Book Beat: Book Signings at Bookends!

By Kimberly Baldwin

Bookends is a small bookstore in Ridgewood offering an impressive roster of author discussions and signings. Here is a sampling of their busy (and star-studded!) April line-up:

The former slugging outfielder with the Oakland A's and controversial author, Jose Canseco, will be on hand to sign his latest blockbuster, Vindicated, on Tuesday, April 1 at 3:30 p.m.

Hollywood icon Julie Andrews will sign Home: A Memoir Of My Early Years also on Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. Take note: This is a ticketed "first come, first served" event.

Gene Wilder, star of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, will be signing The Woman Who Wouldn't, on Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m.

Linda Francis Lee, former Texas Junior Leaguer, debutante, and author of the wickedly funny, The Devil in the Junior League, will discuss and sign her newest release, The Ex-Debutante, on Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m.

The mother and daughter New York Times bestselling dynamic duo, Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, will discuss and sign their latest thrillers: Where Are You Now? and Zapped.

Bookends is located at 232 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood. For more information, call 201.445.0726 or visit them online at book-ends.com.

Book Beat: Ridgewood Library's 28th Annual Author Luncheon with Lisa See

By Kimberly Baldwin

Lisa See, journalist and author of the critically-acclaimed international bestseller Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, has seen her most recent release, Peony in Love -- a novel about the bonds of female friendship, the power of words, the desire that all women have to be heard, and those emotions that are so strong that they transcend time, place, and perhaps even death -- climb the New York Times bestseller list. (You can read the first chapter here.)

The author will be making a special appearance at the Friends of the Ridgewood Library's 28th Annual Author Luncheon on Wednesday, March 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Venetian, 546 River Dr., in Garfield. There will be a book signing and silent auction. Call 201.670.5600 ext. 180 for more information or directions, or visit the library online at ridgewoodlibrary.org.

Bonus: If you purchase Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or Peony in Love from Bookends (232 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood), be sure to mention the luncheon. Bookends will donate a portion of the proceeds to Friends.

Book Beat: Lisa Scottoline's Lady Killer

By Kimberly Baldwin

Between teaching Justice and Fiction at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, appearing in Court TV's crime series, Murder by the Book, and writing a weekly column called "Chick Wit" for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lisa Scottoline has found time to be a New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels.

Her latest, Lady Killer, features Philadelphia attorney Mary DiNunzio -- the trademark Lisa Scottoline heroine with strength, smarts, and plenty of attitude who first appeared in Killer Smile. In this novel, Mary is plunged into a nightmare -- one that threatens her job, her family, and even her life -- as she goes on a one-woman crusade to unmask the killer of her high school rival. Lady Killer can be best described as Grey's Anatomy for the page; a compelling story line laced over ever-evolving friendships, relationships, and coming to terms with one's self. Read an excerpt from Lady Killer here.

Meet the author at the Freehold Barnes & Noble (3981 US Highway 9) tonight at 7 p.m.

Book Beat: Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly

By Kimberly Baldwin

My daughter Storey thinks butterflies are simply exquisite. And so does Fancy Nancy -- as we learn in this magical new story from bestselling duo Jane O'Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.

Nancy, like her literary predecessors Eloise and Olivia, is a glamour queen dropped into a boring world, where nobody is "fancy" at all. In the newly-released Bonjour, Butterfly, our favorite princess gets a surprise lesson from her grandparents. (Looks like fancy runs in the family after all!)

Meet Fancy Nancy's posh creator Jane O'Connor on Sunday, February 10 at 1 p.m. at the Clinton Bookshop, 33 Main Street, Clinton. (Feathered boas not required.)

Book Beat: Delightfully Unusual Fruits & Vegetables

By Kimberly Baldwin

Eminently beautiful fruits and vegetables are profiled in the charming book 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden by expert gardener and garden designer Jack Staub. Discover produce you'll likely not see in your supermarket, including Asparagus Bean (a tropical cousin to the black-eyed pea), Green Zebra Tomato (a handsome yellow, amber, and deep green striped variety), Turkish Orange Eggplant (an ornamental heirloom), and many more. Staub seeks not only to infuse our backyard gardens with color and variety, but to enlighten and amuse with amiable text, surprising history, scraps of unexpected lore, and tidbits of culinary insight.

His stunning follow up, 75 Remarkable Fruits for Your Garden, provides a rich history of each plant, thoughts and tips on growing it, and ends with a simple recipe for serving up these mouth-watering fruits in salads, side dishes, breads, and desserts. Grab these books now -- it's the perfect time to start thinking about your summer garden!

Book Beat: Gwendolen Gross' The Other Mother

By Kimberly Baldwin

I'm a mom. And I blog. So, how did I miss the release of Ridgewood resident Gwendolen Gross' third-novel, The Other Mother, last year? Booklist calls it " ... an electrifying complex and explosively gripping portrait of contemporary, have-it-all motherhood," and mom bloggers and online book clubs have been fiercely discussing its "mommy wars" since August.

