About halfway through the book, I was convinced I had Alzheimer’s. In fact, so much so, that I wanted to stop reading because it was freaking me out, while at the same time, I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to find out what happened next and test myself (at one point a doctor asks Alice to remember a man’s name, his street address and city). I couldn’t remember the names and numbers, even though I was telling myself, REMEMBER THIS.

And I’m totally justified in thinking I might have Alzheimer’s because my grandfather had Alzheimer’s and the book even talked about how it’s genetic. Oh God.

Anyway, I finished the book and emailed my friend, who had told me she’d read the book.

Me: “Why did you tell me to read this? I think I have Alzheimer’s. I’m freaking out.”

She: “Don’t worry. I can’t remember the guy’s name or his address either. PS EVERYONE who reads the book thinks they have Alzheimer’s.”

Which made me feel slightly better. Just to be sure, I went to the Kindle reviews of the book. Yep, everyone thought they had Alzheimer’s. Need I say more? A story that draws you in so much so that you think you are the main character? That the things she forgets, you’re forgetting.  That you’re experiencing the disease and its effects right along with her.

Best book I’ve read this year. And I’m not just saying that because it’s the only book I’ve read so far.

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So let’s talk. At first I was a bit skeptical on the premise. A True-Life Novel? Written by Jeannette Walls (whose memoir The Glass Castle I really loved) in her grandmother’s voice?

But  by page 9 I was sold. You can’t make up stuff like the fact that she lived in a dugout. Not a house. A dugout. Because timber was so scarce in the part of Texas where Lily was born, her father made their home by shoveling out what was more or less a big hole on the side of the riverbank, using cedar branches as rafters and covering them over with sod. The dugout had one room, a packed earth floor, a wooden door, a waxed-paper window and a cast iron stove. Lily says

“The best thing about living in the dugout was that it was cool in the summer and not too cold in the winter. The worst thing about it was that from time to time, scorpions, lizareds, snakes, gophers, centipedes, and  moles wormed their way out of our walls and ceiling. Once in the middle of an Easter dinner, a rattler dropped onto the table.”

I guess if that’s where you’re born, you don’t know any different. We didn’t have cable when I was growing up, and I just assumed everyone got up to manually change the channel and crank the dial on the antenna box to make it turn toward Toronto so I could watch Video Hits at 4:30 on Fridays, and toward Buffalo to catch 90210 on Wednesday nights.

It’s  no dugout though. Especially one that gets washed away in a flash flood, leaving Lily and her two siblings and parents homeless.

What do you think so far?

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You know what’s not weird? Reading books at home, on the couch, like a normal person.

Which is what I now get to do even more of, thanks to my favourite store ever, who just asked me to become an Indigo Book Club Ambassador.

What it means is that I’m starting an online bookclub, right here on my blog and you can join!

Love to read but don’t have any friends who like the same books as you do?
Live too far away from your friends to get together?
Have seven kids that don’t let you out of the house for bookclub night?

Here’s how it works. Indigo sent me this package…

So cute, right? There are three books, a Petit Maison goat cheese baker and a Volupsa scented candle. And although you won’t be able to indulge in the warm goat cheese dish I’m going to bake and pretty candle I’ll be lighting while I read the book, you can do the same at home. And you can have a glass of wine if you want (I know I will be!) without worrying about driving home from the bookclub!

The first book I’ve chosen from the bunch to read is Half-Broke Horses. It’s the followup to Jeannette Walls’s memoir The Glass Castle. This time, she’s written a true-life novel written about her grandmother’s life, in the first person (as her grandmother).

Want to read with me? Pick up Half-Broke Horses and start reading, then check back here for my updates as I read the book, and discuss with me by leaving comments below along the way!

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Hoodies? Any long-haired girl can see my dilemma with this. Poofy hair over the hoodie? No thank you.

And my most recent Lulu zip-up doesn’t work with my colour schema.

So now I’m on the hunt for a cute zip-up. Suggestions anyone?

