Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans

One of the perks of being a book blogger is getting to read brand new books, sometimes even before they're published. Such was the case with Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans by Joanne DeMaio, which was published just a couple of days ago.  Inspired by the pretty, painterly cover of this new novel, I brewed some coffee, kicked off my shoes, settled into a lounge chair, and began to read. I was eager to begin the second novel by Joanne DeMaio, as I'd savored her first one, Whole Latte Life.  Set at Stony Point beach in Connecticut, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans is the story of denim designer Maris Carrington, who has flown to her childhood home in Connecticut from Chicago to wrap up the loose ends of her father's estate. With the help of her friend, Eva, she decides to stay at a beach cottage for an indefinite period of time that summer, to reconnect with friends she hasn't seen in many years, and to think about her past and her future.

Once again, Joanne DeMaio's writing is quite lovely and artistic.  In this book, she paints a portrait of a group of friends who reconvene at the beach after being apart for over a decade.  The beach is an idyllic setting in which to spend the summer, and like in her previous book, Whole Latte Life, the book refers to the pleasures of coffee numerous times.  But the seemingly light, casual, breezy nature of this book is limited to the setting.

"To cure pain, one has to feel it first. That's what acclimating is to for him, dealing with some sort of pain.  And that's what eats at him right now.  Either pain has to be felt, or escaped from."
~Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, Joanne DeMaio

Maris' group of friends faces some particularly weighty adult problems, pertaining to life and death, the loss of a limb, job and marital problems, and other family issues.  In keeping with the serious tone of the book, I'm not sure that the cute title really fits the book. Maybe this book deserves a more pensive title, such as At Stony Point (or something more creative), although I like how the title refers to Maris' career and coffee.

This could be due to my limitations as a reader, but it took me a while to "get into" this book.  I needed to reread the first few chapters in order to make sense of what was happening and who the characters were.  For me, things did not "click" as quickly as I'd hoped they would.  I was a trifle confused as I tried to figure out the connections between all of the characters, to discover who was who. Truth be told, I felt there were too many characters for this sort of novel.  I liked Maris well enough, but I was left wanting to get to know her better.  Instead, I met many of her friends, Eva, Matt, Scott, Jason, Neil, Kyle, Lauren, and Vinny.  I'd have preferred fewer characters who I could get to know more deeply.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more work by Joanne DeMaio. Her writing is exquisite and evocative.

"Farther down the beach, a few boats are moored just beyond the swimming area, their cabins glowing with yellow light.  Beyond the boats, the lighthouse at Gull Island faintly beckons.  An occasional faraway call of a foghorn moves through the night."
~~Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, Joanne DeMaio

She brought the setting to life, and I felt as if I, too, were at the shore, basking in the fresh beach air, taking a barefoot walk in the sand by the edge of the water.  More than just a beach read, though, this book is an interesting exploration of many things, including the importance of pursuing your chosen career and other dreams, and to connecting with friends and family.

Thanks to Mary for providing me with a complimentary copy of this novel.

Your comments are welcomed, as always.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is the quintessential meme for logophiles and lexicologists.  It's also a lot of fun!  This week, I didn't list my words in alphabetical order because I wanted to feature a word from an actual book first. :)  I was determined to find a word from the book I'm currently reading, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans by Joanne DeMaio.  I did find one, although many of you probably already know what it means.  I thought I did, too, but when I looked it up, I realized I was mistaken. 

1. insouciance: indifference; lack of care or concern; a lighthearted attitude

"Later we went to the beach, and I don't know; it just happened she'd continued, her breathing ragged, her face wet, her insouciance drowned out by a clear reality now."

~Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, Joanne DeMaio

I thought it meant having a kind of saucy or impudent attitude.

The next word's from my lovely 365 New Words-a-Year calendar. :)

2. fanfaronade: empty boasting; bluster

Tired of all the fanfaronade at the frat house, Tyler decided to move back to the dorm.  

This word derives from fanfarrón, a Spanish word for a braggart or boaster, and may be related to the word 'fanfare' as well. 

My last word was featured yesterday as the word of the day on Dictionary.com.  (For those interested, I took a screen shot with my phone, then cropped it in iPhoto.)

3. zakuska: an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer; Russian tasting plate

Zakuski, courtesy of Wikipedia

The Russian Tea Room Cookbook includes a bounty of zakuska recipes.

Zakuska means "little bite" in Russian, and is often served before a meal at a party or special occasion, accompanied by champagne or vodka.  Examples of zakuska would be caviar with buttered bread, pickled herring, or marinated vegetables.  The plural form of the word is zakuski.


Each week Kathy from BermudaOnion's Weblog hosts Wondrous Words Wednesday.  What new words have you discovered recently?

Mailbox Monday, Etc.

Nothing beats getting packages in the mail! The sight of boxes and padded envelopes in my mailbox or at my doorstep always makes me smile.  Pictured are the new books that were recently delivered to my "mailbox".

Tim Rowland's Creature Features arrived for an upcoming book tour with Premier Virtual Authors Book Tours.  The Gunners of Shenyang by Jihui Yu traveled all the way from Signal 8 Press in Hong Kong to my home.  I also received Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, the new book by Joanne DeMaio, for an upcoming book tour, as well as The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman, for a TLC book tour.  I'm looking forward to reading each of these, and to participating in the book tours over the next few months.

With Valentine's Day is just around the corner, why not treat someone special--maybe yourself--to a wonderful gift from GoneReading?  My readers will now get 20% off any purchases made from GoneReading; simply use the coupon code SUKOS20 during checkout.  GoneReading has some glorious gifts "just for her".  And GoneReading donates 100% of after-tax profits to fund libraries and reading programs around the world--another great reason to shop at GoneReading!  I may need to buy myself a little something.  I especially love their cute T-shirts (wearing them grants you extra "permission" to read),  pretty book journals, and lovely note cards featuring paintings of women reading.

Mailbox Monday is a fabulous way to showcase new books and reading-related items.  Created by Marcia, who has set up various book blogs as well as a Mailbox Monday blog, this meme has been "on tour" for the past few years. Audra from Unabridged Chick is hosting Mailbox Monday for the month of February. What new goodies did you find in your mailbox recently?