To nobody's surprise, there is yet another story about the Wade/LeBron/Bosh situation on an NBA website. This Tim Povtak article on NBA Fanhouse is another example of some of your generic "this Heat team will be really good" fare. However, what's this?
Editor's Note: Because of a transcription error, an earlier version of this story contained an incorrect quote from Dwyane Wade. The full and accurate version of the quote is contained in this story. We deeply regret the error.
Wait, what? What could be so bad?
Courtesy of tweet by Pete Gaines, here is a screen capture of the original story:
...Okay then. Wow. Way to be sensitive there, D-Wade. I think the national Terror Alert Level just went up from yellow to a-kinda-sorta-orangey-yellow. And I'm sure conspiracy theorists have already decided D-Wade was somehow involved in the September 11th attacks.
So, Fanhouse claimed there was a "transcription error." Not really sure how you can have a transcription error that egregious slip through the editors, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt. So what was the actual quote, NBA Fanhouse?
"Plus, there's going to be times when we lose 2-3 games in a row, and it seems like the world has crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade is coming down again, but it's not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games."
Oh, because that's so much better without the parenthetical "(Center)."
A young woman follows her fiancé to war-torn Congo to study extremely endangered bonobo apes—who teach her a new truth about love and belonging
It's funny how you come to find a book sometimes. How I found Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods is first I read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen and loved it! Then I went to BEA and heard that Sara Gruen was going to be there signing her new book Ape House. Next I briefly meet Sara Gruen, she signs her new book Ape House for me and off I go to read away. What I didn't know at the time was that Ape House was a story of Bonobo's, and that Bonobos are our closest relatives, sharing 98.7% of our DNA. I thought it was fascinating and had to look into Bonobos a little more. While I was researching, I found Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods which had been recently published and tells the story of Vanessa following her fiance into the Congo to study the Bonobos, and her story and the story of the Bonobos was all so interesting. So Bonobo Handshake is in my TBR pile, I'll be reviewing Ape House by Sara Gruen shortly, and in the meantime here's what Bonobo Handshake by Vanessa Woods is all about right from Vanessa's website BonoboHandshake.com...
In 2005, Vanessa Woods accepted a marriage proposal from a man she barely knew and agreed to join him on a research trip to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Settling in at a bonobo sanctuary in Congo’s capital, Vanessa and her fiancé entered the world of a rare ape with whom we share 98.7% of our DNA. Vanessa soon discovered that bonobos live in a peaceful society in which females are in charge, war is nonexistent, and sex is as common and friendly as a handshake.
A fascinating memoir of hope and adventure, Bonobo Handshake traces Vanessa’s self-discovery as she finds herself falling deeply in love with her husband, the apes, and her new surroundings. Courageous and extraordinary, Almost French meets The Poisonwood Bible in this true story of revelation and transformation in a fragile corner of Africa.
I look forward to reading Vanessa's book, as the story of the Bonobos is an important one. The adults have been hunted and killed for the bushmeat trade, and the babies are either left on their own or illegally poached as pets. There is only one sanctuary in the world that rescues and rehabilitates these innocent victims, and that is Lola ya Bonoboin the Congo. If you'd like to learn more about the Bonobos before you read Vanessa's book, you can visitFriends of Bonobos,it was an eye opener for me.
Happy Sunday! Pull up a chair and relax, grab a cup of iced joe ( it is about 80 degrees outside right now!) and welcome to The Sunday Salon! All over the blogosphere, bookish people are virtually sitting down together to talk about something they love... BOOKS!
I've been on vacation this week and enjoying the nice weather, catching up on some reading and of course exploring some bookish things! One thing I wanted to do while on vacation this year was take a leisurely drive to The Book Barn! So today I thought I would share what books I brought home with me. It's always an adventure going to used book stores or sales. And I happily came home with a bag of books. But first, what is The Book Barn? The Book Barn is located in Niantic, Ct. and its primary mission is "uniting people and books together inbiblioholic bliss." And with over 350,000 used books housed in 5 buildings and numerous kiosks on the grounds, it is amazing. The atmosphere is light, fun, almost like being at a country fair. It's kid friendly, spouse friendly (plenty of outside seating), and there are friendly cats (which found my DH and his Kindle very companionable) that wonder in, out and all around the buildings.
