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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s 1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.

The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.

While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.

Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others.

I absolutely adored this book and I think Beth Hoffman is a writer who is going to be delighting readers for years to come. But this particular post is about much more than just her novel, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT, it’s about her journey as a debut novelist. Beth recently guest-posted on The Book Lady’s Blog about the importance of book bloggers and the impact they have on the success of a book. Essentially book bloggers are readers who like to share the good books they’ve read. Read the essay here and check out Beth Hoffman’s website here.

Star Jones could be getting her revenge on Barbara Walters by penning a fictional book about female hosts of a daytime talk show. Page Six has learned that Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books will publish Jones’ novel about a TV show, “The Lunch Club,” whose hosts “learn that a former colleague — who departed under mysterious circumstances, and is privy to all their backstage secrets — is coming back with a splash.” Jones was pushed off “The View” by Walters in 2006 and famously said her co-hosts “were hateful.” She now says of her TV career, “I’ve met some of the most fascinating people, heard the most surprising situations, and been privy to so many great stories and secrets. But while this novel will be dishy, it will be a work of fiction.” But an insider said, “There will be tales in the book which will leave readers wondering if they are based on real events and characters. It’s being carefully vetted by lawyers.”

Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family

In 2002, Al and Tipper Gore wrote a book about the American family. Here’s a description of JOINED AT THE HEART:

Al and Tipper Gore have long considered family their bedrock. They’ve also spent many years studying the American family in depth, and now, in this provocative and personal book, they explore the myriad ways in which the idea of family is being redefined.

Over the past two generations, cultural shifts and economic pressures have profoundly affected every family in the nation: balancing work and family now poses a bigger challenge than ever before, day-care and after-school child care programs are too often dangerously inadequate, and new technological advancements have dramatically changed the ways we communicate. But if many of the traditional landmarks by which families formerly steered their course have disappeared, change has also opened up exciting possibilities, yiedling an explosion of new familiy forms and novel solutions to age old problems.

In this penetrating and moving exploration of the contemporary family landscape, the Gores share stories drawn form thier own experiences, as well as introduce us to a dozen other families they have come to know over the years. combining personal insight and expert opinions, historical and global perspectives, Joined at the Heart identifies an emerging reality – and demonstrates that, in the face of unprecedented and overwhelming change, the inherent need for famlly is stronger than ever.

I can’t help but wonder if their recent announcement of divorce after 40 years of marriage is going to possibly revive this book. Will people be interested in reading what this once “golden couple” had to say about life and love and the power of relationships? Washington Post journalist, Sally Quinn, wrote  a beautiful and honest piece about the Gore’s relationship and the courage and grace they had to end something, amicably and absent of scandal, after 40 years. I think that Tipper Gore should use this time to step into her own spotlight, perhaps write a memoir, about the journey of a successful marriage and its ultimate demise.

Now in the 2010 issue there is a new crop of writers, some with familar names  (Jonathan Safron Foer, Gary Shteyngart, Joshua Ferris) as well as some new ones (Karen Rusell, Wells Tower, C.E Morgan.) There are more international writers on the list (Daniel Alarcon, Dinaw Mengestu, Yiyun Li from China, Ethiopia, Russia and Yugoslavia). The youngest is 24 year old Tea Obreht with a debut novel out next year and the oldest is 39 year old Chris Adrian, a man studying medicine and theology.

The issue should hit newstands this week and you can go to New Yorker’s website and read a small interview with all of authors, read how they made the list and listen to an interview with the fiction editors Deborah Treisman and Cressida Leysh. Eight of the writers pieces will be in the double issue, while the other 12 stories will appear in issues through out the summer.

Here’s the list of authors, their age and their books:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 32, That Thing Around Your Neck, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus

Chris Adrian, 39, The Children’s Hospital, A Better Angel, Gob’s Grief

Daniel Alarcón, 33, War by Candlelight, Lost City Radio

David Bezmozgis, 37, Natasha and Other Stories

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, 38, Madeline is Sleeping, Mrs. Hempel Chronicles

Joshua Ferris, 35, Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed

Jonathan Safran Foer, 33, Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Eating Animals

Nell Freudenberger, 35, Lucky Girls, The Dissident

Rivka Galchen, 34, Atmospheric Disturbances

Nicole Krauss, 35, Man Walks into a Room, History of Love

Yiyun Li, 37, The Vagrants, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

Dinaw Mengestu, 31, The Beautiful Thing That Heaven Bears

Philipp Meyer, 36, American Rust

C. E. Morgan, 33, All the Living

Téa Obreht, 24, The Tiger’s Wife (March 2011)

Z Z Packer, 37, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

Karen Russell, 28, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

Salvatore Scibona, 35, The End

Gary Shteyngart, 37, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, Absurdistan, Super Sad True Love Story

Wells Tower, 37- Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

And because everyone wants to talk about hot young writers, there has been plenty of digital ink spilled about this big issue. Farrar Strauss and Giroux has already decided they are going to compile all the stories in the issue into an anthology.

