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Between the Lines
Reading Recommendations from the Cottage Shelves |
 I just finished Lisa See's new novel, Shanghai Girls and found it worthy to sit on the shelf next to Snow Flower and Peony. Great story about two sisters, Pearl and May, whose lives take unexpected twists and turns taking them from one as pampered 'beautiful girls' in Shanghai to that of unwanted immigrants in LA. It's a big month for Sweden-set novels. Stieg Larsson's bestseller from last year, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo just came out in paper. At the end of the month, number two in the Lisbeth Salander trilogy arrives- The Girl Who Played With Fire. Lisbeth is one of the oddest, most compelling female protagonists to come along in a long time. On July 28, Katarina Mazetti's funny little novel, Benny and Shrimp, comes out. An interesting love story told in alternating he-said/she-said chapters. Books I'm having a hard time keeping in stock: Ivan Doig's The Whistling Season, The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein), and Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout. Gayle Forman has a haunting new title out on the YA shelves- If I Stay. A teenaged girl is the sole survivor of a horrific car crash that claims her entire family. While her unconscious and battered body lies in ICU she finds herself in a half-way place while she tries to decide whether she is going to stay.. or go. Some really good titles for the beach: Nancy Thayer's Moon Shell Beach and her more recent Summer House; Jane Green's Dune Road and Beach House; Don Winslow's surfer mystery The Dawn Patrol, Driftwood Summer (Patti Callahan Henry), David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife, Secrets She Left Behind by Diane Chamberlain and Sally Goldblum's Seaside Knitters mystery series- Patterns in the Sand (hardcover) and Death by Cashmere (paper).
I'm anxiously awaiting a review from Roadside's Ashley on Naked in Dangerous Places by Cash Peters. The subtitle? 'Chronicles of a hungry, scared, lost, homesick but otherwise perfectly happy traveler.'
Charlie's summer reading list: Lord of the Flies (Golding), Night (Wiesel), All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque), Nickel and Dimed (Ehrenreich), I Know What You Did Last Summer (Duncan) and The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd) which is the only book required for freshman reading at First Flight High School.
A look at my summer reading list: The Last Chinese Chef (Nicole Mones), Diane Gabaldon's Outlander series, Max (James Patterson), The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan), John Sandford's Wicked Prey (give it up, Mom!) and yes, I'll probably read the whole Twilight series... again.
Last but not least, the Duck's Cottage Reading Group recently  read Bernhard Schlink's The Reader and then got together for a discussion and screening of the film version. The group was pretty evenly divided between those who liked the book and those who didn't (like me). Michael's constant introspection was monotonous and you just couldn't get inside Hannah's head. I did like the movie and felt the many Oscar nominations (and award for Ms Winslet) were justified (although they could have done a better job of aging her). |
| Flotsam & Jetsam
Footnotes from life at a coffee shop |
The Town of Duck Fourth of July Parade went off without a hitch on Friday, July 3rd... I know, I know... but we couldn't have it on the actual Fourth because it fell on Saturday, a changeover day, which means heavy traffic headed in and out of Duck even at 9am in the morning.. Chris and I saw The Hangover- hysterical; recent videos in our house included The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire - both outstanding.. Sarah and I can't stop listening to the Pea's Boom Boom Pow.. still looking for something for your kids to do this sumer? Check out Triple R Ranch in Chesapeake, VA.. Sarah just got back from a week there and loved it! KFC in Duck fell through but what's coming to the old Burger King spot is even better.. Coastal Provisions is opening a breakfast/lunch/dinner spot called Coastal Cravings that should be open any day now.. Scott & Dan were filling me in on what they'll be serving up and it sounds gooood... can't wait to try the Lobster Benedict!... check out Duck Duck Art, part of Savvy Home.. they're brand new and offering all kinds of art classes for all kinds of people.. the full summer schedule of events at the Town Park gets started this month- music Tuesday/Thursday nights, storytime Thursdays, Author Lecture Series on Fridays and more.. check out the schedule at www.townofduck.com.. stop by the Park during your visit- the new 200 seat amphitheatre is under construction and will be a great new addition.. the Town is currently working on the permitting process and obtaining easements from waterfront property owners in order to extend the Boardwalk south to Aqua S and north to the Waterfront shops... is this Town cool or what?
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 The Author Discussion Series, a joint collaboration between Duck's Cottage and the Town of Duck gets started this month! Here is a rundown of who's coming and when:
July 10: Anne Parsons & Alexandra Greeley
Kitchen Memories - A Legacy of Family Recipes From Around the World
What will our children and grandchildren remember when they think of home cooking? Pizza deliveries? Convenience foods? Or, will favorite foods bring back warm memories of home and family?
Anne Snape Parsons and Alexandra Greeley fight the fast food, eating-on-the run trend with KITCHEN MEMORIES, a new collection of old family recipes from 25 countries, including the United States. This collection of 126 international recipes offers the sharing of delicious wholesome food as a bond in family relationships and friendships, as the intersection between generations, and as the bridge between cultures.
July 17: Steve Alterman
Outer Banks Edge: A Photographic Portfolio
Steve Alterman has been photographing the Outer Banks for years, has two published collections featuring his photographs of the Outer Banks and Kaua'i and has a third book coming out soon. Steve will be discussing photography and the Outer Banks: where to go for great pictures, how to get there and how to look at the world once you're there in order to create the best possible snapshots of your travels.
July 24: Elizabeth Wiegand
The Outer Banks Cookbook
Mahi Mahi has a great run off the coast of the Outer Banks during the summer. It's also known as DOLPHINFISH, but it's not Flipper. A sweet, mild tasting fish, it's great for sauteing, grilling or frying. Watch and taste as author Elizabeth Wiegand prepares a couple of savory recipes using mahi mahi from her book.
July 31: S. Deacon Ritterbush
A Beachcomber's Odyssey: Treasures from a Collected Past
Ritterbush, the author of A Beachcomber's Odyssey: Treasures from a Collected Past, will be presenting the lecture The Archaeology of Beachcombing, offering 'combers a new way to wander, not just as a collector pocketing treasure but also as a historian, biologist and anthropologist. This lecture will help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to become a scientist at the shore.
All lectures begin at 10am in the Picnic Pavillion at the Town of Duck Park. Immediately following, the author will make an appearance at Duck's Cottage where books will be available for sale and signing.
Duck's Cottage is reading to the kids again this year! Children's Storytime at Duck Park will be hosted by Duck's Cottage on Thursday, July 16 and Thursday, July 23. Stories start at 10am in the Picnic Pavilion. We promise great books, an animated reader and fun for all ages!!
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Here's hoping you have a vacation coming up sometime soon to somewhere awesome...
hopefully that awesome place is Duck!
Jamie Layton
Duck's Cottage
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