But anyway, I took all your reading suggestions into consideration (thank you! thank you! many I had read but the few I hadn’t I plan to!) and then made my trip to Indigo and, after several judging rounds: Talent, Presentation, Swimsuit, here’s what’s made the final cut:

• Extreme Vinyl Cafe — by Stuart McLean. Oh how I love my Stuey. Love. Have been waiting forever for this book. Sigh. And I am going on an extreme vacation…
• Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire — by Margot Berwin. Set in Washington Square in NY, it reminds me a little of Melissa Bank (Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing and Wonder Spot). And there’s nothing wrong with that. PS. Are you there, Melissa? It’s me, your fan. Can you please write another book?
• Interpreter of Maladies – by Jhumpa Lahiri  — I liked the suggestion of short stories, and my friend lent me this telling me it was so good, so it seemed fitting to take along. Of course, I’m the world’s most negligent reader so I’ll no-doubtedly have to buy her a replacement copy by the time I get back with my dog-eared version. Speaking of maladies, it appears I was supposed to get some shots. Ho-hum. Who has time for shots? I was supposed to get shots before my beach wedding too, and I didn’t do that either, and look! I’m fine. Still, I’m hoping this book isn’t going to be an ill-omen.
• Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. I’m a bit concerned that I’ve just gotten myself into another Time Traveller’s Wife, but it said “An International Bestseller!” on the cover and how could I say no to that? Besides, there’s no better time to read about South Africa than when I’m actually there, right?

The best part was that I got a coupon for Indigo in the mail, and when I bought my books, I then got a new booklet with a gift card for Roots — which I then went and bought this cross-the-shoulder bag — perfect in case I have to run from lions.

And then, I got another booklet with another coupon card for Indigo! So now The Hubs can buy his books, too.

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Hosted by Holt Renfrew & HELLO! Canada, the party took place in Holts Cafe, where — thanks to sponsors Moet & Chandon and Thomas George Estates — the bubbly (and non-bubbly) was flowing, the boyfriend jackets were in full force, and I spotted many, many pairs of shoes I need to add to my fall wardrobe. Here are a few pics from the party:

1. Shinan with his book. (Don’t worry, the actual book isn’t that big — you can fit it in your handbag).

2. All the world’s a stage, at least, Shinan’s sticker head is (love this!). 

3.  A 2D Shinan hangs with the ladies of Holts.

4. The Rights Factory media lawyer Christos Grivas and agent Alisha Sevigny, author Marissa Stapley-Ponikowski, and me.

5. Shinan in action.

Oh, but you wanted to know more about the book? Well here you go:

Part celebrity pinata, part scorching social satire, Boldface Names is a fast-paced romp through the land of the rich, the famous, and the wicked. In the eye of the party storm is Ravi, a vertically challenged gossip columnist (and self-confessed “tribe-traveller”), who snoops and schmoozes and amasses gift bags. But all hell breaks loose in the glittersphere when a mysterious D-list starlet is parachuted into Ravi’s life for safekeeping, setting off a high-stakes game of secrets and lies. Adding to the drama? The skeleton in Ravi’s own closet!Boldface Names stops in at all the hottest tickets–the fashion shows, book shindigs, race-car parties, and champagne launches. Adorning the hi-jinks are Govani’s laser-sharp observations on human behaviour, social milieus, and the machinery of gossip. The wisecracks fly at a Noel Cowardesque pace and the action hums. But be forewarned: no one is safe in Boldface Names.

Sweeping from the beaches of Anguilla to the towers of Dubai, from L.A. to London to the social mines of Toronto, Boldface Names stops in at all the hottest tickets–the fashion shows, book shindigs, race-car parties, and champagne launches. Adorning the hi-jinks are Govani’s laser-sharp observations on human behaviour, social milieus, and the machinery of gossip. The wisecracks fly at a Noel Cowardesque pace and the action hums. But be forewarned: no one is safe in Boldface Names.

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Packing books for vacation is more important than shoes. Because while you can figure out which shoes will go with which outfits, which determines whether they’ll make the cut, books are trickier. Because you almost have to start to read the book to ensure it’s going to hold your attention, just so that you don’t bring it only to get 10 pages in and be bored. Then it’s just dead weight in your carry-on. Especially if you bought the hardcover. 

Which means you can’t just pick up a few books at the last minute, because then you won’t have time to do the pre-read.

This week I started my shopping and pre-read.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Sophie Kinsella’s latest. I love her, but when Twenties Girl came out, I skimmed the first page in the bookstore and wasn’t captivated. But then Natasha, the host of The Buddha Lounge, where I tape a show every few weeks, said that she loved it. And that it was as good as any of Kinsella’s others. And on the last major trip I took I bought Remember Me? in the airport bookshop because I’d run out of books to read, and it’s now one of my favourite books ever. So I took Natasha’s advice and picked up Twenties Girl.