Associated Links:

Frank Kovarik’s essay at The Millions about the issue

New York points out that most of the (mostly very good!) stories are about failed romance

Arts Beat: New York Times

Guardian (UK)

20 Young Writer Earn the Envy of Many Others- New York Times

Tyra Banks

NEW YORK – Tyra Banks wants to spread some truth, and a little fantasy.

The talk-show host and former model has agreed to a three-book deal with Delacorte Press for a fantasy series for young people. It’s about a girl trying to keep up with the beauty game at an elite school for supermodels, or Intoxibellas.

Delacorte said Tuesday that the first novel, “Modelland,” comes out in the summer of 2011.

Delacorte is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

One Book, One Twitter’s newest book was selected last week. The book is decided on by readers who vote from a list of classic titles.  Readers will be tweeting about Holden Caufield, Yossarian and Billy Pilgrim.

Starting last week, readers began enjoying a new fantasy classic, American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

According to the creators of One Book, One Twitter:

Don’t call it science fiction. Gaiman’s Hugo- and Nebula-award winning novel is “a scary, strange, and hallucinogenic road trip wrapped around a deep examination of the American spirit.

You can start posting using the hashtag: #1b1t

Beloved women’s fiction writer Marian Keyes has been silent lately. Her devoted blog and newsletter followers last heard from Marian in January when she wrote that she was deeply, deeply depressed and needed some time to do nothing and work through her sadness.  According to Irish Central, Keyes is baking her way through her depression. Her beloved fans will just have to keep themselves busy by rereading her back list titles. (Every Marian Keyes novel has been a bestseller!) We at BookFinds wish her all the best and look forward to hearing from her soon!

Shopaholic fans rejoice! It seems that Becky Bloomwood (now Becky Brandon) will be back in a brand new Shopaholic book this fall, Mini-Shopaholic. The most recent Shopaholic book, Shopaholic and Baby, came out in 2007 and went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. There are more than thirteen million copies of Kinsella’s books in print in the United States. This is certainly one powerhouse “chick lit” writer.  Here’s the publisher’s description of this highly anticipated release.

The first new Shopaholic in three years, Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is back, this time hilariously challenged by the mini-terror who is her two-year-old.

Becky Brandon thought motherhood would be a breeze – but it’s trickier than she thought. Two-year-old Minnie is a little tearaway who created havoc everywhere from Harrods to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favorite word is “mine,” and she already has a penchant for Balenciaga bags. Becky is at her wits’ end. On top of this, she and Luke are still living with her mom and dad, there’s a big financial crisis so everyone’s having to cut back – including all her personal shopping clients – and her husband Luke is feeling low after the death of his beloved stepmother. To cheer him up, Becky decides to throw Luke a surprise birthday party – on a budget – and that’s when things become really complicated. As Becky tries to keep the arrangements secret, misunderstandings and excuses sprout everywhere, and soon she’s told so many fibs she can’t keep track of them. Will Becky pull off the surprise? Will Minnie give everything away? Will Minnie’ godparents ever stop arguing? Who will end up in a time out and who will get a gold star? And what will happen when Becky discovers Luke is keeping a big secret, too?

Mini-Shopaholic has a release date of September 7, 2010 from The Dial Press.

Tinkers by Paul Harding

Tinkers by Paul Harding was the surprise winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction on Monday. It was rejected by publishers and agents for being a slow, contemplative, meditative, and quiet book. This story has become the most dramatic literary Cinderella story of recent history.

According to Marilynne Robinson, author of Gilead, who teaches writing at the Iowa Writers Workshop, “One of the problems I have is making my students believe that they can write something that satisfies their definition of good, and they don’t have to calculate the market,” Ms. Robinson said. “Now that I have the Paul anecdote, they will believe me more.”

This gorgeous use of language and quiet attention to the details of life is what made Tinkers such a phenomenal success.