In case you are also late in picking up on the buzz, the Teaneck-set novel documents the strife between stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) and moms who work outside the home (WOTHs). Wrestling with decisions, insecurities, jealousy, and competitions, this book has received much applause from both mom camps. And, though fictional, reviewers consistently praise the author for developing realistic dialogue and believable characters, and inspiring reflection.

I'll be picking up my copy of The Other Mother today; get yours from a favorite book shop or online retailer like Amazon.

And for moms wanting to tell their own stories, Gross welcomes them on her blog. So we're clear, this really isn't your typical blog. Gross posts writing assignments (this week, write for 11 minutes about planting, picking, or ruining -- yes, I said ruining -- flowers) and invites readers to post their work under "comments." Think of it as part writer's workshop, part therapy, and a unique way to connect with other moms around the world.

Book Beat: Joyce Carol Oates

By Kimberly Baldwin

In their third picture-book collaboration, acclaimed author and Princeton University professor Joyce Carol Oates and artist Mark Graham introduce Naughty Chérie, the cutest -- but most mischievous -- kitten in the litter. Chérie tries, but just can't seem to stay out of trouble. Sitting alone in the corner as punishment, she finds a small crack in the wall that leads to a place called Little Friends Kindercare. After seeing the truly naughty behavior of the other baby animals in Kindercare, little Chérie returns home a changed kitten. This lovable tale delivers a valuable message and is the perfect bedtime story for the 4 to 8 set.

Joyce Carol Oates is currently on tour promoting The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates, the fascinating and significant record of her life between 1973 and 1982. Meet her at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15 at the Barnes & Noble, Tribeca, NYC.

Book Beat: Ladies on the Case

By Jenniah Caldwell

Long gone are the days when world-hardened male gumshoes ruled supreme in the world of contemporary mystery novels. Two NJ authors are breaking those molds with their smart, strong-willed female protagonists.

Plum Lucky, the latest novella in Janet Evanovich’s best-selling Stephanie Plum series, finds Trenton’s favorite bounty hunter on the trail of a bag of stolen mobster money. Only it isn’t so much missing as it's with her Grandma Mazur in an Atlantic City casino. Throw in a couple of trusty sidekicks, a racehorse, and a heart-breaker named Diesel, and you are off on the latest madcap Plum adventure.

This 176-page novella is the perfect length to hold over Evanovich fans until the next full length Stephanie Plum novel Fearless Fourteen is released in June 2008.


Valerie Wilson Wesley has created a compelling main character in her African-American, ex-cop turned Newark detective, Tamara Hale. In Blood and Sorrow, the 8th novel in the Tamara Hale series, finds Hale fighting to protect her son Jamal from a murder charge, all the while becoming entangled in a complex search for a missing child. Hale faces all challenges with the trademark, down-to-earth wit and clear thinking that have insured Wesley's character success not only in several niche genres but on the mass market as well. In Blood and Sorrow will be released in hardback on January 29th, 2008.

Valerie Wilson Wesley will be appearing at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair on Feb. 3rd from 2 to 4 p.m. and at the John F. Kennedy Library in Piscataway on Feb. 23rd from 2 to 4 p.m.

Book Beat: The Lost Ravioli Recipes

By Jenniah Caldwell

Long before it became a night for cocktails and kisses at midnight, New Year's Eve meant only one thing for my Italian family: Pasta. After hours of hearing the rhythmic thumping of dough from the kitchen, we would all sit down to a venerable feast of Grandma Anna’s home made pasta. Plates of ravioli, gnocchi, and tortellini made their way around the table and we would all eat until we thought we would burst.

James Beard Award-winning author Laura Schenone understands the strong links between the past, pasta, and family. In her newest book, The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family, Schenone takes her readers from urban New Jersey to the Italian coast of Liguria, while on a search for the roots of her great-grandmother's ravioli recipe, connecting with lost relatives and places in her five-year journey. Along the way, she learns that tradition, recipes, and family dynamics evolve into their own complex flavor over time. Not just a memoir, the book also offers over 50 pages of authentic Genoese recipes.

The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family by Laura Schenone is available at all major bookstores. For an author autographed copy, order directly from Watchung Booksellers (973.744.7177), watchungbooksellers.com. Copies are limited.

Book Beat: Historic Photos of Jersey Shore

By Jenniah Caldwell

There is no denying that winter is here. The skies are gray, the wind is frigid, and snow is no longer just a vague threat. During the dreary days of the season, the minds of many New Jerseyans will fast forward to the upcoming dog days of summer and of time that will be spent "down the shore" at one of our state's many beach towns.

Instead of daydreaming of summers yet to come, NJL recommends curling up beside the fire with Historic Photos of Jersey Shore. Over 200 rare black and white photographs, culled from national and local archives, showcase over 100 years of the storied history of NJ's beach resorts. The book covers a large range of topics, highlighting images from Victorian Cape May, the golden era of AC's steel pier, cranberry harvests in the 30's, New Jersey's WWII effort, to the Civil Rights struggle.

The author Joe Czachowski, an adjunct History professor at Kean University, uses his vast knowledge of New Jersey history to breathe new life into some of The Shore's forgotten moments. Pick up your copy for $39.95 at Turner Publishing.