First there is the Main Barn where you'll find art, history, children's and teen books. Then there is The Annex, which is where I found fiction, poetry and romance. Hades is where you'll find the mass market paperbacks before finding their permanent homes (see photo on right). It's called Hades because they aren't alphabetical, just grouped in categories. Next I wondered into The Haunted! This is where the mysteries are! And then I wondered to The Last Page, which is where their "last chance" books are and more obscure titles, although the Nature books were in there, and I did find a great old bird book!
So, what about the books I can home with?! First book I picked up was Promise Not To Tell byJennifer McMahon. I really enjoyed her last book, Dismantled, which was this great murder mystery/thriller/ghost story. And I also enjoyed her book Island of Lost Girls, which was another literary mystery part coming-of-age story. Promise Not To Tell is Jennifer McMahon's debut novel. This is what Publisher's Weekly says about it..."Part mystery-thriller and part ghost story, McMahon's well-paced debut alternates smoothly between past and present. In the fall of 2002, 41-year-old Kate Cypher, a divorced Seattle school nurse, returns to New Hope, the decaying Vermont hippie commune where she grew up, to visit her elderly mother, Jean, who's suffering from Alzheimer's. Kate has avoided New Hope since the grizzly, unsolved murder of her fifth-grade friend, Del Griswold, 31 years earlier. Kate fears she betrayed Del, a free-spirited farm girl. Did her betrayal cause Del's death? Who killed Del? Another local girl is murdered in a similar manner at the time of Kate's return. Could the killer be loose again? Meanwhile, Jean appears to be possessed with Del's spirit and may have the answers to these questions. As Kate investigates, she learns stunning truths about many events and people from her youth." I'm really looking forward to reading this. Jennifer McMahon's writing is great and she really has the ability to get underneath the skin of her characters.
Next book I picked up was Evermore by Alyson Noel. I know I'm a little late getting to this series, but now that I've finished the Twilight series, I thought I would try some of the other YA literature I've heard great things about. This is what Booklist writes about Evermore... "This opening book in a new series, The Immortals, will thrill many teen fantasy-suspense readers, especially fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. Seventeen-year-old Ever survived the car crash that killed her parents, younger sister, and their dog. Now she lives with an aunt in Southern California, plagued not only by survivor guilt but also by a new ability to hear the thoughts of all around her. She tries to tune out all these distractions by keeping her hoodie up and her iPod cranked loud, until Damen, the cute new boy at school, convinces her to come out of her shell. Damen, however, is frighteningly clever—and has the strange ability to produce tulips from nowhere and disappear himself at critical moments. Noël creates a cast of recognizably diverse teens in a realistic high-school setting, along with just the right tension to make Ever’s discovery of her own immortality—should she choose it—exciting and credible." There are 4 books in the "Immortal" series, the latest, Dark Flame, just released last month. The series has gotten good reviews, and I'm up for a new series. Has anyone read these yet? What did you think? What series would you recommend?
Next pick was The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. Eudora Welty is one of our great American authors who wrote stories and novels about the American South. She lived during the Great Depression and won numerous awards, including The Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for her novel, The Optimist's Daughter. I signed up for the Short Story Challenge this year and have been enjoying the sampling of stories written by some great authors. So, since I have Eudora's book The Optimist's Daughter in my TBR pile, it felt natural to pick this up too!
