The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson

Caroline Lash, a native Manhattanite who works in publishing, is burnt out at 28 and eager to get away from the shadow of her prima donna mother, a bestselling author. On the strength of having published one story in the New Yorker, she secures a writing fellowship and heads to Boston’s North Shore for a year. On the way to fictional Greenhead, she meets Van Whittaker, who works at the Hammond Castle Museum, and soon they are a couple, and she is included if not welcomed by his high school friend group:

Bookshelf Traveling - September 19

Time for another round of Bookshelf Traveling in Insane Times which was created by Judith at Reader in the Wilderness and is currently hosted by Katrina at Pining for the West.   The idea is to share one of your neglected bookshelves or perhaps a new pile of books. 

This is a very random shelf with six suspense novels by Helen MacInnes, eight novels of varying genre by Catherine Gaskin, seven historical novels by Valerie Anand and, finally, two by W.E.B. Griffin, hidden behind the Fred Lynn bobblehead.  Old W.E.B. (and his son, now writing the books) has other shelves and deserves his own post another time.

Fenway

At Fenway with Sissy Andrea:

Random Amazon Recommendation

You know the "if you liked x, you'll enjoy y" recommendations that Amazon likes to make. Occasionally, it is spot on but tonight I received a suggestion of

Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs

Recommended because you purchased Boston Red Sox 101 (101 My First Team-Board-Books) for nephew Xavy!

Is that a not truly random combination? While it is true that I like the Red Sox and I like crocheting, it is probably 20 years since I picked up a crochet hook - before Amazon even existed! Does this mean they have a webcam trained on my sewing basket (which does indeed contain a crochet hook or two)? Do they know me better than I know myself? Should I be crocheting while I watch the Sox beat up on the Yankees? (I hesitate to type that sentence lest I jinx the rest of the series!)

Go Pap!

One has to admire Jonathan Papelbon for saying what everyone else was thinking . . .

On the other hand, I am sick of Manny and would prefer the local media ignore him altogether, rather than put the story on the front page of the Globe.

Let's concentrate on March Madness until Opening Day, please.

YA Fantasy

Tuesday night in a truly bizarre game at Fenway, which the Red Sox eventually won 19-17, Dustin Pedroia drove in five runs and scored five runs. The way our announcers have repeated this information, you would think he was the seventh son of a seventh son . . .

Perhaps I am thinking about such traditions because I am reading Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, which I am enjoying so much that I was disappointed this morning to run into a friend at the bus stop (preventing me from reading all the way to work). The heroine is brave but awkward, and while the plot is fairly easy to predict, it is well done. I bought it originally for one of my nieces but realize there is probably too much internal thinking and not enough action for her. However, it would have been perfect for my undergraduate essay on Female Warriors. Funny, how that topic has become so much more mainstream since I was in college - at least in terms of popular literature. Thanks to a friend at work I have been reading much more fantasy than in recent years, including The Darkangel by Meredith Pierce and A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce (another brave but obtuse heroine).

Two of my college classmates just lost their 16 year old son in a car accident. I have been trying to write a condolence letter for several days but it seems so pointless - as if anything could comfort people going through such agony.

Manny being Manny

What should we do with Manny Ramirez? Have the Red Sox had enough? I have!

Manny Being Manny

Only Manny Ramirez would high five a fan while making a catch in Baltimore the other night! I don't find him a bit charming and the media would not have been quite so amused/rueful if he hadn't come up with the ball (it was a dramatic catch).

Win a day with the World Series trophy!

When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, the trophy traveled everywhere (almost like the tradition in the NHL of letting each member of the Stanley Cup championship team having a day with the Stanley Cup over the summer - my friend Dave McNab featured the Cup on his 2007 Christmas card) but I was in NYC and did not get even a glimpse of it. I don't know if it's as pretty as the Stanley Cup (pictured below).



Now there is actually a sweepstakes to win a the World Series trophy for a day! Since my normal commute involves more than I can comfortably carry (laptop, books, tote bags, purse, BlackBerry, etc.) I think this would require a limo...

Madness in the Bronx

When my former boss Dean told me someone had buried a Red Sox jersey in the foundation of the new Yankee Stadium to curse the Yankees, I assumed he was joking, and in any case, was so busy I did not immediately have time to respond or to explain that I was not so gullible as he thought. However, when I had the news on Saturday or Sunday and heard Hank Steinbrenner saying he hoped the (loyal Yankee) construction workers would beat this guy Gino up (he phrased it less politely), I realized yet another bizarre episode in Red Sox-Yankees lore had been added to the lexicon. Even Joe Morgan and Jon Miller seemed vaguely stunned by the whole thing on Sunday Night Baseball. I wished someone would interview David Ortiz to ask what he thought about his jersey being buried.