I’m going away for 15 days, and 5 of those will be spent in the middle of nowhere, in the desert. On a safari. Lounging by the pool. I figure I need 2 more books to ensure I don’t run out. I’m thinking one non-fiction and another fiction.

Any suggestions?

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In the meantime, my editor wrote the cover copy for the book, so I thought I would share it with you!

A funny, heartfelt story about losing the perfect life—and finding a real one.

When twenty-seven-year-old image consultant Poppy Ross discovers her beloved husband Parker is having an affair, she is dumbfounded. Before she has a chance to confront him, however, he is struck by lightning. When he regains consciousness, he has lost his short-term memory—including
that of the affair. Given this unlikely chance to erase history, Poppy decides to remake herself in the mistress’s image, so that Parker might never be tempted to stray again. Her quest to become the perfect woman has disastrous and hilarious results, however, and just might turn out to be the worst thing possible for her marriage.

Want to read more? Sign up for my Secret Updates newsletter (scroll to the bottom of my home page to sign up), and I”ll send you the first few pages of Love Struck to read before anyone else! You’ll also get entered for a chance to win an ARC of the book, so you can read the whole book months before it’s in bookstores!

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2. Last night the storm was so crazy that my dad called to make sure we, “the kids”, were alright. So cute. We were fine, but our planter boxes — the ones that weigh more than 400 pounds – tipped over. Thank goodness Mr. Baz was inside.

3. I finished The Time Traveller’s Wife! I know, it’s not even 2011! But I did it! It was so good, but so sad, I was bawling for about the last 100 pages. But if you read it (and I’m not going to spoil it, if you, like me, put off reading this book for 5 years, but), seriously, did Audrey really have to make what happens happen? You know what I’m talking about. Not the ending, but the part that you just know is not making it into the movie. Part Misery, part Million Dollar Baby. It was just so terrible.   

4. These arrived at my desk yesterday. I love getting flowers, but often get them from PR reps, which is nice, but not very romantic (still, I’m not complaining). But these weren’t from a PR rep. They were from The Hubs, for no reason at all. Which is the best reason of all.

5. My editor sent through the rough cover of Love Struck, and all I have to say is that I LOVE IT. It’s so perfect that (and yes, I DO judge my books by their cover) if I saw this book in the bookstore, I would buy it without even reading the back. For a moment, I was almost sad it was my book, because that means I don’t get to read it. I mean, I could. But I already know the ending. It’s not final so I can’t show it yet, but as soon as I can, I’ll post it here!

Happy weekend!

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When I went through the same process with Stuck in Downward Dog, it was a totally different experience. My editor at the time had left on all the comments from the copyeditor so I could see what she had to say. And she was just doing her job and asking the kind of questions she should ask. But I got so confused that I started cutting characters and changing names. Only to find out that I wasn’t really supposed to do that, and could’ve just rejected all her comments and moved on with my life without having a nervous breakdown.

But I didn’t know better because it was my first time and I just wanted to be a good author. This time, however, my editor screened all the comments and changes, and then sent through a near-clean version, in which all I had to do was accept the better wording in most cases, and be happy that she was so good at her job.

Now, the book is back with my editor, and going to the typesetting phase. The next time I see it, it will be look like the pages of the book, only on regular printer-size paper. I’ll have one more read of it for any last typos, and then the advanced copies will be made!

But  for now, I’m on to the next deadline: Finishing The Time Traveller’s Wife.

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Actually, I do know. I thought that the couple was going to be old and the plot plodding and the story hard to get into and hard to follow. I thought it was going to be sci-fi. I really dislike science fiction.

Then, three things happened:

1. I made the decision to take advantage of my break between edits on Love Struck  to read more in an attempt to keep up with my addiction to buying books faster than I can read them, and;

2. I saw the movie poster for The Time Traveller’s Wife and saw that Rachel McAdams is in it. I really love her. And the movie looks so good that I feel I would be so sad if I saw it because then I would definitely not be able to go back and read the book afterward.

3. I opened the book and read the first page. And I was hooked.

I’m now about 1/4 into the book and loving it. Unfortunately, I just received the copyedited version of Love Struck from my editor in my inbox tonight. Which is amazing because it means that my editor, who I love, and the copyeditor, have done such a good job that we’re now ahead of schedule. What it also means is that I now have to read over my novel and  The Time Traveller’s Wife in the next week before the movie comes out. How am I going to do it? If only I could stop time.

Maybe I do believe in science fiction after all…

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