Then I saw a copy of Waiting by Ha Jin. I had always meant to read this book. It even won the National Book Award in 1999. A love story, and a love triangle that spans 18 years. Here's what the publishers write... "This is the story of Lin Kong, a man living in two worlds, struggling with the conflicting claims of two utterly different women as he moves through the political minefields of a society designed to regulate his every move and stifle the promptings of his inner most heart. For more than seventeen years, this devoted and ambitious doctor has been in love with an educated, clever, modern woman, Manna Wu. But back in the traditional world of his home village lives the wife his family chose for him when he was young--a humble and touchingly loyal woman, whom he visits in order to ask, again and again, for a divorce. In a culture in which the ancient ties of tradition and family still hold sway and where adultery discovered by the Party can ruin lives forever, Lin's passionate love is stretched ever more taut by the passing years. Every summer, his compliant wife agrees to a divorce but then backs out. This time, Lin promises, will be different. Tracing these lives through their summer of decision and beyond, Ha Jin vividly conjures the texture of daily life in a place where the demands of human longing must contend with the weight of centuries of custom". I really enjoy Japanese fiction and part of that enjoyment is being able to glimpse inside a culture I am not familiar with. Ha Jin accomplishes giving us a glimpse into the Chinese culture with Waiting. This story is also based on a true story Ha Jin was told by his wife. This book is now going to make into the TBR pile.
Finally, I made my way to the mystery building (The Haunted) and not being frightened away by any ghosts, I picked up some Stuart Woods. Now I mentioned Stuart Woods in my "Literal" Beach Reads post last month, and how he writes a series of mystery thrillers with a female police chief by the name of Holly Barker. So for the bargain price of $1 each, I picked up Orchid Beach, Blood Orchid, Orchid Blues and Reckless Abandon. Holly's series are all "Orchid" books, but Reckless Abandon is both Holly Barker and Stuart Woods other great character Stone Barrington, a lawyer with a detectives mind. I recently listened to the audiobook Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods and loved the story (and the narrator!), and thought it was about time to invite Stuart Woods into the mix. (BTW, I'll also be posting the review of Hot Mahogany soon, so keep your eyes out for that!)
Final thoughts on The Book Barn... Prices were reasonable with trade paperbacks mostly $4, Teen trades were $3, Hardback prices varied, and mass market paperbacks were a dollar each. Conditions of books varied too, but the books I carried home with me, with the exception of Waiting by Ha Jin, were in excellent condition. Waiting by Ha Jin's cover was well worn, but otherwise in very good condition. So, I have plenty of "oldies but goodies" in the TBR pile and had fun wondering around thousands of books! I could have put so much more in that bag, but tried to remember that once they were home, I'd have to find a place to put them! Oh, and the staff were very friendly, helping people find books they wanted and recommended books to some of the teens looking to grab a good read.
So, that was my week, how was yours!? Do you enjoy used book sales? What "Book Barns" are near you?! And what books caught your attention this week?! And what books filled the void you felt after finishing Twilight?! The Giveaway for Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea ended last night, so I'll be picking the winners today, but there's still time to enter the Giveaway for The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell, which is such a fun memoir drawn like a graphic novel. And girls you will laugh! There's also still time to enter the Giveaway for Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer, a sexy romance during the time of Waterloo. A sneak peek at next week... a Giveaway for an audiobook! Think James Patterson and his newest book, Private!
Happy reading! Thanks for stopping by!.... Suzanne
or the Strong Female Protagonists We've Loved All Along
Chick Lit...
"Chick Lit" refers to books featuring hip, stylist female protagonists. We usually follow their struggles with their love life and careers. Some excellent books that come to mind are Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding and Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (BTW, if you haven’t read either of these books put them on your reading list!) ... But before the invention of “Chick lit” there were still some powerful chicks out there worth reading about! Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables who must overcome the loss of her parents and the start of a new life away from what was once called home. Francie Nolan of A Tree Grows in Brooklynwho blossoms out of the pavement just like the tree that grows in the tenements where she lives, Cassandra Mortmain of I Captured the Castle, who struggles to grow up and learn about life & Love in a decaying English castle. These coming of age books are timeless. And have always been a popular read. I Captured the Castle was recently reissued after being out of print for many years and is enjoying popularity among reading groups too. Relive your youth and read one of these classics. P. S. speaking of strong women-don't forget those March Sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy) of Little Women.