Is Gino a hero or an idiot? Will the Yankees go after him? Why couldn't he have waited until the construction was complete? That would have been much funnier...

Sweet Caroline

Neil Diamond has revealed that Caroline Kennedy was the inspiration for Sweet Caroline. He recently performed it for her 50th birthday party. And he says the Red Sox are his favorite team . . .

World Series

Are the Red Sox are baseball's loveable Goliath? This writers say, "When you’re a loveable loser and always the underdog, people cheer for you to finally taste victory. But when you win all the time — and spend a lot of money to do it — people start to get first bored and then resentful." This is certainly what happened with Duke: one day everyone felt bad for us losing to UNLV and then practically overnight people started rooting against us and throwing bottles at players' families! (Well, what do you expect from those Terps fans?!) Is it just a matter of time before the world turns on the Red Sox? We already hear that our (lack of) salary cap makes us just as bad as the Yankees, and the argument that we're good and they're evil simply doesn't sound convincing.

In this World Series, the Rockies are not only the underdogs, they are practically invisible as they stroll about town. But that doesn't mean they will be a pushover...

Don't Gloat!

In New England, in Red Sox Nation, baseball continues amid joy and gloating.

However, gloating is never becoming and results in bad karma. And there is still a lot of baseball to play. I do think it is fortunate that my friend Dean was in Italy on vacation when the Yankees lost since he would not have taken it well.

photo courtesy of the Boston Globe

Red Sox coloring book

What a great concept, a Red Sox coloring book! It looks very cute, and I know a nephew or two who might enjoy it. I like the fact that this woman couldn't get her heart into sketching the Yankees, once she had been authorized to do one for each MLB team, so had to hire someone.






I had been wondering if children color as much as I did growing up, since I have noticed that Crayola has expanded its product offerings into other areas. However, the recent news that Toys 'r Us was recalling 27000 Chinese imported crayon sets containing lead paint makes it sound as if Crayola has been losing market share. Will Americans be willing to pay more for safer products made domestically? It seems clear they expect the manufacturers or distributors to absorb the expense of product safety inspections.

The Duke schedule is released!

Even I don't start worrying about basketball until the baseball season is over, but there is always a frisson of interest when Duke releases its schedule and I examine it carefully to figure out when I will be able to see my team play in person. Unfortunately, this year, the closest the team will get is New York (a neutral site game against Pitt on a weeknight) and at Temple (on another weeknight in January), and I will have less flexibility this year in terms of taking an afternoon off to get to my seat by tipoff. Admittedly, one often sees better on TV but of course it is not the same! However, until the new freshmen make their mark, there is no one incredibly exciting on this team (and hasn't been since JJ graduated), and while Gerald Henderson and DeMarcus Nelson show signs of brilliance they have not been able to sustain it for an entire game. I guess I will stick to the Red Sox for the time being although their August slump is worrying everyone in the Nation... although Red Sox fans on the road, seem to be having fun, so long as you don't ask Terry Francona!

Run for president of Red Sox nation!

Have you ever dreamed of becoming president of the most enthusiastic, obsessive and loyal (yet at times the most unforgiving) fans in the world, those of Red Sox Nation? If for no other reason, the perks sound great:

• Four tickets to 10 games in 2008
• A ceremonial first pitch before a game in 2008
• A suite for one regular season game in 2008
• A trip to Spring Training with a guest
• Official business cards
• A credential to allow entry for all 2008 regular season games
• Periodic appearances on NESN/WRKO
• Periodic meetings with Red Sox senior executives
• Official spokesperson reacting to Red Sox news

And maybe I would get to meet my favorite players, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek!

New Outfielder

Although Friday was the one weekend game the Red Sox did not manage to win (and it probably cost Josh Beckett the start at next week's All Star Game), it was fun to attend the game with the Duke Club of Boston and my fellow clerk/fellow alumna Felicia. It was also the debut of the much heralded Red Sox rookie, Jacoby Ellsbury. He reached base that night, and on Monday he managed to score from second on a wild pitch, to the joy of all spectators who have watched our lack of base running prowess/speed for years. So far he is displaying becoming modesty, which will further ingratiate him with the Nation...