days. :-) Love all your book reviews. I'm like Jennifer with my huge TBR stack, swearing to myself I won't bring any more books into the house until I read what I've got. Yet I always seem to keep buying more. And you've given me some good ones to add to my "want" list. I wish that deadlines didn't get in the way of my reading, dang it. Does anyone else dream of a year-long vacation where all they do is sit on a beach somewhere, eat, and read???

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  14. Hi Susan, nice to see you here! Wow, I would be beside myself with a "used" cover. My gosh, there must be a million photos to choose from...

    Therese, yes of course, tell my story: That I frustrated and wore out 8 golf teaching professionals before I found someone who could help my game. Of course I had to write about THAT!

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  15. So were you able to write off your golf habit?

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  16. Wow, thank you, Roberta, for including my new book in this most excellent list of authors. I'm right now going to amazon to order all of these books. You really know how to make a book sound compelling. And yikes!! What an interesting discussion about book covers! I had no idea I'd been a victim of this...TWICE. (I did know about the other cover for The Stuff That Never Happened, although I didn't know that until it was too late and I WAS beside myself... but I had no idea about the Kissing Games one.) Sheeesh. Seems that publishers don't really have a way of checking to see if a book cover (from stock art) has been used before. But that seems kind of crazy to me! I do love my new cover so much! But it would be nice if it could maybe go to its rest now and not appear on any more books! (Or is that being selfish?) :-)
    Thanks for all your good comments and sympathy! And Melissa, I love your books too! This is such a great site!

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  17. I'm seeing a RED theme, here Roberta!

    And I'll just add these to the ever-growing TBR pile...

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  18. Love the recommendations, Roberta - as if I don't have enough books to read!

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  19. Thank you for the book recommendations! I always love to add to my TBR pile and these all look right up my alley.

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  20. Hi Roberta,

    Your post inspired me to break out of my habit of reading women's fiction and head for some mysteries! I'll add your name to my list.

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  21. Such fabulous recommendations, Roberta!! Thank you :). Really interested in checking these out, esp. The Stuff That Never Happened -- I'm fascinated by those "what if" questions about relationships!

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  22. I've heard really good things about Ayelet Waldman's book... I'll pick it up!

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  23. Hey Roberta! I saw the link for this new blog on one of my writer's loops and it was fun to click over and see an interview with you! I was at the Key West Writer's Workshop this last March. For anyone who sees this, the workshop was great (and in Key West, duh) and Roberta and Hallie Ephron were the teachers.
    Anyway, the ms I brought to the workshop is finally complete. As of TODAY! Yeah! Heading to the Rocky Mtn Writer's Conference next month.
    Hope you're doing well! :-) Tara Erickson

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