So, here's the start of a list of some timeless classics that star a girl with guts... what books can you add to the list?
*I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith published 1948 ( author of The Hundred and One Dalmations)
*Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery published 1908
*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith published 1943
*Little Women by Louis May Alcott published 1868
*Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene, mystery series published starting 1930
*Trixie Belden by Julie Campbell, mystery series published starting 1948
*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte published 1847
*The Millenium Series by Stieg Larsson 1st in series published 2008
*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen published 1813
*Sharon McCone Mysteries by Marcia Muller mysteries published starting 1977
*Thursday Next of the Jasper Fforde Novels starting in 2001
Julie of Reading Without Restraint commented to add Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden to the mix! Both are teenage girls with an amazing ability to solve a good mystery! Independent & fearless, both girls are good examples of strong female characters! Nancy Drew was written by various ghost writers under the name Carolyn Keene and began publishing in 1930, and Trixie Belden was written by Julie Campbell in the beginning, starting in 1948, and then by various ghost writers under the name Kathryn Kenny after Julie Campbell decided to stop writing the books. Thanks Julie for adding these great heroines!
BookishBarney (aka Ellie!) of Musings of a Bookshop Girl adds Jane Eyre to the list! She points out that Jane is calm & proper on the surface, but strong & passionate underneath. What a wonderful example of a woman who knows her own mind! Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics and thanks Ellie for adding her to the list!
PaulGuy adds a contemporary girl to the list(but she's all class!)... Lisbeth Salander! Talk about strong women protagonists! She's definitely not chick lit, but I'm betting that she'll be a classic someday! Lisbeth stars in Stieg Larsson's (Girl with The Dragon Tattoo) "Millenium Series" and really shows us how to stick up for ourselves. Thanks Paul for adding one of my favorite women to the list!
Fantasylover12001 of A Fangirls View reminds us that Jane Austen really opened the door for chick lit, and strong women protagonists with Pride and Prejudice! How could we not add Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice! She had spunk and a mind of her own! She endures in our hearts because of her fierce independence and is what makes Pride and Prejudice a book club favorite almost 300 years after she lay pen to paper. Thanks Fantasylover12001 for adding Jane Austen and her novel Pride and Prejudice to our list!
Kathy of Bags, Books & Bon Jovi adds Sharon McCone and her mysteries penned by Marcia Muller to the list! Kathy points out that "In mystery circles, she (Sharon McCone) is credited as being the first female protagonist, and not just a secondary character to a male PI." Thanks Kathy for mentioning her! I have never read any of Marcia Muller and now I'm going to grab one of these Sharon McCone mysteries to see where it all started!
Stpand adds another contemporary girl who really has her feet firmly planted in the classics, Thursday Next! Thursday Next lives in a parallel world and is a literary detective. With all these wonderful literary "classic" characters living in her world, Thursday Next is a girl worth remembering! Thanks Stpand for adding her to the list!
While Matt McHale: Technical Writer is being inundated with training at his Clark Kent job, I figured this would be a good time to take a look at current events in the basketball world. (Don't worry -- the Pickup Diaries will resume before you know it)
Before we get started, a brief FYI. Several of you faithful Bawful readers have noted in the comments that a bogus redirect script has been affecting the site. After doing a little research, it appears to be related to the script used for the tag cloud that was on the navigation bar on the right side of the page. Many other bloggers who used that Technorati script are seeing the same issues with certain browsers. One particular release of Firefox seemed to be the most generally affected, and I personally have not been able to replicate the problem. However, I have temporarily removed the script from the site's template HTML, so hopefully the problem will be fixed. If you are still having troubles, let us know so we can look into it further.
Update! Do you want to see David Kahn squirm when being pressed by Chris Webber and Matt Winer about throwing so much money at Darko friggin' Milicic? Do you want to see C-Webb get pissed at Kahn for comparing him to Darko? Of course you do. In fact, I'll even embed the video here for your convenience:
We are still countless weeks away from the beginning of the season, and the Warriors' top draft pick Ekpe Udoh has already torn a ligament in his wrist and will miss six months of action. Did anybody inform him that he was drafted by the Warriors and not the Clippers? He wasn't contractually obligated to injure himself like he would have been if Donald Sterling was cutting his paychecks.
Speaking of injured Clippers, Shaun Livingston's back! After destroying his knee in pretty much the worst possible way against the Bobcats in 2007, he has now inked a 2 year, $7 million deal with... the Bobcats. Livingston's agent Henry Thomas commented "yes, how ironic," when this was pointed out to him. Technically that isn't irony; it's just a coincidence. Irony would be getting drafted by the Clippers and staying perfectly healthy and leading the team to a championship. But no matter. It's still nice to see Livinston getting another break after a horrible injury and struggles to regain his form in subsequent years. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw up about eight times after remembering his ligament-ravaging fall.
Oh, and Knee-Mac to the Clippers? Maybe. You can't make this shit up.
In yet another example of NBA teams refusing to learn from history's mistakes, the Nyets have found a new general manager in... Billy King?? Don't they remember how he murdered Philly's 76ers, rolled its body up in a carpet, and tossed it off a bridge? (After that, Philly really could have used Superman -- oh, wait, they got him!. After Superman is done saving Philadelphia, he's trekking over to Detroit to attempt to save it before crippling depression sets in and he decides to just end it all. And I'm only making up part of that sentence.) In any event, there is a nice opportunity here. Not only are we likely to be treated to some comedic mismanagement, but we might even see another example of the team's GM being overruled by its owner. If Mikhail Prokhorov wants to pay eight bajillion rubles for some random scrub in an ill-advised trade, you know Billy King won't be able to say nyet. (Hmm. Maybe they should have gotten Isiah Thomas...)
After all the talks about Kobe Bryant's defensive nemesis Raja Bell coming over to the dark side and joining the Lakers, he's actually now going to the Utah Jazz instead. I feel like re-reading Seven Seconds or Less just to relive Kobe being frustrated by Bell's defense.
(I just realized that after Leandro Barbosa's move, Steve Nash is the only 7SOL era Suns player left. Holy crap, where doe the time go? Meanwhile, the Suns now have... Hedo TurkogluTurkododo. Sigh. Erm, I mean, ball.)
Did you know -- or care -- that the ESPY Awards were held last night? Yeah, neither did pretty much anybody else in the free world. The ESPYs haven't been any fun since this high point some twelve years ago. Anyway, Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant both won awards. Sigh. However, the one bright spot? "Denver Nuggets coach George Karl received the Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance. He missed games and practices last season while battling neck and throat cancer. A thinner Karl appeared well, although he didn't come backstage." Crap. Now I actually wish I would have watched a few minutes of the ESPYs now just to see that. Glad to hear George Karl is feeling a bit better.
By the way, hope you're ready for the lockout! Goddamnit.
One last non-NBA item I need to share: holy hell, John Daly is back! I'm sure this won't last, so enjoy it while you can.
Update! Andy Gray just posted this picture on his SI Vault Twitter feed. "Bret Michaels, John Daly, John Daly's son and John Daly's son's middle finger." Enjoy!
"Recipes from an Italian Summer a collection put together by the Editors of Phaidon Press... A Beautiful FAT cookbook with warm weather recipes. The emphasis here is fresh, wonderful ingredients that are abundant in the summer. Fresh produce, fruits and berries, and herbs. 380 recipes for lighter, easy-to-follow summer dishes with big beautiful photographs." That's what I wrote after I had seen this gorgeous cookbook in the bookstore back at the end of June. Now that I have it in my hands and have been cooking from it, I can say it meets all my expectations and more! It's the perfect summer companion!
When you first open up Recipes from an Italian Summer, besides noticing the beautiful artwork, you'll see where the cookbook is going to take you.. Picnics, Salads, Barbecues, Light Lunches and Suppers, Summer Entertaining, Desserts and finally Ice Creams and Drinks. At the beginning of each chapter is a wonderful introduction to what you're about to tempt your taste buds with and it's relevance to summer,
"The huge range of antipasti, appetizers, and salads in the Italian summer repertoire provide a wonderful source of inspiration for picnic food. Dishes such as frittatas, cold risottos, pies and terrines are easy to transport, and work very well at picnics alongside the more traditional filled sandwiches, cold meats, cheeses and salads." ...intro to picnic recipes
The recipes that follow are easy, with easy to find fresh ingredients that should satisfy our summer eating. From making your own mayonnaise, to making a delicious Tomato tartare with basil. Using the fresh apples you have, there's a recipe for Apple strudel, which you can make the day ahead. Or how about Baked ricotta with sun-dried tomato pesto as an appetizer for summer entertaining that's in the oven for only 10 minutes! The range of recipes is amazing, going from simple salads to more exotic dishes such as Swordfish carpaccio with caper sauce. There's a recipe for Summer stuffed peppers that you can serve hot or cold that looks delicious, and a traditional Italian recipe for Sweet and Sour meatballs. And there are plenty of desserts , such as Blueberry tart, or Peaches with summer zabaglione! This is a cookbook that can satisfy that urge you have in the summer to cook a little lighter, refreshing meal with fresh local grown ingredients!
For my own search for fresh ingredients, I decided to choose a recipe where I could use some of the beautiful purple eggplants that have arrived at my market lately. And thanks to the publisher, Phaidon, I have their permission to share this easy, delicious summer recipe with you! Here it is...
Stuffed Eggplants
Melanzane ripiene
*recipe reprinted with permission of Phaidon Press Inc.
Ingredients:
4 Eggplants
6 Tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing and dotting
olive oil, for frying
7 ounces ground beef
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
salt and pepper
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Halve the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out and reserve most of the flesh from each half.
Sprinkle the eggplant skins with salt and turn them upside down to let the excess water drain.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an ovenproof dish with butter. Heat a little oil in a skillet, add the ground beef, and cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes until browned. Set aside.
To make the bechamel sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a medium pan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook and continue to stir until the sauce is thickened. Remove the pan from the head, stir in the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper, and let cool slightly. Rinse the eggplant shells and pat dry with paper towels.
Chop the reserved eggplant and stir it into the sauce with the egg, meat and cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Fill the eggplant shells with this mixture, put them into the prepared dish, dot with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden. Serve immediately.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I have always had eggplant in a tomato type sauce, so I didn't know what to expect using the bechamel sauce, which is a cream sauce. And now I know what I've been missing! The cream sauce complimented the flavor of the eggplant instead of drowning it! *A few personal notes about the recipe... This recipe called for 4 Eggplants, which I believe are suppose to be the smaller italian eggplants (In the photo in the cookbook all eight eggplant halves fit in one large baking dish). I used the larger American eggplants and baked them for 60 minutes in 2 baking dishes, just making sure that the top was crisp and golden. Different eggplants have different flavors too, so it's fun to try different kinds. Just make sure that you bake whichever eggplants you choose for the minimum of 30 minutes, and make sure the tops are crisp before serving.
I want to thank the publishers, Phaidon, for sending me this wonderful cookbook to review! And for letting me share a recipe! I'll be cooking quite a bit from this cookbook all summer long and then some! If you enjoy summer cooking, and enjoy using the fresh ingredients that the summer season is known for, Recipes from an Italian Summer would be a great cookbook to add to your cookbook shelf! I hope everyone enjoys this recipe! Let me know what you think if you do!
n vacation this week and enjoying the nice weather, catching up on some reading and of course exploring some bookish things! One thing I wanted to do while on vacation this year was take a leisurely drive to 
